Former Don Steve Tosh believes Aberdeen have become victims of their own success.
The Dons have lost all momentum after going eight games without a win but Tosh believes the anguish among supporters has been fuelled by the club’s outstanding start to the campaign.
Ten wins and a draw from the first 11 league games saw the Dons neck and neck with Premiership champions Celtic at the top of the table and nine points clear of Rangers in third place by mid-November.
But since returning from the international break Aberdeen’s fortunes have nosedived.
However Tosh believes fans need to focus on the bigger picture and accept their club is ahead of schedule under manager Jimmy Thelin despite the recent poor form.
Tosh said: “I’m not overly surprised. The surprise was that we took 31 points from the first 11 games, which then creates a major problem where you then go your next eight games without a win.
“We all enjoyed the ride at the start, but I think if you look at the bigger picture, had somebody said at the start of the season that you’d have been sitting third, two points off second and reached the semi-final of the League Cup, you’d have probably taken their hands off.
“It’s just because of what’s happened in the last eight games.
“I’m not belittling what they’ve done in the first 11 games, but at the same time, I’m not underplaying what’s happened in the last eight either.
“I think as a whole, we’re probably in front of where we thought we were going to be, but it’s about stopping the rot now, and how we go about that.”
Tosh believes players will be calm despite recent poor run
Aberdeen’s winless run may have resulted in the team relinquishing a healthy lead to Rangers but Tosh believes the players in the Pittodrie dressing room will be united in their desire to get out of the rut they find themselves in.
While the fans and media dissect the loss of form Tosh believes Dons boss Thelin’s trademark calm demeanour will be crucial to guiding the team through its current struggles.
“He said: “You know, the players won’t be actually overthinking it, believe it or not.
“I think a lot of times it’s the press and fans who overthink it.
“Jimmy was great at the start of the season where he never got too high, never got too low.
“He’ll relay that to the players. They’ll be speaking in the dressing room, on the training ground, and basically saying ‘look, we’ve got to get back to what we’ve done well.’
“That’s more what they’ll be looking at, and with the belief that it’ll lead to the win.
“They’ll be asking ‘what have we stopped doing well? What have we been doing that we never did in the first 11 games?’
“I don’t think there’ll be a huge panic. If you’d imagined we’d start the season with three points after eight games, then you’d have been in a right panic, but they are in a good position.
“Focusing on what got them there and reproducing it is what they’ll be doing.”
‘Dons could be second again on Thursday’
Ross County stand between the Dons and a first league win in nine matches when they visit Pittodrie on Thursday.
Despite the recent poor results a victory for Thelin’s side would be enough to take them back into second place ahead of Rangers if the Light Blues lose the Glasgow derby to runaway leaders Celtic at Ibrox.
Tosh believes one win is all it will take to inject a fresh dose of confidence and belief into Thelin’s side.
He said: “With Rangers at home to Celtic, the way things are going there, there’s only one outcome expected in that game.
“The players will know if they win their home game against County there is a real chance they could go second top again.
“I’m not saying everything’s rosy in the last eight games, but I’ll tell you what, if you’re sitting second in the league, you can’t have too much to complain about.”
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