Aberdeen at the 'necessity' stage as season continues to unravel amid praise for the caretaker
American knows Dons must put in top performance in cup tie against Rovers
The Aberdeen soul-searching started right after the final whistle against Rangers. For the first time since December 2022, the visitors from Govan left with a victory.
Losing to Rangers at Pittodrie is always painful for the Red Army given the rivalry between the two teams. The Dons have been competitive recently at home against them but the listless manner of the 2-0 defeat on Sunday was another example of the malaise that is afflicting Aberdeen right now.
Without a manager and sitting eighth in the Premiership, Aberdeen are spluttering their way through this season. The joyous scenes of winning the Scottish Cup back in May feel a long time ago. Boss Jimmy Thelin has left the building and a well-stocked yet underperforming squad has failed to build upon one of the best days in the club’s recent history.
The last seven games make particularly grim reading. Six defeats and one draw – at home to Dundee United – is not acceptable for a side with Aberdeen’s ambitions. It fed into a wider narrative that despite that epic cup win, 2025 was a disappointing year. It cost Thelin his job earlier this month. The team’s entertainment levels have been criticised, goals are hard to come by and at the other end they are shipping goals from set-pieces. Individual errors are costing them dearly, not least from goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov – a hero of the win over Celtic at Hampden.
“That’s what makes it harder,” said midfielder Dante Polvara when he was reminded of the recent better times. “The nice part was during the recent spell there were games every three or four days where we could turn it around quickly. But it can also snowball the wrong way which it did last year.
“We had a good streak of about ten games where we were finally finding some consistency and clean sheets. We never heard a chirp about set-piece issues. A lapse of concentration against Motherwell at home, lapse in concentration away with two set-piece goals. That wasn’t a set-piece issue, it was a mentality thing with a bit of fatigue in the mind.
“Now all of a sudden it is five set-pieces in three games. We are not conceding from open play but that doesn’t really count for anything right now. I thought we were finding our feet, then within a few games the table looks horrible.”
Odds-on next manager favourite
Right now, Aberdeen are in a battle to make the top six. They trail sixth-place Falkirk by five points and are 12 off the top four. Owner Dave Cormack and his board have ploughed millions into the transfer budget. Even juggling a Conference League campaign, the Dons should be better off at this point in the season.
Chief executive Alan Burrows intimated that the process of appointing a new manager will speed up towards the end of this week. Recently-appointed sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel is leading up the hunt. His fellow German Markus Gidsol, a 56-year-old who most recently managed Kayserispor in Turkey, is the new odds-on favourite with bookmakers to succeed Thelin. The smart money would probably be on an overseas appointment rather than a domestic stand-out candidate such as St Mirren’s Stephen Robinson.
Praise for the caretaker
For now, caretaker boss Peter Leven is holding the fort and is likely to take charge of Sunday’s Scottish Cup third-round tie against Raith Rovers. “Pete has been great and it is definitely not down to him,” said Polvara. “Our few sessions with him have been great and positive so it is disappointing we weren’t able to transmit that onto the field.
“I’m comfortable with Pete as he came in before and turned it around multiple times in that season. I really enjoy the way he sees the game. There is a good understanding there with him and I’m sure a lot of the boys would say the same. In the few days we have had with him it has been really positive.
“I would like to think that with a full week we can find a way to get some confidence going into this game. We are at home and have to play with our chests out. We need to give a performance that people can be proud of, that is a necessity at this point. Right now that [new manager] is in the back of everyone’s mind.”
Polvara knows just how damaging a defeat would be against Championship mid-table side Raith Rovers – especially given that Aberdeen are holders. “It is a massive game to us to prove that we deserve to be here, to wear this shirt and badge and play for the club,” the American added. “There have been times where people can really show what they can do although it has maybe faded a little bit. We have to help one another and put in a serious team performance.
“I want everyone to have a great performance with a clean sheet and goals. That is not me saying that it is going to be easy as it will be a real fight. We will have pressure but we are more than capable of dealing with that.
“I have said since the start of the season this might have been the strongest squad since I have been here in terms of quality. I think personality wise we have a lot of young guys which obviously takes time. But we don’t have a lot of time here. We need to find a way to turn it around.
“I believe in the guys I play next to and the guys on the bench, those not in the squad. I know they have something to offer and something to give, that’s why they are here. Right now it is not clicking and we are all looking in the mirror trying to find the answer within ourselves, and with each other. With the situation we are in we have to find something to boost us.”
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