1990/91 Season

[BobbyBiscuit]

I'm looking at doing something in connection to the 1990/91 season and would love to hear people's stories, memories, opinions on it, if you don't mind sharing them?

 

Obviously it ended up being a really painful ending for us, but the team played some wonderful football that season. Easily one of our greatest sides, most entertaining possibly.  Packed with great players.

 

the management came in for some criticism that season for keeping the team on a leash.  Do you think we could have done more?

[scotfree]

I remember that I was at a wedding the day of the decider. No TV's anywhere near the reception hall. So it was just second-hand info that I was getting from ones that heard a snippet of the game on a car radio. Mostly huns there, so it was fucked when the match was finished. 

[scotfree]

I just had a look at the league table for that year. We were 12 points ahead of third-placed Celtic. Last day of the season we could (should) have won the title. Got knocked out in the third-round of the Scotish Cup by Motherwell ( the team that went on to win it that year ) 0-1. And went out in the semi of the League Cup to the huns ( who went on to win it ) 1-0. A season of if's and but's.

[Ten Caat]

Best mate was a St Johnstone fan. I was working till 1 on the day of the infamous 5-0 defeat he persuaded me to meet him outside the Saints mainer. I'd never been to McDiarmid before and in the end only just made kick off. Davie Robertson got a red card in the first 20 minutes and things just went downhill from there.

 

Years later I heard a story that there had been an almighty bust up prior to leaving Pittodrie. Gillhaus was last to turn up, nearly an hour late and had his boyfriend in tow. Story goes Bett and McLeish told him to get to fuck bur Jocky scott calmed everyone down but was also seething. Dutch boys all stuck together as did the Scots/English, Mcleish told Smith that Gillhaus shouldnt play, Bett backed him up. Smith still picked gillhaus and so McLeish conveniently picked up an "injury" in the warm up and didnt play instead.

 

Cue the aforementioned clusterfuck. Bett then supposedly chinned Gillhaus on the bus back after the match. Probably all a load of bullshyte but it makes for a good story...

 

A 1-0 victory for us  that day would have seen us take the league on goal difference despite that last day defeat to der Hun....

[SeeBass]

Would playing Heart Of Midlothian April 13th 1991 count??  That's my first ever Aberdeen game!!!! A 4-1 victory.  Remember walking out of Tynecastle to the car with step-father plus younger brother crossing some road then being in total awe of a group of Aberdeen fans at a bus stop singing;

 

"We're by far the greatest team the world has ever seen and we're Aberdeen!!!!"

 

Thought I was the coolest person in the world that afternoon.

[Jute]

1-0 win over St Mirren at Love Street in April. Huge Dons support going mental under the old Shed when Bett scored late on.

 

 

 

Then coming out of Pitoddrie after beating St Johnstone 2-1 to find out Rangers (deceased 2012) had dropped points to Motherwell and Dons support going wild again and singing all the way up King Street that we were going to win the league.

 

Still say that was the game that fucked us as we had been behind up until then so had attacked as nothing to lose. As soon as we hit the front Smith shat it and reverted to type by playing not to lose.

[TheDeeDon]

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. The squad we had and football we played at times was exceptional, but too many draws coupled with inconsistent form at the beginning of the season cost us dearly, but what a finish we had. We should have won it that season and potentially changed the shape of Scottish football.

 

Happy times to be a Dandy.

 

I mind getting beat fae Utd in a Xmas or New Years game at home, it was an evening game and it was fecking cold, the result just made it a miserable night. I also mind a league cup game at Stranraer and their goalie screaming at his defence the entire game.

 

 

[Elgindon]

Thats a classic  ^^^(Edit - aye the St Mirren game/bounce)

 

 

  Another great memory was playing St Mirren at home,and thrashing them 5-1 I think.Charlie got a hat trick

 

  Main memory was spending most of my time watching the antics of the Dutch Contingent in the Beach,and Merkland ends,who came over to watch the Dutch players in our side at the time.All decked in red and white,with big banners.Top loons   

[1903_Redz]

That was some season that! Probably the one season that i remember a few specifics about.

 

Me and some mates wanted to go to Cyprus to see us play Famagusta but the travel agent said he couldn't allow us to go because of civil unrest at the time (or something like that)... so we went to Shagluf instead. That's where i was when we lost 5-0 to St J. Will never forget walking into the Mucky Duck (Scottish pub where they were broadcasting the fitba) and as asking what the score with the Dons was. Was told it was 4-0 Saints at that time, didn't believe the guy as that scoreline was very unlikely, then the radio went mental saying 'it's now 5 nil to St J blah blah...'

 

The 4-1 game against Skittery Farts... had been at a rave on the Friday night, bought tickets for the train to Edinburgh, sat in the train station bar drinking snake bites until the train was gone and we missed it. Managed to get our money back from the lassie at the ticket office cos we claimed the train left early. Spent that money at the stripper above the New Swan.

 

St J at home where we expected to take 5 off them... damp squib! 2-1 i seem to remember, some boy Lindsey playing in goals for them.

 

Was at Love Street for Jazzers goal, don't recall a great deal due to excessive alcohol consumption.

 

St J's again, penultimate game of the season. Beating the Saints was fair enough but hearing the huns had been done 3-0 to put us top of the table was amazing and continued chanting Dougie Arnotts name well into the evening.

 

iBrokes last game of the season. Went there hoping to buy a ticket. There was no chance of getting one. Some of my mates already had so went into the stadium leaving me and one other mate to our own devices. I suddenly found myself up against the railings next to the road and i realised i was surrounded by a load of big guys with English accents. Jumped the fence pronto and fooked off. Ended up with my mate sitting on the Abtrust bus (team sponsors at the time) ad listening to the match on the bus's radio. Could actually see in the corner of the stadium at that time and i could see the horrible bastards celebrating in the stands.

 

Was that the season we beat celtic 3-0 at darkheid? Mason, Connor and Gillhaus scorers? No.9,10 and 11. Was there too but unfortunately my celebrations after the 2nd were too much for Galsgows finest and i had to leave my position at the front of the terracing.

[KrakowDon]

I had just learnt to drive, so this was my first season of regular away days. Some belters.

 

Utd 3-2, Jess(3) and 2-1, VDA scoring with his knob.

 

Hertz 4-1, Dunfermline 4-1, another 4 fae Jess 

 

Parkheid, for Charlie's big return 'home', what an atmosphere, 3-0, my favourite ever trip there. 

 

Jazzer at Love Street, again, some bounce.

 

For St J 5-0 away, I was on holiday in Manchester, at Old Trafford that day and got back to the car to hear 'sensational scoreline from the Scottish Premier Division'. 

 

Strangely don't remember many of the home games, except for Gillhaus' 90th minute winner against the hun to keep the chase alive, and the aforementioned St Johnstone at home. When our game finished we were second and then by the time we got out of the soother Dougie Arnott had put us top.

 

Which may have been where it all went wrong. What could have been the ultimate away trip ended up being the worst. As has been said before of that game, if only our management had shown the same bottle as the reds that had tickets in the home sections.

 

 

[BobbyBiscuit]

Thanks for all the replies folks, very much appreciated.

 

According to McLeish and Bett, there was no change of tactics on the day as has been often claimed. While we played most of that run in with a 4-3-3, we had reverted to a 4-4-2 for the match against Celtic at Pittodrie with van de Ven coming into the midfield.

 

Was the feeling that the players bottled it on the day or was the feeling definitely more about the management?

 

What was your view of Smith throughout that season?

 

[KrakowDon]

My take on THAT day is that, despite the faltering run in and the abject capitulation the week before, the hun were up for it in front of their home crowd and were in our faces from the word go. Remember Hately's assault on Watt? We just never got going. I recall Gillhaus having a diving header over what seemed an open goal and Van de Ven sclaffing a shot when he had a chance. Came away feeling they had not turned up in a big game when it mattered.

 

Plus ca change, eh?

[rocket_scientist]

That season was the closest I ever got to attending every game. The only one I didn’t go to was the 5-0 at St J. It was my favourite season in terms of hope and excitement as we played some of the best football ever, Bett, Jess and Gilhaus being stand outs. Davie Robertson gesturing to us at Love St that he had the boy in his pocket was the funniest memory of that season. When the teams got announced at 2.55 at Ibrox, it was like a kick in the guts.

 

The year before, AFC won both cups. After 1990, we won the diddy cup, twice.

 

History of AFC before 1970 - one League, one SC, one LC = 3 trophies.

1970 to 1990 - 3 Leagues, 6 SC’s, 3 LC’s = 12 trophies.

Last 27 years - 2 LC’s.

 

If this alone isn’t proof that Milne has been bad for our business, I don’t know what is.

 

Here’s another way to look at it;

 

If the league is worth 5 points in terms of difficulty to win, prestige etc. then we might think the Scottish Cup is worth 3 and the League Cup one.

 

Pre 1970 - 9 points.

1970 to 1990 - 36 points.

Last 27 years - 2 points.

 

Trophy haul (including ranking) for first 55 seasons (assuming 1903 to 1969 but not played during wars) = 0.16 per season.

1970 to 1990 - 1.71 per season

Last 27 years - 0.07.