This week marks five months since Stephen Robinson took over the reins at Aberdeen. On the face of it, the Northern Irishman’s report card makes for decent reading.

At the tail end of last season, he sorted out the mess left by Jimmy Thelin and steered the club clear of danger with plenty to spare.

His record of five wins from five in the Premier Sports Cup group stage was matched only by Ayr United, and that was followed by a rousing comeback victory over Hearts to kick off the league campaign in style.

All of which was achieved against the backdrop of a huge summer overhaul which saw a raft of big-name departures and 12 new arrivals — with that figure now up to 13 after the signing of striker Mitchy Ntelo last weekend.

But, as Robinson himself knows, in this business, you are only as good as your last game. And, unfortunately for him, his side’s performance away at Dundee last Saturday was a shambles from start to finish.

It’s little wonder, then, that the knives are out for the former St Mirren boss. Any early-season optimism amongst the support flew right out the window after watching that 90-minute horror-show at Dens Park.

Lewis Mayo was one of several Aberdeen players to endure an off day at Dens Park

The manager, of course, isn’t beyond reproach. He did at least admit as much post-match. But how much blame can really be placed at his door? 

As is always the case, the man in the dugout carries the can, but it’s the players who need to take a good look at themselves.

The lack of accountability right through the team was startling. Goalkeeper Marius Muller and captain Kevin Nisbet did a bit of finger-pointing in the first half — primarily in the direction of Tony Yogane — but other than that there was a worrying lack of leadership out there.

There are always going to be teething problems when trying to bed so many new players in, but at a club like Aberdeen patience wears fairly thin. It’s a fanbase which tends to take no prisoners.

Although it’s not a necessarily new problem at Pittodrie, it’s the new guys who have been tasked with changing the narrative. On last weekend’s evidence, they’ll need to do more.

Individual errors — and there were dozens to choose from — can be forgiven to an extent. But far too many went missing last Saturday. 

Far too many spent their afternoon looking around for someone else — anyone else — to take some responsibility. It’s not as if these players don’t have experience playing in the trenches.

Nesta Guinness-Walker may have been made to look about 14 by Dundee’s Joe Bevan, but the full-back had been playing regular first-team football at a decent level in England for six years before making the move north. Dan Happe alongside him spent eight years at Leyton Orient.

Chris Cadden racked up more than 150 appearances for Hibs over the years, and passed the century mark previously with Motherwell too, while Lewis Mayo cut his teeth at Dunfermline and Partick Thistle before becoming a key man at the heart of Kilmarnock’s defence.

Robinson has clearly identified the backline as an area which required an influx of hardened pros to lay the foundation for everything else. But it is a little concerning just how easily they crumbled against Steven Pressley’s men.

Dundee boss Stephen Robinson was left fuming with his side’s meek display last time out

Robinson will be hoping it was nothing more than an off day. Everyone is allowed the odd one here and there, of course, but their response against the same opposition this afternoon will tell him a lot about what these new players are really made of.

They simply cannot afford to approach this fixture in the same manner. It doesn’t need to be pretty — and ,let’s be honest, it probably won’t be — but there can be no excuse for not turning up with the right mindset.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Robinson said: ‘Players, they know when they don’t do well. They are an honest group of boys; there’s nobody kidding themselves.’

That’s all well and good, but that self-reflection doesn’t count for much unless it is channelled properly on the pitch.

At St Mirren, Robinson found a way to get every ounce out of every version of his squad. Character was arguably a bigger factor in his success than quality, although the criticism of the Buddies’ style was often grossly unfair.

The 51-year-old is now trying to build a similar culture at Pittodrie, and no doubt it will take some time.

‘We believe in what we’re doing,’ he said yesterday. ‘I know that over a lot of games at this level that, if given time, there’ll be cup finals, top-six finishes and Europe.’

This revamped squad now need to prove that they have the stomach to step up to that challenge. Booking their place in the quarter-finals with a win today over the same team that made them look rather foolish just seven days earlier would be a good start.