Dons are no bottlers, says Flood
THE accusations have been flying thick and fast these last few days that Aberdeen can’t handle the pressure when it comes to making a meaningful title challenge.
Not one, but two chances to turn up the heat on Celtic were squandered in the space of a week as points were dropped at home against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Partick Thistle.
In the eyes of most observers, it created a somewhat flat start to the new year for the Dons when they should have been making a serious statement of intent to Ronny Deila’s stuttering champions by leapfrogging them at the top of the table.
When the going gets tough, then, the Dons don’t seem tough enough to get going....
Willo Flood doesn’t see it that way, however.
Having spent the vast majority of the last decade playing in Scotland’s top flight, the combative Aberdeen midfielder is convinced the league has never been more competitive than it is now.
The Dubliner credits that – rather than any perceived lack of ‘bottle’ in pressure situations – for the Dons failing twice in five days to move above Celtic at the top of the Premiership.
Flood admits that standards slipped for Derek McInnes’s men when they drew 2-2 with Inverness and 0-0 with Partick, but he is startled by the negative reaction to those results.
He also points out that, after eight league games unbeaten, Aberdeen are still starting the new year on the same points as Celtic, even if they have played two games more.
‘The bottling thing doesn’t come into it,’ claimed an indignant Flood after the Dons were jeered by a section of their supporters at the end of Wednesday’s stalemate.
‘We just haven’t performed as well as we can in the last two games, but we’re unbeaten and we’re still up there.’
The former Dundee United and Celtic player believes not enough credit is being given to the quality of opposition Aberdeen have faced.
‘I’d say this season is the most competitive Premiership I’ve played in,’ said Flood.
‘In the past, the Old Firm would have been miles clear. Now there are hardly any points between a huge chunk of teams. There are definitely no easy games.’
Flood and his team-mates need no reminding of how true that has been against today’s opponents St Johnstone, who accounted for two of Aberdeen’s three home defeats in the whole of 2015.