Panda

Heading to Spain for a week, with a fixture over there I think. Playing Buckie Thistle on 25 June, and Brechin City 6 July. Then first game of season is 10 July v Peterhead. Sounds like they'll be back in training in about two weeks, except Lewis Ferguson who'll get longer because of Scotland duty. That's not long to get the avalanche of signings in, especially since many players don't get released from their contracts until 1 July.

Scott Allan been released by Hibs. I know Goodwin was very close to signing him for St Mirren, although not sure he fits into Goodwin's "young and energetic" mantra now considering he hasn't completed a 90 minutes all season. Shame, five years ago he was a fantastic player but has had no luck with his health, what with diabetes then his heart problems. Probably Kilmarnock bound - he sounds like the type of player McInnes will take a punt on.

We need a ball winner in the middle of the park if McCrorie is playing right-back and Ferguson leaving. No idea if this fella is a ball winner right enough.

Only realised his sister is London Pollard, who is a very good player in the women's football scene. I've all I've got - never seen Lancelot play so no idea if to be gutted or not.

Hopefully that game is at Pittodrie then so the king can get a standing ovation. Ach to be fair to him he wasn't the worst. But him, his brother, David Rowson, they never really rose above "not bad". Good to have around the place though someone once said.

Stop fretting about how much Hector is going to cost, Goodwin is currently negotiating a bargain deal to land Charles Dunne for the left side. It'll be fine. Peterhead and Stirling Albion won't know what's hit them.

If we had the remotest chance of signing Hector, then absolutely we should sign him regardless of whoever is in the squad already. The same way I wouldn't turn down Graeme Shinnie because we've already got Dean Campbell. Would it impact on signing a LCB, I don't know, but on account he's a better RCB than anyone else at the club he would add value to the team.

Are Stirling Albion still managed by ex-Don Darren Young?

At the very least I thought we might get some interesting ties. Apart from the Blue Toon, we didn't.

Looking at the positives, there's a couple of potentially decent away days there in the height of summer. Arbroath, Cove, Kelty Hearts & Buckie Thistle for me Geoff. Far better than a trip to Croatia or Cyprus.

Who said anything about playing Hector on the left? If there was any possibility of signing Hector (and I doubt there is tbf) and we turned him down because we've got Declan Gallagher there, then that might be what finally ends me.

Do we have shitloads of cover at CB? With Devlin & Considine gone and McCrorie earmarked for elsewhere, I wouldn't say we're well covered there at all. We should sign players who are an improvement on what we have. Step forward Michael Hector.

Michael Hector now a free agent after being released by Fulham. Still only 29.

McCrorie shouldn't be the next captain anyway. Not because he went to Seville, but because we don't even know his best position yet and we haven't actually had a good season out of him (winning POTY was more of a personality vote than anything). Therefore, asking him to lead the side is too big and too early for him. Goodwin hopefully will be signing a captain.

I have zero problem with McCrorie going to the game. There's a video of him joining in with the bouncy though which I would say is just fucking stupid - not because I don't think he's allowed, but because it's just asking for abuse, and he'll be a target now if he has a poor game against Rangers in future. If you're going to go to the game and be in the public eye, then be sensible about it. What perhaps is interesting is McCrorie can be in the middle of the Rangers end and presumably get no abuse. Wonder what the reaction would be if Scott Wright rocked up in the Aberdeen end for a game... I'm old enough to remember (fuck sake Rico) David Robertson having to be escorted from the Aberdeen end and given a seat in the Celtic end at the 94 LC semi due to getting pelted with coins and spat at.

And 40 is still incredibly young. Isn't it? shit...

Well, actually, Goodwin started this season with three at the back at St Mirren. They went on a poor run where I think it was 11 games without a win (although they did draw six of them, including against Celtic), so over the winter break Goodwin worked with the team on changing to two at the back. They came back from the winter break, won six and drew one of their next seven games, including beating Aberdeen, Dundee United & Hibs, and then Goodwin got offered the Dons job.

Hopefully that's the last game Funso Ojo ever plays in an Aberdeen shirt. Roll on the new signings.

I can only judge that based on what he did at St Mirren, but he had creative players such as Connor Ronan, Jamie McGrath, Ilkay Durmus and Dylan Connolly. He tried to make them a good footballing side and he was hamstrung by his budget - which is why I backed him for the Aberdeen job as felt with a bigger budget he could do something. Let's not forget he hasn't signed a single player yet. I never thought McGrath was good enough for us when we were being linked with him - but Goodwin managed to get a tune out of him. McGrath had 17 goals from midfield last season. He's fairy dropped off this season so maybe he was a one-season wonder and we dodged a bullet by not signing him. Like I said a few weeks ago, I don't think any manager is coming in and getting much better out of that team. They're just not good enough. That he's planning to empty half of them gives me hope. I'll judge him from the first League Cup game of next season.

Now that Scott Brown has taken the Fleetwood job, I wonder if he'll sign any Aberdeen players. Possibly a destination for Considine or McGeouch? Maybe Brown will make himself a Dons legend forever and take Ojo away from us? I'd chip in for the statue if he did. As for Lewis Ferguson, you can make the argument he's been great for the Dons based on various things, and you can make the argument he's not done enough. I just find him incredibly frustrating. The Burnley & Hampden goals were brilliant, he's held his nerve to score many a spot kick, but I doubt I'll find myself saying "we really miss Lewis Ferguson" next season (unless we replace him with some woeful shite).

Worrying that Lewis Ferguson isn't being linked with anyone. I would like him gone nice and early so we can plan without him, and also a bit of a transfer auction would have been nice too to bump the price up. Instead can see him still here in pre-season, wanting away, being unhappy, taking long range shots any time the ball comes to him, and finally leaving for a nominal fee at the end of the transfer window.

Quite simple. Biggest competition: Celtic, European Cup Biggest achievement: Aberdeen, ECWC. I don't think anyone, even the staunchest Rangers fan, could reasonably argue winning the Europa League would be a bigger achievement than Aberdeen beat Bayern & Real Madrid to win in 83. And that's IF they win. Frankfurt have had a pretty amazing run to the final themselves.

Celtic bring up 67 in an entirely different way than we bring up 83 though. We simply celebrate the club's greatest achievement. Which we absolutely should, every year. Celtic fans on the other hand seem to think winning something 55 years ago is relevant today, using it to point score when people point out they were knocked out of three competitions this season before Christmas. They talk as if they're up there with Liverpool and Real Madrid, when in truth - for a club their size - they've had a pretty atrocious record in Europe since.

Liam Harvey in the squad for the game, 17 year old striker.

Luke Turner: The whole thing seems bizarre. Do we even get a development fee for him - I was under the impression we need to have offered him a contract first. Now, he may be another Zander Diamond or the highly rated Irish guy who left us for Kilmarnock because he was homesick, and he's so memorable I can't even remember his name (edit: it annoyed me so I checked - Ryan O'Leary). But, just seems odd. The whole "the coaches have been watching him..." thing, let's not be naive and think all our coaches are the absolute best at what they do and rarely make mistakes. I think it's absolutely possible they can make bad judgement calls on a regular basis. Time will tell if this is one of them. Christian Ramirez: Ach, let him go home. The two remaining games mean little, he's been playing pretty much non-stop since the MLS season, his family are back there, we've only got a short break until pre-season. And if we do want him to stay next year (I'd suggest he'll be tough to replace) then keeping him happy ain't a bad idea. It also gives us a chance to try a few things out. I wonder if Goodwin sees Watkins playing a more central role next season. I also noticed Besuijen was playing more centrally at times on Saturday.