Aberdeen v Dunfermline

[Panda]

The last time I posted on here we were undefeated in the league and... oh hud on, I've already tried the whole 'just needs me to start the match thread for good luck' thing.

Knoester (pronounced K-nooster according to big Tyrone) is available but doesn't look like Oday Dabbagh will be. Still too early for Mitov & Sokler.

A lot of big decisions for Thelin, in a game he dare not lose (His job is not under threat, but the reaction would be vitriolic).

Knoester or Dorrington? Not sure if Knoester can complete 90 minutes yet so suspect we'll see one start then subbed off around the hour mark. Remember we could go to extra-time so could be a 120 minute game. Maybe even Rubezic gets some minutes; if you're going to throw him back in, at home to lower league opposition would be when to do it. Personally I'd start Dorrington who I didn't think was terrible at Hibs. Keen to see how good Knoester is, but given the importance of the game I'd start someone who has been here a few weeks.

Mackenzie or Jensen on the left? And if it's Mackenzie, does Jensen get in ahead of Devlin on the right?

Keskinen on the left, right or not at all? Does Okkels start or does Morris come in? Gueye, Nisbet or Clarkson - who drops out? 

Away end sold out, 1,700 Dunfermline fans, fair play to them for a lunchtime Sunday kick-off. Not looking like a big home crowd, hopefully that doesn't affect the Jimmy Calderwood tribute pre-match, but Aberdeen charging £24 for a live TV game hasn't helped.

[tlg1903]

I'm very glad this it at home and they had to play livi in the challenge cup last night given our current form. 

 

I think after JT's post match comments Knoester will come in.  I would keep Jensen in place as I actually thought Mackenzie looked disinterested when he came on last week. The rest of the defence picks itself and I think it will be Shinnie and Nilsen in dm positions.  No idea what will happen with the frontline (Nisbet is ex Raith though so maybe worth a couple of quid as anytime scorer) but we really need to win this, preferably looking quite solid and by a few goals.  

 

Out

Home

Watching through hands

2-0 dons

[RicoS321]

13 minutes ago, tlg1903 said:

I would keep Jensen in place as I actually thought Mackenzie looked disinterested when he came on last week

Really? I thought he came on and immediately made several runs beyond the winger that we'd been crying out for all game. I thought he looked frustrated with his teammates rather than disinterested. Either way, there is no way that Jensen is, or can be, our long term answer to left back because he's not good enough on his left foot, so I see little point in persisting with him in that role. MacKenzie is here until summer at least and we should utilise him, it gives the team much needed balance. The jury is out on Jensen, he looks technically good but very lightweight, but I'd play him at right back and give Devlin a much-required rest. 

[tlg1903]

11 minutes ago, RicoS321 said:

Really? I thought he came on and immediately made several runs beyond the winger that we'd been crying out for all game. I thought he looked frustrated with his teammates rather than disinterested. Either way, there is no way that Jensen is, or can be, our long term answer to left back because he's not good enough on his left foot, so I see little point in persisting with him in that role. MacKenzie is here until summer at least and we should utilise him, it gives the team much needed balance. The jury is out on Jensen, he looks technically good but very lightweight, but I'd play him at right back and give Devlin a much-required rest. 

I did, aye.  It was quite late in the game when it was clearly gone that I started getting that feeling but I've never had it before from Mackenzie in similar situation.

[Jute]

Still to decide if I am going to bother with this one. Last Saturday’s meek surrender has me wondering if I might just make it season ticket games only until end of season. 
 

As for team I have to agree with Rico on MacKenzie. Has to start as he is our best option there. I thought Jensen looked weak in tackle and uncomfortable at left back. Not sure I would even play him at right back after last weeks showing. 
 

If this was a league game I would not be starting Knoester as he has hardly played since last season so will be well short of match sharpness but as its cup against lower league opposition it is probably an ideal game to get some minutes in his legs. 
 

Again as it is lower league opposition I would start Morris on the right and Keskinen on the left. 
 

Upfront I would to go with Nisbet. Gueye has not looked like a number 9 when I have seen him. Ambrose hasn’t looked like a professional footballer. 
 

Pars have improved slightly under new manager but still look shite. We should be winning this comfortably even in the form we are in. 
 

3-0 Nisbet, Morris and Keskinen. 

[RicoS321]

Aye, has to be Nisbet. He always plays out of his skin against his former teams.

[tlg1903]

2 hours ago, Jute said:

 

 

Pars have improved slightly under new manager but still look shite. We should be winning this comfortably even in the form we are in. 
 

3-0 Nisbet, Morris and Keskinen. 

Last 5 league games they are 4 wins out of 5 including home to Raith last weekend.  They probably ain't too fussed about the challenge cup though they did field mostly their best first 11 last night.  Well, best I could tell anyway.  Their tails will still be up from beating Raith though and it's hard not to have a real fear about what happens if we concede first

 

BTW I would genuinely love to know what the stats are for every time you say stuff like "Still to decide if I am going to bother with this one." that you actually don't bother going to....   I just read it as "I'm going but I haven't admitted it to myself yet" these days

 

 

[BigAl]

1 hour ago, RicoS321 said:

Aye, has to be Nisbet. He always plays out of his skin against his former teams.

Agreed, look at his performances against the Hibees 

Still trying to fit back into his skin 

[Jute]

1 hour ago, tlg1903 said:

Last 5 league games they are 4 wins out of 5 including home to Raith last weekend.  They probably ain't too fussed about the challenge cup though they did field mostly their best first 11 last night.  Well, best I could tell anyway.  Their tails will still be up from beating Raith though and it's hard not to have a real fear about what happens if we concede first

 

BTW I would genuinely love to know what the stats are for every time you say stuff like "Still to decide if I am going to bother with this one." that you actually don't bother going to....   I just read it as "I'm going but I haven't admitted it to myself yet" these days

 

 

I am weak what can I say however on this occasion getting the only train up for kick off is a pain in the arse and I hate buses so might actually stick to it on this occasion. 

[Jute]

See sitting waiting for your child to do dancing on a Friday night is a bad thing because you sit bored browsing your phone and you suddenly find yourself booking a train to Aberdeen on Sunday.

So

In

Train then dash to ground

Y

pub then then train at some point back to Capital. 
 

3-0 Nisbet, Morris and Keskinen.

[Panda]

Despite all our signings we still look unbalanced up front. We have two guys wanting to play on the left, but long term Thelin clearly wants Okkels and Keskinen to be his first picks and this is the game to hopefully get them firing. I think Keskinen is just going to have to try and grow into the role of playing off the right.

I'd rest Shinnie and Devlin. Dorrington to start and Knoester to get some minutes off the bench.

Gueye up front but essentially dropping deep and creating space for Okkels and Keskinen, while being handy enough to be in the box to get on any corners.

I'd like to see Clarkson and Palaversa push forward with Nilsen mopping up behind them.

We won't line-up like this of course, I expect Thelin will stick with 4-2-3-1, so probably Nisbet in at the expense of a midfielder.

[RicoS321]

14 minutes ago, Panda said:

Despite all our signings we still look unbalanced up front. We have two guys wanting to play on the left, but long term Thelin clearly wants Okkels and Keskinen to be his first picks and this is the game to hopefully get them firing. I think Keskinen is just going to have to try and grow into the role of playing off the right.

I'd rest Shinnie and Devlin. Dorrington to start and Knoester to get some minutes off the bench.

Gueye up front but essentially dropping deep and creating space for Okkels and Keskinen, while being handy enough to be in the box to get on any corners.

I'd like to see Clarkson and Palaversa push forward with Nilsen mopping up behind them.

We won't line-up like this of course, I expect Thelin will stick with 4-2-3-1, so probably Nisbet in at the expense of a midfielder.

I'd be happy with this if that's what Thelin plans to play going forward (although I don't think Clarkson fits there). I doubt it though. Obviously he's got plans for the new lad up front, so I'd setup however he intends to play going forward, but have Nisbet instead of the new lad. Hopefully that means Gueye and Nisbet. I don't see the point in wasting Gueye at nine again. He's not very good at it. 

[tlg1903]

46 minutes ago, RicoS321 said:

I'd be happy with this if that's what Thelin plans to play going forward (although I don't think Clarkson fits there). I doubt it though. Obviously he's got plans for the new lad up front, so I'd setup however he intends to play going forward, but have Nisbet instead of the new lad. Hopefully that means Gueye and Nisbet. I don't see the point in wasting Gueye at nine again. He's not very good at it. 

His best position so far has been wide left but he doesn't look to have much off a sniff of getting in there now unless Keskinen is purely deployed on the right from now on.  

 

[OrlandoDon]

1 hour ago, tlg1903 said:

His best position so far has been wide left but he doesn't look to have much off a sniff of getting in there now unless Keskinen is purely deployed on the right from now on.  

 

I’d say his best position is a free roaming 10. He’s our top scorer too, would rather have him central receiving crosses from topi and co rather than us having the big hole in the middle with little punch. 

he’s unpredictable, strong, and a decent dribbler, he’ll be effective plus playing him at 10 gives our wide guys more time and space getting forward. He’ll suck defenders in.

Nisbet at 9 until we have our new boy available, plus topi Jeppe and gueye can all interchange. I think we play those three as our attackers behind a 9 and give them a good few games to develop chemistry and understanding.

[dons8321]

2 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

I’d say his best position is a free roaming 10. He’s our top scorer too, would rather have him central receiving crosses from topi and co rather than us having the big hole in the middle with little punch. 

he’s unpredictable, strong, and a decent dribbler, he’ll be effective plus playing him at 10 gives our wide guys more time and space getting forward. He’ll suck defenders in.

Nisbet at 9 until we have our new boy available, plus topi Jeppe and gueye can all interchange. I think we play those three as our attackers behind a 9 and give them a good few games to develop chemistry and understanding.

"He’s our top scorer" is a sad indictment of our current striker situation that someone who's missed a large part of the season is our best hope of getting a goal.  Really hoping that his early season showing was what he is rather than the player we saw in Helsinki but a hae ma doots.

[Elgindon]

Oot - kick off time no good.

Would also play Gueye in the 10,but also give the rest of the front line the freedom to move into whichever space makes the most sense at the time,as opposed to eg,wingers being fixed to the byline.

3 - 0 Topi X2,Okkels

[Jute]

Guessing Jensen at right back and MacKenzie at left back. Not been impressed with Jensen so far but maybe better on his correct side. Could be a 2 up front but guessing it will be Gueye in 10 role with Nisbet as lone striker. 

[OrlandoDon]

Happy with that, devlin needs rested plus I do think we’ll see palaversa and shinnie/sivert in the middle moving forward. Really looking forward to topi jeppe and gueye developing an understanding. Keen to see how this back 4 plays, would also be nice to see an attacking and contributing Mackenzie again, been a while.

optimistic about today. 4-1 us.

topi, okkels, gueye, and nisbet.

any idea when mitov is back?

[Jute]

2 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

 

any idea when mitov is back?

Thelin said another couple of weeks in press conference during the week. 

[RicoS321]

Aye, that's the team I'd have gone for. I'm not convinced that Nilsen and Palaversa are a good match in there, they get under one another's feet, but we definitely need to persist with rotating the three.

Nilsen captain too.

[JessianK]

Link sticks a pay wall up that you cant remove

 

[Slim]

Need to put this one to bed early, Dunfermline have Rivaldo and Yeboah on their bench.

[JessianK]

https://www.viprow.nu/scottish-fa-cup/aberdeen-vs-dunfermline-athletic-online-stream

 

hope this works

[tlg1903]

I'm liking the look of Knoester.  He's been pretty tidy on the ball so far 

[redordead]

Working the ball wide well but delivery not great. 

Keskinen is rotten.