Superstar Tradesman

I'm not saying Mackie is the answer nor am I saying he's who I want pulling on the striker's jersey on a Saturday at AFC. But he's worked hard enough at keeping that position of his and managed to do so for a lot longer than any of the other charlatans that have turned up with a pair of football boots and the audacity to call themself a striker. If he was keeping someone out of a starting spot then yes, I'd be asking questions. But the plain fact of the matter is; not one manager in his time at Pittodrie has managed to unearth another player to slot in before him. Lee Miller might just have managed that last season (perhaps because Darren was injured) but we need 2 strikers on the park and if there's nobody at the club good enough to push for a place and the coaching staff can't get anyone else in then Mackie may well be the 10-year-stop-gap answer.

No you can't argue with that, but at the same time you can't forget that: 1. He has been top scorer in a few of the seasons that he's played for us. 2. United wanted to take him off his hands and were willing to pay handsomely for his services. 3. Caley were only too happy to take him for a season. 4. He's continually been picked by every manager that's been at AFC over the last 10 years. 5. He's proved his worth a shitload more than (shudder) Zdrillic, Mike, Dadi, Michie, Steptoe, Hamilton, Lovell, Pasquinelli, etc, etc, etc.....

That last game United had against the Huns being point in case. I listened to that game as it happened, shocking stuff. Did anything ever come of Levein *losing the plot on air after that game? *quite rightly in my book.

What you all seemed to have missed is the fact that we've only managed to score that many 'twice in the past ten years'. So to aim for that this season is neither shooting for mediocrity nor is it lacking in ambition. We've finished 3rd and 4th twice in the past five or six seasons by scoring less than 30 so if we can get them geared towards that then I'd say it'll put us in good stead. 30 between 4 strikers may not look like much but it's still a challenge for them and one they have a chance of actually succeeding at but only if they knuckle down. Mackie's made a career out of that. I'd be happy if he aimed a little lower and between the white sticks.

I dunno, maybe they have bigger fish to fry other than worrying about upsetting some moaning wee boys on chatsites? Maybe they're busy trying to sign players before the window shuts so you've something else to moan about next season? Perhaps since there's a game on Saturday and the team just got back to Scotland they're a bit too busy to worry about something that won't affect them until the end of August? Or, I know this sounds a bit far fetched, maybe they've just not got round to it because they're tackling the problem head-on instead of draughting up press releases for folk who say they're not going to buy tickets, merchandise, pies, etc..... ever, ever, ever again.

Beck's new album 'Modern Guilt'.

This thread reminds me very much of the KKK-Chat UEFA Cup ticket mass panic fiasco which ended up with everyone who wanted a ticket, got one. Can’t just be me who finds it amusing that people on here are up in arms that the OF want to hit us financially and the best way they can think of protesting is by...... hitting us financially? The folk running the show at AFC may well be a lot of things but they certainly aren’t frivolous when it comes to money matters (these days). The simple fact of this matter is; they’ll have done the sums and they’d have been favourable towards giving them the 5% they asked for. Why exactly folk are complaining that the club went to the Weegie press with their statement and not the fans is beyond me. It’s not going to affect our fans when we buy tickets, it’s not affecting our fans at home games and it’s not even affecting our fans when we travel to Glasgow. It’s only angered us because the OF get to do as they please and I’m sure they’re as happy about it down Pittodrie as we are. But financially, it obviously makes sense for us to pay it. The press would have called them for a statement and they'll have given one. I’m not saying it isn’t leaving a sour taste in my mouth but the OF will have dreamt up this scheme because they know they can get away with it. Maybe not from all the clubs, but some, like ours, will have to like it and lump it. Who says the other 10 teams didn’t have a meeting? How will the club know you’re not renewing your season ticket because of this incident? Boycotting games in Glasgow won’t work either as I’m sure AFC pay for any unsold tickets. We’ll have had to pay this because we are over a barrel, not because we’ve just agreed to it.

I’d love it just as much as the next Dons fan if our club told them to go fuck themselves, but at the same time I don’t think they need to unless the Huns refuse to pull the plug on the idea first. Our club has to tackle this differently to the rest as we maybe more hit more financially by not paying the 5% than if we do. Would you all be happier knowing we were paying more to Grampian police for policing games and having to pay for the damage done by Hun fans breaking seats out of our own pocket than paying the ‘insurance’ of 5% to the Huns and they pay the damages or take the blame for their supporters clubs? Mark my words - Any damage, violence, coin throwing, banned songs, racist chanting, Nazi salutes, sectarian flag waving or similar, that emulates out of the away stand, would be down to “Aberdeen fans†or “non-Rangers fans†who infiltrated that part of the ground due to us selling tickets out with their ‘official’ ticketing structure, and well you all know it. Personally, I think AFC are being mighty shrewd on this issue. Then again, they’re probably just haven’t got round to tackling the problem yet.

Maybe Lee and Mark should listen to the fans who think they know JC better.

Are you Man U you, are you Man U?

SIGN SOME BASTARD WILL YOU!! :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:

Saves me a fortune on therapy getting my deepest, darkest secrets out on here. That way I can use that money for paying for various ointments and treatments for my winkle.

No. No. Yes. (The 'ue' is closer to the pronounciation of 'ü' than 'u' so that's why it is written like that, especially if you don't have those keys on your keyboard. There's a few languages around Europe that do that because of the extra letters they have in their language)

I don't have a girlfriend. My wife would kill me.

Better make that 4 for me. I was at Hampden. Bastards.

How many did he have in the other films?

Think I sneaked 3 in. Atletico, Bayern and em........ United away at Xmas maybe?

It worries you? Really? I can tell you now that it won't peel off. Even if your worst nightmare does happen and it does peel off, guess what, they'll replace it.

Mixing up the medicine?

Negative 6 feet? You mean she's dead? Sorry to hear that.

Speaking of transfers... Anyone remember those ones you got with the chalky tasting bubble gum? Bazooka Joes was it?

Underworld - Push Upstairs.

I'd prefer if he was dropped altogether. I'm yet to be convinced he adds anything to the back line.

Skimming through it (as I'm useless with money matters) I see that our debt last year was £10.9m, this year it was £11.5m (the difference being - £0.6m) and the interest we paid on the debt this year was £0.676m. If we hadn't had to pay so much interest then we'd actually have decreased the debt ever so slightly. Hmmmmm......... I wonder if there would be anyone who would give us an interest free loan for a drop in the ocean of what he's worth........? Probably Definitely not.

The problem is that we're not seeing enough of these signings to make any clear assumptions that they are good or bad. We're told they're x, y and z when we're trying to sign them and then they get here and, well, nothing. This leads people to believe that they're either not good enough or they've just been bought as cover. If it's for cover then why bother with flying to Holland at all, as I'm sure there's enough 'filler' in the lower leagues in Scotland.