Aberdeen

Aberdeen fans and their players will have breathed a sigh of relief as they eased aside Elgin City to end their 12-game run without a win and reach the Scottish Cup fifth round.

Manager Jimmy Thelin admits the League 2 hosts gave them an early fright but says he saw some good things from his side while stressing there was still work to be done - both with his current players and in the transfer market.

Give us your thoughts whether or not you were at Borough Briggs or saw the game elsewhere.

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Jimmy Thelin praised battling hosts Elgin City as he expressed relief that his Aberdeen side had been able to celebrate a victory with their fans after 12 games without one.

"We have been through a difficult time," the manager told BBC Scotland after the 3-0 win that takes the Dons through to the last 16 of the Scottish Cup. "With the crowd we had today, it was important everyone knew the importance of the game to us."

The Dons survived some early chances created by Allan Hale's hosts before Shayden Morris' 21st-minute opener and a second-half Duk double.

"Allan Hale and Elgin had a lot of energy and had a good performance in the first half and pushed us a lot," he said. "It was a difficult game and all credit to them - they didn't give up.

"The first half was not strong and they were good. They were almost through our back line two or three times and we can't give those kind of chances in this type of game.

"In the end, I saw some good things from our team also and it is a long time since we have won a game and it is good to get that feeling with the fans."

Thelin has been vocal about his desire to add a new striker during January but said "at least we are creating chances".

He added that he has a "strong belief" in the players he does have but stressed that "we still have good work to do" and he was pleased to get "some minutes into the legs" on his new signings.

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Jimmy Thelin insists Aberdeen are giving Elgin City full respect in a competition that can "create dreams".

The Dons begin their Scottish Cup campaign on Saturday by seeking a first win in 13 games when they travel to the fourth-tier side.

Thelin is eagerly anticipating his first taste of the tournament, saying: "For me the cup here and in Sweden is so amazing because you can play these games against teams from different levels and that is the core of football.

"You can create dreams, the passion, that is why the cup is an amazing thing.

"You have to respect the opponent and you have to prepare yourself. Everybody who follows the cups in every corner of the world, things can happen so we have to be ready.

"When you are so close to the fans and you can hear everything that is also a nice spirit and feeling. I am looking forward to the game.

"Everybody always has something to lose, everyone wants to get through. I understand the situation that we are the big team.

"I have been on the other side in cups also and they are going to be ready but of course we're also going to be ready.

"They have done well. We have seen the games now and gone through them and we have a good report about them.

"For me if it's Elgin, Rangers or Hearts, the focus right now is to fix the things we can take care of."

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Jimmy Thelin has been speaking to the media before Aberdeen's fourth-round Scottish Cup tie against Elgin City this weekend.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Striker Pape Habib Gueye - who remains the Dons' top scorer this season - is in the squad and available for his first appearance since September, with Thelin saying: "He's showing on the training pitch that he's hungry to play."

• Thelin says it's "super important" his side - on a club-record equalling sequence of 12 games without a win - avoid an upset at League Two Elgin and have a good cup run as he strives to "raise standards and levels".

• The Swede insists his players can't "can't sit down and cry" amid their woeful run of form "because it's not going to help".

• On the Scottish Cup, Thelin says: "For me the cup here and in Sweden is so amazing because you can play these games against teams from different levels and that is the core of football. You can create dreams, the passion, that is why the cup is an amazing thing."

• On the recent performances of Graame Shinnie and Sivert Heltne Nilsen, Thelin says: "I think every player is trying their best. They have taken big responsibility, they play out of position, they never complain about the amounts of games, they're always available. They have taken big responsibility and a lot of pressure on them, so I'm really happy with them."

• He's expecting a challenging fixture against Elgin and says: "For me, even if it's Elgin or Rangers or Hearts, the focus for us right now is to fix the things we can take care of, how we behave as a team, the energy we play with, how we cooperate on the pitch. These things have to be one or two steps higher to get the results."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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The luck, or bad luck, of the fourth-round draw means not too many lower-league sides have home ties that immediately suggest a Scottish Cup shock could be on the cards, but Elgin City against Aberdeen on Saturday is one of them.

Last season's beaten semi-finalists travel to Elgin in crisis mode after 12 games without a win and with their stunning unbeaten start to the season under new manager Jimmy Thelin long forgotten amid a drop from second to fourth in the Premiership.

The sides have only met twice before, both in the cup, with Aberdeen easing to a 6-1 win in Elgin in 1938 and 5-0 at home in 1971 - both while City were still in the Highland League.

However, the Dons' worst-ever cup exit, to sixth-tier Darvel two years ago, is still fresh in the memory and the side sitting third in League 2 will have learned from their 5-0 League Cup thrashing in the opening game of the season against top-flight Hibs.

Allan Hale's side have only lost once at home in 12 games since.

Read Scottish Cup preview in full.

Queens Park Rangers are considering a move for 17-year-old Aberdeen centre-half Timothy Akindileni. (Press & Journal), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Robbie Boyle
BBC Scotland

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Elgin City manager Allan Hale feels his side could take advantage of Aberdeen's poor run of form when they meet in the Scottish Cup on Saturday.

The Dons equalled a club record of 12 league matches without a win when they lost at Rangers on Wednesday.

Elgin, meanwhile, are currently third in Scotland's fourth tier and are expected to have a sell-out crowd backing them, with more than 4,000 tickets snapped up for the tie.

On Aberdeen's form, Hale told BBC Scotland: "I think it is something you're aware of and the implications there might be within their own performance.

"But there's an element of realism, we're a part-time team, we only get together three hours a week to train and Aberdeen are full-time and train every day.

"I always say the reason people like the game of football is because they love the underdog to succeed and this sport allows them the opportunity to come out on top.

"You've got to dream, you've got to have that positive mindset."

We asked for your views after Aberdeen's winless run reached 12 games with a 3-0 defeat at Ibrox.

Here's what some of you said:

Alan: I may be in a minority here but this is all part of the process of hopefully building a team capable of taking the club on to the next level. We have players to move on either because they won't sign new contracts or are not part of the manager's plans. There is no a short-term fix, we have four new players in this window with more to come.

John: Honestly the amount of goals we have lost trying to pass our way out from the back is getting beyond a joke. To use this tactic successfully you must have defenders who are also skilled passers of the ball and the pathetic shambles against Rangers proves my point perfectly. The manager must take his share of the blame for this and he must cease this now.

Steven: Clearly a bitterly disappointing period of results. However, the majority of fans are fully behind Jimmy Thelin. The early-season form masked deficiencies which were always going to be required to be rectified medium to long term. The club is backing Thelin, which is absolutely the correct action, we have to be patient. Form and results will change.

Eric: Apart from the two late goals, the performance was better, but we are short of a real leader on the pitch. I think the defence and midfield problems are improving, but there is nothing up front. Those players not willing to sign long-term deals should be dropped and shipped out as they are affecting team morale. Jimmy needs to be far more brutal.

Graham: Not sure you can justify playing the same XI who failed against a poor Hearts side at Ibrox. Sivert Nilsen is never a centre-back. We put a very poor Rangers defence under no pressure. When in the final third our players are treating the ball like a live grenade. Some players need rested.

Philip: Most fans seem to be giving Jimmy time but this is a shocking run of results, even when we were winning at the start of the season we were not playing great football. Elgin in the Cup, whilst important, it's the league form that needs addressed. If things continue I'd get Tony Docherty from Dundee in as soon as possible, he's doing so well there.

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• Hamza Igamane has contributed to goals in his last four games in the Premiership (5 goals, 1 assist).

• Aberdeen have failed to win in their last 12 games in the Premiership, their equal longest winless streak in the competition.

• Rangers attempted 12 shots on target in this match, higher than their season average of 6.4 in the Premiership.

• Aberdeen have conceded 10 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Ross County (15) and Hibernian (14) have conceded more in the Premiership this season.

• Rangers have kept a clean sheet in 12 of their 23 games, only Celtic (17) have done this more often in the Premiership this season.

• Aberdeen have failed to score in their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer run of games without scoring a goal in the competition was a run of six games from 27 January 2021 to 17 February 2021.

Sheffield Wednesday are interested in 24-year-old Aberdeen left-back Jack MacKenzie, who is out of contract in the summer. (Anthony Joseph on X), external

Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibernian and Rangers are eyeing moves for Luton Town midfielder Allan Campbell, with the 26-year-old interested in a return to his homeland after being sent on loan to Charlton Athletic. (Football Insider), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Rangers reduced Celtic's lead in the Scottish Premiership to 13 points as another home victory extended Aberdeen's wretched winless run to 12 matches.

Hamza Igamane, an increasingly talismanic figure, delivered the vital moment once again with a composed finish for the opener and his 13th Rangers goal after a fast start by the hosts.

Substitute Leon Balogun headed in a late back-post second from Clinton Nsiala's deep cross, having earlier hit an upright, and fellow replacement Cyriel Dessers guided in an even later third to seal the win.

Let us know your thoughts on Aberdeen's performance.

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "You don't want errors like that, but they happen. We have things to work on.

"Like how we play with the ball, we have to be more composed and find better rhythm in games. We had too many transitions against us, and they are good in transitions.

"The fans' expectations are higher. We are in a challenging time right now, a mix of everything, we are in a bad run, some injuries and new players.

"We have a cup game and one week to the next league game. We need to find the rhythm and stabilise as a team.

"Sometimes when you don't have the rhythm with the ball, the players run and fight for each other. They still tried with everything they had, but it costs a lot of energy when you give away the ball too many times.

"The performances have to be better to deserve the points."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jimmy Thelin has enough credit in the bank for this winless run to not be put his Aberdeen position at risk.

That is an unusual scenario given they have now gone a club-record equalling 12 matches wiithout a victory.

And it's also incredible that there has been a 21-point swing between these sides after Aberdeen's superb opening to this season.

The opening goal was completely avoidable. The nature of it suggested a lack of confidence but the visitors were too open at times and risked going further behind.

They did have moments, but didn't muster enough to put serious doubt in the minds of a Rangers side who are undoubtedly under pressure.

New signings will presumably assist in turning round their fortunes. But they remain in something of a rut and sides below them are closing in.

Saturday's Scottish Cup tie against Elgin City is a must-win, as they look to regroup and get back to something resembling the Aberdeen of the start of the campaign.

Aberdeen ended their sequence of defeats with Sunday's draw against Hearts, with the main positive being a first clean sheet since October.

They owe Ross Doohan for that - and the point they earned - after the goalkeeper saved a stoppage-time penalty.

The Dons looked more solid with new centre-half Kristers Tobers settling in with a solid debut alongside Sivert Heltne Nilsen, who was also composed throughout until conceding that late penalty with a clumsy challenge.

However, the winless run goes on with a trip to face Rangers at Ibrox up next in their game in hand. The hosts of this fixture have a home record that matches Celtic's.

It could work both ways. It may be exactly the right game to reignite a season that is threatening to turn into a damp squib.

But, given the Dons haven't won away from home since September and are now one game away from equalling a club record of 12 league games without victory, it is clear that they are big underdogs when they travel to Glasgow.

In their last 107 combined league visits to Celtic Park and Ibrox, the Dons have emerged with maximum points just five times, with three of those coming in Govan.

To threaten Rangers, they will need to improve across the board. One shot on target, too many misplaced passes and a lack of composure in front of goal killed their hopes of picking up a first victory in two months against Hearts.

There is a clear lack of confidence, which is understandable. But there were decent showings from Doohan, Graeme Shinnie and James McGarry in particular.

Hibernian are now the latest team to appear in the rear-view mirror. A gap that could have been 26 points, had the Dons held on for a win at Easter Road in November, is now down to just six.

There is a break from league business at the weekend with a trip to Elgin City in the Scottish Cup on the horizon for Jimmy Thelin. A trip along the A96 to Borough Briggs in the middle of winter appears more trepidatious now than it did when the draw was made.

Another big week begins for the Dons.

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• Rangers have lost just one of their last 12 home games against Aberdeen in all competitions (W9 D2), a 3-1 reverse in September 2023 under Michael Beale.

• Having won 2-1 in October, Jimmy Thelin could become the first Aberdeen manager to win both of his first two league games against Rangers while in charge of the Dons.

• Aberdeen have been beaten in each of their last three away league outings - after only losing one of their previous 11 on the road prior (W5 D5).

• Rangers have won 16 of their last 18 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) home league games (D2) since a 0-1 defeat to Hamilton Academical in March 2020.

• After their 2-1 win in October, Aberdeen could earn back-to-back league victories over Rangers for the first time since September 1993 - and the first time within a single season since November 1987.