AFC v Arabs 2/01/13

[Stewart]

Anybody else think 13,000 was a bit low for crowd. Looked more to me. We really need replace both keepers in this window as neither is any good. I really do think we will be lucky to keep McGinn past the summer. Far to good for this league.

 

I said before the free kick that there was no way he'd score as the keeper would surely have it scouted. 

[BigAl]

Anybody else think 13,000 was a bit low for crowd. Looked more to me. We really need replace both keepers in this window as neither is any good. I really do think we will be lucky to keep McGinn past the summer. Far to good for this league.

 

Agree about the keepers 100%, however not sure about the McGinn too good for this league part.

The record books state that he didn't exactly set the heather alight whilst playing down south with the mighty Brentford.

Might just be a case of right place, right time ?

[dave_min]

Anybody else think 13,000 was a bit low for crowd. Looked more to me. We really need replace both keepers in this window as neither is any good. I really do think we will be lucky to keep McGinn past the summer. Far to good for this league.

 

This.

 

x1000

 

McGinn would be a very cheap and easy short-term replacement for Hooper.

 

Bastards.

[maverick sheep]

is it this summer he's signed up til?

[manc_don]

is it this summer he's signed up til?

 

I thought he signed a 2year deal? Either way, we'll get money. Id hope that he wouldn't be silly enough to go there given his treatment the first time round.

[glasgow sheep]

Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Again.

Having said that very enjoyable game again today with both sides having a go. Thought McGinn, Fraser, Hayes and Smith were superb for us while flood, Russel and Armstrong were good for them. Our defense was badly exposed on a number of occasions and our young full backs left the old guys in the middle in too many difficult situations. Really need Ozzie and Hughes back to offer a bit more protection to our back four.

 

Overall we were the better side but can't argue too much with a draw. Just three pts off second after the worst injury crisis since the last one isn't too shabby at all. Some of the best football and most exciting players in red for many a season, and with a full squad and a bit more luck and belief this could be a grand season. Roll on ict on the 19th.

 

Oh and there must have been more than 13k there, I guessed about 16k

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

We need one, solid, first choice keeper. But we already knew that and we probably would be less likely to get value for money in the January window. Mainly because we ain't got any.

 

All of our players make mistakes though.

[Tyrant]

We need one, solid, first choice keeper. But we already knew that and we probably would be less likely to get value for money in the January window. Mainly because we ain't got any.

 

All of our players make mistakes though.

 

 

 

They do all make mistakes though but what you said first to true also. Langfield must be replaced. Whilst other players have made bad decisions which may have cost us points they've also won us points. Langfield has made no saves other SPL keepers wouldn't have but he has made blunders that other keepers wouldn't have. Seems to be every game against United that the Arabs sing "One Jamie Langfield". They were on his case before he threw one in the net. That got to him. They know it gets to him. Get him to fuck away from my club. I've never been a boo boy and I will never be a boo boy but if a player is clearly not good enough he needs to be shown the door.

 

Another thing that I noticed last night was how clear the gulf in ability was between the two keepers in commanding the area and coming for crosses. Although I do feel Cierzniak could have done much better for McGinn's free kick.

[manc_don]

 

 

They do all make mistakes though but what you said first to true also. Langfield must be replaced. Whilst other players have made bad decisions which may have cost us points they've also won us points. Langfield has made no saves other SPL keepers wouldn't have but he has made blunders that other keepers wouldn't have. Seems to be every game against United that the Arabs sing "One Jamie Langfield". They were on his case before he threw one in the net. That got to him. They know it gets to him. Get him to fuck away from my club. I've never been a boo boy and I will never be a boo boy but if a player is clearly not good enough he needs to be shown the door.

 

Another thing that I noticed last night was how clear the gulf in ability was between the two keepers in commanding the area and coming for crosses. Although I do feel Cierzniak could have done much better for McGinn's free kick.

 

To be fair, he had enough folk in the wall and I would have thought they'd have dealt with it.  The bend on it was pretty special though so I wouldn't really blame him for that instance.  What confuses me is the Arabs ability to find these great keepers for very little (I assume anyway).  Why are we so incapable of doing this?  Not only that, but we are incapable of producing our own crop.  It's the one area which we have consistently lacked for well...as long as I can remember.

 

Langfield should have gone the season after the Arab semi final at Tynie.  McGhee nearly managed it and it was probably one of the few positives he started to do.  Please Brown, for the sake of our team and the progress which we can all see, get a new no.1. ASAP.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Langfield is the no. 1 til next season.

 

There has to be a new keeper for next season.

[manc_don]

Langfield is the no. 1 til next season.

 

There has to be a new keeper for next season.

 

Why though? We've already told Brown he can go (providing he actually goes) why would we not just use that money to sign a decent no.1 in Jan?  I genuinely believe that he will be the difference between finishing 2nd and finishing 6th/7th.

[glasgow sheep]

Why though? We've already told Brown he can go (providing he actually goes) why would we not just use that money to sign a decent no.1 in Jan?  I genuinely believe that he will be the difference between finishing 2nd and finishing 6th/7th.

 

I disagree. 

The difference between 2nd and anywhere else will be converting our superiority and chances into more goals.  Langfields blunders have cost us points but not as many as our inability to turn our possession and chances into goals.  In anycase our defence were as much to blame for the two goals yesterday as Langfield.

Panic buying in Jan doesn't work.  By all means ship Brown out but a 6/12 contract or loan is a better option than landing ourselves with another bossu.

[BobbyBiscuit]

In anycase our defence were as much to blame for the two goals yesterday as Langfield.

 

Clearly not.

 

All our players make mistakes, that is very true, but not all of them make the most basic of mistakes at such critical times at such a consistent rate.  And we all know too that it's tough being a keeper, your mistakes are highlighted and punished the most of any player on the field... but that's the job, and he clearly isn't capable of doing it to the required standard at this level.

 

Yesterday's major blunder was purely down to concentration as have a lot of his mistakes.  He's in his early 30s now, that is not going to change now.

 

However, the things he does (or doesn't do as the case may be) which may not result in goals going in are having a massive effect on the defence. He rarely comes off his line meaning the defence sit deeper than they should, particularly at set pieces.  The defenders clearly have no confidence in passing the ball back to him resulting in rushed clearances often leading to throw ins in our defensive third, again putting us under more pressure - avoidable pressure.

 

Part of me feels sorry for him, it must be a horrible feeling, but the bottom line is that we don't owe him a living and if we are to progress he has to be moved on. How he has survived this long at our club staggers me.

[bloo_toon_red]

First of all, what a truly wonderful strike from McGinn, it really was top-drawer.  The thing about him is he really doesn't lack for composure, he is an intelligent player, someone we've lacked for a long, long time.

 

Not much remains to be said about Langfield's howler.  Carbon copy of first day of the season.  He obviously anticipated a touch on the near post but even so, to make the same monumental cock-up twice in the same season is confidence-sapping.  I am in the camp that thinks it is extremely simplistic to even begin to suggest how many points he's cost us; I read someone say it is 9 which is typical of the zoomer mentality.  His team-mates and majority of right-minded fans will rally round him and rightly so, but it is becoming a growing priority for him to be replaced.

 

Think what we'd have to agree though is the constant stream of vitriol he receives from idiots online is a constant shame on our club.  When all is said and done, whatever anyone thinks of him, this is a living and breathing man with a young family, simply going about his day job.  We really do have an embarrassingly large share of utter brain donors in our support.

[maverick sheep]

I haven't seen yesterday's game, but assuming clangers did fuck up for the 2nd then that makes 3 obvious points he's cost us directly this season. Over all we've dropped well into double-figures of points that our play supposedly merited. I agree we need to look for a long-term replacement for langfield, but mainly because of his age.

 

I completely disagree with anyone who says he doesn't make saves that any other keeper can't - on boxing day he made one of the saves of the season (as well as saving a pen), but the midfield and defence let well walk all the way through FOUR TIMES, leaving langfield totally exposed. mcginn missed an open goal at 0-0, which surely has to be the outfield equivalent to throwing it in your own net. Quite rightly he didn't get slated for that because we let him get on with his job and score next time out. Clangers doesn't get that same respect, which is really sad to see considering how much he's given to the cause.

 

At St Johnstone, sections of the crowd were screaming abuse at J Brown straight from the warm up, and at well the same was happening to Langfield. Screaming at him that he's a cunt while he comes over to sign autographs for a young girl is pretty depressing. What is it with our fans that we constantly look to undermine the confidence of our keepers?!

 

In an ideal world I'd love to see us find a better replacement, but at the end of the day, as TF says, there is very likely NO chance of a quality goalkeeper coming in Jan, and every keeper we've brought in to challenge clangers has failed. If we can get a long-term first choice in the summer than great, but the priority has to be addressing the areas of the pitch in order of the number of points they are costing us. Unquestionably that for us means at least one full-back, probably a centre half. And in terms of replacing positions, it's up front we need to get players replaced more desperately than in goals.

[Stewart]

i'm not sure Stewart, certain the angle that was shown on the Alba stream showed that it didn't change direction.  Will have to see it again when I get home but I thought it was a horror show.  The fact that the Arabs were singing "one Jamie Langfield" said it all to me.  Get this amateur out of the club!  It was a carbon copy of the first game of the season...I despair.

 

It's a pity Ando's header didn't go in towards the end, he likes to score a few of those against the Arabs.  Sounded like a decent atmosphere at least.  Just a shame that incident has kind of taken the shine off what was an entertaining game.

 

Just watched it on the BBC and you're right. Flood didn't touch it.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/20894573

[glasgow sheep]

Longer highlights here:

 

1) We really should have taken one of those chances at 1-0

2) There must have been more than 13k there

[manc_don]

I still don't get this point about no decent goalkeepers being available in Jan.  Sure, in the UK, but there are a multitude of leagues which do not play over winter.  As I said, my preference would be for us to be able to raise our own, but for one reason or another we seem to be incapable of doing so.  I really believe that we need to get rid of Langfield asap because he (as BB quite rightly pointed out) does not instil any confidence in the team, especially the defence.  He completely bottled it at that cross.  We can score as many as we like (and we should have scored a few before united actually equalised) but if you've got someone that is a complete liability then it will cost us more.  It was ironic really that i thought his distribution yesterday was far from the worst i've seen from him.

 

Anyway, back to the rest of the game.  I think you're right GS, having watched it again on Alba last night, I thought it was closer to 16k.  Could not see where there were vast swathes of empty seats to give the 13.1K attendance

 

I really enjoyed the game, we played some great stuff and it's fantastic to see that real progress has been made.  Cammy Smith especially impressed me, in fact all the youngsters did well.  Here's hoping we use the break wisely.

[glasgow sheep]

[Madbadteacher]

Who's the goalie at Queens Park just now. I think we got a decent one from their once before.

 

And I believe Alexander hasna signed a new contract yet with "them", SPL vs probably Div2, must be better for his cap chances?

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Manc, to get a long term replacement in Jan is simply unrealistic, players are still under contract so would be loan deals as we will not be paying a fee.

 

The keeper selection is largely down to the say so of Leighton too and Langfield is still there, presumably with his blessing.

 

But clearly there's more informed opinion from outside the dressing room about what he is or isn't.

[manc_don]

Manc, to get a long term replacement in Jan is simply unrealistic, players are still under contract so would be loan deals as we will not be paying a fee.

 

The keeper selection is largely down to the say so of Leighton too and Langfield is still there, presumably with his blessing.

 

But clearly there's more informed opinion from outside the dressing room about what he is or isn't.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you mate, I just think that there must be keepers that play in leagues which use the wrmer months for their season rather than our set up. Id assume their contracts would run correspondingly to their season rather than ours. I just think our selection or "scouting" process is very short-sighted.  Its all ifs and buts, I know.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Personally, I'd like us to take a punt on Bell, long term.

 

Frankly there's some rather poor goalkeeping in the SPL, for me Langfield's blunders are more symptomatic of a general deterioration.

 

I think he's been OK and successive Dons managers and Jim Leighton seem to have liked him.

[maverick sheep]

Minks (even though our lot did one in fir park)

 

Police are appealing for information after 18 seats in the away end of Pittodrie were damaged during the New Year fixture against Dundee United.

 

http://m.local.stv.tv/aberdeen/news/208315-police-appeal-after-seats-vandalised-at-aberdeen-v-dundee-utd-game/