TOP of the table and being booed off the field at half time and full time.

If nothing else, it is a real measure of how the level of expectation within the Aberdeen support has intensified in the wake of a start to the Ladbrokes Premiership campaign, carrying on from a sustained period of progress under Derek McInnes, that brought a remarkable eight consecutive victories.

It was also perfectly understandable considering the catastrophic nature of the weekend’s events. Aberdeen have set high standards in defence this term. However, doubts over the true quality of Andrew Considine and Ashton Taylor in the centre, two guys who could best be described as honest pros on their past records, are rising back to the surface.

It is inevitable that everyone will look for reasons when combing over the debris of an astonishing result. This was, after all, more than just a bad day.

It should not be overlooked that

St Johnstone, who had a number of influential players missing, are coming together as a team and possess the kind of goal threat that was missing last term. They will cause problems for a number of teams when they perform with this degree of solidity and sense of purpose.

However, there are clear problems that needed nipped in the bud at Aberdeen. With three straight losses and a grim first half at Inverness followed by this, they appear to be losing sight of the basics with Saints’ first four goals coming from set pieces and their last seeing Steven MacLean left unmarked at the back post.

Perhaps the early pressures brought by European involvement and the disrupted nature of the summer are a contributory factor. Recent squad rotation may also have created some kind of problem with continuity.

These are all valid lines of enquiry, but it is tempting to wonder whether the players are simply finding it difficult to cope with a fanbase finding it difficult not to fantasise over returning to a position of power against an often unconvincing Celtic side and even harder to deal with displays that bring back memories of altogether more unhappy times in recent years.

In fairness, everyone within the home dressing room at Pittodrie met the issues head-on. This was a considered post-mortem. McInnes was incisive, open and honest about his side’s failings with both Barry Robson and Ryan Jack showing face and addressing all issues when, in the time-honoured fashion of many footballers before them, it would have been preferable to hop in the car and head straight home.

Jack understands there will be doubts over this squad’s ability to cope with the pressure should this season develop into a proper battle with Celtic for the Premiership crown. He points to their recent 2-1 victory over the defending champions at Pittodrie, however, as proof that coping with the psychological challenges of competing for honours will not be a problem for his side.

“Look at the Celtic game and all the hype and the pressure that surrounded it,” said the Aberdeen captain. “When they came here, we were on our good run and we dealt with it fine and beat them at home. They are one of the best teams in the country.

“We have come a long way and there’s no doubt about that. We just need to get back to what we are and put it right.

We have been solid defensively this season, not giving much away, and we’ve been clinical up front, but we need to hold our hands up.

“Right across the board, we weren’t good enough. We let a lot of people down. A side such as Aberdeen should never lose 5-1 to St Johnstone.”

In a move straight from the Sir Alex Ferguson playbook, Jack has clearly placed the development of a siege mentality at the centre of his plan for the short term. “There will be people out there who are looking for us to fail,” he stated. They will want us not to do as well as we have been doing, but it’s up to us to answer that and make people eat their own words.

“Losing 5-1 at home to St Johnstone is not going to do your confidence any good, to be honest, but I think it’s important we stay positive.”

In truth, there were periods of this game in which Aberdeen were more than competitive. They just found it difficult to create chances and left themselves behind the eight-ball from the start when conceding two goals to Brian Easton and Joe Shaughnessy within the first 10 minutes.

Taylor did get them back into it briefly, but a deflected effort from Liam Craig on the half-hour mark put the visitors in a strong position at the break and capable of finishing the match early in the second period with a brace from the in-form MacLean, an intelligent player it is wonderful to see flourishing.

Shaughnessy was released from Aberdeen in the summer before signing a two-year deal at McDiarmid Park and certainly made the most of his return to the Granite City.

“Any player that gets released from a club wants to show them what you can do,” said the Irish right-back. “I am getting a chance to play every week at

St Johnstone and I am enjoying it a lot.

It is the first goal I have scored in a long time, but it was bound to happen here.

I never thought of not celebrating.

I don’t score enough to think like that.

“I think we are a tough team to play. That has always been the case. We had

a lot of new signings and our performances weren’t what we were expecting at the start of the season, but now we have a settled back four and we know how we want to play, we are seeing the benefits of that.”