Panda

To be fair, if Aasgaard was a red card (it was) then there was a case for Trusty going as well. I was at the game. Wanted Miovski to score simply because it would have meant he'd likely have had to come down to the media interviews afterwards, and I wanted to ask him about his Aberdeen betrayal. But he didn't. He couldn't even give me that.

Familiar face when we play them.

I don't think the European games are affecting us this season. I don't think there's been a game where you say "if it wasn't for the midweek European game we'd have won that". Yeah, we looked a bit knackered v Hibs, but they just outplayed us and tactically we got it wrong. I'd say we'll take more positives than negatives from the experience. The money, that it's attracted players to the club, players and manager gain experience from it. I think Shaktar gave us much needed confidence when we badly needed it, and when the players are maybe struggling mentally it's not a bad thing to be flying off to Greece and Cyprus for a change of scenery.

I spent four months in Ayia Napa just out of uni getting pissed every night, I wasn't paying much attention to historical events (much like my career ). I did travel out to the museum though which was an eye opener, and then at that time you could pay one euro to hire a telescope and look into the city. My folks did live there for a few years though (thankfully, not when I was there ) and they often went "on holiday" to the Turkish side. No idea what their views on the whole thing are, I'll raise it at Christmas dinner.

I'm sold. Get into them. For anyone who is going to Cyprus, and heading to Ayia Napa - many years ago I worked in Craig's Bar, the Scottish bar where Dons fans will be congregating (Napa is about 30-40 minutes from Larnaca). Buy a t-shirt (preferably the Aberdeen ones), I designed them all, apart from the Old Firm ones. Great place. Great times. Take a wee trip to Famagusta if you can, believe parts of it are now open. Sad and chilling story though. Don't go for dinner in Napa, all overpriced tourist traps. Hire a car* and drive out to where the locals go to for a decent 'meze'. *(like Scotland they drive on the left so it's very easy to drive there. Just be wary of the frustratingly low speed limits - only country I've been stopped in for speeding at 30mph).

It could be a 5-3-2, which would be what we all were asking for (okay, Rico and I, but I think we speak for the whole forum). Or Polvara or Armstrong could be in the number 10 position, which... well. Let's see.

Gyamfi injured, Dorrington struggling. So I'd go with this. Horrible game but the Dons to win it 1-0, preferably in the 109th minute on the counter attack after VAR fails and doesn't spot the blatant penalty for Kilmarnock.

The new sporting director is keen to work with Thelin. All previous predictions that an abject defeat tonight might lead to a dismissal are now null and void. Thelin will be here until *at least* December, so we may as well back the man. Personally, I'm interested to see how the partnership gets on.

I was gonna agree with this line-up (though Nilsen is injured I think) but Nisbet looks massively overweight there.

Yeah my thinking is Thelin can change things, and he did so with the change to a back three which has - albeit only a handful of games - looked like getting the best out of Jack Milne, and appeared to suit Gyamfi when he was fit. Now he needs to change the midfield, but to do that does he abandon his deep striker with two inside forwards / two number 10s, which has been his staple at Elfsborg? Kilmarnock is huge, but not in terms of the result (we'll say it is, but if we lose the world will still spin and Thelin will likely still be manager on Thursday). But it's huge in that we need to start seeing what Thelin's reaction is now. Is it just a wee refresh of the line-up and same again, or is he fixing the problems? I want him to show evidence he can turn this around. To be honest, I'd be surprised if he couldn't.

Why ruin a really well written, balanced post, with this frightener? I dunno if it's different in Orlando, but Halloween isn't for another four days here. Stephen Robinson would be an awful choice. It would be us getting spooked, abandoning everything the club apparently identified in this review they did two years ago, and just hoping Robinson can have the same impact McInnes as had at Hearts without any forward thinking. Like I said in the Hibs match thread - if Thelin is deemed not to be the man to continue it, then you search for someone who can. Stephen Robinson is Jim Goodwin all over again. He does not fit the model. The players we have don't fit his style of football. I'm also not sure what is appealing about him at the moment anyway. St Mirren have won just two of nine league games this season. Getting to the cup semi has masked a poor season (not unheard of).

GoodwinGod_2022 Is it maybe the underscore you're forgetting?

By the way, @Jute2? Did @Jute go into liquidation?

I think he gives him Wednesday. But that might be all he gets if it's another horror show. They haven't appointed a director of football yet and you imagine Cormack would at least want the DOF and Thelin to work together and see if it helps improve anything. My fear is - my big fear - is we make the same mistake when we sacked Glass. Now Glass probably wasn't experienced enough to do the big revamp we needed (and didn't have enough help from above either), but we ripped it up and went for the man of the moment Goodwin. Robson got the job after a good interim period, and when he went we decided to go back to the went long term project with Thelin. If we do sack Thelin, then I want us to search for a guy that carries the "project" on. We have a good squad, plenty to work with, we don't need Goodwin's scorched earth policy again. But, I see us looking at Hearts, and McInnes, and going "manager that knows Scottish football, they play good football and are physical. Let's do the same - step forward Stephen Robinson, Neil Lennon or John McGlynn." I think - if I'm being honest - that's why I back Thelin so much, because I don't trust us with the managerial appointment. Maybe if a DOF is in place that search would give me more confidence. Anyway, Thelin. 5-3-2 on Wednesday, 3-0 away win, then we can all have a good week, yeah?

We play as 11 individuals rather than as a team. And we have some very good individuals, and that's why even today when we're poor all over the park, we still look like we can nick something. I've been Thelin's number one fan, but today is the first time I'm really beginning to doubt him. There's little individual changes (Keskinen gave us a bit more down the left than Molloy for example, Lazetic looked more dangerous than Nisbet), but Thelin never really got a grip of the game. Often it's 'change personnel and hope the same system and tactics suddenly spring into life.' I think @RicoS321kinda alluded to it before the game when he said a 3-5-2 / 5-3-2 (however you want to see it) with two up front would perhaps be a better system. We definitely needed an extra man in midfield (we eventually did with Devlin, but at the expense of making it easier for Hibs to hit us on the break), while going forward there's always a player in that number 10 position not part of the attack and therefore it's easy for Hibs to overload the striker. That spare man is either too deep or too wide, and we don't have enough outlets to hit. Huge Wednesday now away to Kilmarnock. Do we rock up with the same system after conceding eight in two games (and in both games it could have been much more) with just a few personnel changes, or does Thelin look at trying to change it?

Impressed with Armstrong's fitness at 33, that's his third start in a week. Would have paired with him Clarkson, but strong looking team. Strong looking bench too. Win and we're a point behind Hibs, three off third, and (unless Celtic get a couple of penalties) seven off second.

In terms of points, it's not necessarily a must win, because with 10 teams so bunched together we could keep losing until Christmas and still finish third. But, Thelin's stature is back in the red after Thursday. It was a game we were expected to lose, but 6-0 going on 9-0 was alarming. He needs a result more than we do really.

I mean, technically, after that 6-0 defeat we responded by pumping Dundee 4-1 in the next game. THEN we wilted.

If results go our way and we win this one, we could be one point off third. If Hearts were to beat Celtic, we could also be just seven points off second. After the start we've had we really shouldn't be anywhere near that. Yet, on the other side of it, we could lose and be bottom of the table again. Keeps things interesting at least. Gyamfi hopefully is fit again (although might be just for the bench). I imagine after starting the last two games, Shinnie and Armstrong will be rested. If Lazetic isn't knackered I'd start him again - and he hasn't played a huge amount of games so really he should be fine. Karlsson and Aouchiche are funny ones. Often they drift out of games, but also remain dangerous - Karlsson especially. I wouldn't be adverse to Milanovic getting a start though, while I imagine Keskinen will be fired up after his early sub on Thursday.

Does that mean Milne's legs have gone too?

No Gyamfi or Nilsen tomorrow night, everyone else fit.