Next season

[rocket_scientist]

I agree with the OP. Those six are worthy of being in our squad. Bin or sell the rest.

 

But the real problem at AFC for over 20 years now is the chairman. He doesn't see "the football side of the business" as the priority. He's just happy to get by. Even with an incredibly generous and unexpected investment from Mr & Mrs Wm Donald, none of that will be converted into ambition, attempting to buy decent quality. Not that I would guarantee McInnes would be able to see let alone buy quality. Shinnie and McLean were obvious targets and within our budget, even the limited budget that the chairman allowed.

[RicoS321]

I agree with the OP. Those six are worthy of being in our squad. Bin or sell the rest.

 

But the real problem at AFC for over 20 years now is the chairman. He doesn't see "the football side of the business" as the priority. He's just happy to get by. Even with an incredibly generous and unexpected investment from Mr & Mrs Wm Donald, none of that will be converted into ambition, attempting to buy decent quality. Not that I would guarantee McInnes would be able to see let alone buy quality. Shinnie and McLean were obvious targets and within our budget, even the limited budget that the chairman allowed.

 

Regardless of whether Milne is pish or not (I tend to agree with you), we've got a good budget. One that allows us a good first 11 and some good squad players. The budget was clearly there for a £200K signing in January too.  I don't think it's unreasonable to expect McInnes to provide within those parameters.

 

The biggest problem with our budget is room for error. The tims can afford to make numerous mistakes in the transfer market. We can afford a couple, with Motherwell/County/ICT etc affording less. Goodwillie re-signing, Quinn (to an extent), Parker and McLauchlan were all errors. You can't make 3/4 errors in the transfer market as dons manager and expect to get away with it. But actually, McInnes did get away with it and was even given cash to spend in January. That we failed again in a transfer window has a lot to do with availability as much as McInnes' failure, especially as the damage was done prior to this. I don't expect McInnes to make the same mistakes again in the summer.

 

Overall, I think our budget and the rest of the league is correct, and us losing to Hertz is exactly what should happen in a competitive league - which is what I'd rather have than us winning every week. I think chasing the Tims is a pipe-dream, and something we shouldn't be breaking the bank for. Milne's biggest failure - and it was criminal - was not taking the opportunity to hammer the Tims when the Huns were out of the picture. When the huns went bust, I suggested that they should be allowed to come back into the top league. In exchange we should move to a 16 team league, equal prize money and sharing of 75% of european revenue across all the clubs in the league. At the time only one team in Scottish football wouldn't have benefited. I thought that increasing equality was more important than hammering the huns for a few seasons without systemic changes (of course, we could have done both). Instead, Milne sided with Lawell and retained the 11-1 vote which will be used against us from next season. He took short-term relative success (if you can call 2nd place success) and profit over long-term equality, fairness and competitiveness. I think it'll prove to be his biggest failure, because unless he's willing to spend the type of money that could actually see us challenge the Tims and Huns (which he won't, and arguably shouldn't), within a short period we'll return to the inevitable duopoly and scraps from the table in front of dwindling crowds. If he's clever he'll get out soon, while we're at a high point, and leave someone else to carry the can.

[rocket_scientist]

The football budget is commensurate with our position, I agree but it hardly represents ambition. What about the missing thousands? What about the latent potential of this club?

 

If we were to add only 1,000 to our average home gate, that's what, half a million extra revenue? What would a quarter of that buy us in today's transfer market? A better footballer than the majority we have.

 

And given that the football budget includes scouts and formerly a useless goalkeeping coach and a striker specialist coach, are we even spending that right?

 

How much more could we divert to football if we didn't have over 100 staff on the books? The amount of waste at AFC is incredible. £600,000 for a feasibility study? Who might we have bought with that?

 

There are reasons why we got to debt levels of more than £10 million and they were NOTHING to do with Paul Bernard. The corporate strategy Milne employed was exactly the same as we see every day in many fields, including our own elected Conservative government, who nobody in Scotland voted for. 99% of Patient Assessments go to appeal because the decisions are always stacked to be wrong. And the legal aid for these appeals go to specialist lawyers who, coincidentally went to the same schools as the system abusers.

 

Milne has been trying to run us into the ground for over 20 years. Once the debt reaches a level that it can't be served, the banks foreclose and the only fixed asset we have needs to be liquidated. Now THAT would be a VERY big deal for any interested property developer.

[RicoS321]

Aye, I don't disagree. Although much of that debt was run up by the dithering incompetent before Milne, Ian Donald. Some whilst Milne was CEO, of course. I think you're giving him a bit more credit than is due also, I don't believe he went into the AFC gig with a up front plan. I think he saw an opportunity once invited in the door. I also think he's changed his mind a bit over the years to the extent that I'm not sure if he even knows what he wants with AFC. If there was a masterplan, I don't believe we'll ever see it come to fruition. I think he'll can AFC soon, as I don't think he has the nuts to follow through whatever he initially intended.

[onlyjim]

Just a guess.

Four out.

Two in.

Two promoted.

[rocket_scientist]

Aye, I don't disagree. Although much of that debt was run up by the dithering incompetent before Milne, Ian Donald. Some whilst Milne was CEO, of course. I think you're giving him a bit more credit than is due also, I don't believe he went into the AFC gig with a up front plan. I think he saw an opportunity once invited in the door. I also think he's changed his mind a bit over the years to the extent that I'm not sure if he even knows what he wants with AFC. If there was a masterplan, I don't believe we'll ever see it come to fruition. I think he'll can AFC soon, as I don't think he has the nuts to follow through whatever he initially intended.

 

For the record, the first time the club ever encountered debt was due to the final instalments due to Milne for the RDS. The debt was small enough that it could have been paid off within a year. Milne leveraged himself into the boardroom using the monies owed to him. He promised corporate expertise and attractive plans of shares issues, injecting cash into the club.

 

We all paid our money and watched it disappear in alarmingly incompetent financial management. And as the number of staff grew, and many incompetent footballers taken in at ridiculous wages, the debt grew and grew.

 

We can blame the managers all we want - and it's true that Milne employed total shite before McInnes, who's legacy is still to be determined - but Milne has been the cause of the initial debt (not Donald) and it was squarely down to him alone that the debt grew to well over £10m.

 

I agree he will get out now. The investment from the Donald's can't be emphasised enough as the most important reason why the process has been halted. We didn't do any harm highlighting his unpopularity along the way. This is Aberdeen. We're too small a community to pull off stunts like that. But we did, and we continue to get hoodwinked by this greedy corrupt small cunt of a man.

[RicoS321]

I agree he will get out now. The investment from the Donald's can't be emphasised enough as the most important reason why the process has been halted. We didn't do any harm highlighting his unpopularity along the way. This is Aberdeen. We're too small a community to pull off stunts like that. But we did, and we continue to get hoodwinked by this greedy corrupt small cunt of a man.

 

I don't know the first thing about the donalds, but my first thought - as always - is one of mistrust. Probably unfounded of course, but there seems to be little question of their motives for some reason. My immediate thought it that they'd been promised to be contractor on the training ground and stadium. I have absolutely no reason for thinking this other than natural/unnatural suspicion. No evidence, or no suggestion that I'm right. I'm interested to know why you think their motives are entirely philanthropic? Obviously, there's copious amounts of evidence for not entirely trusting Milne.

[rocket_scientist]

I never said that their motives were entirely philanthropic.

 

I also share your healthy sense of cynicism.

 

Whatever they're getting out of it, they rescued our balance sheet.

 

This makes it impossible for our creditors to move on our only fixed asset.

 

That alone guarantees financial survival, not that we the fans wouldn't step in.

 

Their investment was huge, more in shifting the dynamics and posting a message than the cash amount.

 

Where it goes next, fuck knows.

 

But some of us will be watching and we won't miss a thing.

 

[bloo_toon_red]

Competition for places is what we need next season.  Consolidation and improvement and strength in depth.

I'd love to keep Logan but pretty certain we're losing him.

Robson and Brown off.

I'd allow Shankland, Smith and Pawlett to find new clubs.

I'd listen to offers for Flood, Jack & Reynolds but wouldn't be overly concerned if they stayed.

I'd try to retain Church or else consider a move for Billy McKay, but I wouldn't pay a fee for him.

I'd be looking for a talented wide player in the Niall McGinn mould, to light a fire under, Niall McGinn.

I'd also make an ambitious bid to sign John McGinn and play him alongside either Kenny McLean or Ryan Jack in the middle.

A solid central defender is a must as we need to reinforce our backbone GK-CB-CM.  I like Jordan McGhee at Hearts but don't imagine they'd sell.

The problem is that in order to do this we could be talking about a significant spend.  Would the board sanction the readies needed to turn Hibs' heads for McGinn?

 

Squad for next season:

New GK, Rogers

New RB, Taylor, Considine, (Reynolds), New CB, Shinnie, McKenna, Rose

New RM, N McGinn, Jack, McLean, Storie, (J McGinn), Hayes, Wright, Ross

Rooney, (Church/McKay), New CF

[tlg1903]

I certainly wouldn't be binning shankland just yet. He's done really well at Helen and I think he will come back full of confidence and a point to prove

[Jute]

Would like to see McInnes look outside British market for possible replacements. More likely to get a decent standard of player at the right price than just looking within UK. Agree that we should give Shankland a proper run. St Mirren fan I know says he has done well in a pish St Mirren side.

[manc_don]

Would like to see McInnes look outside British market for possible replacements. More likely to get a decent standard of player at the right price than just looking within UK. Agree that we should give Shankland a proper run. St Mirren fan I know says he has done well in a pish St Mirren side.

 

McInnes not have any jaap stam contacts or the like? 

 

But seriously, I agree, I think we need to be a bit more imaginative with the transfers. BTR had some good suggestions but I cant see the fees being paid. Seriously think that this season has been a massive missed opportunity.

[Edinburghdon]

I certainly wouldn't be binning shankland just yet. He's done really well at Helen and I think he will come back full of confidence and a point to prove

 

I'd give shankland a season in the first team and some decent opportunities to see how he would get on.  He's not been too impressive anytime I saw him featuring for us but his loan may have helped him develop.

 

Similar to a couple other posts I'd say we need more depth rather than ripping the squad apart and starting again, that would be mental.

 

Someone in like McGinn from hibs would be fantastic but like others have said may be unrealistic, finding a similar type of player would be good though. Shame we didn't take a gamble on him before he signed for hibs but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

A proper number 1, a top centre half and a wide player that can take the load off McGinn/Hayes and we could make an even stronger push next season... They have to be the right signings though, getting someone in for the sake of it would be completely counter productive.