This piece is an extract from yesterday's The Dandies newsletter, which is emailed out at 6pm every Tuesday.

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On Saturday while watching Aberdeen lose to Hearts at Tynecastle I could not help but sense a feeling of Groundhog Day, once again it was a case of rinse and repeat. This frustrating campaign has been nothing but twenty steps forward one week yet just a few days later, thirty steps backward - it’s been the story of our season. I openly confess I was not expecting much from Saturday’s game so to see the boys take the game to Hearts in the opening stages was an unexpected yet welcome surprise. With the match clock marking the twenty-five-minute point, the pattern and ultimately the outcome of the game took an unwelcome twist when Bojan Miovski’s curling effort was ruled out by VAR for a foul in the build-up to the goal. It was a ridiculously poor decision by Alan Muir in Glasgow to call it back. Has our game sunk so low that we are now giving fouls for such incidents? Those on VAR plus the match referee need to take the emotions of the game more into account when making such decisions. What was telling was the fact that not a single Hearts player complained to Kevin Clancy once the ball hit the back of the net. That act alone should tell you everything you need to know.

Over the past couple of years, since VAR was introduced, I can’t help but think that the soul of the game has been ripped out and thrown away. I was an advocate for the technology when it was first spoken of as I believed our officials in Scotland desperately needed help, but I have now come full circle – for the sake of our game and the entertainment factor, please, get rid! Let’s not forget that football is supposed to all be about entertainment yet whenever a goal is scored, do I celebrate like I once did, absolutely not, all I’m thinking is, will this go to VAR? It’s sucking the life out of the game. Has it enhanced our product in Scotland, not a chance, it’s become a hindrance and a stain on our league. It’s a very sorry state of affairs, something has to be done before the game in the top-flight completely implodes.

READ MORE: Hectic Aberdeen schedule could be make or break for Robson

Having had a perfectly good goal ruled out on Saturday against Hearts the knock-on effect of that decision had dire consequences for the Dons. The players' heads appeared to go down and any momentum that had been built up until that point all seemed lost. Hearts took control. Having gone behind I was expecting some sort of response, but it never came, it was almost like the players had accepted their fate. I ended up watching a game where damage limitation appeared to be on the agenda, it should have been the exact opposite. Hearts were there for the taking but there was no belief or confidence that we could get back into the game, body language at times can be so telling and on Saturday we were beaten as soon as Jorge Grant converted his penalty. The lads now have no choice but to pick themselves up and put in a decent performance against Dundee otherwise the circle of wolves who have already gathered will close in. Aberdeen and Barry Robson have a huge week ahead starting with Dundee on Tuesday night and then we face Celtic and Rangers respectively within three days of each other. It could be a telling few days.

On Saturday evening while skimming through my social media I came across a post calling for a protest at Pittodrie on Tuesday night ahead of kick-off against Dundee. I have no issues with fans protesting when things are not going well but I can’t help but feel that gathering before a game right outside the players' entrance could be counterproductive. The players need to be 100 percent focused on beating Dundee and going into the Celtic and Rangers games in the right frame of mind. Any distraction prior to the game kicking off could have consequences. Personally, if you are going to protest, my personal opinion is to wait until after the game and then vent your frustrations no matter the result. It’s a very sorry situation that we now find ourselves in that fans feel the need to protest, it should never have come to this. Thanks for reading.