Joe Harper: Wrong to make Kusini Yengi the Aberdeen fall guy for Hearts defeat

Press and Journal

8 hours ago

The focus on Kusini Yengi following Aberdeen's 2-0 defeat at Hearts is letting the rest of the Dons players off the hook.
The Australian striker has been painted as the fall guy for Aberdeen's defeat at Tynecastle on Monday and I don't think it's fair that he is left to shoulder the blame.
It was a tough night for Yengi. Yes, he should have scored, and I had hoped to see him more involved in the game.
When a ball comes into the box you have to believe it's coming your way, and you have to be on your toes anticipating it at all times.
Maybe some nerves were at play but there shouldn't be in Yengi's case. He's an international player in his mid-20s.
But it's far too easy to point the finger at the Dons striker because he didn't take his chances.
The Dons' problems ran far deeper than a couple of squandered opportunities.
The bigger issue was how timid the team was.
In last week's column I talked about the need for aggression at Hearts.
We all knew what was lying in store for Aberdeen in Edinburgh but it seems too many players just weren't at the races.
Derek McInnes' side bullied the Dons into submission. They were first to every ball and showed a greater desire to win it and start another attack against a timid, meek Aberdeen side.
It was the first game of the season but I do question whether Aberdeen are an easy touch at times.
They have some good technical players who can hurt teams but you need the steel to go with the silk and there wasn't much of that on show from the visitors at Tynecastle.
I'm not buying this 'Dons were undercooked' narrative though.
It was brave of boss Jimmy Thelin to take two really tough pre-season games against Fulham and Ipswich Town.
They are two good sides who play at a high level in England and I have no doubt the Aberdeen squad had to put in a shift in both games.
That's why I can't accept the players were not prepared for Tynecastle. They just didn't perform.
I want to see a response when Celtic visit Pittodrie on Sunday.
It will be a game where the visitors have more possession but it's up to Aberdeen to close the gap by grafting.
Take a leaf out of the Jambos' playbook. Hustle, hassle and harry the opposition every chance you can get. Force errors and turnovers, and get the ball into areas where you can hurt the Hoops quickly.
If they can do that it's up to Yengi to show Monday was a poor debut and nothing more.
Dons fans are a supportive bunch and if you put in the hard yards in games and chip in with some goals they'll get behind you.
I'm certainly not ready to write the big man off after one game.
If we were judging players on the back of what we saw at Tynecastle the manager would be toiling to pick a team for the Celtic game.
For those who do get a chance to make amends, what a stage they have at a packed Pittodrie this weekend.
As for Yengi, if he can get off the mark and play his part on Sunday against Celtic then he'll soon have the support singing his name.
Slobodan Rubezic has done little to show he should be back in the fold after being sent off for an Aberdeen XI at Fraserburgh on Wednesday.
The central defender has been out of the picture since returning from his loan at Novi Pazar in the second half of last season.
I am sure the big man had hoped to return from Serbia ready to fight for his place in Jimmy Thelin's squad just as Pape Habib Gueye did from his loan spell at Kristiansund in Norway last year.
But, having failed to make the squad for Monday's defeat by Hearts, Rubezic was given the chance to show what he can do at Bellslea in Wednesday's Aberdeenshire Cup tie, he lasted just 32 minutes.
A desperate foul on Broch striker Scott Barbour as he ran clear on goal earned Rubezic an early bath.
Dons boss Jimmy Thelin will be pleased Nicky Devlin, Alfie Dorrington, Gavin Molloy, Kjartan Mar Kjartansson, Ester Sokler and Peter Ambrose all got 45 minutes of competitive action under their belts in the 2-0 win at the Broch.
Trust and reliability is important in this game, but Ruby has blotted his copybook again.
Good luck to Hearts in their bid to win the Scottish Premiership title – but something tells me they've got a long road ahead.
Investor Tony Bloom has been talking up the Jambos, saying he'll be disappointed if the club does not win the Scottish Premiership title at least once in the next 10 years.
Given it has been 40 years since anyone other than Celtic or Rangers won the title it's asking a lot.
Splitting the big two is the first challenge and I don't see them doing that anytime soon, never mind winning the title.