Hibernian manager David Gray and Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson head into Saturday's Premier Sports Cup quarter-final weekend under growing pressure from their own supporters, with both sets of fans having questioned their managers since before a ball was kicked in the Scottish Premiership over a month ago.
Defeat for either side is unlikely to cost either manager his job, and neither should it. Both have built up enough credit to be given time to fix things. Whether supporters are willing to extend them that patience is another matter.
Gray searching for consistency
Hibernian travel to face Ross County, a third-tier side managed by Stuart Kettlewell, with a place at Hampden Park at stake. Kettlewell's side have lost just once in all competitions this season, having shrugged off a difficult campaign last time out.
Hibernian have shown flashes of real quality this season. They were outstanding against Gent in the Europa Conference League before the match slipped away from them late on, then responded with a 2-0 win at Dens Park against Dundee just days later.
But old problems keep resurfacing. Indiscipline in the closing stages of last season cost Hibernian dearly as they chased down Motherwell, and Jack Iredale's needless red card in the Edinburgh derby handed Hearts the initiative after Hibernian had fought hard to claw it back. Last weekend's defeat to St Johnstone brought more of the same, with Gray himself admitting the team's reaction was inexcusable.
Gray has faced scrutiny before. He won just one of his first 14 league games in charge before leading Hibernian on a 17-match unbeaten run that carried them to a third-place finish.
"I was in a different situation then," he said. "I'm two years down the line going into my third season so it's a very different way of looking at it than me just being in the door as a first-time manager."
"Would I have expected (the criticism) to come on quicker now because we're a bit more settled and we've had time to do things? Naturally," he added. "I'm not averse to criticism, I'm not shying away from it, I'm certainly not put off by it in terms of feeling sorry for myself. If anything, it's the opposite."
Dons 'determined' to change outlook
Aberdeen's players and staff were booed off Pittodrie after a 0-0 draw with Kilmarnock last weekend, a result that summed up the mood among supporters this season.
Robinson described the performance as "tired" and "lethargic," an assessment that undersold how poor his side had been for much of the campaign. Aberdeen have brought in 14 new players and faced a difficult run of fixtures, but their results have fallen well short of expectations.
"You get criticism when you don't win football matches," Robinson said. "You have to be big enough to take that, strong enough to take that and try to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"The boys are extremely determined to progress in the cup and change the outlook," he added.
To do that, Aberdeen must beat a top-flight side away from home for the first time since last December. Their struggles on the road predate Robinson's arrival in March, but they have shown no sign of improving since he took charge.
Saturday's trip to Rugby Park is the first of three difficult away fixtures in the space of a week for Aberdeen, with matches against Motherwell and Hibernian to follow. Even at this early stage of the season, it shapes up as a significant week for Robinson.
