The Sunday Seve

[Montana]

Our much maligned Captain has fairly been putting in a shift with the press this weekend.. Interesting stuff too.

 

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"The two results before Bayern had been coming for a number of weeks," said Scott Severin, Aberdeen's captain. "We had been below average but we were grinding out results and points but it finally caught up with us. We have found it hard to adjust to playing so many games. I think we've played 10 more games compared to this point last season. It takes its toll."

 

About Josh Walker and His Efforts as Captain

 

The week of the cup game he strolled into our pre-match lunch and had a bit of a swagger. I thought 'he thinks he's a bit of a player' but it's turned out that he is doing the business for us. If you look at the guys that have come through at Middlesbrough, I think he can become another product of their youth system and go on to bigger and better things. To be honest, there are a few of them in there who have got that swagger but maybe sometimes it needs to get knocked out of them. It's just the way the young boys are these days. They're loud and that can be good for the dressing room but the main thing is that they all do it on the pitch and we start picking up points. We have a young squad and I know its my first season as captain but I need to be more vocal. Dare I say Seve learning a thing or 2 from young Josh.

 

Seve on Tactics

But, for Aberdeen now there is little to fear. "It's always been the same in Europe this season," said Severin. "We're allowed to go and have a go at them. The manager doesn't put any fear into us, we're allowed to attack them,try and score goals, if you keep a clean sheet then even better''.

 

Let's hope the European version of Aberdeen plays from now on in the SPL, the board realises we need a little more depth in the squad and that he finds his vocal chords..

 

 

[Kowalski]

Big interview in the Scotland on Sunday:

 

Severin is glad to see hubris turn into results

 

By MOIRA GORDON

 

SCOTT Severin has encountered plenty of players with swagger but not all have lived up to their own preamble. On Thursday night, as Aberdeen carved out a draw against one of the top clubs in Europe, at least one did. And, contrary to pre-match predictions, he was in the red of the home side.

 

Since Josh Walker's arrival in the north-east of Scotland on loan from Middlesbrough the teenager has played four games, helping the team progress to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup and scoring against Bayern Munich to whip Pittodrie into a frenzy and leave the Germans chasing an equaliser.

 

"He is a quality player," admitted his new captain. "The week of the cup game he strolled into our pre-match lunch and had a bit of a swagger. I thought 'he thinks he's a bit of a player' but it's turned out that he is doing the business for us. If you look at the guys that have come through at Middlesbrough, I think he can become another product of their youth system and go on to bigger and better things. To be honest, there are a few of them in there who have got that swagger but maybe sometimes it needs to get knocked out of them. It's just the way the young boys are these days. They're loud and that can be good for the dressing room but the main thing is that they all do it on the pitch and we start picking up points. That's where it matters."

 

They all had it on Thursday. From the teenage goalscorers, Walker and Sone Aluko, through to the young central defensive pairing of Zander Diamond and Andrew Considine, who had the unenviable task of trying to curtail the strikeforce of Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose.

 

"Their strikers are top drawer. Toni is so good at holding the ball up, he's a monster of a man. A few of our big lads were looking up at him thinking, 'Wow', and Klose, just when you think you have him, he's suddenly got that five yards on you. Once in the first half, he sucked me out and at once he was in behind me and squaring a shot off. It's just that sharpness and that's the difference with the top strikers. Under pressure, they produce it. They may do nothing for a while, then suddenly you think: 'Where did that come from?'"

 

They weren't the only ones. While Klose's finish was impeccable, the quality of both Aberdeen goals caught their famous visitors cold.

 

Encountering the media gauntlet as they left Pittodrie on Thursday night, the multi-million pound stars of Bayern Munich certainly looked the part. The swarthy looks, expensive jewellery and made-to-measure suits highlighted their status, but the fact the world's seventh richest club had twice had to fight back from a goal down against a team struggling to finance new deals for out-of-contract players and fighting to finish in the top half of the SPL meant their exit was more of a scurry than a strut. Their opponents were the ones emerging with heads held high. After losing nine goals in their previous two domestic dalliances, scoring just twice in reply, there had been genuine fears of a mauling, but they had exceeded even their own expectations. Klose, who had levelled the opening goal, stopped long enough to admit that they had not afforded Jimmy Calderwood's underdogs enough respect. "The goals that we conceded were bad from our point of view and that was disappointing because we were not concentrating enough and that is what cost us the victory. We have to be more compact in defence in the second leg than we were on this night.

 

"I think this was a good game to play in and I thought that Aberdeen were very good, a very quick team and a difficult opponent at their home stadium. But the next game is a home match for us in Munich and, in that case, we must always win in front of our own fans. I expect to finish the tie by winning at home, absolutely. It will be a different game and a different challenge for Aberdeen to face, I can promise that."

 

With an annual revenue of ?223million, the German side was packed with household names in the first leg but could recall a number of others who were injured or rested. Stars such as Oliver Kahn, Mark van Bommel, Franck Ribery, Willy Sagnol and Daniel van Buyten all enter the equation for the return leg.

 

But, for Aberdeen now there is little to fear. "It's always been the same in Europe this season," said Severin. "We're allowed to go and have a go at them. The manager doesn't put any fear into us, we're allowed to attack them, try and score goals, if you keep a clean sheet even better."

 

Severin actually believes the fact Bayern will come at them could help. He knows 0-0 is all that is required by the Bundesliga side but pride and the lofty expectations of the home crowd will demand more of them. He is counting on similar tactics working in their favour against Hibs this afternoon.

 

"They are a point behind us and they have a game in hand so it's important for us to get three points. It was 3-3 last time down there and hopefully it will be another open game, lots of goals and we'll score one more. We have had some great results in Europe and it's great to be involved in games like that but the SPL is our bread and butter and that's where we need to get back to winning ways."

 

The result on Thursday has given them a swagger, now they have to justify it.

[Slim]

Severin complaining about players having a swagger is like Hitler complaining that someone is nasty for giving someone a Chinese burn.