st miirren

[rocknroll]

Big dons support down?

[mizer]

Decent support, but I would say it was mostly central belt folk.

 

Serious questions have to be asked to why McGee was playing one up in front. Add to that pushing Fyvie up behind Mackie and lumped high balls at them.

 

Special mentions to the shambles of Ifil and shit passer Kerr.

[glasgow sheep]

Big dons support down?

850 apparently.  Looked like more but I suspect that is due to the fact the stand is actually tiny.

 

Terrible start to the match where we couldn't string more than two passes together but gradually came into it were dominating by the end of the half.  Second half again some good pressure and possession.  Can certainly see McGhee has been working on our style of play with some really good passing triangles and movement in the midfield. Problem is the cross or set pieces we won from our good play were always a disappointment, either for hitting the first man or for the lack of any aberdeen player looking interested on getting on the end of them.  Their keeper was never really made to work in the 2nd half although we hit the bar from a deflected free kick and maguire had a great shot come off the far post.

 

Only time in the 2nd we really fell out the game was when Dargo and Maguire came on. They got their goal and then it was back to us lumping the ball forward to mackie and maguire (and eventually Wright) to try and get on the end of.

 

Really frustrating as have seen us play alot worse under JC and get a result, certainly would say we played better than our last visit where we salvaged a draw in the last minute.  We desperately need some cutting edge up front.  McGhee also needs to show confidence in maguire or paton through the middle if mackie or miller are not available due to form, suspensions or injury.  And to the board. If bringing in a striker (be it McLean or whoever) means a nominal fee then fucking well get your cheque book out. You should make the money back in prize money for league position and hopefully crowds.  We cannot carry on playing with the same strike force that has produced 13 league goals for us in half a fucking season!

[CtS]

850 apparently.  Looked like more but I suspect that is due to the fact the stand is actually tiny.

 

Terrible start to the match where we couldn't string more than two passes together but gradually came into it were dominating by the end of the half.  Second half again some good pressure and possession.  Can certainly see McGhee has been working on our style of play with some really good passing triangles and movement in the midfield. Problem is the cross or set pieces we won from our good play were always a disappointment, either for hitting the first man or for the lack of any aberdeen player looking interested on getting on the end of them.  Their keeper was never really made to work in the 2nd half although we hit the bar from a deflected free kick and maguire had a great shot come off the far post.

 

Only time in the 2nd we really fell out the game was when Dargo and Maguire came on. They got their equaliser and then it was back to us lumping the ball forward to mackie and maguire (and eventually Wright) to try and get on the end of.

 

Really frustrating as have seen us play alot worse under JC and get a result, certainly would say we played better than our last visit where we salvaged a draw in the last minute.  We desperately need some cutting edge up front.  McGhee also needs to show confidence in maguire or paton through the middle if mackie or miller are not available due to form, suspensions or injury.  And to the board. If bringing in a striker (be it McLean or whoever) means a nominal fee then fucking well get your cheque book out. You should make the money back in prize money for league position and hopefully crowds.  We cannot carry on playing with the same strike force that has produced 13 league goals for us in half a fucking season!

 

If only that were true. 

[manc_don]

If only that were true. 

 

I was confused by that as well!

[glasgow sheep]

If only that were true. 

wishful thinking I suppose.

 

They did really create fuck all and that 5min spell was the only time they created anything other than when we were chasing the game.  Another question.  When was the last time we were consistently dangerous at corners?  I lost count of the number of corners we had tonight and created half a chance in total.  For a team so lacking in a cutting edge we should surely be working our damnedest to make the most of set pieces.

 

Oh and as good as Fyvie is he cannae shoot to save his life.

[glasgow sheep]

stat stolen from mad.

 

Did we really expect to score tonight when you see this?

 

Goals this season from tonight's team (excluding Langfield!)

 

Young - 0

Ifil - 0

Mulgrew - 4 (and one of them was in Europa League qualifier)

Grassi - 0

 

Foster - 0

Kerr - 0

Fyvie - 0

Marshall - 0

Pawlett - 0

 

Mackie - 1 (in Scottish Cup on Saturday)

 

Maguire - 1

Paton - 2 (both in League Cup at Dundee)

Wright - 0

 

[BobbyBiscuit]

wishful thinking I suppose.

 

They did really create fuck all and that 5min spell was the only time they created anything other than when we were chasing the game.  Another question.  When was the last time we were consistently dangerous at corners?  I lost count of the number of corners we had tonight and created half a chance in total.  For a team so lacking in a cutting edge we should surely be working our damnedest to make the most of set pieces.

 

Oh and as good as Fyvie is he cannae shoot to save his life.

 

I made the point about corners in livechat tonight, also slightly concerned that despite his size, Ifil seems to cause no problems for the opposition at set pieces. Was he even up for them tonight?

[mizer]

Gs were you down the front and was it sheepshagger who got abused at the end?

[glasgow sheep]

Gs were you down the front and was it sheepshagger who got abused at the end?

No and no.

 

Bobby: Ifil was up for corners but yet again doesn't even get near to winning the ball never mind directing it on target or scoring.  We have precisely no threat with out Zander or Consi at set pieces.

[Azteca1903]

As mentioned above we looked comfortable in possession without really threatening. The lack of presence from corners is worrying, similarly from throws; when we've got folk like Grassi or Foster who can lob it into the box why can't we use them effectively? It would have only taken one clever set piece to take care of a poor St Mirren side early on.

 

Perhaps it wasn't the wisest plan to go into a game which we dominated possession-wise with only one striker, it restricted us going forward and often led to the aimless hoof following a neat string of passes. Mackie on his own up top worked fine against United but tonight when we required more imagination than endevour it left us short on attacking options. Wonderful thing though, hindsight.

 

Individually no-one really shone out, except of course Ifil for his ability to find touch from any situation imaginable. Who'd have though a fucking square pass could be so difficult?

 

 

[glasgow sheep]

 

Individually no-one really shone out, except of course Ifil for his ability to find touch from any situation imaginable. Who'd have though a fucking square pass could be so difficult?

Special mention to his keepy-uppies over on the right in the first half though.

 

Difficult to pick any standouts from a match where we were seemingly comfortable but equally created fuck all.  Bit unsure why Pawlett was out on the left 1st half while our lack of width in a five man midfield was startling, as was the fact the full backs seemed to have been ordered to stop on the half way line. 

[RDU_64]

I've said this before that Mulgrews corners are particularly awful, either are far too deep or don't beat the first man. And on Saturdays showing, Fyvie is not that good either.

[mizer]

Special mention to his keepy-uppies over on the right in the first half though.

 

He also managed to find an Aberdeen shirt a whole 6 times during the game according to the lad behind us.

[maverick sheep]

Mulgrew over all was an absolute joke. He has the passing ability but none of the other defensive attributes. Ifil has the defensive attributes but not the passing ability. Without Ifil in the 1st half we could've been 3 down since Mulgrew is blatently unwilling to stick a head on it or make a challenge.

 

Langfield - decent

 

Young - decent

 

Mulgrew - joke

 

Ifil - decent (over all but passing is dire)

 

Grassi - Poor

 

Pawlett - Quiet by his standards

 

Fyvie - decent

 

Kerr - Shits his pants when a forward pass is required. Before humans grew legs there were probably better footballers than Mark Kerr.

 

Marshall - dire

 

Foster - decent

 

Mackie - decent but needed a target man beside him because as hard as he tried he isn't one.

 

Macguire - decent

 

Paton and Wright - not much of a look

 

Over all conclusion - thank fuck for pubs.

[Stewart]

Just watched through to their goal on Alba and I checked the web site to see if there was any point watching the rest.

 

Can't really disagree with what others have said about the game.  We seemed to come into it eventually and by the end of the first half and the start of the second we were dominating.

 

Bobby, there were times at the start of the season when Ifil wasn't even coming up for corners let alone making himself dangerous at them.

[redordead]

Powder puff display

 

Felt Fyvie and Marshall both looked to be struggling and as a result there was no support to Mackie ( not that he held anything up )

[BigAl]

Our corner kick count must have been well into double figures. As already stated in thread our lack of threat from these is laughable. Last night either hit first man, or straight into Gallachers arms. Why the fuck does someone not get in about the keeper and at least make life difficult for him.

Failing that bring back Ebbe's train routine, might not have been hugely effective, but certainly was entertaining watching it

[wee toon red]

I'm not sure the game I watched on Alba last night is the same one that some of you were at.

 

I thought we played pretty well for the most part considering we are still missing at least three first choice players. You can see the influence McGhee is having as the players were attempting to keep the ball on the floor more often than not until St Mirren scored, when the lumping it forward started.

 

Totally agree with Glasgow Sheep though, we were (are) crying out for a striker who could have caused a bit of bother once we got to the penalty area.

 

I thought Kerr had a pretty good game and opened the play out well on a few occasions. Ok he doesn't find his man with every single pass but if he did he wouldn't be playing for the Dons. And Ifil is exactly what he was described as in the summer. I'd rather have a defender who is decent at the basics of his trade and who isn't much of a passer ahead of someone who is comfortable with the ball at his feet but doesn't win a header or get many blocks in.

 

Very, very frustrating result last night but hopefully Zander and Sone coming back, along with Miller and hopefully a new striker, will get us back on the right road.

[mizer]

I thought Kerr had a pretty good game and opened the play out well on a few occasions. Ok he doesn't find his man with every single pass but if he did he wouldn't be playing for the Dons.

 

Kerr last night managed to find his own player with a pass only a couple of times in the whole game. In one instance he was not far from Forster (I think) but managed to pass the ball straight to their defender even though they were no where near each other, and then lets not forget at the start of the game where he had the ball in midfield looked up to the left - we all look there and see nobody running down the wing (there was nobody for 40 yards), so Kerr boots it that way anyway and even if there had been a player out there he wouldn't have got it as it hit the sideline. If I passed that badly at 5's I would be ripped to shreds.

 

Surley one of  the fundamentals of a professional footballer is that they can make simple passes?

[Guest rocket debris]

Surley one of  the fundamentals of a professional footballer is that they can make simple passes?

This, plus the inability to trap and kill a ball, have been the biggest frustrations for me in the last 15 years. I stayed away from AFC for the whole of the 2007 calendar year because I didn't see why I should pay to watch people who couldn't do the fundamentals. They still can't but I was missing it so I now pay money to see mostly shit players perform shitly. If the club ever wondered why the crowds are declining, a review of the basics might be a good place to start.

 

 

[BobbyBiscuit]

Kerr last night managed to find his own player with a pass only a couple of times in the whole game. In one instance he was not far from Forster (I think) but managed to pass the ball straight to their defender even though they were no where near each other, and then lets not forget at the start of the game where he had the ball in midfield looked up to the left - we all look there and see nobody running down the wing (there was nobody for 40 yards), so Kerr boots it that way anyway and even if there had been a player out there he wouldn't have got it as it hit the sideline. If I passed that badly at 5's I would be ripped to shreds.

 

Surley one of  the fundamentals of a professional footballer is that they can make simple passes?

 

Yes, and the fact we have a central midfielder in Kerr who can not strike the ball at goal is ludicrous. He knows before he shoots he's more likely to trouble the crowd rather than the keeper, we know that too so why doesn't he do something about it?  It is inexcusable that a professional footballer can not strike the ball, it is a very basic skill.  In fact, it's probably the most basic of all football skills.

[tsr]

Poor result in terms of securing a top 4 spot this season but St Mirren are having a decent season so it was never going to be easy getting a result down there.

 

Sounds like we played OK in general terms.

[mizer]

Yes, and the fact we have a central midfielder in Kerr who can not strike the ball at goal is ludicrous. He knows before he shoots he's more likely to trouble the crowd rather than the keeper, we know that too so why doesn't he do something about it?

 

We were talking about that during the game, on a number of occasions in the first half he was in a decent position just outside the 18 yard box but rahter than getting a shot in would run sideways and try and play a through ball to Mackie. If he took a shot the keeper may parry it and Mackie would have been able to use his pace to beat the cloggers of defenders to get to the ball first (then miss the target with his shot  ).

 

 

[tsr]

Who cares if we "played okay"?

 

We lost - against a team we should have beaten - these are games we must win if we want to make an impact.

 

All this talk that we played nae bad is a load of shite if we can't produce results. I'd rather have us play crap and get points on the table rather than pass our way into a relegation dog-fight.

 

Minimum we should expect against St Mirren away is a clean sheet.

 

Remember, AFC plc budgets for certain league position - if we don't start climbing the table there's gonna be even less money for signings and wages than there already is.

 

The only direct comparasion I have for it is we played down there last year and I went down, we were total garbage. So to hear that we have at least put in a decent performance makes a change.

 

Still expect us to finish top 4 but wonder what AFC budgets for? I read somewhere that it was going out the first rounds of the cups and finishing 7th.