Huns vs Dons

[RicoS321]

1 hour ago, wee toon red said:

Our team has been utter shite for years so until we’ve replaced more or less the entire starting 11 then I don’t see why anyone expects any massive improvement. The start to the season was incredible but was never going to be sustainable so it’s going to take a lot more than one season to sort our dross out.

Yep. The only argument we could make against that is that same logic should have applied to Glass, Goodwin and Robson. Not really an argument against, just a point! It does seem a little strange that the technical director role is still sitting empty, after our urgent review identified that weak point. More concerning is that we seem to be ceding control slightly to Thelin, although I'm prepared to accept it was both coincidence and pragmatism that our new recruitment lead is someone who has worked with him before. Things will likely get worse before they get better too. I don't imagine we're going to get a perfect strike rate overnight, so I'd expect a few duds out of the existing bunch. Concerning is the speed of dud replacement currently, I mentioned in the summer that we needed to shift a few out the door, but we never did, and our squad looks worse for it. We've had several missed windows over the years, including McInnes' final January, which should be an absolute sin. Regardless of managerial situation, the club should have the confidence and ability to be able to shift players in and out to keep the churn of players going. They don't have to do much, just a couple in and out can freshen things nicely and not allow us to stagnate. Guys like Vinnie and Jensen etc should be happily shifted on, confident that they could improve but aren't going to turn into world beaters that we suddenly regret letting go. It seems like every new manager has come in with the "I'll give everyone a chance" attitude, which has meant average squad players not being turned over. Hopefully a couple of years of a consistent manager should finally get us back to parity.

[redordead]

7 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

He's also been there in our biggest successes. Pretty much every win we've had against the Huns has involved Shinnie for example. The biggest points total for any team outside the scum was with Shinnie. He's still a very good player. He's one of the only ones who doesn't hide during games, ever. Unfortunately, his passing can be a let down at times, especially when he's knackered. His other attributes outweigh that though, and we're probably better calling for the other players to try and develop some of those attributes rather than asking Shinnie to improve. 

Yes he'll put the boot in and argue with the ref but he's not a leader on the field. He can't make the team go up a gear when needed.

He has the acceptance of going through the motions engrained over the past few seasons and for me a new broom is needed. 

Didn't mean he's our worst player by any stretch but the psyche of the team has to be altered and he's fundamentally part of the habit.

[Elgindon]

Shinnies had a strained/gaunt look about him for most of the season.Possibly exerting himself more than he has in his tank,hence he's petered out the last couple of months? He'll need to manage his game time(and Nilsen),but I dont see anyone else in the squad yet, to step in and replace his drive and grit 

   Not concerned about Thelin yet,but he probably needs to negotiate with his system meantime,until he thinks he has the players in place to get back to his preferred one

Edited Thursday at 18:42 by Elgindon

[RicoS321]

2 hours ago, redordead said:

Yes he'll put the boot in and argue with the ref but he's not a leader on the field. He can't make the team go up a gear when needed

Apart from the many, many games where he's done just that. When he's on it, he lifts everyone around him. Through his work rate and tenacity. He has done it numerous times this season. It's no surprise that as Nilsen has dropped off, Shinnie has not managed to cope with the extra burden. He ran himself into the ground. See Devlin and McGrath for exactly the same. Guys like MacKenzie just picked up injuries instead. Shinnie is far from done. Just as he wasn't when everyone said he was last season. Thelin's system requires a squad. That takes time. In the meantime we have to expect that guys playing it every week in the demanding positions, such as midfield and fullback are going to be feeling it, and that's going to have a knock on effect in terms of quality on the park. 

[OrlandoDon]

2 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

Apart from the many, many games where he's done just that. When he's on it, he lifts everyone around him. Through his work rate and tenacity. He has done it numerous times this season. It's no surprise that as Nilsen has dropped off, Shinnie has not managed to cope with the extra burden. He ran himself into the ground. See Devlin and McGrath for exactly the same. Guys like MacKenzie just picked up injuries instead. Shinnie is far from done. Just as he wasn't when everyone said he was last season. Thelin's system requires a squad. That takes time. In the meantime we have to expect that guys playing it every week in the demanding positions, such as midfield and fullback are going to be feeling it, and that's going to have a knock on effect in terms of quality on the park. 

That’s how see it. Sivert is my concern, not shinnie. I feel shinnie is where he was last year during our poor form where he needs and tries to do too much. Sivert’s poor form has sucked shinnie in. At the start of the year Shinnie was outstanding, and I think that player is still alive and well!

[manc_don]

14 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

That’s how see it. Sivert is my concern, not shinnie. I feel shinnie is where he was last year during our poor form where he needs and tries to do too much. Sivert’s poor form has sucked shinnie in. At the start of the year Shinnie was outstanding, and I think that player is still alive and well!

Agreed, it's not coincidence that he's looking leggy with the amount of running and extra work he has to do.