New Season, New Attitude, Same missed chances.

Aberdeen came into the new season with most of the fans feeling some optimism that we would see an improved side with the players Craig and Archie have brought in over the summer.
One new signing that was not fit for the game was Chris Clark.

We played well and were creating chances but I was always nervous that we would end up regretting our missed chances as has happened so often in the past.
We could have been 3 or 4 up at half time and if corners meant goals we would have been way ahead. St Johnstone changed it up a bit in the 2nd half and came at us a bit more, but in truth the Aberdeen defence looked comfortable.

The major turning point in the match was the red card to Ryan Jack for a late challenge on Murray Davidson, some people saying it was a bad challenge others saying it was a free kick and a yellow card at most. I will look forward to seeing it on the highlights.
(Having seen the highlights and listened to the players and managers thoughts it looks like it was a red card, the studs were a little high but I think it was just  a young player trying hard to win the ball)

Craig Brown has spoken about wanting to bring in a flair player and after seeing some of the missed chances I can see what he means. Hopefully said striker will be in place before our trip to St Mirren next weekend.

So not the flying start we had last season (but look how that turned out) but we need to remember that it is a marathon and not a race.

So in all I am disappointed with the 0-0 draw and the missed chances but pleased with the build up play and attitude of the team.

I would also like to mention Ricky Foster who got a hard time in one of the pre season games for going on loan to Rangers last season, he played well and had a few chances, he looked like (as someone on twitter said) a man on a mission.
Ricky was also voted man of the match Keep up the good work Captain Foster.
I was also impressed with Josh Magennis, our new signing’s impressed also. I don’t think we had a bad player in the team today.

Stand Free

Randy may Lern(er) how fickle us football fans can be.

Randy Lerner took a huge gamble today when he appointed Alex McLeish as manager of Aston Villa Football Club.

Villa are based in Birmingham England and have a heated rivalry with neighbors Birmingham City.

McLeish resigned from his job as Manager of Birmingham City last weekend and earlier today he joined their biggest rivals. For you people of Cleveland who do not get it, this would be like the Browns going and hiring the coach from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mcleish also has taken a gamble as the fans who once loved him now hate him with a passion and the fans of his new club are not going to give him time to settle in. If he does not get a good start to the season they will be calling for his head and possibly that of Lerner’s.

Villa Fans have already been protesting about the appointment even before it was made official.

Could be an interesting year at Villa Park

Stand Free

>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

>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.

Stand Free

>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.

Stand Free