The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Robson insists he can turn Red tide
Defiant Aberdeen boss Barry Robson insists he can turn around the season if the club and supporters stick together. At full-time a section of supporters in the Red Shed began chanting for the under-fire Robson to be axed.
There had been calls on social media for a protest at Pittodrie after the game, but that did not materialise.
However, disgruntled fans made their frustration clear as boos rang out at Pittodrie at full-time.
A banner displayed in the Red Shed at full-time read “Blind leading the blind, falling miles behind” but Robson remains confident he can turn around the Dons’ ailing Premiership form.
On the chants for his head, Robson said: “They will sing these songs, that’s alright.
“I accept that. I signed up for this job. They applauded me when I came out.
“All I focus on is coming in tomorrow, trying to make us better and trying to win the next game.
“There are things that have not gone for us in a lot of games.”
Asked if the confidence within his squad has been affected, he said: “There is a bit of that. We need to keep going and things will turn, and keep fighting.
“The more you push, things will turn. We have to focus on keeping going, get your heads down and stick together and things will turn for us.
“The pressure is always going to come for me in this job. That is fine and that is what happens. All I can do is get in the building tomorrow and make sure I’m preparing right for all the players.”
The failure to beat Dundee means the Dons have won just six of their 21 Premiership fixtures this season.
Aberdeen have taken just one point from three Premiership matches since returning from the winter break.
They now face a daunting double-header against Celtic at home on Saturday and Rangers away on Tuesday.
Striker Bojan Miovski netted a first-half penalty to put the Dons ahead, his 18th goal of the season.
However, Lee Ashcroft levelled with a header in the 55th minute.
Robson said: “We looked a bit leggy in the game and we freshened it up.
“If Graeme (Shinnie) had scored his chance and with the penalty we go a couple of goals up, which we would have been good for in the first half and it would have been a lot easier for us.
“In the second half we started OK. I didn’t think we were really good tonight. We were alright but we did enough to win it.
“In the second half Jamie McGrath had a great chance to put us 2-0 up and then we lost a goal to a set-piece which is frustrating.
“We tried to make some changes to go after them and get a goal but we never got it in the end.”
Aberdeen spurned a succession of chances, particularly in the first half when they were ahead.
Robson insists the Reds need to be sharper in attack, even though Miovski netted his 18th of the season.
He said: “There is a bit of it not clicking in the final third.
“It is also having to finish these chances off, really good chances.
“That comes from everyone, we are all guilty of missing chances.
“If you do that you get a lift and it lifts everyone in the stadium and you go on and win the game.
“If you get that goal it brings that spark and gets everyone alive
“That is down to us to make sure we get that spark.”
Former Reds assistant and current Dee boss Tony Docherty felt his side merited more than a point.
“There wasn’t anything in it in the first half and at half-time I was a bit angry with the boys because I thought we’d passed up an opportunity,” he said.
“I thought we dominated the second half and deserved more than the point.”