Stephen Robinson's Aberdeen future in doubt ahead of Hibs visit
After three straight defeats and with the AGM approaching, The Football Show panel debated whether Stephen Robinson can survive at Aberdeen.
By Peter Martin,
Stephen Robinson's future at Aberdeen was the main subject on The Football Show, as Peter Martin, Alan Rough and Tam McManus previewed Saturday's match against Hibs at Pittodrie, which kicks off at 5.45pm. Aberdeen go into the game after three straight defeats, with the club's AGM coming up and questions to be put to Dave Cormack.
Peter Martin sticks with Robinson
Peter Martin is still defending Robinson, and his message was simple: "Give them time." Not everyone watching shared that view, with one viewer responding: "I cannot understand Peter's defence of Robinson."
The show also heard a blunter assessment of where things stand: "if Stephen Robinson keeps going on the way that they're going at the moment, then he'll not be in the job by January."
Why Aberdeen fans are unhappy
The discussion covered the home defeats to Falkirk and St Johnstone and the case that Aberdeen need a goalscorer, with the side described as "too heavily reliant on Kevin Nisbet". There was a call for a different type of player as well: "Listen, you need battlers now".
Recruitment, including the club's foreign players, came under scrutiny, as did the fact that Aberdeen have "the fourth highest budget in the league". The panel also discussed why Aberdeen fans cannot direct their complaints at Cormack, and whether Aberdeen are "the Man United of Scottish football".
The current squad was measured against the Gothenburg side of 1983, with the panel considering whether anyone in this team would get near that group, a discussion in which the phrase "carry the hampers" came up. The conversation also took in how Hearts raised the bar, and Aberdeen's recent history from Derek McInnes to Jimmy Thelin.
Hibs arrive with momentum
Hibs head to Pittodrie after beating Hearts in the semi-final, a result described on the show as leaving "Massive credit in the bank with supporters now."
The prediction from The Football Show is a 2-1 win for Hibs.