Dons vs County

[BigAl]

Lots of huff and puff but no end product so far 

[redordead]

Need to be a bit sharper. It's all heid down and running for the bye lines. Ramirez in particular taking up good positions in the inside and Kennedy needs to get his head up.

Duk doing well again but delivery from that side had been poor.

Stronger team, just need a break

[BigAl]

Ramirez off

Hayes on

[BigAl]

Couldn't really care where it comes from but ffs just give us a goal Dons 

[redordead]

These subs are fucking unreal. Why wouldn't you take miovski off and push Ramirez up with Vinnie linking play. 

We've now got duk through the middle against two monsters. No supply from Clarkson and I hate to say it but Hayes is past it.

[Jute]

Didn’t do enough to win that. Defence looked more solid but not hard against team who have only managed 14 goals all season. We had plenty of ball but never worked keeper enough. 

[RicoS321]

That was rank. Didn't deserve the win. Interesting setup in a 4-2-3-1, credit to Goodwin for attempting something different. McRorie played well at right back and Stewart and Scales coped fine in a four (for now!). Ramirez clearly not going to be given the opportunity to play as a number nine, and he did okay for a bit in the first half as a number ten, but it does seem like Goodwin is hanging him out to dry by playing him out of position. Kennedy did okay, but between him and Duk, the ball was just taking an age to get into the box, and we were almost always outnumbered by at least two when the ball came in. Clarkson was poor in the number eight role and I think Barron should have been on earlier for Miovski with Ramirez and Clarkson both pushing forward one (and Clarkson off for Besuijen if he continued to struggle). Duk was tired by the time he was pushed up on his own and the Duncan sub was just a waste of time given how late it was, his direct running would have resulted in the ball coming across far quicker. 

Overall, they played like a team short on confidence and Goodwin's ability to change things during a game has to be called out again.

[OrlandoDon]

3 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

That was rank. Didn't deserve the win. Interesting setup in a 4-2-3-1, credit to Goodwin for attempting something different. McRorie played well at right back and Stewart and Scales coped fine in a four (for now!). Ramirez clearly not going to be given the opportunity to play as a number nine, and he did okay for a bit in the first half as a number ten, but it does seem like Goodwin is hanging him out to dry by playing him out of position. Kennedy did okay, but between him and Duk, the ball was just taking an age to get into the box, and we were almost always outnumbered by at least two when the ball came in. Clarkson was poor in the number eight role and I think Barron should have been on earlier for Miovski with Ramirez and Clarkson both pushing forward one (and Clarkson off for Besuijen if he continued to struggle). Duk was tired by the time he was pushed up on his own and the Duncan sub was just a waste of time given how late it was, his direct running would have resulted in the ball coming across far quicker. 

Overall, they played like a team short on confidence and Goodwin's ability to change things during a game has to be called out again.

I’m not sure how to take your first comment re credit to goodwin. My initial response to the lineup was wtf, back to tumbola tactics of past manager(s). And based on the game it didn’t do much for us. For me miovski and Ramirez play the same position, it didn’t work playing both together. Give Ramirez a run to play his natural role. 

I think we got it right in midfield with clarkson and ramadani. Said a bunch Barron and clarkson don’t compliment each other, better balance today. I thought duk did well when he played like a #10 and with his ability I’m ok with him having the freedom to roam. At the same time, his intelligence is limited and he certainly overdribbles, I’m sure he’s frustrating to play with. 
subbing was the usual mind blowing. Thought the subs made us worse, hard to play with duk up top, he’s not a center forward. Saying that, I didn’t see a lot of the game, only going by the limited parts I saw.

What has happened to hayes, have his legs gone? Started the season well but is now a shadow of the player he was even early season. It’s January and no clue who our best wide players are, they all are average at best. I do not rate kennedy at all, and while he’s got a couple of goals of late I just think he’s so average and the fact he’s one of our better players at present sums up our lack of squad talent.

I hope we do not throw out random tactics now to find something that works. While I recognize a manager finds a formation that suits the talent he has, I don’t see goodwin having figured this out and it’s January. Pick a 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 and stick to it. Hard to find form when we change the tactics and personnel regularly.

[Panda]

On 31/12/2022 at 11:54, dons8321 said:

Doubt if that will continue given our defence.

You underestimated our rock solid defence. 

Joking aside, Goodwin praised them for keeping a clean sheet, like that was some sort of achievement.

5 hours ago, redordead said:

No supply from Clarkson and I hate to say it but Hayes is past it.

Aw come on. He actually created two very good chances in his short spell on the pitch. He's just off an injury and hasn't played much.

[Panda]

Willie Miller was proclaiming it as an excellent Aberdeen performance. Personally, I thought Ross County were one of the worst sides to visit Pittodrie this season and I include the three lower league teams in that.

They sat off us in the first half and allowed us to do what we wanted. A good creative side are at least two goals ahead at the break.

Second half they changed things, pushed us wider, and we rarely managed to hit a red shirt with a cross.

(Some) Credit to Goodwin for trying to switch things about. McCrorie out wide was good. Barron needing a rest was good. Ramirez starting was good.

But our tactics were actually similar to how we tried to chase the game against Kilmarnock. Put on loads of strikers, put the ball into the box and hope it eventually falls for us.

Was very little patience to our play. I get we want to play at pace but sometimes when someone is packing the box, keep the ball and pass it until you get an opening. 

The goals we've scored since the World Cup have all been individual brilliance rather than a well worked team goal, almost like we're scoring in spite of the tactics rather than because of them. That's what we were relying on today and it didn't come.

[RicoS321]

27 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

I’m not sure how to take your first comment re credit to goodwin. My initial response to the lineup was wtf, back to tumbola tactics of past manager(s). And based on the game it didn’t do much for us. For me miovski and Ramirez play the same position, it didn’t work playing both together. Give Ramirez a run to play his natural role. 

I think we got it right in midfield with clarkson and ramadani. Said a bunch Barron and clarkson don’t compliment each other, better balance today. I thought duk did well when he played like a #10 and with his ability I’m ok with him having the freedom to roam. At the same time, his intelligence is limited and he certainly overdribbles, I’m sure he’s frustrating to play with. 
subbing was the usual mind blowing. Thought the subs made us worse, hard to play with duk up top, he’s not a center forward. Saying that, I didn’t see a lot of the game, only going by the limited parts I saw.

What has happened to hayes, have his legs gone? Started the season well but is now a shadow of the player he was even early season. It’s January and no clue who our best wide players are, they all are average at best. I do not rate kennedy at all, and while he’s got a couple of goals of late I just think he’s so average and the fact he’s one of our better players at present sums up our lack of squad talent.

I hope we do not throw out random tactics now to find something that works. While I recognize a manager finds a formation that suits the talent he has, I don’t see goodwin having figured this out and it’s January. Pick a 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 and stick to it. Hard to find form when we change the tactics and personnel regularly.

I meant credit to Goodwin for trying a 4-2-3-1, mainly for the four at the back, but having someone behind Miovski helps him. I think it was a decent shape, that he should stick with for a while and try and fit the players into it. I agree entirely about Ramirez, but for the opening period he did well enough, he tracks back too. It is almost like Goodwin wants him to fail, so he plays him in an unfamiliar position then takes him off. 

Duk was left of the three today, not no 10, he was okay, but took far too long to make a pass. Being one of two seems to be most suited to him, and as a no 10 is fine if we have that solid(ish) two in the centre of midfield. Against decent opponents, I don't think he can play 10 though. He switches off too often and doesn't track his man. 

Agree about Barron and Clarkson, but Clarkson and Barron is fine if Clarkson is pushed into number ten* (in fact, it's how I think we should be setting up against the stronger teams and away from home). As a pairing it is one or the other with Ramadani, and I think Barron should be given the opportunity personally. Clarkson wasn't that great today.

Hayes has never really been a good sub in my opinion. He goes 100mph for the first couple of runs and then runs out of steam. He's more than fit enough to play ninety minutes, but he seems completely incapable of pacing himself off the bench. It's weird. 

Again, I agree about picking a formation. Your last sentence sums it up, he changes both formation and personnel too often (at the same time) and doesn't really seem to understand the consequences. Pick a shape and then take players in and out of that. If you're forced to change shape in a game, make it a subtle change of one less up front, or an extra defender, not going from a 3-4-1-2 to a 5-4-1 or throwing five up front. 

*Edit: when Barron and Clarkson have played together this season, it's almost always been as a line of three, or both ahead of Ramadani, which is why it has rarely worked 

Edited January 2, 2023 by RicoS321

[scotfree]

It says a lot about the state of the club at the moment when talking about where to have a night oot in Elgin is more exciting than the game. 

[Panda]

12 hours ago, scotfree said:

It says a lot about the state of the club at the moment when talking about where to have a night oot in Elgin is more exciting than the game. 

Not too late to join us. It's either that or St Johnstone at home.

I'll put you down as a maybe.