What now for 'atrocious' and 'embarrassing' Aberdeen?

Aberdeen were "disgraceful", "horrendous", "embarrassing", "atrocious", "unacceptable" and, according to their own interim manager, are "trending in the wrong direction".

Less than a year ago, Dons fans were hoping that beating league champions Celtic at Hampden Park to lift the Scottish Cup would usher in a bright new era after several months of stuttering league form under Jimmy Thelin.

Ten months on, they are rudderless, managerless and out of the same competition after a humiliating 3-0 defeat by Dunfermline Athletic - a side sitting fourth in the second tier.

So what has gone wrong and where do Aberdeen go from here?

Aberdeen had been prepared to wait six months to appoint Thelin in 2024 after the end of his contract with Elfsborg, but a failure to build on a stunning start to last season led to the Swede's departure in early January.

They face a similar scenario this time, with Peter Leven having been appointed interim manager again until the end of the season.

"Embarrassed" captain Graeme Shinnie, though, insisted that "one of the worst" nights of his career had "nothing to do with that" upheaval.

"It's players, us on the pitch," the midfielder said. "Pete and the staff set us up perfectly. They do the work on the training pitch and off the training pitch.

"It's us that's letting the club down and letting these supporters down.

"A disgraceful performance. Horrendous. As soon as we lose one goal, we fall apart. It's just not acceptable.

"The hunger wasn't there, the fire wasn't there, the fight in a Scottish Cup quarter-final to get to Hampden, it wasn't there."

It is not as if the writing has not been on the wall for some time.

Thelin's reign started with such promise with 13 straight wins and 16 unbeaten - but then form and results fell off a cliff.

They held on to secure a fifth-placed Scottish Premiership finish last season, with the cup triumph giving the Swede some respite from increasing criticism.

However, the pressure was back on after one win in their first 11 this term and, although form improved from October, another dip led to Thelin's January exit.

Since then, Aberdeen have lost eight of 12 - winning three - and have lost nine of their past 10 away games, failing to score in the latest eight.

Leven thrust the blame for the "most disappointing night of my career" on his players, who now face a battle to avoid a first ever relegation.

They are ninth, just eight points clear of Kilmarnock in the play-off spot.

"Atrocious - we crumbled after the first goal," he said. "Furious, I can't defend them anymore. We're in trouble. They need to pick it up.

"I apologise to the fans. We could be getting dragged into relegation [trouble]. For a club like Aberdeen, that's unacceptable. We're trending in the wrong direction.

"I'm so angry. I saw some players giving up."

So where do Aberdeen go from here?

It looks certain there will be no permanent manager until the summer.

Eirik Horneland, who recently left Saint-Etienne, had been strongly linked but has said he would not be taking any new job until at least the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack was forced to admit Sandro Schwarz was a candidate for the job after the former New York Red Bulls head coach was spotted at Pittodrie last week.

Former Aberdeen captain and manager Willie Miller thinks another six-month wait for a new manager is too long.

"You're in the mire now and there's no sign that the new manager is going to come in anytime soon," he told BBC Scotland. "So it's an awful situation to be in.

"The players were totally disheartened, outplayed and ineffective.

"The last seven seasons have been tortuous. When you don't have a leader in place, it makes it worse."

Former Dunfermline winger Ian McCall finds it astonishing Aberdeen have not gone out their way to secure either Falkirk's John McGlynn or Motherwell's Jens Berthel Askou after both have secured top-six finishes for less cash-rich clubs.

"It is a big risk going into the [Premiership] split without a manager and it beggars belief," he said. "There appears to be no long-term plan.

"If you look at recruitment, who's been a huge success since [Bojan] Miovski? There's not many that I can see who have improved a squad."

Indeed, of 13 permanent and seven loan signings made in this season's two transfer windows, only four started at East End Park on Saturday.

Which is probably why Darren Mowbray, the talent spotter who brought Miovski to Pittodrie before the striker was sold to Girona, has just been reappointed as Aberdeen's head of recruitment after his spell with Southampton.

Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel has also been in place since October, but BBC Scotland's chief sports writer Tom English reported the German was on social media "late night, early hours of the morning, arguing with fans" after the cup exit.

"It is just symbolic of where Aberdeen are," he suggested. "The amount of money that's been spent, Dave Cormack's money, investors' money, fans money on a series of duds.

"I can see them getting relegated the way they are going."