USA put Spain Pain behind them

The Concacaf Gold cup started for the USA tonight in Detroit as the US Men's national team played against there North American neighbours Canada in Detroit.

The USA were looking to get over their 4-0 hammering at the hands of World and European champions Spain.

The stadium looked empty, there was almost 30,000 their but the problem is Ford Field seats 65,000 people.
Another problem I had with the venue was that the turf is artificial and they just laid grass on top of the normal playing surface, so half way through the game the turf started tearing up.

It was all one way traffic in the first half as Jozy Altidore scored the opener to make it 1-0 USA.
The second half was a different story with Canada putting us under pressure.
Tim Howard came up with some big saves and Clint Dempsey scored somewhat against the run of play to give the USA a 2 goal cushion.

I thought Dempsey did a lot of good running tonight, and Tim Howard as I said earlier kept the Canadians out.
But I agree with the man of the match choice, Jozy Altidore, took his goal well even though the goalkeeper should have saved it and then set up Dempsey's goal with the aid of Aguedelo's toe.
Jozy was a constant threat, it is hard to believe he is only 21 as he seems to have been around for years and he has had some criticism, some of it warranted from the fans of the national team.

The USA now head to Tampa Florida for the game against Panama on Saturday evening.

 

Aberdeen finish a terrible season on a high.

This has been one of the worst season for a long time, but Aberdeen ended the season on a high with a 3-1 win over Hibs in Edinburgh.

I kind of had a feeling that we might win this game, We seem to be Hibs bogey team this season having now beaten them 3 times out of 4.

Aberdeen's player of the season Chris Bebo Maguire scored a 2 minute double in the second half to secure the points after Big Josh magennis had equalized .

Although it was a nice way to end the season it only papers over the cracks, but every Aberdeen fan knows the major task Craig and Archie have ahead of them in the summer.
A number of players will be moving on and we need to replace them with players who are better if we want to move forward.

If Maguire stays and continues to grow as a player then he can form a lethal partnership with Scott Vernon. If Bebo goes then we have to find a player who can score goals and also feed vernon.
No disrespect to the guy but I don't think Darren Mackie is that player. He gives his all and is a good back up to have but I don't think he should be one of our main strikers.

Big Josh is also a good back up to have and if he continues to improve maybe in a year or 2 he can be the main man.
Micheal Paton is one player who has just not improved over the last few years and I would shed no tears if he was to move on.

Aluko will be missed with his speed on the wing, on his day he can be a great player but other days he can be frustrating, reminds me of Eion Jess in some ways.

We will find out in the coming weeks and months who is staying, who is going and who is coming in. Should be an interesting break.

Now lets enjoy the summer, no break from football for me, still got Columbus Crew playing in the MLS and the USA playing in the Gold Cup.

Stand Free

Comings and goings

On Friday I woke up to the news that Paul Hartley had retired from the game to concentrate on getting his coaching badges and move into management.

For a while the talk has been that Paul no longer had the legs for top level football, but you could see the football brain working as he directed the players around him.

I think Paul made the correct decision and would love to see him stay on as a coach but listening to the interviews he is looking at becoming the main man, even if it means getting his hands dirty in the lower leagues.

Hartley was one of those players you loved to hate when he played against you, but that is a credit to him as like our own Willie Miller he was a fighter and went in hard for every ball and his own fans loved him while our rivals hated him.

I am sure all Aberdeen fans as well as Scotland Fans and the fans of the clubs who have been lucky enough to have Paul in their ranks over the last 17 years will join me in wishing Paul all the best for the future.

Today the news was Jamie Langfield has signed a new one year contract, my thoughts are yes Jamie makes mistakes but which keeper does not.
The ones who make very few mistakes cost millions, Jamie is one of the best keepers outside the old firm in the SPL.

There are other area's of the team that need new players brought in before our goal keeper.
Saying that if we move on Howard and bring in a decent back up, who knows what might happen, maybe that's why it is only a one year deal.

I am one Aberdeen fan happy to see Jamie stay.


Stand Free

Where will a victory come from?

Today's game against St Mirren was a chance for Aberdeen to say sorry to the fans that did turn up  for the terrible season and thanks for sticking by us.

Instead we got another inept performance, I hardly remember hearing the St Mirren goalkeeper mentioned, to be fair Jamie Langfield was not really put under any pressure, but St Mirren took one more chance than we did and are now guaranteed SPL football next season.

I am just happy that we did have that purple patch when Craig Brown and Archie Knox came to Pittodrie as those point picked up then saved us from relegation.

With one more game to play, against Hibs this Saturday, who would bet against St Mirren leapfrogging us and leaving us 2nd bottom when the season is complete.
I really cannot see where a win is going to come from.

So what now? We have a few players out of contract, so there may be some changes over the summer , but will the players who come in be any better than those departing.

What will the management team be thinking? Will next season be their last when their contracts run out or will they stay to see  the job complete.
If they are going to retire are the board actively looking for Suitable replacements or are they going to wait until 2 weeks before the start of the 2012/2013 season.

These questions will all be answered in the next twelve months.

As for us fans the majority will return to spend their hard earned money following the Dons or in my case another years Subscription to Red TV, but some I fear will find other more entertaining ways to spend their Saturdays.

Stand Free

Is it over yet?

This week the news has been filled with stories about the shooting and killing of Osama Bin Laden, I think a more subtable punishment would have been to capture him alive and make him sit and watch DVDs of every Aberdeen game this season.

2010/2011 has just been torture for us long suffering Dons fans and it got no better this afternoon.
I have been lucky that due to work commitments and being away for the day last Saturday, I have not heard much of the last couple of games, hence why no blog for a few weeks.
But today I was not so lucky.

The team seemed to be on their summer vacations already, lack of effort and commitment to the cause was evident. St Johnstone were far from being great but they could easily have won by more  than two goals .

It is a worry, these last couple of home games might just be the deciding factor for some whether they return to Pittodrie next season or not, Craig Brown has a massive job on his hands rebuilding this summer.

The one highlight of today's game was the return of Fraser Fyvie who has missed most of the season through injury, He came on as a second half sub and although he really did nothing of note, just getting a game in the first team will boost his confidence and in the long run his fitness.

So this time next week it will be over and we can relax for the summer.

Stand Free

Were us over 30's fans lucky or unlucky to see the 80's?

There is a discussion going on at the moment on the Aberdeen message board I go on a lot.
Someone asked on Donstalk is it time to give up on the Dons after let down after let down.

Some of the younger members of the Red Army have never seen Aberdeen win anything and are fed up with winning nothing, others like myself saw the glory days of the 80's where we won a trophy almost every year. sometimes more than one in a season.

So it got us thinking, those of us who remember the glory days were we lucky to see us win all those trophies or does it just make these days all the harder to bare.

The kids know no different they have grown up seeing us fail year in year out but we went from winning cups and leagues to nothing.

I personally think I am lucky, but what do you guys think?

Just can't get enough, penalties.

I was very pleased with the way Aberdeen started the game, they went at Celtic right from the start.
Craig brown had more than likely told reminded the players that the last few games against Celtic had been lost very early in the game.

For the 2nd time this season Aberdeen had Andrew Considine sent off before the first half was over, last time in the 2nd minute this time around the 20th and Celtic had a penalty.
Jamie Langfield did brilliantly to make the save.
I just wonder if it had been the other way round in both games would the ref have had the bottle to send a Celtic player off so early in the game.
The decision totally ruined the game which looked like it could be end to end stuff until then
After that it was just constant Celtic pressure and Aberdeen did well to get to half time at 0-0.

Once Celtic scored from a can we say lucky Charlie Mulgrew free kick. He was going for a cross and it went in, there was really no way back for the Dons.

Even down to ten men Aberdeen still battled and although we lost 4-0 I don't think we can say we were let down by the team this time.

We really need to fix the defence up and cut out the errors for next season as we were caught out at the back a number of times.

Jamie Langfield did very well in the game and was unlucky to lose 4 goals.
He saved it fro being more.

The 2nd penalty was stupid, the Celtic player was going nowhere and there was not need to make the challenge, but we never get a break. In some games you will say oh we were lucky there that could have been a penalty but against Celtic this season we have not had a break. As soon as a Celtic player starts to go down the ref has the whistle in his mouth.
Some people say it evens it's self out but we will see.
Some people may disagree but I think Celtic play for that, sometimes you  can see the player going down before the challenge has been made because they know it is coming.

As for Aberdeen we need to start rebuilding now. Start giving some of the young players a chance to see what we have for next season.
Vernon has been playing with an injury so I would not be surprised if he goes for his operation now so he can be fully fit and ready for next season.

Zander Diamond has been a liability this season, it looks like he has made up his mind to leave, I would drop him and look for the next young defender to come through the ranks. Not saying this is a plan for next season as we will need a replacement but at least give a reserve player a chance to step up and say I am ready to be a fringe player next season and step in when needed.

As one of my Facebook friends said, we have not spent a lot of money on the field in the last 10 years and after the season we have had we should be happy with 2 semi final appearances.
Maybe next year we can go one better.

Stand Free

Missed chances cost us again

I was able to hear most of The game yesterday while at work.
I thought Aberdeen played well but they really have to take their chances.

We hit the woodwork, had a shot cleared of the line and missed a few other chances.
That is 3 games in a row now where we have missed a lot of chances and should have taken a point if not more from these games.

Vernon has gone off the boil a bit recently although I understand he is playing with an injury. Depending what happens at Hampden on Sunday might determine whether he gets the operation he needs now or at the seasons end.

Aluko sounded like he had a great game, and caused Rangers problems.
The player that sounded most disappointing was Rob Milsom who seemed to get caught in possession alot.

Aberdeen will have to play as well as if not better than they did last night if they are to reach the 2011 Scottish Cup Final with a victory over Celtic on Sunday.
They will have to cut out the defensive errors they have made in recent game and start scoring those chances they get.

Stand Free

Will we never learn?

Aberdeen came into this afternoons game against Hibs having beaten them in both previous games this season.
We had been on a bad run recently and this was the perfect game for us to get three points and build some confidence for the Semi Final v Celtic next week.

For the second game in a row Aberdeen looked the more likely team, but Peter Pawlett like Paton in the Saint Mirren game was caught in possession and Hibs scored the only goal of the game.
Aberdeen hit the woodwork three times in today's game, as they have done in the last couple of games.
I guess when you are not getting the breaks, what can you do.

It is worrying that we are creating the chances but are not able to take them, even more worrying is we keep making the same defensive errors.

We have one more game before Hampden, against Rangers in midweek, it is scary to think what the Old Firm could do against us if we keep gifting goals they way we have been.

I have not been impressed with Blackman since he came, and would rather see one of the young strikers get a chance in the squad.
I thought Vernon did a power of work when he came on. Maguire gave the ball away to cheaply a couple of times (he was not the only one) , but he is always a threat upfront.

In truth Hibs really did nothing to win this game and once again Aberdeen basically beat themselves.
We must now go back and look at the tapes from the last couple of games and learn from our Mistakes.

We can only hope we get some of the luck we have been missing in recent weeks in the next two games.

Stand Free

Errors cost us another 3 points

As the weekend of the Scottish Cup semi final gets closer, my fears and nerves grow.
We are struggling to score goals and the defence look's more and more shaky with each game.

Once again we lost 3 goals to mistakes made in defence.
St Mirren had even scored our only goal of the game until Rob Milsom scored a late late consolation.

If we defend like this at Hampden our fans can start planning  their journey home before the first half is over.

It sounded like a weird game, we were all over St Mirren without scoring, then early in the second half we got the goal we had been pushing for.
After that there was only going to be one winner, or so we thought.
As I said we made some stupid errors and before we knew it St Mirren were in front again and then put the game out of reach for the Dons.

Next up is Hibs at Pittodrie, they see to have got their act together and it will be tough for us to beat them for the third time this season.


Stand Free

Tempers Boyle over as Dons are Well done.

It is good to be back after a two week break since Aberdeen's last game.
Since I last blogged shot Shy Scotland were defeated 2-0 by Brazil in London, the USA had a credible 1-1 draw with Argentina only to then lose to Paraguay and Columbus Crew finally scored a goal from open play and won their first game of the new MLS season.
But back to the Aberdeen game

This game was a must win if we were to have any realistic chance of getting into the top 6 this season.
We started really badly and I don't think Randolph had a save to make in the first half, in fact they could have had Rudolph in goals and we  would  not have scored in the first half.

We seemed to step it up a bit in the second half but the finishing was poor.
We scored near the end to set up a nervy finish for Motherwell but in truth it would not have been deserved had we taken something from the game.

The biggest talking point was the bust up between Motherwell Chairman John Boyle and Aberdeen Manager Craig Brown in the tunnel after the full time whistle.
As the two went to shake hands Boyle said something to Brown and Brown chased after him.
After the Old Firm game where McCoist and Lennon went at it, I would have hoped Brown would have shown more sense, but sometimes in the heat of the moment we all do things we should not.

Anyway back to the game itself, I was disappointed with the performance by Aberdeen and really fear for the game against Celtic at Hampden in a couple of weeks, If they play like that it could be another Long trip home  for the Dons fans.
We need to start winning the midfield battles and getting the ball to our strikers, no service means no goals.
The defensive mistakes need to stop, we had a run of clean sheets and now it is as if the defence has forgotten the basics once again.

We now face a tough trip to Saint Mirren in midweek, a venue we were luck to escape with a draw on our previous visit. Lets hope we can get back to winning ways and build up some confidence so we can end a very poor season on a high.


Stand Free

Hampden Bound Again

I said in the comments in my previous blog that Aberdeen needed an early goal to settle any nerves and make St Mirren come out, and that is exactly what they did when Chris Maguire gave us the perfect start after four minutes. Scott Vernon got goal 16 of the season.
Aberdeen of course need to do things the hard way and we were made to sweat for the last 5 minutes or so when Vujadinovic headed into his own net.

Nikola has had a few dodgy moments recently, and I am starting to wonder if he is good enough to be in the Aberdeen squad.

Sone Aluko sounded up for the game as did Rob Milsom.
It was certainly a much better performance all round from the Dons except those last nervous moments.

Aberdeen now head to Hampden for the second time this season for the semi final, where they will once again meet Celtic.
This is not the game I wanted for the semi but it is what it is.
I don't envy Craig Brown and Archie Knox in getting the confidence up for this one, after 3 hard games in a row against Celtic back in January and February, Aberdeen will need to be better than their best to get anything for the game.


Stand Free

Aberdeen's season in critical condition

What a difference one minute can make. Until Rory McArdle's late late equalizer against St Mirren, today's blog was going to be a rant about an underachieving Dons team.
It felt like a win, but if truth be told it really only papers over the cracks.

Aberdeen were poor upfront and the defence was a shambles at times. Especially in that crazy fifteen minute period during which St Mirren scored.
Apart from that Aberdeen never really sounded in any real danger.
Saying that it must be a kick in the teeth for St Mirren to lose the goal so late, but Aberdeen must beware in the replay as St Mirren will be looking for revenge.

I feel sorry for the Dons fans that made the trip who certainly do not have the team they deserve.

Rob Milsom sounded like he had a good game and had a few shots that troubled St Mirren.
Jamie Langfield who has been criticized somewhat harshly in my opinion by a number of fans on the forums this week kept us in the game and he earned the replay just as much as McArdle did.
I am still waiting for Nick Blackman to show us what he brings to the team.

The replay is this Wednesday, and there must be a winner.
Will Aberdeen keep their season alive?
Which Aberdeen team will show up?


Stand Free

USA going for Gold

The Gold Cup is CONCACAF's version of the European Championships. 
This years competition is hosted by the USA, and runs from June 5th to June 25th.


The Stars and Stripes have been drawn in Group C and will face next door neighbours Canada in the first game. 
Group c also includes Panama and Guadeloupe.


One of the other Favourites for the Gold Cup is Mexico who are in Group A and will play Costa Rica, El Salvador and Cuba.


The Reggie boys Jamaica, Honduras, Grenada and Guatemala make up the rest of the teams trying to win the trophy which  was first played for in 1991.


The USA currently have four Gold Cups to their name and if they make it number five they will tie Mexico for the most wins.


You can find out more about the Gold cup by going to http://www.goldcup.org/page/GoldCup/Home/0,,12802,00.html


Stand Free

The Two Sides of Jamie Langfield.

The last two Aberdeen games have been midweek games and because of work I have not heard them.

From what I am reading and going by the highlights it looks like we were the better team in the first half against Saint Johnstone but let the Perth side take control in the second.

Jamie Langfield earned us a point with some fantastic saves.

Tonight's game against Dundee United was the complete opposite with Dundee United taking control of the first half and killing the game off before half time, this time Jamie Langfield made a howler for United's second goal.

And so starts the debate, many of my fellow Donstalkers think Langfield is too much of a liability and we should look to replace him.

My thinking is that there are other area's of the team that need looked at before we spend Money on a Number 1. 

I also think if you look at the other teams in the league outside the ugly sisters Langfield is one of the best of a not so good bunch.

Even the best goalkeepers in the world make the odd howler, see Manchester United's Edwin Van Der Sar against Liverpool on Sunday. Unfortunately for the keepers unlike there outfield team mates when they make a mistake, it normally means a goal against and end up more in the spotlight. 

I have watched Jamie's interviews on Red Tv, and I could see how much he was hurting after losing 9 goals at Parkhead last year. 

He gives 100% in every game and has saved us more than once.

He may not be the best keeper to wear the Number 1 shirt at Pittodrie  but we could do a lot worse (Remember Nicky Walker) and unless there is a much better keeper comes on the market in our price range I say it is better the devil you know. 

What do you guys think? 

Aberdeen Stop Hearts

I said in my previous blog that I would be happy with a draw from today's game with Hearts, but after the game I think we had enough chances to win the game and the Hearts Keeper kept them in it.

People who don't follow the game never get it when I say you can get a good nil nil draw, but this was one of those games. It was far from a bore and Aberdeen were constantly looking dangerous and even though we were never really in any danger Hearts did get a break away now and again and look dangerous.

I felt a bit sorry for Young who has played well in recent weeks and was dropped to the bench for Hartley to come back into the starting line up.

I was pleased with Andrew Considine who came in to replace the injured Zander Diamond, in my opinion Zander has been a liability this season and may struggle to get back in the team if the defence keep performing like they did today. I know going by reading what people are saying on Donstalk that I am not alone in thinking it would not hurt Aberdeen if Zander was to move on at the end of the season.

The point puts us level on points with Dundee United and Saint Johnstone, Dundee United who as I write this are down 1-0 to Hamilton and Saint Johnstone who play Rangers on Sunday and have a very slim chance of coming away from Ibrox with anything.
We play both teams over the next 9 days.

So apart from the Celtic game which a win would have been a bonus the only real blip in February was the defeat to Motherwell. If we had won that game Craig Brown might have been up there as a contender for Manager of the month.
Oh how times have changed from the dark days of 2010.


Stand Free

Maguire makes Hamilton pay the Penalty

After a five star performance on Saturday against Kilmarnock, I thought today's game would be a hard battle.
Hamilton are scraping for points and I knew they would try to do anything in their power not to lose the game.

Chris Maguire calmly stepped up and took the penalty that turned out to be the only goal of the game.

After the way the team played on Saturday I was glad to see Paul Hartley did not walk straight back into the starting line up. The players that played on Saturday earned their start for tonight's game.

It was a nervous game at times and it sounded like Jamie Langfield once again made a few good saves to keep us in the lead.
The last five minutes Hamilton were really putting on the pressure but out defence stood strong and took the three points.

With fifteen points between us and bottom place Hamilton I think we can safely look up towards the teams we are chasing and not down at the relegation dog fight.

Craig brown has made us tough to beat and I look forward to Saturday's game against Hearts.
Hearts are going well at the moment and are running away with third place, it is going to be a tough game and I would be lying if I said I would not be happy to take a point from this game.


Stand Free

Aberdeen's Fantastic Five Killie off Kilmarnock.

This was always a potential banana skin of a game, Kilmarnock are a tough side to break down. Aberdeen have not really been playing well in recent weeks.

Scottie Vernon and Birthday Boy Sone Aluko had given us a nice cushion with only 25 minutes gone.
Rob Milsom looks like a great signing. I think we missed him on Tuesday night more than we have missed Paul Hartley when he was out suspended, we certainly never missed him today.

Was nice to see Big Josh Magennis getting his first SPL goal of the season. He certainly has the potential to be a big player for the Dons.
Chris Maguire and Rory McArdle also got on the Score sheet. McArdle has scored a few goals this season.

We were never really troubled by Kille and Jamie Langfield had very few saves to make.

This was a big win for us, a defeat today would make the top six almost impossible. What was more pleasing is this is not a team who are struggling down the bottom, Killie have done well and currently sit fourth in the SPL.

I said in the last blog that Craig Brown had to get the players playing like they were when he first arrived, and he did just that. 5-0 is our biggest win of the season and the whole team played well.

Aberdeen need to carry on the good work on Tuesday night when they play bottom of the table Hamilton.
This will be another tough game with Hamilton hoping to pull us back into the relegation dog fight.
I cannot see a massive crowd coming out for the game, especially if the weather conditions don't improve over the next few days, but hopefully we can play well despite the lack of atmosphere.

Stand Free

The Honeymoon is Over as Dons are Well Done

Once again Aberdeen failed to win in front of their home fans, as they were defeated 2-1 by Motherwell.

These are the games we need to be winning if we are going to be getting into the top 6 this season.

It all started well with a cracking goal by comeback kid Sone Aluko after three minutes. Motherwell then got the equalizer from Francis Jeffers. Things got worse for Aberdeen when Paul Hartley was stupidly sent off.

I though the Motherwell player Lasley should also have been shown a red card, with is assault on Hartley,
He jumped into Paul and caught him with an elbow, how Stuart McCall could say it was not even a foul is a joke, of course McCall played along side Mark Elbow's Hateley so is used to seeing this type of thuggery on the field.

Motherwell were the better team but seem to have that nasty streak, even if Lasley was not sent off there were numerous others who could have been, the ref really lost the plot.

But for Aberdeen we need to get back on track starting with 3 points against Killie on Saturday, failing to do so could see us dragged back into the relegation battle.
Aberdeen have in reality been poor for the last month, they did not play well against Dunfermline or ICT even though they won and even against Celtic in the 2nd and 3rd games looked poor at times.

Craig Brown must now try and get the confidence back and get us back to playing like we were when he first arrived. So Craig the Honeymoon is over, get your finger out and get the team playing the way we all know they can.


Stand Free

Life after GBS

My MLS team Columbus Crew made some major changes in the pre season with a number of players including Guillermo Barros Schlotto and Frankie Hedjuk leaving the club.

Robert Warzycha decided a major clear out was the way forward following two disappointing play off campaigns since we won the MLS championship in 2008.

Many people including myself feel he has made too many changes at one time and the team may struggle to even make it to the play offs this year.
These feelings were not helped by the 2-1 defeat against expansion team Vancouver Whitecaps.

We were given a bit of hope in our latest pre season friendly when The Crew defeated Seattle 3-0 with Jeff Cunningham who returned to Columbus for a 2nd spell getting the third goal.

We will play Current Champs Colorado Rapids who include former Don Jamie Smith in their squad in our next warm up game  on valentines day.

The real fun does not start till nearer the end of March but we have a massive tie coming up in the CONCACAF Champions League against Real Salt Lake, the first leg is at Crew Stadium on February 22nd.
The 2nd leg will take place March 1st at the Rio Tinto Stadium.



Stand Free

Under Par Dons leave it late.

When the draw for this round of the Scottish Cup was made and paired us with Dunfermline at Pittodrie, we know it was going to be a tough battle but one which we were capable of winning.

The game itself was a total bore and not a good advert for the Scottish game.
Chances were few and far between. I think both goalies could have set up deck chairs and had a cigar and read the Sunday papers for most of the game, although we did pile on the pressure in their box nearer the end.

The Pars almost got what it looked like they came for, a replay at home but thankfully Aberdeen got the goal in the last minute of injury time.

I have said before that these are the sort of games we were losing in the past, the team just seemed to give up if the going got tough.
I was just thinking Great another game to add to the 5 we played in just over 2 weeks, when the goal went in.

Aberdeen did not play well but looking at how Dunfermline played I don't think we deserved to get beat either. A draw probably would have been fair but I think we were the better team, especially in the second half.
The draw was made before the game so we knew whoever won would be facing an away trip to St Mirren in the next round.
Another chance to get to a Semi Final and repay us long suffering Dons fans.

One thing that was a  nice change today was that we were playing someone other than Celtic, 3 games in 10 days is way to much, I think that is one argument for a bigger league and only playing each other twice in the league.

On a side note, I sometimes write articles for www.scotzine.com. I have an article in the latest edition you can read it online for one pound or buy the printed edition for 2 pounds. Check it out.


Stand Free

Game over before it started

I was working today so was not able to hear the whole game. But having seen the highlights I have to say I think it was a very soft penalty and defintely not a red card. Yes there was contact but Brown did not start to go down till it looked like he was about to lose the ball.

Losing a player in the first minute was always going to be an uphill struggle, we did well until starting to tire towards the end when Celtic then added another two goals.

I am glad to see the back of Celtic and now we can get back on track against some of the other teams in the league.
Hopefully we can get a good run in the Scottish cup, we have  a good chance with one of the old firm going out in this round and a tricky but winnable tie against Dunfermline on Sunday.


 Stand Free

Fail Fail the Dons are here

Ever look forward to something all week and then it comes and you are left disappointed?
If you are a Dons fan then the answer is probably yes.

After the good showing at Parkhead last week, I had been looking forward to today's game. I really thought if we continued from where we left off last weekend we could give this a real good go.
Today is my birthday and the one gift I wanted was the Dons to win a place in the cup final.

Neil Lennon had done his homework, he knew we would start nervous and had obviously seen the errors made against Inverness in midweek, errors you get away with against the lesser teams but not against Celtic or Rangers.

Celtic came right at us, at this point my computer decided to restart itself after doing an update and by the time I got back online we were 2-0 down.
The final straw was the 3rd goal and I left the room shaved and went outside to snow blow the driveway.
I have not stopped watching or listening to a Dons game for a long time but could not bare this, not on my birthday.

When I returned from the welcome break outside in below freezing temperatures it was 4-0 and the halftime break was almost done.

I braved the second half and saw Scott Vernon's consolation goal, which did not even lift my spirits. The damage was done and there was no way back.
We seemed to play better in the second half but I think that was more down to Celtic taking their foot off the gas rather than Aberdeen's performance.

I felt gutted at the end, not because we lost but because of the way we lost.
I really feel for the near 14,000 fans who made the trip to the national stadium.
And to have lost so early, we did not really get a chance to enjoy the occasion, the game was dead before most fans had even settled into their seats.

I think Craig Brown made a mistake with the starting formation, and I think from what I have seen from Craig he will be the first to admit that, but he was also let down by his players.

All we can do is get back on the horse and start again, and hope that the team can take something from their next game against ......Celtic, hang on didn't we just play them like twice???
Some times the fixture list is so cruel.


Stand Free

Inverness Ry-Jacked

Aberdeen headed to Inverness hoping to build on a good second half performance at Celtic Park.
The cause was helped when Grant Munro was red carded after only 18 minutes for an off the ball incident involving Chris Maguire, the Inverness man appeared to hit Maguire with an elbow or fist.

Aberdeen were then in control and it was only a matter of time before they took the lead. Eventually the goal came just minutes before half time, Ryan Jack hit a stunner from 20 yards, it was Jacks first goal for the Dons first team, I said said a couple of games ago Jack gets better and better each game and that it was only a matter of time before one of his long range shots flew into the net.

Aberdeen killed the game off just after the break when Nick Blackman also got his first Aberdeen goal.

I thought Blackman was disappointing against Celtic at the weekend but Craig Brown admitted fault when he said Nick was not really fit and should not have played.

This was a massive win for us keeping the confidence up after the weekend.
Now we can go to Hampden on Saturday with no fear.
If we play at our best than just maybe we will be heading to Hampden again in March for the Cup Final.

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Night and Day

No you have not logged onto imdb.com by mistake, this is not a blog about the Tom Crusie and Cameron Diaz movie.
The title describes the difference between the Aberdeen attitude today against Celtic and the disastrous game back in November that all but ended Mark Mcghee's spell as Aberdeen Manager.

Aberdeen looked to have more belief in themselves, they fought for every ball and although they lost a goal to poor defending, most times in the game the defence coped with everything Celtic threw at them.
I was pleased that Langfield did not pull Stokes down as he went round him, there is more chance of coming back from 1-0 down with 11 men on the field.

Aberdeen did have a few chances and on another day one of those might have gone in.
It was a brave move by Craig Brown to take off a defender and bring on a striker with about five minutes left.
Not only did it give us a chance to steal a point at the end it showed Celtic that we are not afraid to have a go.
Maybe showing some intention of our plan for the cup game next week against Celtic at Hampden.

I said before the game that I would be happy if Aberdeen produced a professional performance and could walk away with heads held high even in defeat. And that is exactly what we got today.

We can now go into the next encounter with a little more confidence, and hopefully can give us a cup final to look forward too.


Standfree 

Vernon is Double Trouble for St Mirren

It seems so long ago that Aberdeen were sitting top of the SPL after the first two game of the season.
Since that first game against Hamilton till his last game in charge against Kilmarnock, Mark Mchgee only managed to get ten league points on the board.
With wins against Hibs, Hamilton and now St Mirren, and also the New Years Day draw against Dundee United, Craig Brown has now equaled that tally. That in itself is a remarkable turn around.

To be fair we have not played any of the top teams yet, we have beaten the teams who were on or around the same points as we were, these are the teams we have to beat, the upcoming three games in ten days  against Celtic will show us how far we have come.

We may not win any of the games against Celtic, but improved performances and a more respectable result will show us where we stand.

Some of the games have not been pretty in fact they have been scrappy, but in our situation fancy football does not always win games, fighting for every ball and scraping wins is what is needed. Craig Brown, as many said when he first arrived, has made us hard to beat.

There seems to be a buzz around Pittodrie again, Scott Vernon is scoring for fun, Chris Maguire is enjoying his football again and the players seem to be creating a bond amongst themselves, from helping each other out when under pressure to celebrating goals as a team, in one game recently Jamie Langfield ran the entire length of the pitch to join in with the after goal celebrations.

Ryan Jack played well again today and was unlucky not to get on the score sheet, he seems to get better with every game he plays, although he did not score today Chris Maguire played a fantastic game setting up both Scott Vernons goals.

Robert Milsom made his Debut today and looked solid, he seems to like taking shots from long range and it is only a matter of time before they start flying in.

I also look forward to seeing Blackman our other new signing this week, the paperwork is all done but he has been ill and has not joined up with his new team mates yet.

St Mirren had a few chances but did not take them and Aberdeen got a deserved three points.
Aberdeen were missing Sone Aluko and Captain Paul Hartley today, which is always a worry when these players are missing, but the rest of the team did well in their absence today.

Ten Points and still unbeaten in 2011, if someone had told me that would be our situation in Mid January a couple of months ago I would have been calling the funny farm to book a room for them.


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Aberdeen hit East Fife for Six

I had to cringe today when I saw a quote from Craig Brown saying Aberdeen would not lose to a lower league team in the cup while he was manager.
Not that I don't have faith in Craig Brown but we have heard this so often in the past and then we get beat.

Normally this type of game is the type of game that  Aberdeen struggle in and sneak a 1-0 win and have the fans biting their nails for 90 minutes.

Brown stuck to his word and  we came out fighting for every ball. All credit to East Fife they battled also and had a few chances. But a Chris Maguire first half hat-trick with Scott Vernon also getting in on the action,  killed the game off before half time.
East Fife still tried to play football after the break when many teams would have had eleven  men on the goal line.

I was very pleased to see Bebo (Maguire) getting a had trick. He is showing the form we have seen from him while playing for the Scottish u21 team.
Just goes to show what happens when you have a manager that knows what he is doing running the show.

Aberdeen did not look troubled, any chances East Fife created was dealt with by Jamie Langfield and the Aberdeen defence.

I know that it is only East Fife who play in the 2ND Division but this was more about building on the confidence that we have been slowly getting back in recent weeks.
Vernon and Maguire especially will be biting at the bit for the next game so they can add to the goal tallies for the season.

Special Mention for Ryan Jack also who as Red TV said on another day would have won the MOTM
but that accolade went to Chris Maguire for his three goals.
Scott Vernon also had a good shift and was close to getting a hat-trick for himself but just could not find that 3rd goal.

I was also delighted for Josh Magennis who scored his first competitive goal for the club with the last kick of the ball. Josh has done well in recent weeks and could have had a few but for lack of confidence. Hopefully this will boost that confidence and he will become a regular on the score sheet.

Roll on Tuesday when we find out who we will face in the next round of the Cup.

I would also like to congratulate our Aberdeenshire Neighbours Peterhead for getting a great result away from home against SPL side St Mirren with a 0-0 draw to take the tie to a replay.

Stand Free

United break Dons hearts (and an ankle)

I said before the game I would take a draw against United at Pittodrie today, but this draw feels like a defeat.

Aberdeen had controlled the game for almost the whole 90 minutes and had not really looked like conceding.
Chris Maguire picked up the man of the match award and rightly so, he was involved in almost every attacking move Aberdeen made.
He got his goal but unfortunately Aberdeen could not add to it.

The turning point of the game was when Yoann Folly went down injured with a suspected broken ankle.
Treatment continued for several minutes and eventually folly left the pitch on a stretcher.
Not only had we lost one of our best performers this season but it would have an effect later on in the game.

As I said before Aberdeen controlled the game and never looked in danger but when the fourth official held up the board indicating 6 minutes of injury time, United seemed to get a lift.

I could just tell it was coming as United kept coming at us. I kept thinking surely this can't happen, they have hardly been in the game, when bang in the 95th minute of the game David Goodwillie took a half chance and levelled the game.
It was sicking and almost felt like defeat.

Saying that Aberdeen were much improved  from the last game at Pittodrie, and for a team who had not won in so long to now have 7 out of 9 points from the last 4 game the turn around is unbelievable.
I just hope that the team won't let that late goal dent their confidence.

Next up is East Fife in the Scottish Cup so hopefully we can get a few goals and continue to build confidence.


Stand Free