Aberdeen winger Jonny Hayes admits the players badly let down sacked manager Jim Goodwin who “believed in us right up to the last minute.”
And he revealed the players had to face the man they got sacked when Goodwin visited Cormack Park 48 hours after being sacked to say his goodbyes.
Goodwin’s parting shot to the squad he built was not one of negativity.
Instead Goodwin, axed after just 11 months in the job, reassured the Dons they could still be successful.
Interim boss Barry Robson will be in the dugout for tonight’s clash with St Mirren as the Pittodrie hierarchy step up the hunt for a new manager.
Hayes is the first player to speak since Goodwin left the Dons.
He said: “On Saturday (6-0 loss at Hibs) me and the squad, we let the manager down.
“We didn’t show that our words were backed up with actions, unfortunately.
“Circumstances around the last ten days and the manager leaving, it is a tough job to pick up a lot of the boys.
“A lot of them had a relationship with the manager, including me.
“Someone losing their job is never nice and on the back of three bad results as well.
“The boys are hurting from performances and results.
“It was disappointing that there was no great response to the Darvel result at Easter Road.
“That was hard to take.”
Goodwin’s final message to Dons
Goodwin was axed just 19 minutes after the Dons crashed to a 6-0 defeat at Easter Road.
It was a defeat that extended a damaging run of form with just one win in 10 matches.
Aberdeen also dropped into the Premiership’s bottom six.
Hayes said: “He (Goodwin) came and spoke to us after the game and wished us well and told us of the decision.
“Jim was back in on Monday to say goodbye to everyone at the training ground and wish the squad well.
“He reiterated his point that he thought there was enough in here to achieve the goals we set out at the start of the season.
“He believes in us right up until the last minute and unfortunately we didn’t repay that faith.”
No answers for crash in form
Aberdeen went into the winter break for the World Cup holding third spot in the Premiership.
The Reds had also booked a place in the League Cup semi-final.
Since returning from the shutdown the form has spectacularly crashed.
Veteran Hayes is at a loss to explain why and says the players were all behind Goodwin.
He said: “Results are the bread and butter.
“If results don’t go your way, you start looking at why and we have a backroom staff who are here for hours and hours.
“No matter what time you come in they are here working away.
“The players don’t always see that but they are trying to fix problems and find solutions tactically and technically and pick up squad morale.
“It didn’t work over the last number of weeks.
“Myself, I have been in the game long enough, I can’t put my finger on it either.
“You have a group of players who want to work for the manager.
“And who want to be at the football club that get the best of everything but it hasn’t clicked.”
Performances are ‘indefensible’
Aberdeen have been slaughtered by angry supporters for the defeats against Hibs, sixth tier Darvel (1-0) and Hearts (5-0).
Hayes accepts it is “fully deserved”.
He said: “Our performances and results have been indefensible.
“You take praise when it comes so you have to take criticism when it comes.
“When results are that bad then the criticism and those opinions are fully deserved.
“You never have an intention to play badly or lose a game.
“But unfortunately over the last few weeks we have played badly and we don’t understand why.
“We have to go back to basics and try to instill confidence and lift the team.
“To remind the players that they are good players.
“They have produced good results in the first half of the season, in particular.”
Season can be salvaged with Europe
As Aberdeen aim to emerge from a chaotic two-week period, Hayes insists the season can still be salvaged.
The Dons have exited both cups but he believes European qualification remains a viable target.
He said: “There is still a lot to play for.
“The European places will go right down to the wire, like it did last year.
“We will just need to focus on ourselves and get a run of results together.
“St Mirren have been very good this season.
“With us being the home team the onus will be to break that down and it is going back to basics and how we do that.”
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