Boos rang out at Pittodrie as Falkirk kept the ball in the corner for nearly three straight minutes, telling the story of Aberdeen at one of their lowest ebbs in recent memory.
The 1-0 defeat on home turf sent enthusiasm for their upcoming League Cup semi-final with Rangers through the floor, and means Stephen Robinson is no longer a divisive figure at the club. The fanbase now seem united in their belief that he is not the answer.
Falkirk's impressive run
Falkirk were impressive, and three top flight wins in a row for the first time since 2007 indicate they're on for yet another terrific season under John McGlynn. Aberdeen could only wish for a team so put-together, and a manager who so consistently gets results.
When the full-time whistle blew, there was a mixture of toxicity and apathy. Many of the home fans, even at just 1-0 down, had already bailed out, having seen this story before and, justifiably, not believing their team had the fight to get back into the game.
Fans' frustration boils over
It came just four days after their derby defeat to Dundee United, and furious punters were quick to remind Robinson, as he went to shake hands with his opposite number, that once again, they weren't good enough.
It's now three defeats in four games since returning from the international break, and it's hard to see a way back for the man fast becoming a pariah among the home support. His quick shuffle down the tunnel told you he didn't want to face the fans. His admission to club media after the game that he hadn't even been into the dressing room yet told you that he didn't want to face his players. And his defeated body language told you he, in all probability, isn't long for this job.
Pressure mounts on Robinson
Anything other than a victory in Saturday evening's semi-final could well spell curtains for suffering Robinson. When he was appointed in the summer, fans raised questions over whether he was the calibre of manager required to lead the club forward, and those concerns have only grown in volume since. This defeat though felt like the breaking point.
Most of the accusations levelled at their under-fire manager as they slumped to their sixth league defeat aren't printable. One raging punter sitting within earshot requested, and not politely, that he returns to Paisley. Another helpfully provided directions to the nearest job centre.
The players weren't exactly immune to it either. 'Hopeless', 'halfwit', and 'as slow as a week in the jail' were among the more modest terms used to describe the flops who were outworked and outplayed by an impressive Falkirk side, whose nuanced and effective game plan left some Aberdeen fans believing they poached the wrong Premiership manager when they brought in Robinson back in March.
McGlynn, after all, is rapidly becoming what Robinson used to be. He's consistently over-performing with a side who, given their budget, should not be where they are in the table – once again in the top six, and four points ahead of Aberdeen to boot.
Falkirk's recruitment shines
Their sizeable and vocal travelling support were drinking it in. The away end belted out a rendition of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA, an ode to American striker Jacob Murrell, their new cult hero and the latest symbol of the club's stellar recruitment strategy.
They lost half of their team in the summer, but the players McGlynn has brought to replace them – imposing striker Murrell, tireless playmaker Finley Barbrook, electric winger Owen Eames and defender-turned-midfielder Deniss Melniks – would each have dramatically improved this Dons side, whose new arrivals have so far taken the club backwards rather than forward.
Even Ethan Ross, released by the Dons as a 19-year-old and now a key man for McGlynn, looked a big step up from anything the home side offered as he harried Nesta Guinness-Walker like a man possessed.
It's worrying for Aberdeen and you have to wonder where they go from here. In spite of their sins, they'll be backed by a huge travelling support at Hampden this weekend, and who knows, a sudden change in fortunes at the national stadium – and then against Hibs before the international break – could well turn things around for Robinson. But on the evidence of what was witnessed at Pittodrie last night, as fans bailed for the exits at 1-0 down and booed from the pits of their stomach? I wouldn't be holding my breath...
