So... remind me how much it cost

[Ajja]

Disagree about the comments about transitional. It's in direct response to many months of baiting for being "happy clappers".

 

It's almost never directed towards McGhee. It's almost gallows humour and as I said in another thread, most of the people on herehave been pretty consistent.

 

It may have started that way but its now pretty consistently used to say 'don't you look stupid' to anyone who agreed that we needed a change of management. As I said, with hindsight its easy to say that was the wrong decision and to be triumphant about it, in humour or not just isn't helpful.

[baggy89]

Excellent post GS 

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and for those who are now screaming that we should never have got rid of Calderwood its cleary a joyous time. I'm struggling to remember much clambering to carry on down the road we were on last season among the support back in the spring of last year. Yes we made Europe amidst poor opposition and we achieved a credible league finish but the football was awful almost all season and 90% of the fan base was not enjoying it. When I refer to 'treading water' that's what it felt like, another season of sub-standard football, poor cup runs and moderate top 6 finishes with a possible european place was not my idea of an exciting season. Would I take that this season ? Yes I probably would but thats the great thing about informing the decisions you should have made with future actions. Its hard to deny that performances and results have taken a step down and its hugely frustrating to face up to that fact but somewhere in this shitstorm there has to be some sort of belief that a better picture might emerge otherwise we might as well all just pack it in.

 

What really pisses me off about some of the opinions in this thread is that so many people on here historically presented themselves as rational thinkers with a longer, more sensible viewpoint. Yet the prevailing noise on the site since about 10 games into the season has been one of total intolerence and short term knee jerk reaction towards the change of management. Acidic commentary about 'transitional phases' and barb humour about 'Jimmys dross' merely appears representative of the fact that you have no patience or support for anything McGhee might be trying to do.

 

Before I get pelters for suggesting that we should just tolerate the shit we are being presented with let me make it perfectly clear that I am not happy with what is going on at the club. However, what I am willing to do is give the current manager more time to try and change things. It might have been a huge error to put him in place but we did and the least we can do is let him try to sort it out.

 

I think what you are seeing as a shift in perspective to total intolerence and short term knee jerk reaction towards the change of management is, as Bilbo suggested, frustration at the continuing failure of AFC in achieving anything. I've always assumed and treated comments regarding "transitional seasons" and "Jimmy's dross" as a bit of bam baiting humour to alleviate said frustrations, and have used them in the same fashion.

 

I certainly do not want McGhee sacked. I stated the same after, I think, the Falkirk game. What exactly would be the point in that? We are not in danger of being relegated. Not forgetting that the board copped out of the last managers contract they handed out further deepening our need for them and I'm fucked if I'd encourage them to deepen it further. Rightly or wrongly McGhee is the boards man and he has to be given an opportunity to sort his mess out. I may not have been for his appointment, I may not appreciate how he is going about his job, but if at the end of it he is a success, I will humbly eat my pie of the same name. 

 

As for a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm still of the belief that it's a long term thing, numerous times in numerous posts I've mentioned Hibs (I know I'm not the only one). They've cleared their debt and building from there and surely now have to be considered the most viable OF contenders for a generation.

 

Oh and if you can't vent frustrations about your football club on a website dedicated to opinions about said football club, what's the point in said website?

[Ajja]

 

Oh and if you can't vent frustrations about your football club on a website dedicated to opinions about said football club, what's the point in said website?

 

I don't think that has been suggested. We're having a discussion about it are we not ? I'm expressing my opinion along with many others, often they differ, but that's the nature of it. I hope I am not coming across as dictatorial as its not my intention to stop anyone from having their say, unless of course they are wrong, then they need to shut the fuck up 

[CtS]

We are not in danger of being relegated.

 

Bad result this weekend and I would suggest we're very much in a relegation dog fight.

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and for those who are now screaming that we should never have got rid of Calderwood its cleary a joyous time.

 

This is not a joyous time for any dons fan ajja. In my opinion too many supporters let their personal feelings about JC cloud their views about what was best for Aberdeen. He was not a likeable character. He spoke nonsense to the media. His Glasgow upbringing. The sunbed caricature. The attacking football myth. The horrendous cup results. If McGhee feels no warmth from Aberdeen fans he should talk to the Jimmy's about how they felt up here. But I felt we were in safe hands under Jimmy's guidance. We could argue all day about the rights and wrongs of changing the management team, but that doesn't mean anyone's happy about where we find ourselves now.

 

McGhee must stay, we have to try and get behind him, we must hope the Board back him in the Summer with some proper finance to sort the squad out, and as the support dwindles to Dundee United proportions we have to hope and believe the good times are just around the corner. Managers and players will come and go, but we'll still be here.

 

We need a spark again, maybe by the start of next season hopes will be raised, but August looks a long way off just now. For most of us the Raith game has been a cup humiliation too far, but as usual we'll get over it.

 

What else can we do?

 

[El Padre™]

Can't be fucked reading everything right now, what I'll say though is that MM is clearly trying to take what's in his shit sandwich, and put it into something more stylish, like a baguette or a panini. Unfortunately he can only afford the shit sandwich and will have to go hungry if he doesn't eat it. Or he could give it to someone more hungry than he is and they'll gladly eat it, in the process getting shit all over their face and in their mouth.

 

Y'get me?

[bilbobaggins]

Ajj, I think you are almost totally wrong.

 

I've been unswerving in my support for MM and no amount of taking the piss out of people who put him in the realm of demi-god changes that.

 

Final word on the subject from me.

 

 

[scotfree]

Having had time to calm down since last night (and having spent my entire lunch hour reading this thread)...

 

Listening to McGhee's post-match interview, he at least seems to know what the problems are and is as pissed off at the losers we have playing for us as any of us are. He also seems to be determined to do what he can to resolve this.

 

He's taken the barracking he got on the chin and I actually like him more after hearing that interview than I did before the game even began...

 

Still not convinced by anything that he has actually done during his reign as opposed to the talking, right enough. As we have all just seen last night, talk is very very cheap indeed...

 

Wish our players (i.e. Mackie, Maclean, Diamond, Aluko) wouldn't waste their breath in the EE or other rags bullshitting on about how determined or desperate they are to win 'for the fans'. They quite clearly couldn't give a fuck when they aren't on Sky against the OF and being watched by a bunch Championship scouts/managers. Cunts. 

 

Ok maybe I haven't actually calmed down that much! 

+1

[tsr]

I don't think we're in a relegation battle regardless what happens this Saturday. What I am looking for is a victory to get us back involved in chasing a Europa League spot

[baggy89]

I don't think that has been suggested. We're having a discussion about it are we not ? I'm expressing my opinion along with many others, often they differ, but that's the nature of it. I hope I am not coming across as dictatorial as its not my intention to stop anyone from having their say, unless of course they are wrong, then they need to shut the fuck up 

 

All I really meant by that was that if you are frustrated you're likely to lose a bit of perspective and rant. Should that not be forgiven considerig the circumstances?

[manc_don]

There are shock results in the cup and then there are defeats regularly to lower league opposition and humilation (far beyond that meated out in the SPL) from the likes of united, hibs and killie.

 

Surely it is not beyond the wits of somebody to do better than this without any extra investment. I mean I could list all the clubs who have got to finals since we last did but it would be quicker saying who hasn't, and several of those have been a good bit worse than we are now.

 

Sustained improvement in the league however does need investment and without it there is probably only a very small margin of potential improvement on what JC achieved until/unless our youngsters prove to live up to the hype and stick about for a bit.

 

I can't see that anyone can argue that the club was going stale, that the cup defeats were having a disproportionately big effect on the club and the fans and that realistically JC wasn't going to change that.  I would agree with those who say that it was time for JC to go, however the resultant cost has been magnified by the setanta loss and means sacking him was clearly a huge mistake.  Having said that JC would not have seen a penny more than MM has this year and we would be having similar arguments, discussion and moans as we have done for the last 3 years which would gradually have worn us down.

 

Unfortunatley the appointment of MM looks to have back fired badly and his comments re fans and harping on about celtic are as bad if not worse than alot of what JC came out with.  I believe he does have a vision for the club that we have seen all too briefly from the team so far this season, but any change is going to take along time to implement (going on the current rate of change). 

 

I suspect we will finish 6th or 7th this year and have to hope that something happens in the summer to reignite the fans.  I suspect if JC had been in charge we would be saying something similar but with a slightly better league position and a couple of hundred grand in the bank.  Something needs to be done as when so many fans (including myself to a degree) response to last night was "meh, not again" it must be a worrying time for the everyone given the steady decline in attendances.

 

I have no answers, and more importantly the board don't either. We are where we are.  MM will be given more time and we have to hope that something changes.  In reality until we finally sort out the stadium issue this club is going no where.  I just wish no where didn't involve so many soul destroying performances in the cup (can we just not enter next year?)

 

Spot on GS. + 1

 

I've highlighted the bit in bold as its a point I raised before the Hibs game (I think after the Murderwell defeat). The board needs freshening up, some new imput and ideas. I can't see where its going to come from and that is why we are going stale. It doesn't matter who the manager is, this is where the rot first manifests.

 

Mark McGhee has to stay, I just hope that the board miraculously manages to find some cash to invest, like the managed to find to pay off the Jimmy's and Motherwell. Show us evidence of this "extensive footballing budget". The fans have more than done their bit, now its time for you and the rest of the club to step up to the plate.

 

COME ON YOU REDS.

 

[tsr]

Some good posts lads, if anything the situation if JC had still been in charge would have been even worse but thats a hypothetical statement never to be proved. My reasoning is that as Glasgow Sheep pointed out JC had already lost a huge section of the fans before the Hibs game. Whilst I doubt we'd have been stumbled so badly against Sigma the reality is that Calderwood would not have replaced the players that left any better than McGhee did in the summer with the budget available. I feel if Calderwood had been given the £600,000 budget and an increase in players wages to match this budget things may have been different however Milne has made it pretty clear that was never the intention whatever happened.

[Ajja]

Ajj, I think you are almost totally wrong.

 

I've been unswerving in my support for MM and no amount of taking the piss out of people who put him in the realm of demi-god changes that.

 

Final word on the subject from me.

 

I'm not sure if there is a wrong or right in this, only opinions, of which we are all entitle to. If you find my criticisms are unfair and inaccurate then possibly they aren't being aimed at you. I guess everyone is feeling pretty fragile and angry just now and I will join you in making this my last words 

[CtS]

I have never had a knee jerk reaction. I think I have been pretty consistent with my piss taking even when jimmy was still in charge. With the founding of the JISMGOD group.

 

I hope that's your final words on the matter.

 

That's my final words on the matter.

 

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and for those who are now screaming that we should never have got rid of Calderwood its cleary a joyous time.

 

Yeah, the joy has no end Ajja.