DONS' JUST GIVING STAGE

Defensive mistakes are killing us says Shinnie

- FRASER WILSON

FROM a record-breaking start to sounding like a broken record.

Aberdeen’s chart-topping form that saw the Red Army chanting about winning the league after 10 wins and a draw in their opening 11 games has been muted in spectacular fashion and been replaced by the sound of despair on repeat.

The legendary Bill Shankly famously said football is a simple game. And for Aberdeen it’s not difficult to see what’s behind the outrageous downturn in fortunes.

Right now the Dons can’t score goals – and they can’t stop conceding them.

Graeme Shinnie certainly wasn’t for overcomplicating the problems that have seen his side plummet from the summit of the Premiership 10 games ago to suddenly sit 19 points off top spot having played a game more than Celtic.

The Pittodrie skipper says unacceptable defensive errors are “killing” Jimmy Thelin’s side. If they don’t sort them out soon their hopes of a Euro spot will die off too.

Three points amassed from the last 10 games, having taken 31 from their first 11 matches, tells the story of a side in freefall. Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Motherwell made it 20 goals conceded and just eight scored in those 10 winless games – in stark contrast to the 24 that were scored and 10 that were shipped in the first 11 matches.

Asked where it has all gone wrong, Shinnie cut straight to the heart of the matter.

The midfielder said: “Defensively – as a team – conceding too many goals. If you look at the first 10 games we didn’t concede a lot.