Quote Originally Posted by Handsome_Devil View Post
The comparison to McCall's last season is frightening. Robinson has done well for us overall and he has turned it round when looking doomed on several occasions. So I'm not writing him off completely. But the total collapse of Long, Watt and Polworth suggests something behind the scenes, you wonder if the deification of Turnbull has caused annoyance or if there's a split between those in the dressing too openly taking the club at their word of being a 'stepping stone' and those who know this is their level.

If that's right, Robinson is done and until a new broom sweeps clean we're in bother. If it's wrong, we'll be fine...

Because for all the defence looks shaky at times, five goals conceded in five games with a patched up back four is hardly a disgrace (especially as two of them were penalties). The midfield of Campbell and Turnbull would walk into most other sides and since DT has got sharper has been playing well. Hylton was excellent September-December 2019 and hasn't kicked a ball since. Long was on course for 15 goals last season which as striker not on penalty duty would have been a superb return regardless of his flaws. Lang did well in England and was highly rated, Watt impressed in his cameo last season. The attack - despite mediocrity so far - is not no goals from five bad. Or shouldn't be.

Bizarrely I still feel the problem is Turnbull and getting the best out of him. We have pace in the side but don't use it because everything goes through the playmaker. This gives time for the opposition to get settled and even if he picks out nice passes, he doesn't have the team-mates with the movement and control to thread our way through packed defences. Turnbull was also at his best when he could support Main being a ball to chest/feet target man who could feed him or Hastie/Aryibi out wide. None of our forwards are capable of doing that so in effect Turnbull is playing a different game to before which also serves to make life harder for the wingers.

Robinson's flaws are well known but he has also changed it when needed. Binning the wingers - and presumably going to some kind of midfield diamond or a 4-2-2-2 shape to include two defensive and two attacking folk in the centre behind two up top - would an admission of catastrophic failure.

If we lose on Thursday I think he'll go voluntarily (and if not the board should seriously consider pushing him). Win, escape humiliation at Celtic and we have the international break to lick our wounds and consider the future. That will be easier said than done without key players in training obviously but it will take the heat off for a fortnight which is no bad thing.
I feel that you're right about David; just as a few more Dons fans are finding some merit in Curtis Main, I think we're missing him. He was better at holding the ball up than anyone we've got now, and, as one Aberdeen fan posted, he tries hard all the time. We have enough players who are more than capable in our league but we need to find a system which recognises that packed defences will be the order of the day. Outside the OF, this must surely be the lowest - scoring start to the season ever. David has to pause and look around too often before he passes - usually to someone standing still, and with his back to goal. They need to sit down and sort this out.