Boss Stephen Glass insists Aberdeen’s rising stars are being let down by their more experienced team-mates.
Glass reckons young full-backs Calvin Ramsay and Jack MacKenzie were let down by senior players in the 2-1 defeat at Dundee.
Struggling Aberdeen have now lost five straight Premiership games for the first time since 2011 and have taken just two points from the last possible 21.
The Dons boss insists there were absolutely no positives to take from a sobering defeat at Dens Park as the winless run extended to 10 games.
Although accepting Aberdeen are “miles off where they want to be defensively”, Glass isolated the strong performances of Ramsay and MacKenzie.
The rising full-backs have set up all of Aberdeen’s last four goals, with Ramsay pitching in with two assists in the 3-2 loss at St Mirren and one assist in the 2-1 loss to Celtic.
MacKenzie provided an assist with a cross for Christian Ramirez’s goal against Dundee.
Glass said: “I can’t say there are positives when you get beat.
“But Jack MacKenzie was fantastic and you saw a 21-year-old playing like he’s 30.
“Ramsay was good in the first half.
“There are good players who have been let down by senior players.
“They are the future of the club and have performed brilliantly for me.”
Poor decisions are costing Aberdeen
Aberdeen have now failed to register a clean sheet for 13 consecutive games.
Glass changed the centre-back pairing against Dundee, with Scotland international Declan Gallagher returning to the starting line-up to partner David Bates, also a Scotland cap.
However, the defensive mistakes continued.
Glass insists the defensive frailty has gone on for far too long and has to stop now – with the next game against Hibs at home on Saturday.
He said: “We didn’t take the right options at the top end of the pitch and we were too easy to score against.
“As a group, we are not resilient or strong enough defensively.
“That’s what costs you games.
“Things ran away from us quickly after the first goal.
“We switched off for a second and Leigh Griffiths sticks it in the net.
“You can show players the threat, but the top players make good decisions on the pitch consistently.
“When players are making poor decisions, they cost you games.
“It’s important it changes quickly, otherwise there will be a continuation of this.”
‘Defensively we are miles away from where we should be’
Glass accepts the upturn in form is unlikely to come until the defence tighten up and cut out the mistakes.
Despite mixing up the centre-back back pairings between Ross McCrorie, David Bates and Declan Gallagher, the lack of clean sheets has continued.
The absence of the Andy Considine’s influence is becoming increasingly clear.
Veteran Considine has been sidelined since August following cruciate ligament surgery.
Scotland international Considine is not set to return until the New Year.
Glass accepts the defence are currently ‘miles off’ the level he demands – and has urged the Dons to sort it out defensively or put the chances of a revival at risk.
He said: “As a group we were not defensively strong enough and it is the same old story
“Defensively we are miles away from what we should be.
“We are in good positions to defend, that is the frustrating part.
“It is individual bits. Until that changes, defensively things won’t change.”