BigAl

Taken from MFC official site. Nice last paragragh from them Mark McGhee was today unveiled as the new Aberdeen boss, returning to the club where he made his name as a player. Here we look back at his time in charge of the club where he made his name as a manager. McGhee joined Motherwell in June 2007, succeeding Maurice Malpas, who resigned after just one ill-fated season in charge. The Steelmen had narrowly avoided relegation, finishing just six points ahead of Dunfermline. He was given the task of taking the club forward, but the success that followed surpassed even his expectations. In his first season, McGhee led the club to third in the table, the highest league finish for thirteen years. He transformed the team from relegation candidates to European challengers. Players who had struggled under the previous regime were revitalised, flourishing under the new boss. His attractive brand of stylish, attacking football not only caught the imagination of the fans, but those in the Hampden offices. McGhee was named SPL Manager of the Month for November 2007 and subsequently shortlisted for the vacant Scotland job. But it’s not just his management skills that won him plaudits at Fir Park. The way he has handled himself, under extraordinary circumstances with Phil O'Donnell's tragic death, were evidence to his real abilities. Few would have wanted any of the emotional and managerial challenges McGhee unexpectedly faced but he successfully led the club through adversity and the third-place finish was a fitting tribute to the former captain. It was a terrific achievement for the Motherwell boss and his success inevitably attracted suitors. He was approached for the Hearts job in the summer and looked set to take over the hot seat at Tynecastle before an eleventh-hour u-turn, deciding to remain at Fir Park to take the team back into Europe. The Uefa Cup campaign was a brief one though, with the Steelmen losing out to French side AS Nancy in the first round of the competition. Those games typified a frustrating second season in which the team narrowly missed out on the top-six. But qualification for Europe was again achieved via the Fair Play League, acknowledgement of the discipline McGhee has installed in the players. While his second year in charge failed to match the heights of the first, there were still plenty of memorable moments, such as the nine game unbeaten league run which set a new club record and earned the boss another Manager of the Month award. The end of the campaign brought fresh speculation about his future, having been recommended for the Celtic job by departing manager Gordon Strachan. But it was Aberdeen who secured his services after lengthy negotiations with their former striker. The club would like to place on record its thanks to Mark for his contribution during his time at Motherwell and we wish him every success at Pittodrie.

Get the drinks in then

Well done for being first with the news Sharpie Been sitting pressing refresh all morning

Oh ya fucker......is this the same Kowalski that has a pop at me about the Toon

Well Bumper did leave us in the summer of '77 if I remember correctly

Amazing the difference two little letters make

Belated welcome on board, good to have someone else on here of shall we say "mature" years that vividly remembers the good old days Had a look on Amazon at "Wonderland Avenue" and it certainly gets positive reviews. Order to be placed ahead of summer hols

Keep working at it Dramsay and one day you'll grow to become a tit

Did you also have Rupert the Bear trousers and jumper

Nelly Furtado - Do It

Severin off to Watford allegedly.......... so much for the Premiership gig with Burnley

Pretty decent article from today's Scotsman GIVEN the fact that he has a son who turns one this month, it is remarkable to think Mark McGhee has been in management for almost 20 years. His latest move to take over at Aberdeen, which is expected to be concluded today, means McGhee will shortly join the seventh club of his managerial career. This is the same number of clubs that made up the 52-year-old Scot's playing career. But stints with Morton, Newcastle (twice), Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, Ik Brage and Reading were not treated as evidence of a player with commitment issues. Rather, he was regarded as a perfect example of a player always seeking to better himself, and take advantage of new opportunities presented. Indeed, his move to Hamburg was positively ground-breaking at the time. At the clubs with which he is most closely identified – Aberdeen and Celtic – he stayed for six and four years respectively. He does not, as a rule, chop and change on a whim, as last summer's deliberations when offered the Hearts job proved. He did an about-turn at Heathrow just as he was preparing to board his connecting flight to Lithuania, on his way to meet Vladimir Romanov. Yet his time as a manager has been bedeviled by accusations of disloyalty, and a suspicion that he is a serial commitment-phobe. He is also described in some quarters as being a one-season wonder. This is a far from accurate reading of his managerial record. Only at Motherwell did he exceed expectations in his early days, subsequently finding it understandably difficult to maintain this success. In his first job as manager he led Reading to the old Second Division title in his third year. They were lying second in the Championship the following season when he left for Leicester City. He could not save them from relegation from the Premiership but put in place a team that won promotion back to the top tier and also earned the club £1million in compensation when Wolves came calling. In fact, only at Leicester City, where he only stayed for just over a year, has McGhee lived up to a reputation for being a mercenary. Indeed, at one stage in the late Nineties, an honest and likeable individual was dubbed "the most hated man in football". He has actively tried to rehabilitate himself following his sacking by Wolves. After a two-year break from the game he returned to football with Millwall, where he stayed for just over three years. He led the New Den club to promotion from League One and then finished a creditable fourth in the Championship the following season. At Brighton & Hove Albion promotion to the Championship was once more achieved, as was survival a year later. The time Aberdeen are taking to confirm the appointment of McGhee has granted an opportunity to re-assess his record in management. His man-of-many clubs label is simply evidence of a man unafraid to engage with new challenges. Only once has he had reason to regret moving between clubs, when the desire to revive Wolverhampton Wanderers saw him break his contract at Leicester after just over a year. "There is no loyalty in the game except involving fans," he said. "Alex Ferguson is not the longest-serving manager out of Manchester United's loyalty to him or his for Man United. He's there because of success, and if he became unsuccessful he wouldn't be there any longer." McGhee experienced this at Wolves. He didn't leave them. Instead, the Molineux club decided it was time to part company with McGhee. Sir Jack Hayward suddenly closed his cheque book after the side lost in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs in 1997. "I'd still have come here if I had known," McGhee explained a year later. "But people should realise the job I have now is totally different to the one I thought I was coming to. I thought I was coming in to buy people like Paul Ince, and ended up haggling over £250,000 for Mixu Paatelainen." Such are the changing times McGhee will be grateful to be handed such as sum to spend on a player when he is finally unveiled as Aberdeen manager. Jimmy Calderwood, his predecessor, is a hard act to follow after twice finishing high enough in the league to qualify for Europe. Only in the cup competitions can McGhee be confident of improving on Calderwood's record. Aberdeen have proved vulnerable to defeat from teams from lower divisions. Indeed, embarrassing reversals against the likes of Queen of the South and Queen's Park are perhaps the reason why McGhee has been offered the chance to take up the reins at Pittodrie, where he starred as a striker. His own cup record as manager is not impressive, although he did lead Wolves to the semi- finals of the FA Cup 11 years ago. But much else besides is recorded on his managerial CV. It pays to investigate it rather than rely on supposition.

The Herald is reporting that Thistle are set to knock back Dundee's £100k offer as they view him as being worth a lot more than that. Risky business on behalf of Thistle if he's free to sign a pre contract come next Jan.

Massive WOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH. Go back and read it again, particularily starting with Jager's post and it'll fall into place

Lily Allen - Fuck You

Lil' Kim - Fuck You

Whitlams - Make The World Safe

Nail squarely on head as far as I'm concerned The Rev Ian Paisley himself can become our next manager as far as I'm concerned, as long as he doesn't broon nose the Hun fraternity and brings us success on the park, so be it.

Dead Kennedys - Kinky Sex Makes The World Go 'Round

I'm in the Jager camp with this one. Good news, and hope he develops as hoped, but we have seen a number of false dawns previously - Andrew Bagshaw anyone

FAIL

Erykah Badu - Afro

Heard mixed reports on it, whats your verdict

You're surely not suggesting that journalists fabricate the truth are you

Mmmm I wonder, just never know what the truth of the matter really is. Both clubs jockeying for position and trying to save face. One thing that supporting AFC for as long as I have, is to never count our chickens before they're hatched. This could all go pear shaped yet Wonder what WM/SM's plan b looks like