Todays fitba

[tom_widdows]

Unfortunate OG for Peterhead. 

 

Suppose it is sort of a win-win situation though. Blue hordes win and they will always be remembered they actually had to play in the challenge cup. Lose and they will always be reminded they failed to win it

 

But down south Spurs under a bit of pressure today. Lose to Man United and Leicester could actually win the title next Monday if results go their way

[Jute]

Spurs 2-0 up with 15 to go. Race in England will go on for a while yet.

 

Edit: make that 3-0 up.

[tom_widdows]

Leicester guaranteed a place in champions league qualifiers next season

 

Shame that in Scotland an 8 point lead with 5 to play = title race over

yet a 7 point lead with 5 to play in England = title race still on

 

 

[manc_don]

Leicester guaranteed a place in champions league qualifiers next season

 

Shame that in Scotland an 8 point lead with 5 to play = title race over

yet a 7 point lead with 5 to play in England = title race still on

 

Sadly, it is true though

[RicoS321]

Leicester guaranteed a place in champions league qualifiers next season

 

Shame that in Scotland an 8 point lead with 5 to play = title race over

yet a 7 point lead with 5 to play in England = title race still on

 

Not really, it depends entirely on the teams. If the dons were 8 points ahead the race would still be on, just as if Man City/Arsenal/Chelsea were 7 points ahead it would be over.

[Madbadteacher]

Also, TBF, the EPL has more sides capable of winning against ANY of the top 4, here, teams likely to be rasellik?

 

Answers on a postage stamp please

[tom_widdows]

Hibs Hibsed it again

 

2-0 up with 3mins to go and 10 man Falkirk come back to snatch a draw in injury time

 

Hearts v Caley an uninspiring 0-0 apparently

[manc_don]

Hibs Hibsed it again

 

2-0 up with 3mins to go and 10 man Falkirk come back to snatch a draw in injury time

 

Hearts v Caley an uninspiring 0-0 apparently

 

Shame they couldn't rustle up a victory against Hearts. It's not squeaky bum time just yet.

[tom_widdows]

Barca OOT!!!

 

Hopefully someone will cuff Real in the semis

[Tyrant]

Barca OOT!!!

 

Hopefully someone will cuff Real in the semis

 

 

It's a fucking shame Wolfsburg Hibsed it.

[manc_don]

Scousers being taught a lesson. In fairness they could have been level but they're not 

[tom_widdows]

Scousers being taught a lesson. In fairness they could have been level but they're not 

 

Aint over till its over

[manc_don]

Wow, what a game! Fair play, they deserved that as well

[Edinburghdon]

Scousers being taught a lesson. In fairness they could have been level but they're not 

 

[manc_don]

 

Old cliché but football won last night, that was a brilliant game. Shame our boys couldn't show that level of desire for a full 90 mins.

[rocket_scientist]

Shame our boys couldn't show that level of desire for a full 90 mins.

 

I wonder who you might be referring to as the best examples of this?

 

For me it's McGinn. Goodwillie was another highly infuriating footballer.

 

The reason why these two stand at the top of the pile is that they have obvious talent.

 

Fools within our ranks will continue to think that they will come good one day without even seeing that it's their lack of desire and application that is dreadfully handicapping their performance potential.

 

When one of our fools is the manager, who's very function is to get the most out of them, then we've no chance.

 

McGinn failed at his beloved Celtic and ends up with us at significantly less income. In a two month spell, a long time ago, well before McInnes, he produced magic and he did it consistently. He's never shown consistency-capability since, only flashes of his patent genius.

 

Winners produce consistently. Generally. Gordon Strachan was an exception, infuriating in that his exceptional skill was in evidence a lot of the time but even he - someone good enough to play at the highest level, unlike McGinn - punctuated his season at AFC with many off days where he put in substantially less than 100%. Which is why SAF couldn't wait to get rid of him. He saw it coming and started the process of jumping ship, signing a pre-contract behind the manager's back.

 

McGinn doesn't have that issue. Nobody better than us wants him and he's been supported by poor management. Anyone who thinks he needs backing to come good knows fuck all. I played with amateurs who gave 100% every week. Whatever they have in potential, not trying hard enough is unacceptable, shortchanging their team-mates, their manager and in the case of professional performers, their fans.

[Edinburghdon]

Old cliché but football won last night, that was a brilliant game. Shame our boys couldn't show that level of desire for a full 90 mins.

 

I think thats slightly unfair, there have been games that the players have shown a hunger and desire to win for the full 90 mins, the Celtic game being one.  I do agree that they don't do it often enough though, but then again there's not a football team on the planet that play with that level of desire 100% of the time.

[RicoS321]

I think thats slightly unfair, there have been games that the players have shown a hunger and desire to win for the full 90 mins, the Celtic game being one.  I do agree that they don't do it often enough though, but then again there's not a football team on the planet that play with that level of desire 100% of the time.

 

Agreed. Also, a hell of a lot of games where we haven't needed to show the hunger and desire because we've had a 20 minute spell of dominating a team and getting enough for the win (Hamilton, Hearts being two).

 

I didn't see the Liverpool game last night, I just saw the goals, but I suspect their hunger and desire was fueled by their first goal back at two down. I have seen them in a couple of other games this season (highlights mainly), and I didn't recognise that hunger and desire when they lost those games. Indeed, hunger and desire for teams and players turns itself on and off in games and even parts of games. I'd argue that our hunger and desire (including McGinn, Rocket!) was very much on show in our winning run at the start of the season, where we won several games by dragging ourselves over the line in some scrappy, close, affairs. I - and many others (I'm not some fitba genius) - said that we rode our luck on many an occasion and that several of those wins could easily have been draws. But it was never sustainable over a season, just as our shitey run in October wasn't as our baseline performances are generally good enough to win us games. Our baseline ability has us in second place, which I think is right as we're generally better than those behind us but are capable of losing to them, and generally worse than Celtic but capable of beating them (which would earn us our hunger and desire label). I think it is easier to motivate that hunger and desire in cup games - hence why we lost to two teams who are generally worse than us.

[rocket_scientist]

Not directed at anyone in particular but you either understand what separates winners from losers or you don't.

 

It's attitude. It's desire. It's work ethic. It doesn't matter the discipline, whether football, tennis, academia, business etc. etc.

 

As the vast majority aren't winners nor ever have been winners nor do they work with winners nor have they ever studied or examined the differences, they are not qualified to comment and their opinions are worthless.

 

For such ignorants, I recommend Bounce by Matthew Syed, a far superior read than Daniel Coyle's The Talent Code. It's not a heavy read and contains many excellent anecdotal examples. This deals with work ethic primarily but to understand the attitude and burning desire and determination to win, you have to have it, be born with it, live and breathe it every second of every day. You won't recognise it from a book. Losers don't know why they lose and they don't really care.

 

Bounce is so simple in fact, that even retards might get something out of it. Although given the "news" today that phones should be allowed in cinemas and the tragedy of the reasons being debated, reading a whole book might just be way beyond their attention spans, which is exactly what our governments engineered of course.

 

 

[BobbyBiscuit]

 

Winners produce consistently. Generally. Gordon Strachan was an exception, infuriating in that his exceptional skill was in evidence a lot of the time but even he - someone good enough to play at the highest level, unlike McGinn - punctuated his season at AFC with many off days where he put in substantially less than 100%. Which is why SAF couldn't wait to get rid of him. He saw it coming and started the process of jumping ship, signing a pre-contract behind the manager's back.

 

 

I'm a fan of McGinn, his skill is undoubted, and for Aberdeen to have a player of his quality is an asset. As I, Jute, manc and others have said, if he produced every week, with his skill, he would not be at Aberdeen. That is not to say that any of us should not be frustrated with him. I would put a couple of things forward however... McGinn left Celtic because a) he struggled to get a game b) when he did get a game, he was stuck on the wing.

 

He signed for Aberdeen because he was promised by Brown to play through the middle. When this happened, he effectively saved us from relegation. He has a languid style, Hayes has the opposite but in typical Scottish style, when both are having off days we always plump for Jonny because he's 'trying'.  That's the thing that holds Scotland back. Ignoring skill (this is not a slight on Jonny who is a skilful winger in his own right of course).

 

But, DM has always played NM wide; he is reliant on his team mates getting the ball to him and is therefore out of the game for large periods at a time, like any other winger.  And therefore, like any other winger/wide midfielder flits in and out of games, like Strachan did.

 

He frustrates fans, but so did Jim Bett. If Bett couldn't be arsed you fucking knew about it from minute one - inspiring the Northern Light to produce Bett's diaries.. 'Saturday 16th January - It's raining in Portlethen. I can't be fucked today'. As great a player as Bett was, those diary entries spoke a truth. And aye, it's probably the same with McGinn but he's a player we would miss so much if we didn't have him.

 

McGinn, Hayes and Rooney are the players who really make the difference for us. The problem at AFC isn't the attackers, for once in a (semi) successful team, it's the keeper and defence that are the issue.

[rocket_scientist]

That's a very good post bb and I enjoyed reading it, thank you.

 

I'm not sure that you and I will disagree of the meat of this matter.

 

Not sure I can accept the Bett correlation however. Jazzer was class and did it much more consistently.

 

But a very good argument notwithstanding.

[rocket_scientist]

However, you missed the application-observation.

 

McGinn has never tried enough often enough.

[BobbyBiscuit]

However, you missed the application-observation.

 

McGinn has never tried enough often enough.

 

But I think that may be in the eye of the spectator, so to speak. Look at McGinn when he's ace, he still doesn't look as though he's busting a bollock to do so. The goal at Tynecastle which is in with a chance of winning goal of the season is a lovely example... it was his 'coolness' which allowed him to score that goal. the drop of the shoulder twice is so lazy but so devastating to Hearts.  Same with Bett, often took a ball in and opened his body up, leaned back and pinged it on to Paul Mason's right foot. But he still looked as though he wasn't really trying which still upset a lot of people, bizarrely!

 

When someone has the style of McGinn, it looks awful when his moves don't come off because he's so languid. When someone has the style of Hayes, the fans love him because of the frantic style of play.

The reality is that we need them both and should be thankful of both. Different styles, different skills but often, the same result from a different road travelled.

[rocket_scientist]

I'll ignore the implied insult that I'm so stupid not to recognise his "playing style" and ask you simply to look at results.

 

To consider the failed Irishman in the same breath is a huge insult to Bett.

[RicoS321]

Good win for Hibs today, they rode their luck, especially with that fuck up of a pen from Cummings.

 

The fat cunt that chooses the wine on Saturday kitchen did a great job in goal for Hibs today, especially shouting folk down at the pens. I'm partial to a fat goalie it has to be said, I'd like to see someone like that at the dons.