Good Riddance 2010 welcome 2011

In 2010 Aberdeen played 48 Competitive games in the league and cup. Out of those 48 they won 15.
2 of those victories came over the festive period, the only question I have to ask is why did it take the Aberdeen board so long to make a change.
January started so well, we beat Dundee United 1-0 beat hearts in the league and Scottish cup scoring five goals in the process and the defeated Kilmarnock by a single goal.
We hit a little rock on mid January when we lost to St Mirren but then on the 30th there was a disaster.
Motherwell came to town and put 3 past us, ironically managed by our current boss, Craig Brown that started the rot.

Knocked out of the Scottish cup by Raith Rovers in February the only high would be a dramatic 4-4 draw with Celtic at Pittodrie.

We would not win a game until March 23rd. By this time I had lost complete faith in Mchgee and had decided it was time for a change, a change that would not come for another 9 long months.

We only won 2 more games and managed to avoid relegation by the skin of our teeth.

The rumours were starting about rifts in the pittodrie camp and major changes in the summer.
But come June and the start of pre season training the management team remained the same.
Pre season did not go well but mostly pre season is about fitness and trying out new things.
So I put on my supportive hat and decided to put my faith in Mcghee and his new players. As he had said the previous year, don't judge me now, judge me when I get my own team in.

This season started with a bang, a fantastic display against Hamilton with a Paul Hartley (who had really lifted my spirits and giving me a glimmer of hope that Mcghee new what he was doing) hat trick.
This was followed by a tough game against Saint Johnstone away from home which we battled and won late on. We got a good result in the cup. This was Mcghee's Aberdeen and despite a defeat by Killie we were flying. I was wrong about wanting change, the board had made the right decision standing by their man, or had they?

Then things turned sour and looked very much like the previous season, We could not find a win from anywhere, we even through away a 2-0 half time lead at home to Rangers and lost 3-2.
Our only win in September was a revenge win against Raith Rovers in the League cup.

October did not go much better with wins against Falkirk in the League cup, setting up a semi final game against Celtic in January and a 4-2 win against Hibernian which would turn out to be our last victory under Mcghee.

Mcghee still had the backing of the board at this point but when Celtic completely ripped us apart 9-0 at the beginning of November there was an emergency board meeting and internet forums were buzzing with rumours.
Shockingly the board came out and support Mcghee saying they still had faith in him. Some members of the media were only a win against Inverness Caley would save his job but after yet another defeat at home he was still in charge.

No points were picked up in November and after a 2-0 defeat away to Killie, which has been a grave yard for many Aberdeen Managers career at Pittordrie the board finally made the decision I had been calling for 9 months earlier.

We were due to play Celtic again but hours after the game was cancelled due to bad weather the announcement came.
The board said they would take there time. Many names were mentioned, including Billy Stark who the media seemed sure was going to get the job.

Finally the board announced they had approached Craig Brown but he has politely said no, he wanted to continue to build on what he had started at Motherwell, but then the thought of a real challenge started to get him excited and when Aberdeen called back he changed his mind.

Brown and Knox sat in the stand for the 1st game after there appointment and let Neil Cooper and Neil Simpson take the team.
It was a real eye opener for them as Aberdeen we humbled 5-0 by Hearts.

So far as we come to the end of December Brown and Knox have led Aberdeen to 2 consecutive away wins in Edinburgh against Hibs and then this weeks victory at Hamilton.
The Wikipedia page looks good, 100% wins.

So lets hope that 2011 will be a lot better than 2010 was, starting with 3 points against Dundee United in Craig Browns Pittodrie debut.

Stand Free and Happy New year.

The late show with Scott Vernon

Wins are like buses, you wait ages for one and then  2 come along at once.
It was great to see Aberdeen battle till the very end against Hamilton and grab the 3 points in stoppage time.

I knew it would be a scrappy game, Hamilton would have been happy to hold out for a point. It was clear that both teams were having confidence issues.
There was some poor defending and some poor finishing from both teams.

Craig brown has done for Aberdeen what I said he would when he was appointed, He has made us tough to beat.
It may not be pretty but it is getting points on the board, which at this moment in time is the most important thing.

After our 2 recent wins against fellow struggling teams we face a real test on New Years day when Dundee United are our first foots at Pittodrie.
I think in our current position I would settle for a point against them but Brown and Knox have 2 wins out of 2 against them this season with Motherwell so lets hope they can keep the run going.

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Can we play you every week?

Until today Aberdeen had not won a game since the 23rd of October, ironically that victory was also against Hibs.
I said it back then and I will say it again now, Hibs are also a team short of confidence so I am not getting over excited about the victory.
Even after our losing streak Hibs were only 5 points ahead of us going into the game.

Yes it was a relief and a welcome 3 points. But we must go out and battle the same way against the other teams, especially those around us.
Once I see us picking up results against those teams I will start to have more confidence in the players.

I can already see the difference Craig Brown is making, when was the last time we saw Aberdeen spot a weakness in the opponent and change tactics to exploit it.
Brown noticed that the Hibs defence were pretty light weight and brought on Josh Magennis  for Sone Aluko to provide some extra muscle.
Some poor finishing and lack of confidence caused Magennis to miss a couple of sitters but we saw what the lad is capable of.

We are off the bottom of the table at last. Although it was only really 1 game with the games being cancelled recently it has been a couple of weeks. Hopefully we will not be back there again.
A victory against Hamilton on Wednesday will hopefully see us open up a big enough gap between us and them.

All I wanted from Santa was 3 points today and Santa delivered.
Maybe my other wish will now be granted, with league reconstruction maybe it can be set up so we can play Hibs every week, then we will be challenging for the league title every season.

Stand Free and Merry Christmas

David Preece Question and Answers

MR: Having played in England and Denmark. Is Aberdeen still a team that foreign  players and players from England  find an attractive club  or is our location against us, especially with player who are married with families?

DP:   It's a sad fact of life that some are reluctant to move so North. The club has to try harder to sell itself to players.

MR: What do you miss most about playing for Aberdeen and living in the city?

DP Difficult one to pinpoint this. In 6 yrs I grew to love the club, fans and the city and always will. It became home.

MR: Did you feel any pressure following in the footsteps of keepers like Jim Leighton and Theo Snelders?


DP: At the time, no. I was naive enough to think I deserved to be in my position. Looking back, the move came a year or two too early.

MR: Apart from meeting me to present me with the half time draw cheque many years ago, what is your most memorable memory of your time with Aberdeen?


DP: I'd have to say the win at Celtic Park to end their 77 match unbeaten run. Being skipper that night made it special.

MR: Who was the best player you played with and against in your career?


DP: With: Tough one this. I'll go for Thomas Helveg Ultimate professional. Against: Zlatan Ibrahimavic

MR:Who is the best manager you played for?


DP: Peter Reid, Terry Butcher were great and David Hodgson has had a big influence on my career. Liked JC too.


MR: Who was your footballing Idol when growing up?


DP: Bruce Grobbelaar, Peter Shilton and Michel Platini. 1st 4 obvious reasons. Dad bought me a video of WC86 and I loved the FRC team.

MR: What are you plans after you retire?


DP:  Hopefully coaching/management. I'm also doing a degree in Sports writing and broadcasting through the PFA.

MR: What team did you support as a youngster?  


DP:  Sunderland, my home town team and where I began playing.

MR: What advise would you give a youngster trying to make a career in football? 


DP:There's nothing that good old fashioned hard work can't achieve. Talent is redundant without dedication.

I would like to thank David for agreeing to answer our questions.

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The Third coming of Jim Leighton

Jim Leighton rejoined Aberdeen for the third time in is career. Having had two spells at the club as a player and then joining the coaching staff after retiring Jim was shockingly sacked by Mark Mcghee not long after Mcghee joined the club. Mcghee wanted to bring in his own man Colin Meldrum.
I don't think it was any coincidence that Jamie Langfield made a few errors in the first couple of games after Leighton left.
Langfield has not really been the same under Meldrum but hopefully he will get back to his best now Jim is back.
I am delighted to see Jim Leighton back, he is a first class goalkeeper a great coach.
Jim himself must be delighted to be back, I remember hearing an interview with him on BBC Radio Scotland  not long after he left Pittodrie and he sounded gutted.
It is no surprise that Brown had brought him back as he was Leighton's Manager at international level and Archie Knox also worked with Jim at both Aberdeen and Manchester United.
Welcome back Jim.


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David Preece/ Ian Robertson

Something different for the blog tonight.Ex Aberdeen Players  David Preece and Ian Robertson  have kindly agreed to answer some questions about his career on the blog.
Add your questions to the comments and I will pick the best.
looking for around 10 questions to ask him.

The only way is up

I predicted before the game that we would lose to Hearts today, But I was not expecting a result like this.
Tynecastle is always a tough place to go and it takes a huge performance to take the points. But 5-0 is totally unacceptable.

I had hoped that the pending arrival of Craig Brown and Archie Knox would have given the Dons players a confidence boost, and it looked like it had as Aberdeen came out fighting ans seemed to be all over Hearts for the first five minutes.
But Hearts went up the park and scored with their first attack, There was some debate that the ball did not cross the line but the commentators on Red TV said that it could have been a penalty before the goal was given.
Hearts were really going at our weakness of having no full backs and the 2nd goal like the first came after they run at Ifil. The game was dead by the 10th minute and Brown and Knox must have been sitting in the stand thinking What have we done.

David and Steven from Red TV were arguing with each other at one point David saying the Dons had "No Bloody Confidence" and Steven arguing that it was not confidence it was that the players were "Just not trying, How hard is it to make a tackle to try and  stop Hearts scoring".

Craig Brown's list of Players just not good enough will be getting longer and longer and I can only say roll on January and the opening of the transfer window.
I can see some players being moved on if people will take them and hopefully a few free transfers or loan players coming in to see us through the second half of the season.

The result today means we are now bottom of the SPL with Hamilton not even kicking a ball.
As Red TV said the only way is up.

Aberdeen are a mess and the fans need to have patience with Brown and Knox and not expect dramatic results right away. But hopefully these embarrassing scores will end now and we can scrape a few wins to take us out of the relegation zone.

Good Luck Craig Brown and Archie Knox, you are going to need it.


Stand Free

Paw Broon and Oor Wullie join forces.

So Aberdeen look to have ended the search for Mark Mcghee's successor, with Craig Brown  and Archie Knox resigning from Motherwell  late on Thursday night, they look set to be announced as the new Aberdeen management team in the morning.

I am quite happy with the appointment as Brown is vastly experienced and is just the sort of man we need to steady the ship and build a foundation that can be built on in the future.

It would not surprise me if Paul Hartley was made part of the coaching staff and mentored by Knox and Brown as a possible future manager.

Brown and Knox did not have a contract at Motherwell so there will be no fee paid to Motherwell, although Motherwell are filing a complaint with the SPL about Aberdeen's conduct.
Another boost for Stewart Milne is that Craig Brown will not need a company car as he can just use his free bus pass. (Someone had to make an OAP joke)

So welcome to the good ship AFC Craig Brown and welcome home Archie Knox.

Okay  the Honeymoon is over, get to work lads.

Feel free to comment on your thought of the new Pittodrie Management team.

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All aboard the Managerial Merry go round

Mark McGhee's reign as Aberdeen Manager came to an end this afternoon.
I have been saying for Months that Mcghee was out of his depth and had to go and I am glad the board have finally seen sense.
I take no pleasure from the decision, I had hoped after the first two games of the season that McGhee was going to prove me wrong.
In fact I am sad it never worked out, McGhee is still a hero of mine after his playing days at Pittodrie.
I would like to wish Mark all the best for the future.

But what now for Aberdeen F.C ? I would not be opposed to them doing a Killie and bringing someone in to steady the ship till the end of the season then make a permanent appointment.
One thing is for sure, the Aberdeen board need to take their time before making a decision.

A number of names have been mentioned, some good in my opinion and some not so good.
I don't envy Stewart Milne and Co having to make that choice.

I blogged about Gordon Strachan previously he is available for no compensation fee but could we match his wage demands?
Terry butcher is another name mentioned but some fans have already brought up the Ex Rangers player point and he could be fighting a losing battle before his first game.
As someone else said Fergie was an Ex Rangers player and look what he did with us.

So as we await an announcement from the board about an interim appointment I will go and write my C.V.


Stand Free

Today I give thanks for.......

This Thursday we celebrated thanksgiving here in the USA.

I was up in the mountains of Western New York with no Internet and intermittent cell phone reception.
So I had a chance to get away from it all, no constant emails, Internet articles or message board posts about how deep a crisis our beloved Aberdeen Football Club  is in at the moment.

I never heard the game but reading match reports and posts from fans who braved the weather to go to the game (I salute you all) nothing has changed since our 1st emergency meeting of the board after the 9-0 drubbing against Celtic.
There have been very few positives to take from any of our recent games, although Mark Mcghee will tell you otherwise.

I worry about our next game, we play Celtic once more, the only positive is we are at home, but Pittodrie has not exactly been a fortress recently.
I don't think we will lose another 9 goals but even though Celtic have not been at there best the last few games, 4 or 5 would be no surprise.

2 times in recent weeks the home team at Pittodrie have won, unfortunately those teams were the Scotland Football  and Rugby national teams.
Maybe it is time for Aberdeen  F.C to give up and we can all support the egg chasers instead.

So this week I give thanks to no Internet so I could not hear the Aberdeen game this week.


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Jamie Rapidly becoming an important player for Colorado

Former Aberdeen and Celtic midfielder Jamie Smith played a huge part in helping Colorado Rapids win their first ever MLS Cup since they were founded in 1995.
Jamie who was very influential in the first round two legged tie when the Rapids took Columbus Crew to penalties and beat the 2008 MLS champs.

He missed the conference final against San Jose Earthquakes due to injury and although he declared himself fit head coach Gary Smith waited till late on to confirm Smith would be in the starting 11.

Jamie Justified his selection when he crossed  the ball in the 56th minute which Conor Casey eventually scrambled over the line while sitting down to cancel out David Ferreira's opener for FC Dallas.
Jamie played most of the 90 minutes before being subbed just before the start of Extra time.

The Rapids won the game thanks to a lucky break when the ball came off Dallas Defender George Johns Knee and ended up in the back of his own net.

I am sure most Aberdeen fans will want to congratulate Jamie and wish him more MLS success in the future.
(Except when he is playing Columbus Crew that is.)



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Saint's V Sinners

Aberdeen were up against St Johnstone at home in a game that they really needed to win.

St Johnstone are low on confidence and on a losing streak, Aberdeen also on a losing streak but looked ready for the battle. I said last week I felt we showed enough in the second half v Rangers that we could beat St Johnstone. I predicted a tight 2-1 win.

I was going to blog after I saw the sending off incident but Mcghee's after match comments have really been eating at me.
It seems that 0-0 v St Johnstone at Pittodrie is a acceptable result in Mark Mcghee's eyes. He basically said if McArdle was not sent off we would have held out for the 0-0.
I will comment more on the sending off when I see the highlights.

I thought Zander did a bit better this week and was unlucky to score the own goal.

Our next game is away to Killie who I watched give Rangers a tough game this morning, I really cannot see us take anything from a ground where so many Aberdeen managers over the years have seen their Pittodrie career end.

Things could have been so much different if Sone Aluko had scored his sitter in the 1st half.
We need to take these chances.

So Mark Mcghee, McArdle did not lose us the game, the ref did not lose us the game, Mcghee and HIS players (remember he said last season "Don't judge me till I get my own players in")  lost us the game.

Stewart Milne and the Aberdeen board have some tough decisions to make over the coming weeks.

Maybe Donald Trump will make a visit to the board room when he next visits his golf course and say, "Mark Mcghee, your fired"



Stand Free


Edit Sunday 21st November

Having seen the tackle by McArdle I have to say a red card was a bit harsh, It was a 2 footed tackle but there was no intention to get the man, he went for the ball. But the rules say a 2 footed tackle is a red card so it was a stupid tackle for McArdle to make, knowing there was a chance he could be sent off.

Game of two halves

Aberdeen went to Ibrox looking for their first win there since 1991, not many people gave them a chance to end that run.

When I saw the first 5 or 10 minutes of the game I knew we were in trouble. We were giving Rangers too much space and just letting them run at us. Basically the same tactics we employed at Parkhead seven days ago.
We hardly got a touch of the ball  and when we did it was a big hoof up the park looking for our loan striker Scott Vernon.
It was no surprise to be 2-0 down at half time and it could have been worse but for some bad finishing from the Rangers forwards and a couple of great save from Aberdeen keeper Jamie Langfield, which included a penalty save just before half time which may have turned the game around.
If that gone in I think we may have crumbled, Jamie's save gave us a little bit of hope going in at half time.

I saw the Red TV interview with Jamie in midweek and he was clearly hurt after losing 9 goals last weekend. He looked determined not to lose a barrel load again this week.
In a week where the Aberdeen players have been told up to stand and fight for manager Mark Mcghee, Jamie did just that and for that he deserves the Don of the match.

I said on Facebook at half time Mcghee had to change things, I would rather lose 5-0 getting hit on the break trying to score goals than lose 5-0 or worse by just sitting back and letting Rangers run at us like we had in the first half.

Mcghee must have read my comment because Aberdeen pressured the Rangers players and tried to create some chances of their own.
We did not really trouble the Rangers goalkeeper but while we were up the other end fighting to win the ball it took the pressure off our defence.

Rangers did have some chances in the second half but more good saves from Langfield and bad finishing kept the score at 2-0.

So on the whole I was much happier with the performance in the second half but we still looked short of confidence.
Having been brought up in he Fergie era, I have always thought attack was the best form of defence, you never saw Aberdeen play the old firm in those days sitting back.
The change in that attitude is one of the reasons we have not won at Ibrox for 19 years.

With Saint Johnstone up next at Pittodrie on Saturday Aberdeen need to take something from the game today and continue to build from it.
Pressure the saints show some fight and we will get the win. We showed that in Perth at the beginning of the season.


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Blind Faith in Mr Magoo

After hours of meeting between the Aberdeen management team and the Aberdeen board of directors Mark Mcghee, Scott Leitch and Colin Meldrum have been given the green light to continue leading Aberdeen.
Whether they have been given a time limit remains unsure.

After the amount of time we waited for answers I was surprised there was not a STV  live hour long special about the decision like we had with Lebron James here in the States.

If the board have faith in Mcghee then surely they must back him with cash when the January transfer window comes. We all know full backs are needed so that position must be priority.
My main concern is Mcghee does not seem to be able to motivate the players so he could make the best signings for years and still we could struggle.

I just worry for the future and I don't see what Mcghee has done since he came here that has convinced the board to think the next 6 month's are going to be any different.
I said it before and I will say it again, with Mcghee in charge we are heading towards Division 1.

You can argue he has not had a lot of money to spend, but the money he has spent he has spent  badly. Not that he has bought bad players but the balance of the squad is terrible. Why buy so many strikers and central defenders when you need full backs.
Also it can be argued that Aberdeen's budget is more than Inverness Caley or St Mirren who have both beaten the Dons recently.

If we do go down then heads must roll, not just Mcghee's but Willie Miller and Stewart Milne also.


All we can do now is get behind the team and give them our support and hope the Stewart Milne and Co and made the correct decision.
Poor Dick Donald and Chris Anderson must be rolling in their graves.


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Playing the waiting game

It is like waiting for a terminally ill person to pass on (Sorry to be so morbid) You know the end is coming and although you don't like the outcome it is kind of a relief when it happens.
That is what it feels like to be an Aberdeen fan today as we await the board to finish their meetings about the way forward.

I feel sorry for Mark Mcghee  because during this time not one member of the board has come out and said Mark has their full backing. So like the fans he has been left in limbo.

There are various theories going round as to why the board are taking so long. One is that the board want him to go but Stewart Milne is concerned about the cost involved . Another is that the board have someone in mind and are waiting to get them in and the last theory I have read is that the board do not want the new man's 1st game to be away to Rangers.
Only the board can answer the question as to what's going on but I am sure we will never know the real answer for the delay.

With most of the results going against us today we are now 1 point ahead of bottom place Hamilton so a turn in fortunes is badly needed or we are going to be sucked into a relegation battle.

For now there is nothing we can do but wait.


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Dons Butchered at Home

I never heard the whole game as I was at work, but Aberdeen were not sounding like a team that needed to win at the start of the game.
Sounded like we were starting to get into the game when Caley got a very soft penalty.
It was good to see the team come out fighting in the 2nd half and Velicka got his first goal in a red shirt.
Once again poor defending cost us as Caley got a winner 9 minutes from the end.
The players at least tried but it was not good enough.

Although I never saw it I was disappointed to hear that Caley Manager (one of the names mentioned as a possible Successor to  Mark Mcghee ) Terry Butcher was dancing about like a demented fool at the end of the game while his opposite number in the Aberdeen dugout was seeing his Aberdeen Career go down the toilet.

 Mark Mcghee keeps telling us things will get better but I just can't see it. I understand what he is saying that on the budget we have ,we have to use youngsters when we get injuries because we do have a small squad, and we will have the occasional bad result. 4 Points out of 30 is more than an occasional bad result.

With such a low crowd at Pittodrie tonight the question must be asked, how long can the board let this go on for.
With rumors of a board meeting going on as I type it would not surprise me to be writing another blog tonight or tomorrow morning.


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Mcghee to stay for now.

So it look's like Mark Mcghee will keep his job for at least 1 more game after today's board meeting at Pittodrie.
For my thought's on Mcghee and his managerial career at the Dons check out the article I wrote for Scotzine at http://www.scotzine.com/2010/11/the-end-is-nigh-for-mcghee/


Stand Free

Mcghee continues to smash the records at Aberdeen

The fact that I had predicted 7-1 in the Donstalk match predictor already meant I was not expecting much from this game , in fact I was expecting a hammering, it still hurt to see 9 goals fly past Jamie Langfield in the Aberdeen goal. Not since the days of  Ebbe Skovdahl and Steve Paterson had Aberdeen witnessed defeats like this at Parkhead. This was actually worse than any of the previous results and is a new SPL record
I said after last weeks match at St Mirren we are at the lowest of the low's and some people told me it was not that bad, well if this is not the lowest point I am fearful of the future.
Aberdeen were never really in the game and came to try and stop Celtic playing. We had a couple of chances early on but when Hartley got sent off and we went 1-0 down the heads just dropped.
I think the ref called the game as he saw it today I had no complaint about the penalties or the sending off.
Langfield may have been a little lucky but I think there were defenders covering and thats why he never saw red.
Celtic deserved their victory but Aberdeen made it easy for them, that has to be blamed not only on the players but on the tactics that were used. The wrong tactics have been used too many times not only this season but last season also.
The big question is, where do Aberdeen go from here? They play the other half of the Old Firm next weekend with Caley  in midweek. I really cannot see Mcghee go on from here and would not be surprised if there is a Pittodrie press conference on Monday if not sooner.
I have nothing against Mcghee, he was a great player for us in the 80's and I even find some of his comments on Red TV amusing, but he is clearly out of his depth.
Please do the honorable thing and walk now.


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Let's hope there is no Muir of the same from Refs

In a week where referee's have been blasted in the press, stories of cover up's have broken, and a ref has been demoted for a few weeks, Parkhead is really not the best place for Aberdeen to be going this weekend.
Celtic fans are paranoid enough but they are even more so after what has come out in the aftermath of the game against Dundee United.
The problem is the ref's know this and now I feel they could be scared to give anything against Celtic or not give Celtic a decision.
Lennon is not helping things by coming out in the press and saying things like the ref has to be strong before the recent Old Firm match. That just puts more pressure on refs.
So let's hope Saturday's ref Alan Muir just calls the game as he see's it and forgets the 50,000 Celtic fans yelling at him.
Before anyone says I am just getting my excuses ready now, I really do not think we will get anything out of Saturday's game  and expect to be well beaten, but our cause will not be helped if the ref is running scared of Celtic.


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The Last Straw

This was a must win game for us against a St Mirren team who have only 5 points and are sitting at the bottom of the league. The game sounded terrible and another defensive error and free header cost us the opening goal. I am starting to wonder what the defence practice in training as that is 4 goals in a row from back post headers. once again
We never created much and never got our 1st shot on target till the 38th minute.  McArdle scored his 2nd of the season. in one of our few chances.
This just shows us the new level Mcghee has taken us too when we struggle against Falkirk in the cup and then get beat by Saint Mirren.
I think the board have to make a move now before it is too late we have a lot of tough games coming up and could find ourselves down at the bottom in the next few weeks.
Mcghee has clearly lost the team  (who are now mostly his players)as they do not even look to be trying at times.
The squad is so unbalanced there is not even many changes we can make to try and turn things around. Maybe a new man can get something out of these players who showed the potential of what they can do at the beginning of the season.
I have now lost all faith in Mcghee as manager, I am sure I am not the only one.


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Bhoys stand between Aberdeen and cup final

The draw for the league cup semi final was made today and surprise surprise the Old Firm were kept apart.
Hopefully Aberdeen can repeat the feat of 1989 when they beat Celtic in the Semi and then Rangers in the final.
At least for once we will not be shamed in the cup by a lower league team and all credit to all concerned for getting us there. I may have been a little harsh on Mcghee and the lads the other night and they did show some fight to come back from 1-0 down and go on and win the game.
I really don't see us getting much further but stranger things have happened.
It is possible going in as underdogs will benefit us as I am sure a if we had drawn Motherwell a lot of fans would have had us in the final already, so it takes the pressure off a bit.
There was a high chance that we would have to beat at least 1 of the Old Firm to win the cup so why put off the inevitable lets just get it over with now and look forward to a final against Motherwell.

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Elvis suffers late Hart(ley)break

I said after the last game against Hibs I still had concerns about our team. I also thought Falkirk would give us a much tougher game then Hibs did on Saturday.
I was not totally surprised when Falkirk took the lead as we had not really created many chances.
I was disappointed with the lack of fight our team seemed to have after Mcghee and the players had been in the press all week saying how important the game was and how it was time to pay back the fans for our support.
In the 2nd half we seemed to play better and it was good to see Hartley get a goal from open play. After we scored I thought we would keep at them but then we went back to how we had played in the 2nd half.
Then Hartley took the game by the horns like a man possessed.  He was telling the other players where to position themselves and what there jobs were. It was great to see the Aberdeen captain do the captains job. Mark Kerr would have run and hide. I think Hartley is one of the best captain we have had for many years. Possibly the best since we had Mcleish.
I missed the end of the game as I was working and had decided I was not staying late to listen to the game as I had a feeling if anyone was going to score  before extra time it was going to be Falkirk .
I was pleasantly surprised to come home and find we had won via a late Paul Hartley penalty.
It is also great to get one up on Pressley the Falkirk Manger who I and many other Aberdeen fans cannot stand.
I was not happy with  the performance and we really need to buck up our idea's as I think most SPL teams would have beaten us tonight.
So once again Mcghee lives to fight another day.
St Mirren in Paisley is our next big must win game. It will be interesting to see how we approach this game.
But for now I am just going to enjoy the evening and enjoy the fact we are in a cup semi final.


Stand Free

A good win but still worrying signs.

After the last few weeks and 1 point out of 18 it was great to see Aberdeen take advantage of a Hibs team low on confidence.
It looked like Mcghee listened to the fans and play Chris Maguire in his natural position where he had scored for Scotland U21 in the last couple of games and he rewarded us with the 1st goal.
While the attacks were fast and at times deadly the defence still looked very shaky.
Colin Nish was getting too much free space in the box and it was only a matter of time before one of his free headers went in. The Hibs 2nd goal was another free header so some work needs done at the back (as if we didn't knew it already).
I am not making the same mistake as I did after the Hamilton and Saint Johnstone games and getting over excited but this was a much deserved and much needed 3 points and if we can keep a good running going over the next few weeks then maybe I will be convinced.
Hibs have been as bad as us this season and have looked low on confidence but I was always wary of the new manager syndrome that clubs get and with us being  up against them for Colin Calderwoods 1st game in charge I was not expecting this victory.
But for now I am still in the unconvinced about Mcghee camp, he still has a lot of work to do to win me over.
Now onto the league cup quarter final against Falkirk on Tuesday. A must win game.
Hopefully this time next week we will have a semi final to look forward to.


Stand Free

Strachan your destiny is calling.

The most asked question on Aberdeen message boards at this time is If we get rid of Mcghee who do we get?
No available manger really springs to mind and you have to wonder if Aberdeen could afford compensation to another club.
Today I came home from work to see the headline Strachan resigns from Boro post. It got me wondering will this influence or speed up any decision the Aberdeen board might be pondering about Mark Mcghee's future.
The move to Boro just has not worked out for Strachan who has had a fairly successful managerial career. He did well at Celtic even though for some reason the Celtic fans were glad to see the back of him after he won 2 out of 3 SPL titles.
In the back of my mind though is that we have had 2 Gothenburg greats as manager now and both turned out to be a disaster (Although Willie Miller started off well).
It might be worth the gamble considering there would be no compensation fee for Strachan.
What do you think? Would Strachan be a good choice? If not who would you like to see in the dugout at Pittodrie should Mcghee be shown the door?



Stand Free

Aberdeen show no Heart

It was my hope with the international break that we would get some of our injured players back and get some kind of good form going. Hearts have not exactly been setting the heather on fire this season either so this was a chance to get 3 points at home.
We did get Aluko and Hartley back Velicka made his long awaited debut.
In reality it sounded a really poor game with very few clear cut chances form either team. And a draw probably would have been a fair result. I thought Hearts were really dirty at time and Kevin Kyle was lucky to see the end of the game.
Aberdeen really created nothing and with 1 point out of a possible 18 and now Hibs who just fired their manager climbing above us Mcghee must be starting to worry.
I have said it before and I will say it again I really believe Mchgee is out of his depth.
What I really did not understand was when we were 1-0 down with 8 minutes left, we had Micheal Paton on the bench who looked good and brought some life to the team last time out until he was wrongly sent off.
We even went to the hassle of getting his red card wiped off the record so he would be available for this game and we bring on an untried 16yo. No disrespect to the kid who I have read has been playing well for the U19 team, but was this really the right moment to give him a run out in the 1st team.?
I think time is really running out for Mcghee and defeat next week against Hibs maybe the final straw for some.
I would be surprised to see Mcghee in the dugout come 2011 unless things improve dramatically.
What are your thoughts on Mcghee? How long would you give him?

TV or not TV

So Rangers goal keeper Allan McGregor has been banned for 1 game for kicking out at Aberdeen's Chris Maguire in the recent game between the two at Pittodrie.
Of course the Huns are crying about TV evidence getting used because they are on TV along with their ugly sisters Celtic more than the rest of the SPL teams.
Would you be crying Walter if it was the other way round? I think you are just pissed that your player did a stupid thing and got caught. You are willing to take more money than the rest of us from the TV companies but then complain about over exposure. Maybe you should concentrate on disciplining your own players instead of blaming the camera man cause they got caught.
In the other case involving Aberdeen it was great to see some common sense with Michael Paton's red card being wiped out after once again the TV camera's clearly showed a tangle of legs and Michael trying to break free to continue on playing rather than a stamp on the ICT players leg. For once I think the SFA got both decisions correct. Long may it continue.


Stand Free

Scotland feel the (S)pain of defeat

What a difference 4 days makes. Scotland went from playing with no strikers to at least having a go at Spain.
I only saw the 2nd half but I liked what I saw. This reminded me of the Scotland I used to love watching years ago, who would just go and battle for every ball. We may have been playing the current European and World champions but we gave them as good as we got, even at 2-0 down we fought for every ball and battled back to 2-2. We played with passion and heart which is what Scotland is all about. We don't have the skill of Spain but we have the fight to go out and say we don't care who you are you want 3 points you have to go through us. This was a characteristic that had sadly been missing from the Scottish mentality for the last couple of years.
 The only thing that annoys me is wondering what might have been had we gone out and played with the same spirit against the Czech Republic instead of playing for a draw.
So we lost 3-2 in a game that we were expected to lose, and lose badly. This is the sort of performance I had been hoping to see when Levein took over as manager. Hopefully he will forget his negative approach and play like this in more game. If he does then it will only be a matter of time before Scotland again make an appearance at a major finals.


Stand Free

Tatics like this will have fans Levein in droves

I was pleased with the appointment of Craig Levein as Scotland Manager and had high hopes. But since qualifying started it has been a major disappointment. 2 games we had to win against the so called weak teams in the groups resulted in a draw and a last gasp win. Our next game against the Czech Republic was one I thought we could take points from. The Czech's are not as good as they once were and I saw them beat the USA before the world cup and the defence looked like it could leak goals. So it puzzled me when I saw Levein had played with no out and out striker. As a dual citizen of Britain and USA I have got to see how a team should play. The USA played some exciting games in the world cup, knowing the defence was weak they tried to win games and came back from 2-0 down and winning 1-0 with a last gasp goal. I would like to see Scotland take the same approach.
Lets see what happens against Spain on Tuesday.


Stand Free

Deja Vu

Is it only 8 weeks ago I was praising Aberdeen Football Club and Mark Mcghee for a great start to the season and saying how my confidence in Mcghee as a manager was growing?
Today we went to Inverness looking for a much needed 3 points and a confidence boost.
I was not happy to see yet another change in goals with Mark Howard returning. Nothing against Howard but the defence is bad enough as it is without having to play in front of a different goalkeeper every other week.
The defence again today was  shambles and cost us both goals.
I said the last few weeks I was sitting on the fence but I am getting Deja Vu with this season quickly turning into a repeat of last season. We are now 7th and only 3 points off the bottom of the league.
I said last season Mcghee looked out of his depth and was ready to admit I may have been wrong at the start of the season but now I stand by my original judgement.
I was told last season by Mcghee Supporters give him time wait till he gets his own players in. Well he has been given time and his own players are here. OK we have injuries, but it was ICT we played today and we were never really in the game, Even before the red card to Paton which Red TV said was harsh.
Off the park he swaps Foster a versatile player who can play full back or midfield for an injured striker for a year loan and leaves us with no full backs. Then we get a full back in and he continues to play center backs in the full back position, when everyone can see it is not working.
So Mr Mcghee thanks for your services, I still respect you as a player and am sorry it has not worked out but your time is up.


Stand Free

Errors cost us again

I only saw the 1st half of today's game and Aberdeen did well. Rangers seemed to have most of the ball but Aberdeen looked dangerous on the break. Was good to see Vernon get another goal, his 5th in 4 games.
I was impressed by Maguire who took his goal well.
The defence was always a worry though and I think Rangers poor finishing rather than Aberdeen's good defending kept score against down in the 1st half. I think there was contact at the penalty but the Rangers player made the most of it. As I said earlier I only saw the 1st half but when Tammi asked me what I thought the score was I said I would not be surprised if it ended 2-2 so finding out it was 3-2 was not a big shock.
From what I am reading defensive errors cost us the points. On Donstalk Diamond is getting most of the blame, most people saying he was terrible. Not that I ever disagreed with Mcghee's choice of captain this season maybe this shows Diamond is not ready for such responsibility.
It was good to see Hartley on the bench yelling at the players from the sideline. That is what a captain should be all about.
So it was disappointing not to at least get a draw from the game at least it was not the hammering I was kind of expecting.
So for another week I stay on the Mcghee must Stay/Go fence. Lets hope we can bounce back with a win against Caley next week and go into the international break on a high.



Stand Free!

Hanging onto the fence

I had started this season with an open mind and after the 1st couple of games was getting a bit of confidence in Mark Mcghee and Aberdeen football club, in recent weeks that confidence was shot back down. This was a must win game for me and at one point when we were 2-1 down I was hanging on the fence that I had been sitting on. I for the time being am giving MM the benefit of the doubt but that fence is very shaky right now.
I like the look of Vernon who has now scored in every game he has started.
Ifil is starting to look like the Ifil of last season which is scary, his error cost us the 2nd goal and Jamie Langfield made a howler for the 1st. Maybe he should stick to making the tea on the team bus.
It was a relief to get the win and hopefully it will build up confidence within the team again.
We got a couple of injuries again with Hartley and Considine going off and Iffil struggling at the end.
Hopefully they will be back for Sunday but it looks bleak.
Mcghee needs to iron out these mistakes before we become the calamity we were last season, if not he may be in the dole queue come Christmas.

So what do you guys think of Aberdeens season so far? Do you think Mark Mcghee is the right man to take us to the next level?


Stand Free

Bore Draw

I never heard the game as we were away for the weekend to Niagara Falls so I can only go by match reports and comments by my fellow Donstalkers.

After the last couple of results, I would have settled for a point against Motherwell, but it seems like we went there looking for just that. I find it strange we played 5 centerback's against Motherwell.

Mcghee said he gained inspiration from watching Rangers draw with Man Utd in midweek and decided to use the same formation.

So if this is how we play against Motherwell what sort of formation will we play against the Old Firm?

I guess we will find out next week with the Huns visit Pittodrie.

Stand Free

Another False Don

With the great start to the season I kind of put the Killie game down to a bad day at the office, I said in my last blog about Aberdeen that how Aberdeen reacted after the Killie defeat would show the Character and fight of this team. We started well against Dundee United going at them from the kick off, we forced a great save from the United goalie but then United broke and it was 1-0. I could not believe that we were 3-0 down after 9 minutes. Although according to the AFC commentary team it was a soft penalty and there was a possible foul on the goalkeeper at the 2nd goal.

Even still this was turning into a reminder of how bad last season was.

Mark Mcghee had started building some of my confidence in him as the man to turn us around, now my confidence is shot and I am back to feeling the same way I felt at the end of last season.

We have 2 more tough games this month with Motherwell away next week and then Rangers at Pittodrie in 2 weeks. I really can see us getting no points out of Septembers games.

The way the team seemed to give up in the 2nd half disappointed me, we had 1 shot on target.

The other scary thing is after Motherwell we play Raith Rovers in the League cup and if confidence is low after the Motherwell game there could well be another embarrassing defeat to a lower league team in the cups.

Lets hope I am wrong and things pick up.

Stand Free!

International Break

It was a strange Saturday with no football on, normally the International games are played on a Saturday and Wednesday, for some reason UEFA schedules these games for Friday and Tuesday.

I did get to see some of the game at work and Scotland battled well and more or less controlled the game in defence and midfield but could not finish in the final 3rd. It was frustrating because this was a game even though it was away from home that we really should of got and in my opinion needed 3 points. I can't see us getting much out of Spain home or away and the game against the Czechs home and away will be tough.

It looked to me like the boy wizard went out to get a point and that's what he got, he played 1 upfront and even at the end when we were crying out for a goal and Lithuania were getting tired he brought on a defender instead of Kris Boyd who has been prolific for all the teams he has played for.

I just hope they can get 3 points against Lichtenstein on Tuesday at Hampden or this is going to be a long qualifying campaign.

Stand Free

High's and Lows of a busy week

Aberdeen had 2 games the week the 1st being away to Alloa in the CIS Scottish League Cup.

Aberdeen dominated the game and got a well deserved 3-0 victory but at a cost.

Thanks to the artificial pitch Fraser Fyvie caught his studs and damaged knee ligaments.

He will now miss the rest of the season.

I was happy with the result, we never looked in trouble and controlled the game which is a nice change for Aberdeen against lower league teams.

Then onto todays game against Killie at Pittodrie.

With Aberdeen riding high and Killie struggling you would have thought that Aberdeen would have walked this game. But it was a tight affair which either team could have won, In the end Killie got the goal in the 93rd minute.

I was very disappointed but not angry, the did not play great but atleast battled. The real test will be bouncing back in the next game.

I feel the result could be a blow to Mcghee as I think he was probably in the running for August manager of the month.

Stand Free!

The 2 sides of Aberdeen

Last season there were 2 sides to Aberdeen, the team that battled and won and the team that gave up and lost. And normally both teams played a half each game. This season we have seen both sides of Aberdeen. The side with flair which ripped apart Hamiltion last week, and the team that grind. They played against a well organised Saint Johnstone team today and did not give up trying to get that winner. They were rewarded in the 86th minute with a Darren Mackie goal.

Last season they would have given up or made a stupid mistake to let Saint Johnstone score a goal but the defence stayed tight and they kept pushing.

I will admit that when I saw that Hearts had won 4-0 earlier against Hamilton I did wonder if Hamilton had made us look good last week. But after the performance in a game that pre season I had said I would settle for a draw my doubts were put aside.

Mark Mcghee has taken another step in giving me faith that he is the man for the job.

Stand Free!

Hamilton pay the penalty

It was a must win game, with season ticket sales down and many fans losing faith in Mark mcghee nothing less than a victory would do.

People just looking at the stats will say 3 penalties that's why we won but Aberdeen run the Hamilton defence ragged Aluko and Pawlett were using their pace and Mensing and Jack could not handle them, Aluko won 2 of the 3 penalties.

Paul Hartley took on the captains role by taking responsibility at the penalties, scoring all 3 and getting a deserved if not unusual debut hat trick. I was pleased with the team performance. there was not one player who was not trying or was not playing well. There was not one time the commentator said the word we heard so often last year, and the mistake by (insert Aberdeen players name) that led to the goal.

Howard in goal did well when called upon and even set up a few chanced with his long range kicks.

The defence looked solid which builds confidence amongst the whole team.

I am not Mark Mcghee's biggest fan, well thats not true, I like Mark Mcghee for what he achieved here as a player but said many times last season he was out of his depth. I had no confidence he could turn us around. I am not completely won over after 1 game even though it was 4-0 but this went along way towards Manager Mcghee winning me over.

I am not proud and I would love him to prove me wrong in my assessment of him after last season.

My only worry now is can they stand the pressure, no one expected much from the team, but after this performance and result, many people will be putting pressure on them to play like this week in week out. they have set the standards, now they must keep those standards.

Stand Free

New Season

Well the World cup is over and now we are back to the bread and butter of the Scottish Premier League.

Aberdeen have had an abysmal pre season but people keep saying it is the real games that count, So we shall see.

I am very pleased with the signing of Paul Hartley, I think he can be a good Captain, at least he does not have any big shoes to fill. I also think he will bring some bite that we were missing last season to our midfield.

I do not know enough about our other signing to have much of an opinion yet.

I hope that we can get off to a good start tomorrow because a loss against Hamilton at home is only going to put pressure on Mcghee and the team after the season they had last year.

Darren Mackie has being banging in the goals in my Football Manager game so hopefully that is an omen, but more than likely, like the game itself it is just a fantasy.

So come on Aberdeen give the home fans something to cheer about for a change and give us a great start to the season.

Stand Free

Highs and Lows of season 2009/2010

One of the biggest highs this season has been the emergence of some promising youngsters in the Aberdeen team, Fraser Fyvie, peter Pawlett, Michael Paton to name a few.

There was the 1-0 win at Pittodrie against Rangers, Coming back from behind to get a 4-4 draw against Celtic, winning 3-0 away to Hearts has to be right up there.

But there were far too many lows. The performances especially of Sone Aluko, Mark Kerr, Gary Macdonald, and the management team of Mark Mcghee and Scott Leitch.

There was the cup exit's at the hands of Raith Rovers and Dundee, the hammering 8-1 on aggregate by Sigma (Which was sort of a high for me despite the score cause it was the 1st game I was at for 5 years), the long unwinning streak, and a high and low was losing Lee miller but getting some good money for him.

Let's hope next season there are much more highs and a lot less lows to write about.

Stand Free

Happy end to a terrible season

I could not even muster the energy to get up at 7:30am for this one.

A meaningless game which I never expected to see us get anything out of.

Well I woke up just before half time and thought I was still dreaming, St Mirren 0-1 Aberdeen

thanks to a Lee Mair own goal. Think that's the only goal he ever scored for us. (He used to play for Aberdeen).

The 2nd half was kind of dire and we held on for the victory to end a miserable season.

I am not sad to see the back of this season, there were many more lows than there were highs.

Now we can sit back and enjoy the World Cup and hopefully some decent football.

So season 2009/2010 goes into the history books, and what a history. We managed to break a few records this season, only 1 of them good that I remember and that was Fraser Fyvie becoming the youngest scorer in the history of the SPL.

Now we wait and see what next season brings.

Stand Free

Failure to Kill(ie) off the ghost of JC

I never got to hear the whole game because I was working but it sounded like we started off well and took a well deserved lead into the half time break. A really good strike from Mark Kerr giving us the lead. But as has happened so often this season a completely different Aberdeen team showed up after the break. The Aberdeen that don't seem to care and play like they are playing the sport for the 1st time.

If there is 1 team we really wanted to beat it was Killie, because of old Aberdeen gaffer Jimmy Calderwood being at the helm. Not that I have anything against him but it makes a mockery of us when the man we fired last season comes back and wins 2 out of 3 games against us.

But we failed and poor defending once again cost us. With the crowd being the lowest ever SPL crowd at Pittodrie it is worrying to see how Aberdeen can win the fans back. OK there will be more than that come next season but many are already lost.

The board, Willie Miller and Mark Mcghee if the latter 2 are still there next season have a massive task on their hands. A slow start to the new season could spell disaster.

Mcghee says he has never failed at a club, but in my eyes and many other Dons supporters eyes this season has been an epic fail.

I have my doubts if he can turn things around but I will be backing him (if he is still in charge) and the team come August 15th when the new season starts.

Stand Free

Dead Man Walking

I had hoped that after a couple of decent result Aberdeen might come out full of pride and confidence and battle for the 3 points that would help them to leapfrog Hamilton in the league.
This hope disappeared after 50 seconds when Hamilton took the lead.
The team showed no battle, no pride and gave me no hope for the coming season.
Mcghee keeps talking about the miracles he will work in the summer when he can move players out and get new ones in, but I honestly think he is a dead man walking and will be gone by this time next week when the season finally ends.
He seems to have given up and it scares me to think of the players he might bring in.
Will he spend weeks chasing players we cannot afford or who have no intention of playing for us like last season and end up buying more panic last minute dross.
I think we have to nip it in the bud now and get in a new man. I am sure the board have been keeping an eye on potential candidates.
Steve Nicol has done well at New England here in the USA but looks like he has taken the team as far as he can and maybe would consider going back to his homeland.
It would cost money but Terry Butcher has done well at ICT and did well with Motherwell before. (But remember the last man we got from ICT).
Eric Black is another name that comes to mind but again we have now had 2 Gothenburg Greats in the hot seat and neither appointment worked out in the long run, so maybe we need to stay away from ex AFC players.
With 2 games left against Killie and St Mirren Aberdeen could play a big part on who gets relegated this season, which must be a worrying thought for Falkirk.


Stand Free

End of season dross

Today I saw a team that wanted to win, and played some good football. Unfortunately it was not Aberdeen, it was an u13 girls team.
Aberdeen could learn a thing or 2 from them.
We scored against the run of play and never really pushed to kill off the game.
Aberdeen looked like they were too scared to lose the game, which was strange since they were already safe from the dreaded drop. It was a scrappy goal but Maclean almost scored a 2nd when the ball cracked off the bar.
But apart from that we seemed content to just sit back and let Saint Johnstone come at us. In the end we got what we deserved.
If this is the sort of entertaining football Mcghee is planning to have us play then all I can say is FAIL.....Next Please.



Stand Free

Vital 3 points

Today's game at Pittodrie was a real 6 pointer. A win and we would move 9 points clear of bottom club Falkirk, defeat and we would be only 3 points clear. The worry was which Aberdeen side would show up. The team that battled against Celtic, Hibs, Hearts (in January) and Dundee United, or the flops who have shown up for most of the last 15 games. We needed to win the game, did not matter if it was scrappy a win was more important than the performance.
We did not sound to be under too much pressure and Steven Macleans goal was enough to give us the vital 3 points. We did not play silky football but got stuck in when it mattered. We made a few bad passes in the game but we lived to fight another day.
Now with the threat of Relegation more or less gone hopefully with the pressure off we can go out and enjoy the rest of the season and pick up a few more points.
Mark Mcghee is still fighting for his future and I still need convinced he deserves to be here next season.
If he is still here I hope he gets his act together and signs some players and does not mess around trying to get players we can't afford or who don't want to come here like he did last summer. Seemed to put all his eggs in 1 basket and when we never got the players we were left with a couple of panic buys.


Stand Free

School boy errors

With the SPL results going the way they did yesterday, Aberdeen found themselves only 6 points ahead of bottom club Falkirk, making today's home game against St Jonstone even more important if they did not want to be dragged into a relegation battle. Although St Johnstone started the better team Darren Mackie scored his 2nd goal in 2 games to pus us 1 up and I felt we really had to go on from there and finish the game off.
But within 9 minutes we found ourselves 2-1 down thanks to 2 very basic errors. One from Jamie Langfield when he came out into a crowded penalty area to get a ball he had no chance of getting and let Kenny Deuchars header loop over him. Then a few minutes later it was another school boy error from Zander Diamond when instead of hoofing the ball out of danger tried to head the ball along the ground.
Aberdeen could have had a penalty when St Johnstone handled just inside the box, but the ref gave a free kick on the edge of the box, but even still the performance we put in we got what we deserved, although I am sure Mark Mcghee will use it as an excuse as he seems happy to blame everyone but himself.
I now fear for next weeks game against Falkirk and really wonder if Mark Mcghee should even be the man incharge for the next 5 vital games.
The crowd was the lowest Pittodrie crowd of the season and that can only get worse.
Mcghee looks to be out of Idea's, especially when he is bringing on (and no disrespect for the lad who did nothing wrong) a kid who is still at high school in a time when we need to be winning games. Maybe it shows our lack of depth in the squad, but then you have to wonder why Macguire was allowed to go away on loan.
Let the relegation battle begin


Stand Free

Silence of the lambs

Well the Rangers fans can continue to wave their Silence of the Lambs since 1991 flag for another year as Aberdeen failed to get anything from the game at Ibrox.
I thought the team battled well but gave the ball away far too much and the final ball to the forwards was terrible. Darren Mackie scored a consolation goal but that was the only shot that really troubled Alan Mcgregor in the Rangers goal. It was good to see Jack Grimmer get his debut but I had to question if it was wise to bring in such a young player in a game against Rangers at Ibrox when we were all ready 3-1 down. Luckily he did well and we did not give up anymore goals after he came on.
Rangers now need 2 more wins to wrap up the SPL title while Aberdeen are looking over their shoulders at Falkirk. The Dons need 3 more wins (9 points) to make sure of safety.
It will be a nervy finish to the season and hopefully the dismal Dons will be up for the battle.
With Saint Johnstone who are still going for the top 6 up next, Sunday's game will be another tough battle.


Stand Free

JC'S Revenge

Aberdeen still had some very slim hope's going into the Easter Sunday game against Killie of finishing in the top 6.
How Ironic that the man who steadied the ship and made us a constanstant top 6 team over the last 5 or 6 years was the man who halted that run and condemned us to a relegation battle.
Aberdeen hardly threatened and Killie looked like the team who wanted the 3 points more.
In my opinion the 1st goal should not of stood because the player Grassi was trying to stop the ball getting to when he scored the own goal was a mile offside so how was he not interfering with play, but even still it was no more than Killie deserved.
We are lucky we had a good spell earlier in the season or we might be in even more trouble as the teams we struggle against are the teams who battle and shut up shop at the back, and those are the teams we will be facing in the final 5 games of the season.
I really cannot see us going down but this season has been a backward step of major proportion's. We keep hearing that it is a transitional season. Normally that means taking a struggling team and taking time to make them better, not taking a top 6 team and turning them into relegation battlers.
Many of the Aberdeen faithfull are fast losing patience with Mark Mcghee and it would not suprise me to see him gone by the end of the season. This season maybe over but next season will be crucial whether Mcghee is still here or not. Another season like this and the fans who have stuck with the team through thick and thin may never return.
Ibrox is the next stop for the dour Dons and I can't see them getting anything but a hammering from the champions in waiting.

Stand Free

Aberdeen win at last

60 Days, 2 months and 1 day, approx 8 weeks. Thats how long it has been since Aberdeen last won a game. We had just beaten Hearts 3-0 in Edinburgh, this was it, a great victory at a hard venue, the corner had been turned. We would go on a run and qualify for European football next season.
Little did we know it would be a long hard winter with no wins and a few draws. Knocked out the cup during the terrible run, once again by a lower league team. With our season in tatters and the manager under increasing pressure from a large section of the Dons fans, not to mention the fact that the teams below us were picking up points and were breathing down our necks, today's win was vital.
It may have been scrappy at times, we may have been under pressure at times, but we got the victory and at this moment in time I will take any 3 points.
But it must not end there, we play Kilmarnock on Easter Sunday, and that is another must win game, not just for the fact that Killie are one of the teams chasing us but also that they are currently managed by former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood who I am sure would love to get one over on his previous employers.
So will things get better now or is this another false dawn? I wish I knew.
Even a blind Squirrel finds a nut once in a while and I still will take some convincing that Mark Mcghee is the right man to take Aberdeen forward. I have nothing against the man and I hope he proves me wrong, but I still think he is out of his depth.

Stand Free.