Jimmy Thelin will regret missing Aberdeen chance and must make this his New Year focus

It is clear that elements of the Red Army are now doubting whether or not the Swede can take their club where they want to go.

You only have to look at social media to see that backing for the manager really is starting to wane. Yes, I know that can’t be taken as a true barometer of the overall feeling.

It is an echo chamber, and often it is the people who shout the loudest who are heard. Thelin has been a master of keeping the Aberdeen fans onside.

The support have shown great patience and continued to back their manager and players. It does help when you deliver the first Scottish Cup in 35 years.

There have been times, particularly this season, where they have been short-changed in certain performances. The problem for Thelin is that he has had three transfer windows, and now we are going into a fourth.

He has been backed more than any other manager in the club’s history. Thelin, in his time at Aberdeen, has signed good players. They are all mainly good and technical, but they have all been too alike, apart from his late moves for Stuart Armstrong and Kevin Nisbet.

They need more physicality, power and strength in the squad to cope with the demands of Scottish football.

Thelin has acknowledged that recently, at the end of their Conference League campaign. If he can find that, then you could well see some of his other signings starting to shine more.

The key is getting that balance, and it has to come from outside because it isn’t currently in their squad. Thelin spent most of last season with a 4-2-3-1 formation.

It didn’t really see his side hit the heights, and a change to three at the back proved to be the masterstroke that saw them sink Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.

He returned to four at the back at the start of the season, but his new-look team couldn’t buy a goal or a win.

Thelin probably went against his principles and went back to a three-man defence. That provided a platform for improved results and got Aberdeen back into the top six.

The problem in recent games is that his team and players have reverted to their old failings. They have plenty of possession but don’t really hurt teams enough. The setup at the top end just doesn’t look right.

The central striker is left isolated and doesn’t get a lot of service, while the attacking midfielders and wingers aren’t really making the impact that is expected.

Aberdeen get into good areas, but at times there is a reluctance to just swing a ball into the box and let a player go and attack it.

At the other end, they are being left vulnerable to losing goals on the counter-attack and are losing soft goals from individual errors.

The issue for Thelin is pretty much in both boxes. They aren’t decisive enough in either.

Set plays are a big thing in modern-day football, but Aberdeen are getting very little from that front either.

Thelin has been reluctant to go with two strikers, but why not? What has he got to lose?

Nisbet, Marko Lazetic and Kusini Yengi all look like they could play better in two. The former Elfsborg manager has set out his plan for going forward. He wants to play four at the back.

Thelin believes if he can bring in two central defenders, then that would allow him to change his current formation. That in turn would give his team more of a balance to be more of a threat at the top end. He has to get it right.

Patience amongst the Aberdeen support is starting to wear thin.

Three-year plans are all well and good, but there need to be signs of progress and hope for everybody connected with Aberdeen to buy into.

To prove that Thelin can be the man to deliver further success.