Captain Graeme Shinnie issues stark ultimatum to ‘disgraceful and embarrassing’ Aberdeen

Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie has apologised to supporters for a “disgraceful” and “embarrassing” Scottish Cup exit at Dunfermline Athletic.

The Dons meekly relinquished the trophy won at Hampden last May as they crashed to a humiliating 3-0 loss to the Championship Pars.

It was the nadir of a disastrous season for the Dons and the near 4,000 strong travelling Dons fans vented their fury with boos at full-time and half-time.

There were chants of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” directed at the players as the Dons’ nosedive in form descended into crisis.

Shinnie accepts Aberdeen’s horrendous form has dragged on too long and the skipper issued a “sort yourselves out” warning to the Reds.

In a stark assessment of the Dons’ Scottish Cup nightmare Shinnie says there was a “lack of hunger, fire and fight” to defend the trophy.

Shinnie slates ‘disgraceful’ Dons

The cup loss was a further hammer blow in a season where it has already been confirmed the Dons will finish the season in the Premiership bottom six.

Shinnie said: “It was a disgraceful performance and a million miles away from what we should be.

“We let the club down and let the supporters down who followed us and backed us magnificently.

“It was horrendous and as soon as we lost one goal we fell apart which is just not acceptable and has been the story of our whole season.

“The hunger wasn’t there, the fire wasn’t there.

“The fight in a Scottish Cup quarter-final to get to Hampden, it wasn’t there.

“And from me leading from the front throughout the whole team, it was embarrassing and it’s a real bad night, one of the worst that I’ve had.

“A disgrace. I don’t really know what to say, words are useless in these moments.”

United States based chairman Dave Cormack was at East End Park for the cup exit.

Captain Shinnie apologises to fans

Many of the travelling fans had left the stadium in disgust by full-time, but those who remained vented their anger.

Asked about supporters chants of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt.”

Shinnie said: “It’s never easy but they’ve travelled in their numbers again, they’ve had a tough season and we let them down.

“We won the Scottish Cup last year and got praise.

“You give performances like that (Dunfermline) and you’re going to get criticism and you need to accept it.

“And for me I would apologise to all the fans, they backed us in their numbers.

“They sang, they were brilliant and we’ve let them down.”

In the immediate aftermath of the cup exit interim boss Peter Leven warned Aberdeen are in danger of being dragged into a relegation scrap.

Shinnie issues stark ultimatum

Currently ninth in the Premiership, the Dons are eight points clear of Kilmarnock who occupy the relegation play-off spot, with nine games remaining.

Aberdeen have won only once in the last 13 Premiership games, taking five points.

Asked about Leven’s threat of a relegation battle, Shinnie said: “Well, our form is really bad and the cup loss is rock bottom.

“It was an awful night and awful performance.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Dunfermline as they were well up for it.

“They wanted to do the dirty work and scored good goals.

“But we need to have a real, real good look at ourselves as players and sort ourselves out.

“It’s not been good enough the whole season where it has been miles below par.

“This topped it off, it was up there with the worst.”

Last May Shinnie lifted the Scottish Cup to end the club’s 35-year wait for the trophy with the previous triumph back in 1990.

What has gone wrong at Aberdeen?

Around 100,000 packed out the city centre for the open topped bus homecoming parade for a trophy triumph that meant everything to fans.

What has gone wrong since then?

Shinnie said: “I don’t know and I wish I could put my finger on it because it’s been going on for too long.

“The reaction and character to going a goal behind.

“You lose a goal in a game, you can still get back in it I thought our start was reasonably okay.

“We were on the front foot, we were getting players in good areas, Stuart (Armstrong) has a good chance.

“Then we lose a goal at the back post and from then on we’re non-existent in the game.

“For a quarter-final to get to Hampden, it needs to mean so much more to us.

“We need to do so much more and right now it’s hurtful.”

Leven has been in interim charge of the Dons since the Pittodrie hierarchy sacked Jimmy Thelin on January 4.

Managerial uncertainty no excuse

More than two months on the Dons have yet to appoint a permanent manager.

Shinnie dismisses the managerial uncertainty has any factor in the form crash.

He said: “It’s nothing to do with that.

“It’s the players, us on the pitch.

“After we lost a goal we needed to fight but we don’t do it, we’re non-existent.

“When the first goal went in we gave nothing to the game so that’s on us and we can’t escape that by any excuse or anything else.

“Pete and the staff set us up, they do the work on the training pitch, they do the work off the training pitch.

“This is not on Pete (Leven, interim manager) it’s not on anyone else, it’s us as the players, it’s our responsibility.

“We go on the pitch, it’s us that needs to show more fight, grit and determination.

“It’s a cup quarter final and we saw what it meant to everyone last season so to go out the way we did is a disgrace.

“It’s us as players that take the full responsibility, not the staff.

“It’s us letting the club down and letting these supporters down.”

[Source: Press and Journal]