CRAIG BROWN, the Aberdeen manager, has admitted he doesn’t have a ready answer to a problem that has dogged the club for more seasons than their weary fans can remember: inconsistency.
On their day, Brown believes, his team can match any in Scotland, and he is looking for a more complete performance in tonight’s Scottish Cup replay than that which he witnessed in a dreary draw with St Mirren at Paisley on Saturday.
Perhaps just as worryingly for Brown and Archie Knox, his lieutenant, the variations he refers to can come within games when they can hit the heights then slump to something less than mediocre.
“There have been patches of games when we have been rather good,” he said yesterday, “but also, like the spell at St Mirren, when we have been very poor. The players have shown they are very fit and have a lot of desire, which has been shown in the late goals we’ve scored, but we are trying to instil a winning mentality.
“We were relieved to get a second chance as we didn’t deserve anything from the tie and we were lucky to get the last gasp equaliser.
“We have to take that opportunity by making sure that we do the business this time against St Mirren as we know nine times out of 10 we would beat them.”
Brown’s other significant concern is that his strikers are failing to find the net with the regularity they did when he first took over at the club late last year. If not so much lately, Chris Maguire and Scott Vernon’s partnership has been productive overall this season, but Nick Blackman, brought in on loan from Blackburn Rovers, has struggled to convince the manager he is worthy of starting.
Vernon, who has scored 15 for the season, is convinced he can rediscover his form in front of goal tonight.
“I have scored a few cup goals this season,” said the former Colchester United and Blackpool front man, “and while I am happy with that I will be even happier if a I can play my part in getting us through this tie.
“I have been struggling of late in terms of getting chances but, hopefully, I get a few opportunities starting with the St Mirren cup tie.”
Brown may acknowledge luck played its part for Aberdeen on Saturday, but in fact St Mirren have made a habit of conceding late goals this season.
Jim Goodwin, the midfielder, claimed the latest was the most painful to take. However he also hoped his team-mates would be fuelled by a sense of injustice heading into the replay at a venue at which St Mirren have not won since 1987.
“The big positive for us was the way we cut Aberdeen open in the second half time and time again,” said the former Republic of Ireland international. “To have created the number and quality of chances we had and not have taken them makes things even more frustrating, but it also mean we have the quality to go up the road and do a job at Aberdeen.
“I have to say that if we do manage to create a similar level of chances then we will finish them on Wednesday.
“It felt like a defeat in the dressing room after the game on Saturday and we have to use the whole injustice of it all as a real motivation tool."
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/brown-demands-winning-mentality-from-his-players-aberdeen-v-st-mirren-1.1090661