Four words sum up Aberdeen’s season so far – what might have been.
To say it has been a rollercoaster campaign so far for new manager Stephen Glass and his players does not come close to describing what has transpired.
A change of regime, culture and playing personnel has resulted in a lack of consistency not seen at Pittodrie in years.
Injuries have not helped of course, but had this been written at the end of November rather than now, it would have been hard to find much in the way of positives down Pittodrie way.
But in the space of a few short weeks there has been green shoots of recovery as far as the Dons are concerned with Glass leading his side into the winter break on a run of four wins from five games in December.
Five home wins from the last six matches also augurs well, but let’s not kid ourselves – overall it is hard to dispute the notion the team has underperformed thus far.
Confidence was high following strong summer start
It all started so promisingly in July with the European matches offering hope of a bright new dawn at Pittodrie.
But then, if you have been paying attention, it always feels that way when you watch the Dons sweeping teams aside with ease in the early rounds every summer.
The Conference League, Uefa’s third-tier European competition, had offered hope of qualification for the group stages of a European tournament for the first time since Jimmy Calderwood’s side did so in 2007.
But Qarabag, a team with Champions League experience, quickly put paid to that as they swatted Aberdeen aside with ease in the playoff round. It was a painful exit with the defeat in the first leg compounded by the loss of Andy Considine to serious knee injury.
His importance to the team has been clear for all to see in his absence.
European exploits took their toll domestically
The Dons’ participation in the early rounds of the Conference League also had a negative impact domestically.
Glass gambled with his line-up, resting six players for the first away trip to Livingston on August 8.
The match fell between the two legs of the third qualifying round against Breidablik and it was clear Europe was higher in the list of priorities than the first away game of the league.
No-one would have believed you if you said this was the last time the Dons would enjoy victory until October 23.
Unfortunately, the lesson was not learned as the following weekend, with one eye on the trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag looming, the Dons boss made seven changes for the trip to Kirkcaldy to face Raith Rovers in the League Cup.
Aberdeen’s luck did not hold as they crashed out of the cup, letting a 1-0 half-time lead slip in a dire second half display as Raith came from behind to win 2-1.
The defeat came at a further cost, too, with Ryan Hedges suffering a hamstring injury which ruled him out for six matches – including the playoff round double-header against Qarabag.
Considine’s knee injury after 14 minutes in Azerbaijan added to Aberdeen’s woes and it was at this point the cracks started to show in the Dons’ early season optimism.
It would be unfair to say Considine’s injury was the root cause of Aberdeen’s loss of form, but his experience and influence was undoubtedly missed and with each game without him it seems as if the Dons’ confidence slowly eroded.
For new boss Glass, it was a slow-building pressure cooker and it came to a head at Dens Park on October 16 when Dundee, who had not won a game all season, beat the Dons 2-1.
It was the fourth Reds game in a row of firsts – a first win of the campaign for Dundee had been preceded by a first away win since February for Celtic, a first home win for St Mirren and a first win of the campaign for St Johnstone. All against Aberdeen.
Dundee defeat prompted chairman to make public defence of his manager
Dundee was viewed as a make-or-break game for Glass and, when it went against him, chairman Dave Cormack took to national radio to issue a passionate, if at times misguided, defence of his manager.
He pointed to the data of the Dons performances, the change in playing style, the emergence of Jack MacKenzie and Calvin Ramsay as first team regulars as evidence progress was coming, even if the results were not there to support his claims.
He also pointed to the fact Hibs fans had been calling for Jack Ross to be sacked last season and look how he had turned it all around.
With Ross having recent been punted from Easter Road, despite leading the Hibees to the League Cup final, perhaps Cormack was a little premature with that one.
Ramirez strikes to start the recovery
Whether you agree with Cormack’s sentiments or not, he did need to break his silence and alleviate some of the pressure on his manager.
It had the desired effect, too, as Aberdeen ended their horrible run with a victory against – yes, you guessed it – Hibs.
An excellent display at Ibrox saw the Dons take a point in a 2-2 draw against champions Rangers.
Really, they deserved all three.
They followed it by recording a first of their own; inflicting Hearts’ first defeat of the season with a 2-1 win at Pittodrie.
Suddenly things were looking up, but the Dons suffered three league losses in a row to temper the optimism a little.
However, December has been a month to offer cause for optimism, with Aberdeen winning three in a row for the first time this season to close the gap on the teams above them in the Premiership and offer the first concrete sign they are getting their act together.
The return of Considine after the winter break can only bolster that cause.
In a campaign where all and sundry had labelled this as the most competitive top-flight season in decades, it should come as no surprise to see the Dons drastically change the narrative in a handful of games.
It does make you wonder what could have been an offer had that stability and consistency been prevalent in August and September, though.
