Interim boss Neil Warnock admits Aberdeen’s 10-game winless Premiership slump is giving him sleepless nights.
The 75-year-old says he has been left “tossing and turning” in his bed at night trying to find a solution to the Dons’ crisis in form.
Struggling Aberdeen have failed to register a league victory since returning from the winter break in January.
Aberdeen have secured just five points from the last possible 30 and have dropped to 10th in the table.
A dramatic late collapse at St Mirren was the latest setback with Aberdeen blowing a lead by conceding twice in stoppage time to lose 2-1.
The Reds are only four points ahead of the relegation play-off zone and their form has supporters fearing the club will be dragged into a battle to avoid going down.
Appointed in early February, former Sheffield United, Leeds United and Cardiff City boss Warnock is without a league win after six Premiership matches.
Warnock is determined his sleepless nights will result in a strategy to end the slump and threat of a relegation scrap.
He said: “You go to bed at night when you’re a manager, you’re not winning games and you’re tossing and turning.
“The next morning you’ve got to be ready for it, you’ve got to be bright.
“You’ve got to look at where we can be better, what we can do and how we can win games.
“That’s what you get paid for.”
Intense defensive training sessions
Aberdeen have failed to register a clean sheet in that 10-game winless slump since the winter break.
During Warnock’s tenure they have conceded 13 goals in just six league games.
Warnock confirmed he will do special training sessions with his defenders this week in a bid to solve that costly inability to deliver clean sheets.
The sessions are so physically demanding Warnock says he can only do them when the Reds do not have a midweek game.
Aberdeen are in deep trouble in the Premiership and the campaign will collapse into full blown crisis if they do not starting winning league fixtures soon.
There is some respite from the pressures of league action this weekend when the Dons host Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Managed by former Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes, Kilmarnock have inflicted three Premiership defeats on the Dons out of three matches this season.
Sacked by the Dons in March 2021, McInnes is the only manager to deliver a trophy to the Dons this century, winning the League Cup in 2014.
The Pittodrie club’s previous silverware triumph was the League Cup in 1995.
Now McInnes will return to Pittodrie aiming to end Aberdeen’s cup bid and deliver another hammer blow to the club.
Finding a solution to being ‘bullied’ by Kilmarnock
McInnes’ Kilmarnock beat the Dons 2-0 at Rugby Park last month and in response Warnock said Aberdeen are too nice, lacked physicality and were too easily bullied.
Whether he has found a solution to that problem will be tested at Pittodrie on Saturday.
On ending their winless run, Warnock said: “It’s a matter of trying to get a system.
“We know some teams probably have got more physicality than us but
that doesn’t mean we can’t put a fight up against them and give them problems.
“I don’t think anybody’s not tried.
“But we’ve had a lot of demoralising goals against us that have really knocked our confidence at times.
“When we’re on top, they seem to have knocked us back a little.”
Why Shayden Morris was dropped
Meanwhile, Warnock has explained why winger Shayden Morris has not been involved since being substituted after just 30 minutes in the 3-3 draw with Motherwell.
The Dons were 3-0 down after half-an-hour to the Steelmen but fought back to earn a point at Pittodrie on February 14.
Winger Morris was played as a wing-back in that game and received stick from frustrated supporters for his defensive shift.
He has not featured in any of the four games since.
Warnock says he opted to pull Morris out of the firing line for now.
He said: “I felt a little bit sorry for Shayden.
“I felt it was the right thing to do for the him, to take him out the the firing line
“I’ve made that decision and have spoken to him.
“He’ll come back but right now I’ve got to worry about the team.”
Conversation