Richard Gordon: Aberdeen's defeat at Tynecastle highlighted the need to bolster the squad before transfer window closes

Press and Journal

2 days ago

The Dons' Premiership campaign got off to a sluggish and unconvincing start at Tynecastle, and they could have no complaints about heading back up the road pointless.
Hearts were the more aggressive, more determined side right from the off, dominated the first half, and despite a brief mini-revival after the interval, the home were deserved winners.
They had clearly benefitted from playing four Premier Sports Cup group matches and looked so much sharper throughout, while Aberdeen appeared undercooked after a pre-season which included just three warm-up matches.
That might have been a mistake given how much more ready Derek McInnes' men were, but even another couple of friendlies might not have helped; there is no substitute for competitive action, and with the later start in Europe, there was no way round that for Jimmy Thelin.
There was much focus on Kusini Yengi, naturally so given the two gilt-edged chances he spurned, and for the most part he looked like a striker who hasn't scored a club goal since April 2024.
The Aussie is clearly bereft of confidence, and needs time to settle into his new surroundings, but he will not get a whole lot of that, because the Dons need someone capable of finding the back of the net now; they do not have the luxury of waiting a few months.
While there have been success stories in recent times – Bojan Miovski and, eventually, Kevin Nisbet – too much money has been splashed out on forwards, some of whom are still at the club, who look anything but regular goalscorers.
It is too early to make any real judgement on Yengi, but he looked less than convincing on his first proper outing, and has some work to do if he is to become Aberdeen's go-to centre-forward.
There has been much talk about Marko Lazetic, who seems to be highly-rated, but remains largely unproven, and has no real track record as a goalscorer. That potential deal seems to have stalled, so it might well be that the Dons have to look elsewhere.
They will need to act fast. As well as Hearts, Hibernian have started impressively and recorded a notable win in Europe; the opposition look in fine fettle at this stage.
The first weekend left Aberdeen bottom of the table, the defeat following on from four straight losses to finish off the 2024-25 league season, and it extended the largely dismal run stretching back to last November.
Given that, the visit of the champions is probably the last fixture they would have wanted, and while Celtic were nowhere near their scintillating best in the win over St Mirren, they will travel north, as they always do, in full expectation of securing the three points.
While they have picked up a few draws along the way, not since February 2016 has there been a Dons victory at Pittodrie in this fixture. This would be the perfect time to end that run, but the performance will have to be considerably better than we saw at Tynecastle if they are to even give themselves a chance of doing so.
Aberdeen were sanctioned by the SPFL this week after being held responsible for the actions of a group of fans who continue to put lives at risk with the senseless use of pyrotechnics and flares.
For now, the punishment has been suspended, but if there is any repeat, the Merkland Stand will be partially closed.
The Red Shed has been a welcome addition to the atmosphere at Pittodrie, generating colour and noise, but certain supporters seem to feel they are untouchable, above the law, and unless they rein in their behaviour, their actions could have serious repercussions.
The Dons are by no means the only club affected; plenty others have been targeted by the authorities as a result of the mindless behaviour of some of their fans. It is a trend which has gathered pace in recent years, and it is going to have to be stopped.
If it continues, someone is going to be seriously injured, or worse. I would hope the supporters in question come to their senses and eventually realise that.