Panda

*Play the system.

That's very much a pre-season team. Makes sense, any team we put out should be winning comfortably. Win 8-0 with your strongest team or win 3-0 with getting minutes into the legs of your fringe players and having a good look at them and seeing if they can maybe system; namely Besuijen, MacDonald and Doohan. This is the type of grown up thinking we've longed for.

Pape to be used as a winger according to the P&J. That's sorted then, they should be our transfer business concluded for this window. Can use the extra AberDNA cash to reduce the price of hospitality.

Aye @Slim going by the descriptions on the site I think that's the legends lounge. Madri has a three-course meal. £216 v Rangers though is pricey likes. I might just treat him to the Red Shed and tell him he can hold one of the flags at half-time.

No, but can I give you a "like a new signing?"

I remember fondly when we last were in the group stages, and sensibly we just had one League Cup thread going. Now here we are less than 24 hours before we play *checks notes* East Kilbride, and there's no match thread. Would say Sokler's two goals v QOTS should see him keep his starting spot, but hope Miovski is at least on the bench.

Do any of you rich oligarchs ever do Pittodrie hospitality? Us working class folk struggle to pay the £34 ticket price these days, buy I do fancy taking my dad along to a game this season and he's likely to tell he where to go unless I offer him an extra incentive. Has anyone done the Madri lounge? It worth it? Is it a free bar or not? What's the scran like? Do the Dons generally win if I pay more for the ticket?

Anything less than 10 on Saturday and the honeymoon period is over for Thelin.

I agree with that. But never got where the hype for Dadi came from besides a funny song. And yet poor Mackie years after he has earned a quiet retirement is being compared to genuine pish like Morris. And since we're talking about Mackie, let's again enjoy the wild scenes that greeted his arrival in America.

If you're comparing him to Morris, you're labelling him shite. Apologise. We had Miovski last season and finished 7th. On Sokler, the jury is still out. Clearly seems to be good in the air, but my recollection of him was his general finishing was poor. Hopefully working under Miovski's tutelage has improved him and we'll see more of him this season.

I second the Darren Mackie was alright statement. Eugene Dadi is viewed as a cult hero. Mackie was better than him.

I think we'll sign another centre half and Angus MacDonald will leave. I like MacDonald, but don't think he's quick enough for the way Thelin wants to play.

Aye deleted it when I noticed but you were obviously too sharp for me. Rules were changed at the start of last season - yellow cards in cup competitions no longer carry over.

No Miovski. Morris starts. Be interesting to see in what position because by the looks of it I don't see anyone to play on the left, unless Sokler is. Vinnie on the bench.

Nah, let him rot. Fine him every week until he can't afford the flight back to Aberdeen to grovel. Make his life a misery until, finally, he apologises, trains hard, goes to lots of supporter functions and community outreach programmes and begins to win the hearts and minds of the city, then bangs them in for Cape Verde with his value going through the roof - yet still he waits for Jimmy Thelin to give him a chance. It's a wait that goes on until the Scottish Cup final when the bench signal for Duk, he comes on at a packed Hampden, flattens Scott Wright with his first touch, nutmegs Todd Cantwell with his second, collects a pass from Nilsen, rounds Jack Butland, and just as he's about to complete a wonderful redemption arc and send the red army wild - Shinnie snaps him in two and screams in his face "that's what you get for fucking with the Dons". Connor Barron goes on to miss the crucial spot kick in the penalty shoot-out.

This is how England will win it. Not by us grudgingly acknowledging they've been the best team. But by scoring the same number of goals in the group stage as Scotland but finishing top, by scoring a 94th minute equaliser v Slovakia, by matching a score line we got v Switzerland, by VAR controversy getting them past Holland, and in an as yet to be revealed annoying way of winning the final. What makes it worse is we were shite. Had we at least given Germany a game and had more than a defected McTominay goal to cheer in the other two games, and maybe had a knockout game to enjoy, I'd cradle that and our own excellent summer. But no, we were shit. England have also been shit but are going to win it, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Patience.. https://www.afc.co.uk/2024/07/11/nilsen-is-a-don/

It's growing on me (not literally). It actually compliments the red strip nicely. Having seen a video of it I think it's one of those that'll look better in the flesh. I reckon you should all buy it.

You want a rumour @OrlandoDon, I'll give you a rumour.

I like the sentiment behind it, but unless we win the League Cup wearing it I can't see it becoming a cult classic. And like I said for the home top - £68, wise up.

New away top

That's fine, I will shield Thelin of all criticism until he settles in. It's the least I can do.

No-one is saying treat the group stages as friendlies. But they are low level opposition and we don't need four friendlies before it. Sharpness and fitness will come from the four games. If we're not fit enough v QOTS then something has went badly wrong and a friendly with Fraserburgh would not have been enough to fix it.