Aberdeen at breaking point as Jimmy Thelin rips into players and Hibs provide Elie Youan update

They have now won just four points out of 42 and are win-less in 14 league games, with their latest loss - 2-0 against Hibs - meaning they have extended what is a new record run.

Thelin and his players solemnly clapped the travelling supporters at the end for longer than is normal, as they subjected themselves to whatever feedback these fans felt was necessary. The Swede likely offered a few stern words of his own in the sanctuary of the away dressing room. He accused his team of losing every single 50-50 challenge in a highly charged post-match press conference.

“If it was a quick solution, I’d have solved it a long time ago,” he said, when asked specifically what has gone wrong with the previously rampant Dons. “So we have to look at everything. But it starts with taking responsibility.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s me here or someone else. Players have to go out on the pitch and give everything you have. It’s a competition, you have to compete. Right now, when things are tough, you have to take a step forward, not back.

“How Hibs scored today, how much time they had to put a cross in, how we defended a set-play - it’s similar to other games we’ve lost. It simply has to stop because it’s impossible to compete. I’ll speak to the players this week. But when you sign a contract at a club, you’re taking responsibility - as a manager or player.

“The thing you have to do is give everything you have. You can’t win a game giving away 50-50 situations. You’ll win some and lose some. But you can’t lose every one. That’s the big problem for us right now.”

He was asked whether further forays into the transfer market were an option, with Aberdeen linked with a loan move for AC Milan striker Marko Lazetic. “The window closes on Monday and we’re working hard to try and get some energy and quality into the team.

“But right now recruitment doesn’t matter because we have players here. They signed and took responsibility so we have to find a way out of this. It’s about us - myself, the staff and the players.”

Hibs manager David Gray is enjoying the other side of the coin – his side can do no wrong after emerging from a dreadful run of form earlier in the season. Goals from Nectar Triantis and Nicky Cadden made it ten matches unbeaten for the Easter Road side, who rise to fifth in the table – just two points behind Aberdeen.

“The performance wasn't at our best, but we were excellent defensively," said Gray. "There's still a lot of improving for the group to do."

The next target, he stressed, was catching Aberdeen above them, which shouldn’t be too difficult given the current form swing. “My focus is always the same,” he said. “Because of the way the season's gone so far, we've always just been chasing the team in front of us.”

Gray added that he was unsure what might happen with regards incomings and outgoings before Monday’s deadline, with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City target Elie Youan absent from the squad due to injury. “At this moment in time, Elie’s still a Hibs player,” he said.