THAT Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass was starting to feel under a little pressure was evident in the testy interview he gave to BBC Scotland reporter Tyrone Smith after the 1-0 home defeat to St Johnstone at Pittodrie last weekend.

Glass took great exception to Smith’s line of questioning after a loss that stretched his side’s winless run in all competitions to seven matches.

Asked if he could see any evidence that Aberdeen were starting to produce the “swashbuckling” football that he had pledged to deliver when he arrived, he said: "You're putting words in my mouth there. You're putting words in my mouth that I've never used in my life.”

Glass may not have used the word “swashbuckling” specifically during his tenure. But he had certainly spoken publicly of his desire for his men to play adventurously and to entertain supporters. “I want to put an attacking style on the pitch,” he had said at his unveiling back in March. “That’s the aim - fast, attacking football and goals.”

Which is exactly the same thing. His curtness with his inquisitor to a legitimate query immediately after a narrow and painful reverse betrayed the strain he was experiencing amid a disappointing barren run that has led to escalating unhappiness in the stands. 

So the cinch Premiership encounter with St Mirren in Paisley yesterday was hugely important for him. The 3-2 defeat that Joe Lewis and his team mates, who had been leading 2-1, slumped to at the hands of opponents who were without a top flight win has not, it is far to say, improved the mood among their fans. 

Glass, who took over at Aberdeen after spells at Shamrock Rovers and Atalanta United 2, outlined his heady ambitions when he returned to the club where he had started his playing career six months ago.

“I think we can really push things to another level that hasn’t been around the club for a while,” he said. “It’s been successful here and there. But we’re looking for a sustained period of success and get to that next level in Europe. Successful Aberdeen managers put trophies in the cabinet.” 

It was certainly a commendable declaration of intent. But it was also naïve. What magic formula did he possess that would enable Aberdeen to challenge Celtic and Rangers, rivals with three times their wage bill and a far, far larger transfer budget, for silverware?  He had been working in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship for goodness sake.

It was also a little disrespectful to his predecessor. Derek McInnes had been the most long-lived manager in the north-east since Sir Alex Ferguson back in the 1980s. Matching, never mind bettering, his achievements amid the coronavirus pandemic was going to take some doing. It would have been more sensible to say he was honoured to get the chance and would work tirelessly in the role. 

Glass has certainly fallen some way short of his own objectives to date. Aberdeen were knocked out of the Premier Sports Cup by Championship rivals Raith Rovers last month and promptly followed that embarrassing exit up by being beaten by Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the Europa Conference League play-off.

The Scot was a leftfield choice to take over. He had a distinctly underwhelming track record as a coach at a low level in Ireland and the United States. Cynics suggested that it was his personal relationship with chairman Dave Cormack that got him the gig. It was difficult to see anything else in his curriculum vitae which made him the outstanding candidate. 

Yet, having put his faith in an individual who had never managed in this country, never mind in the top flight, it is now incumbent on Cormack to give Glass the time he requires to find his feet in what is an ultra-competitive and unforgiving environment even if form and results are poor.

He should not, even with the considerable financial backing he has given his man, expect to see immediate results from such an inexperienced manager. He was always going to be a long-term project, not an immediate solution to the challenges they face. 

Glass brought in a raft of new players this summer. David Bates, Scott Brown, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Declan Gallagher, Christian Ramirez and Marley Watkins have all signed permanent deals while Teddy Jenks, Matty Longstaff and Austin Samuels have arrived on loan. Elsewhere, Calvin Ramsay and Jack MacKenzie have been promoted from the youth team. They need games to gel.

He has, too, not been helped by injuries. The loss of Andy Considine has been keenly felt. He has had to chop and change his defence and his team have, as was evident at the SMISA Stadium once again yesterday, struggled badly in that vital area as a result. They have kept one clean sheet in the 2021/22 campaign and that came against Dundee United at Pittodrie way back on August 1. 

A stark improvement is urgently required. But matches against Celtic, Hibernian, Rangers and Hearts are looming for Aberdeen in October. Things could get an awful lot worse before they get better for Stephen Glass in the coming weeks. Dave Cormack must stand firm, not free, if unrest grows and there are calls for change.