mizer

This frees up a wage for Sol Bamba surely? 

Calm doon................. .......................ok now I'm scared 

Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust

And another one gone, and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey, Im gonna get you too

Another one bites the dust

serious recruitment drive needed to woo back fans

 

IF A tree falls in the wood, and there is nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound?

 

This is the question with which Aberdeen must wrestle as they attempt to rebuild the bond with their supporters in front of crowds that would shame a PTA coffee morning.

 

The Red Army now knows how Jim Leighton felt on the Dons’ last trip to Hampden. The Queen of the South debacle was a real kick in the teeth. Leighton, of course, was never to return and there are hundreds, if not thousands for whom the Scottish Cup semi-final will have the same effect, for this season at least. The tiny deputation which headed to Celtic Park for the first of five meaningless games was a portentous glimpse of things to come.

 

In the four seasons of Jimmy Calderwood’s reign, the standard of entertainment has rarely been high, which is why attendances have been falling while the club’s stock has risen.

 

The core support has excused the boredom because the results were good but that can no longer be said in a season which has produced only two league wins against teams in the top six and self-destruction in both cups.

 

Scraping out of the bottom half will earn them one further shot at keeping the fan base which was augmented by the Uefa cup run. Once the devastation has subsided and pre-season begins, the diehards who, for emotional and financial reasons be sitting out the next four weeks, will be back for more, and Calderwood must now be in no doubt that he must deliver and that his work starts here with a serious recruitment drive.

 

What must now be a radical overhaul – forgive anyone who doesn't share Jimmy's avowed excitement at the scale of the turnover and who would rather he signed decent players in the first place – may only have been minor refinements had he been bold enough to start the squad building process in January.

I agree with more or less everything what he says

I may have to update my table since the least favourite player seems to be heading also!

Probably means Foster will be staying as he will be trying to hang onto as many players as possible now.

You know, the way these games were played back in the 80's I'm surprised nobody ended up with a serious injury.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh well the £400k signing (reputedly) is mostly down the drain, as least we will wont have that liability at the back any more.

Wont be shedding any tears 

As I have said before a nicer modern skin/theme

Alak

Stylzed

Sad news

A wee article about him fae the net:

NEARLY 40 years ago, he was the young hero whose two goals won the Scottish Cup in front of 108,000 fans at Hampden.

 

But these days, Derek McKay barely gets a second glance as he quietly sorts the mail in the tiny post room of abusy hospital.

 

Back then, he was the striker who scored the winning goals in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to lift the trophy for Aberdeen in 1970.

 

Plucked from the bench after a flu epidemic devastated the team, his heroics instantly earned him the nickname "Cup Tie McKay".

 

At the time, Derek was earning £40 a week, with £5 appearance money. An away win brought a £30 bonus, with £20 for a home victory.

 

He insisted: "If I was playing today, I would probably be a millionaire.

 

Back then, I was earning five times the average working man's wage but run-of-the mill players these days are getting 100 times that, which is just ridiculous."

 

Derek also believes there is no comparison between the cupwinning team he played in and today's Dons side.

 

He said: "We were far better back then than today's players. We were much more skilful, never gave the ball away and always found our man with a pass.

 

"Today's players are fit but their skills are far poorer and a lot lower than ours ever were."

 

Despite his cup heroics, Derek found himself frozen out at Pittodrie.

 

Those Scottish Cup goals proved to be the only ones he would ever score for the Dons after a row with manager Eddie Turnbull left him sitting in the stands the following season.

 

It was the cup success that brought the simmering resentment between the two to a head. And, like today's footballers, it was down to money.

 

Going into the Scottish Cup final, Aberdeen were the underdogs against arampant Celtic, bidding for a clean sweep of the Scottish honours and heading to their second European Cup final.

 

However, the Dons beat Celtic 2-1 in the league at Parkhead 10 days earlier and the players were confident.

 

An early Joe Harper penalty and Derek's double against a Bobby Lennox strike were enough to see them win - and then the trouble began.

 

The celebrating Dons players got a £250 bonus. But then they discovered the Celtic team had got £500 each for losing.

 

Derek recalled: "Bobby Lennox told me what they got and I couldn't believe it. Celtic were the best team in the world at that time but we had the beating of them.

 

"Martin Buchan was our skipper but he was only 21 and didn't want to get involved, so I went in with Joe Harper to see the board and Eddie Turnbull to say we weren't going to accept that."

 

He added: "I did all the talking and Joe backed me up. The board weren't very happy and they reluctantly agreed to give us £500 each as well but I think that was the final straw for Eddie Turnbull with me."

 

The cup bonus dispute saw him left on the sidelines the following season, with the manager refusing to let him go until Crystal Palace ended his nightmare.

 

But that didn't work out and he went to Barrow before going abroad to play in Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa.

 

Thirty years ago settled in Australia, where he still lives today and works at the Perth Royal Hospital.

 

Now 59, the twice-divorced Derek says the only regret he has is stopping playing at the age of 33.

 

He admitted: "I loved the game so much and I should have just kept going for as long as could because you do miss it in the end."

 

Born in the finishing port of Macduff, dad-of-three Derek didn't return to Scotland until three years ago for a reunion of the cup-winning team - where he made it up with Turnbull.

 

Derek confessed: "It was strange coming back. When I was it Pittodrie, there were only three people in the office and now there are more than 50. "But I have no regrets. I love the lifestyle here, although I still look for the Dons score every week."

Was out last night with about 10 mates most of them being Hearts ST holders, so did get a fair bit of abuse. However I could tell most of them to shut up as they have binned their ST's as they are in the bottom 6 and were out boozing rather than going to the game.

However as we were at a karaoke night they did keep handing in slips to the DJ for me to sing beautiful south songs

Was that the crowd for kickoff or did more folk turn up?

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport/Celtic-1--0-Aberdeen.4000955.jp

Diamond can't get handle on referee's handball decision

ZANDER DIAMOND slammed referee Iain Brines after his last-gasp goal was chalked off by the official. The "goal" would have given Aberdeen a share of the points and plunged Celtic into despair but the defender was controversially penalised for a handball.

 

"From what I'm hearing, the goal should have stood, so I'm disappointed in that," said the Aberdeen defender. "I don't know what Brines is looking at, I don't know if he turned away at that moment in time. How he's said I've gone up with my hand is just an absolute joke. That sums him up.

 

"I turned round to Barry (Nicholson] after it had gone in, and I thought (the free-kick] had been given against him because it was close to Barry's hand. The decision is unbelievable. If he's one of Scotland's top officials, I think were in trouble."

 

Diamond even ventured to suggest that it could have been a case of retribution for an exchange of views when the player was told to leave the field to receive treatment for a bloody lip. "He's saying to me to get off the park, but if as a referee you can see blood coming, surely you've got to stop it yourself, not get me to go to the side while the game's going on. I'm sure that's the rules of the game, so I wonder what ones he's reading."

 

He said he tried to speak to the referee after the match to seek an explanation but that simply proved another cause for complaint. "Its just the usual, 'get away from me'. You can't really talk to him about the decision. He just says 'go away', when you're just politely going there to ask to clear the decision up. No doubt I'll be up in front of the SFA shortly.

 

"It's big decisions in big games. If were challenging to get into third place again, we might look back and say that point at Celtic Park could have done us. He goes away to his job from Monday to Friday but we need to pick up the pieces."

Bext taxis- Munich, super speed taxis!

That was my first thought re: contract.

And mine too.

Great minds and all that 

I fear we may get horsed at this one with Celtic looking for revenge for the cup and us being bedraggled.

Glad I have the excuse I need to go buy a new iron for my flat

Remember and do the predictor too folks

Must have some new kids ready to make the breakthrough into the first team by now. Well, at this rate they'll have to just to make up the numbers.

The thing is that Aluko and Walker were brought in to fill the u-21 quota set by the SPL, that meant our home grown players didnt even get onto the bench. Not great for our future.

Malcom Middleton - a brighter beat

 

Have you watched Miller not doing that this season?! The amount of balls he takes down, holds up and then looks for an option to help him out is unbelievable. Far and away our best attacker. He does end up on his knees a lot (softly or otherwise), but i think he does an awful lot more for the team than anyone gives him credit for.

I have seen him unable to do to that at a professional level many times this season. I remember one quite vividly from Saturday, the ball must have bounced 15-20 feet away off his chest. His passing is never just in the sweet spot for the other player. It annoys me when I am able to think that I can control and pass a ball as well as a 4k a week professional footballer.

To be honest, i thought Brewster was utter pish for us.

He made Miller look crap.

Yes he couldnt last the 90mins but he could flick on the ball, bring the ball down to his feet, able to pass to feet and could read the game. Miller cant!

‘GREAT PROFESSIONAL’ CAN HELP TEAM-MATES COPE WITH CUP DISAPPOINTMENT, SAYS CALDERWOOD

Published: 16/04/2008

ABERDEEN manager Jimmy Calderwood believes Jackie McNamara has the strength of character to cope with personal criticism and help his team-mates deal with the anger of disillusioned supporters.

Calderwood and his squad have come under fire after last weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final humiliation by Queen of the South.

Several players have been singled out for criticism, including former Celtic captain McNamara, who was booed when he was substituted on Saturday and further vilified for running straight up the tunnel rather than take his place in the dugout.

Calderwood believes the veteran defender’s vast experience in the game will be vital in helping others recover before Saturday’s SPL trip to Celtic Park.

He said: “I don’t think the mood at the club has lightened yet.

“What happened on Saturday is not something you get over quickly.

“This week we will have to lift the players, but sometimes as a manager you need to be lifted as well, which can be difficult.

“You are always going to get people criticising certain players or managers, but the players are big enough to handle it. They accept the praise when things are going well and, while I have not seen all of the criticism, it is part and parcel of the game and you have to take it when it comes.

“The players have got to help each other. Jackie McNamara has massive experience which helps.

“It is all about character and you learn things the hard way.

“We cannot run away from the fact we deserved stick for the game.

Ryan Paris - Dolce Vita

Brewster? 

I think we cant spend too much money as we don't want to fall into the mire teams like Dundee and Dunfermline (Hearts soon too) spent too much and went bust. Its not a popular decision but one borne out of financial necessity.

So you'll be the young boy I groomed on the way to shitebrox earlier on in the year then!

Zander for me, he has stepped up to replace Anderson and done far better than expected.

Nicholson doesnt perform to his capabilities too often.

Incidentally you dont actually speak Doric or have the slightest hint of aberdeen accent in person. 

That is because I had to change the way I talked when i moved to Edinburgh, people couldn't understand me. It is sort of stuck in neutral Edinburgh mode now, unless I'm back in Buckie.