IT is never nice to see a manager lose their job. Well, actually, that’s not strictly true. When you are a fan of a club who is in dire straits, as uncharitable and wholly immature as it may seem, joy and relief can be found in the misery of a fellow human being taking receipt of their jotters.
That’s just football, and Jim Goodwin is big enough and, well, handsome enough to know it only too well. If such a fate is to befall him shortly, his dismissal will be the cause of celebration among some Aberdeen supporters. Perhaps the majority.
In fact, even he is probably surprised the axe didn’t fall in the immediate aftermath of his side’s humiliating Scottish Cup exit to Darvel on Monday night.
The result has been described as the biggest shock the famous old tournament has ever seen, and in terms of the vast gap between the clubs in league placings – there are 56 teams between them - that argument could certainly be made.
But the real gauge of where this Aberdeen team currently are is that the 1-0 loss wasn’t really that seismic a shock at all. A surprise result, yes. But a shock? Not really. Some context has to be applied.
Darvel may well operate in the West of Scotland League Premier Division, fully five tiers below Aberdeen, but the quality of their squad is more commensurate with League One level, or even higher. They pay well, their facilities are top notch, and they have attracted players who could operate higher up the pyramid as a result.
Let’s be clear, Aberdeen should still not be losing to Darvel, but given the run of form they are on and some of the gut punches they have taken along the way, the Dons limped down to Ayrshire as a bedraggled unit shorn of all confidence.
Goodwin’s men have now lost seven of their last nine fixtures. During that run, there was the late sickener against Celtic when Goodwin angered his fans by adopting tactics so negative they made Craig Levein’s infamous 4-6-0 formation look a little gung-ho.
Just days later, he did set up his team to have a go at Rangers at Pittodrie, and held a 2-1 lead going into the latter stages of the match. Alas, his team then reverted to camping out on the edge of their own area, and there was a feeling of inevitability when Scott Arfield struck a leveller deep into stoppage time.
What nobody saw coming was that his men would capitulate again just moments later, with calamitous defending allowing Arfield to hit a stunning winner and bring Goodwin to his knees at the side of the pitch. There is now growing evidence to suggest neither he nor his team have been able to pick themselves up since.
In fairness, they did turn in a more than creditable performance against Rangers in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden, before an inexplicable moment of madness from captain Anthony Stewart led to his dismissal, and with him went any hope of Aberdeen pulling off a cup shock of their own.
The psychological toll these defeats had taken on the Dons players was then abundantly clear as they were immolated by five goals to nil against Hearts at Tynecastle. Anyone who saw the lack of heart and fight from Aberdeen that day, albeit against the third best team in the country, knew that the notion of a team 56 places below them giving them a game was not so fanciful.
The defeat to Darvel hasn’t been the only humiliation of Goodwin’s reign. Even this season, they were turned over by four goals to nil by a Dundee United side who were in the throes of their own crisis at the time, languishing at the bottom of the league.
It is fair to say that Goodwin inherited a difficult situation at Pittodrie. After limping to a tenth placed finish last season following the departure of Stephen Glass, for all the doom and gloom that surrounds them at present, they are currently fifth in the table.
That isn’t really good enough for a club like Aberdeen though, particularly when you factor in the financial backing that Goodwin has enjoyed thus far.
His handling of the departure of club legend Andy Considine also left a bitter taste, particularly with supporters who may wryly note his experience in their shambling backline may well have been a useful asset.
It is understandable given their previous struggles that Goodwin wanted to take a new broom through the club last summer. And in fairness to him, he has recruited well enough on the whole, with the likes of Duk, Bojan Miovski and Leighton Clarkson all impressing at various points of the campaign.
The addition of Graeme Shinnie looks another good bit of business, though fans may wonder why the hugely experienced midfielder was sitting on the bench alongside Miovski as it all unravelled on Monday night.
On paper then, there are enough reasons to believe that things might just improve at Pittodrie in time, but because of what is happening on the pitch, it seems inconceivable that Goodwin will be given the opportunity to turn things around.
Goodwin comes across as a good guy, and there is enough on his CV to suggest there is also a good manager in there. But a manager of Aberdeen simply cannot survive results such as the Darvel defeat, particularly given what had come just before.
I will get no joy from the inevitable news then that Goodwin has lost his job, whenever that news comes. But plenty of Aberdeen fans will, and that tells you all you need to know.
