A day of the week

The end is nigh!

2011-09-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

I don't really know what to say. Words fail me yet again where Aberdeen Football Club are concerned. The club are so far removed from reality and so out of touch with the fans it is painful to watch. Less than FOUR THOUSAND fans turned up to watch yet another cup debacle last night which is sadly going to be the norm in the future.

I remember going along to watch cup games against lower league sides when I was a lad (a tiny wee lad) and you'd still have crowds of over 10k there, people cared about the club and enjoyed going along on a matchday. I certainly did. These days it's a slog, a hard, relentless, unforgiving slog. No creativity, no excitement, too expensive, no end product. What's the point? I think its very apparent I'm not the only one asking myself these questions. Every week 500 fans are departing and people find better things to do with their time, which is understandable. Highland League football is more entertaining.

The buck sadly stops with the manager, and lets be honest, he's made a royal arse of this season, not to mention last. We've only won something horrible like 2 games out of 16 which is simply unacceptable. He has also failed to address the problems which have plagued the team for several seasons now. We still have no full backs, scary. We have a defence slower than me on a football pitch (i.e. pedestrian). We have an array of terrible strikers who can't score for toffee. We have no wingers and about 8 central midfield players. The question I find myself asking is why? Is it really that difficult to identify and sign appropriate players?

Another worrying statistic is the fact we've signed 3 players from Plymouth, a team who have been relegated twice in previous seasons. Nothing like bringing a winning mentality into the team, way to go Aberdeen. These players are used to the failure I guess, so it will be going through the motions for them. Added to that a striker who has never scored a goal and one who used to be a goalkeeper. Magnificent.

Change is needed, and most certainly above and beyond the manager. How many times has it been said now. It all falls on deaf ears however, so what's the point?

One thing is certain, we are spiralling towards relegation and Division One and I see no way back for this club when that happens. It's not a matter of if anymore.

Well done East Fife though, at least one team showed some proper fight and grit. These players will all be at their day jobs today, unlike the fat cats at Pittodrie who will saunter in for an hour of training and pick up their inflated wages. Well done Dons players, I salute you. Absolute legends.

RIP AFC.

TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY!

2011-09-01T02:05:00.000-07:00

The Dons send out 3 on loan.

Michael Paton To Stockport County.

Nicky Low and Joe Shaughnessy to Forfar.

And in comes......

NO-ONE!

Be afraid, be VERY afraid.

Off to a flier!!!!

2011-08-16T02:58:00.000-07:00

Great news fellow Dandies, the Dons have started the new league campaign with all guns blazing, firing on all cylinders! If only.

A picture tells a thousand words. Poor Jim Leighton looks like he's about to greet and Craig Brown like he's given up the ghost already. Worrying times for all down Pittodrie way.

Four games in and to say we are toiling is an understatement. The strikers will come good we are told. We won't get mauled at Tynecastle again we are told. Someone is going to get a thumping soon we are told. We are told a lot of things it would seem. Lets hope some of these predictions come true, and fast.

Last seasons deficiencies still seem evident and if anything we look a weaker squad of players. There is alarming lack of width in the squad yet again. The first thing Brown did when he came in was bring in 2 fullbacks, who have since left. We are now left with no natural fullbacks once more and seeing Rory McArdle torn to shreds yet again against Hearts surely must hammer the point home.

The same can be said for the midfield, where we have a glut of central midfield players and a scant lack of width to deploy. Pawlett would be seem to be the main candidate however this young lad seems to be made of glass with a host of injuries which hamper him.

And what of our 'strikeforce'? Stats: 4 games - 0 goals. Terrible. We need reinforcements. Call in the cavarly! Sound the alarms! If four additional players aren't in by the end of the transfer window, then it's safe to say AFC will be hurtling towards Division one.

Still, Kari Arnason looks pretty good. Small mercies.

The Dazzler!

2011-07-21T03:48:00.000-07:00

Testimonial matches, a point of much discussion amongst fans across the country. Do players deserve it in these times of inflated wages? Whatever the thoughts, I ventured along to Pittodrie on a surprisingly sunny (by this summers standards) Tuesday evening to witness Darren Mackie's testimonial against Villareal.

The first thing of note is the immaculate playing surface, always looks pristine at the start of the season. Which brings me to another point, summer football should DEFINATELY be in place. It's so much more enjoyable in the sun and not sitting freezing your nuts off in minus degrees. Get it sorted out SPL.

Onto the match itself, as expected a very laid back affair. More of a chance to get the fitness levels up although both sides created a number of chances and the Dons gave a few of the promising youngsters breaking through a run out. The game was settled by a Rossi goal midway through the second half, he clevery made space for himself in the box and dispatched with aplomb.

I felt our new signings looked the part. Mawene in particular looks a commanding presence in the back 4 albeit with a lack of pace and will undoubtedly become an important signing. Further good news with him stating he already wants to sign a new deal.

Osbourne is an absolute tank who will take no prisoners, just what we need. I expect him to be booked several times over the course of the season.

Gonzalez also looks a confident and assured goal keeper. His kicking and distribution were top notch and he's not scared to throw himself about. Further good news that we've signed Blackburn Welsh international Jason Brown on a 2 year deal. Surely this casts a doubt over Jamie Langfields long term future, illness dependant.

Onto the local loon himself, Darren Mackie. Say what you want about him, but he's given his all for the club over the last 13 years. He'd run through a brick wall for AFC. Lets hope he can have an injury free season and rattle in a few goals, god knows he deserves it, along with the long suffering Dons support. He had several chances on Tuesday night which went amiss (must be saving them up for Saturday against St Johnstone).

What of further addtions to the squad? Well, we have the protracted Kari Arnason affair (which is apparently a done deal), the long running Aluko saga and a mystery striker who is being watched this weekend. Lets hope all 3 come off and we'll be in good shape.

Hats off to Craig Brown, he goes about his business the right way, no blabbing to the press unlike previous managers and looking like a prize fool when things go to pot. It's great to see a manager with a professional attitude, dignity and class.

Come on the Dons, lets get off to a winning start on Saturday (I will miss it as I'm off to a wedding in London, how selfish of them).

Dons rule!

Ask and ye shall receive!

2011-06-30T04:10:00.000-07:00

Aha..... I knew Jack and Victor were just being sly old coots all along. I really did. No, REALLY.

Things seem to be gathering pace a little now following my closing gambit in my last post. I did indeed proclaim:

Bearing in mind that pre-season starts next week, you would like to think we could have secured a few players and not be left scrabbling around for free transfers and loan deals at the end of July/August whilst several games into the season.

And what's this... not one, but 2 new players secured (PRAISE ALLAH), with more to follow.

Welcome aboard Isaac Osbourne and welcome back Chris Clark.

Both welcome additions to the squad I feel. Osbourne in particular looks like a complete monster of a man who could boss our midfield VERY effectively and take no shit in the process. This is assuming he is over his much talked about injury problems. Archie tells us he's sailed through his stringent pre-season though, so lets hope this boy turns out to be a player. I have a good feeling (hope I don't jonah it).

Now we turn to Chris Clark. This poor lad has split opinions right down the middle on several AFC pages. Read all the gory details here, if you can be bothered. Personally, I welcome him back to the Dons with open arms. Versatile, pacy, good engine, good passer, gives 100%. All of the above. Whilst not a flamboyant player by any means he is exactly the type of player every team needs, steady and reliable. I'm sure he'll do a grand job in the forthcoming season and silence his critics.

Now, when is Riordan signing being announced.... I jest.

Dons Rule.

EDIT: Our new spanking strip was unveiled yesterday too.... I saw at least 3 folk queuing up to buy it at the club shop on my way home from work too. Looks pretty good on first viewing, weird collar though. All the info and pictures from the evening here.

The new season looms!

2011-06-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

The end of June approaches.... and all is quiet down Pittodrie way! Not a mouse was stirring. Wait, is that a Christmas song? I digress.

Soooo, how has oor Craigie been doing, team shaping up nicely for the new season? Well, on one hand, he's certainly shipped out all the dead wood and lost a few other first teamers (Diamond, Young, Aluko (potentially), Maguire, Howard, Blackman, Hartley, Vujadinovic, Smith).

Not many will be missed it has to be said. A sad state of affairs.

Good job we've brought in a host of fresh talent to replace these departing 'stars' then. Wait... what on earth am I talking about.

To be fair, the solitary signing we HAVE made looks to be just what we need in defence. A big strapping beast (sorry, he can't be THAT bad though) of a man in Youl Mawene.

And today we look to be signing up a new keeper on loan for 6 months to replace the stricken Jamie Langfield until he's fit to resume playing (is that ever going to happen?)

I hope that Mr Brown is simply keeping his cards close to his chest regarding any additional signings and pray we are not settling on another keeper and a midfielder to go with our other 4 LIKE NEW SIGNINGS! Yes, Darren Mackie, Fraser Fyvie, Yohan Folly and the mighty Dick Foster will be our saviours this season.

As welcome as they are, lets be honest... we still need a left back, a left winger, a centre back and another striker. AT THE VERY LEAST!

Bearing in mind that pre-season starts next week, you would like to think we could have secured a few players and not be left scrabbling around for free transfers and loan deals at the end of July/August whilst several games into the season.

Dons rule!

Tumble Weeds

2011-05-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

*Dusts off Blog*

Well.... It seems the Dons have been so magical this season I haven't even felt the urge to update.

Yes, another season of complete mediocrity punctured by relegation flirts and the odd mauling or 5 by Celtic (shudder).

Still, at least we have a manager in now who may have a clue about football. Lets hope he gets the appropriate funds to build a more consistent squad and add some experience.

Season stats:

9th Position

Played 38

Home
Won 6
Drawn 2
Lost 11
For 22
Against 21

Away
Won 5
Drawn 3
Lost 11
For 17
Against 38

Goal Difference -20

Points 38

SIMPLY STUNNING!

Thank god that's over!

2010-05-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

Season over. Thank goodness:

9th Position

Played 38

Home
Won 6
Drawn 4
Lost 10
For 20
Against 31

Away
Won 4
Drawn 7
Lost 7
For 16
Against 21

Goal Difference -16

Points 41

Atrocious! Lets just leave it at that. At least we signed off with a win and should have a whole new squad next season (providing Mr McGhee gets it right over the summer months). Failing that, we're in for more of the same next season.

Whether or not I renew my season ticket will be very much dictated by the following months. Some serious changes are required, I just hope the necessary funds are made available.

Testing times.

2010-04-28T04:59:00.000-07:00

Sooooooooooooooo.

What's happened since the cup debacle?

Wellllllllllllllllllll.

Not a great deal to be honest. In the 11 fixtures since then we've flirted with relegation, went on a cracking non winning streak and lost comfortably to the footballing giants that are Falkirk and Kilmarnock (amongst others).

Those 11 fixtures have yielded:

Losses: 6 (Impressive)
Draws: 3
Wins: 2 (woo hoo)

Pretty spectacular reading i'm sure you'll agree! This season really has been a thing of beauty from start to finish!

Mr McGhee certainly has his work cut out to turn things round next season or it'll be more of the same tosh. Thankfully most of our team are out of contract and will be on their way, but can he entice the right blend of players to the club to improve things?

It would seem not judging by reports that we can't even afford the heavyweight names of Steven MacLean and the majestic Kevin Kyle to sign on. English division 2 is a far more lucrative option for them, and no doubt for 90% of our other targets. If he gets this transfer window wrong, I can safely say we will be courting for a new custodian come December.

Still, look on the bright side, only 3 games left. I don't think i'll be wasting my time, energy or money trudging along. Unless the sun is out. And there is beer. Maybe.

Roll on the summer.

Dons Rule!

See you at the crossroads, crossroads, crossroads.....

2010-02-17T01:42:00.000-08:00

Ah the Scottish Cup. Lower league opposition. A caker. But wait, not when you are the mercurial Aberdeen Football Club. Well done to all at Raith Rovers and a speedy recovery to Mark Campbell. I'll certainly be hoping they can go on and lift the trophy!

While I feel sorry for Mark McGhee, he is not without faults himself. He's had 2 transfer windows to change things, and done nothing of note. It was (and quite painfully still is) blatently obvious where our shortcomings lie. His signings have been average to say the least and none of them have really added anything of note to the mix:

Nelson: Never played a competitive game
Ifil: Abysmal
Grassi: See above
Marshall: Jury still out
Paterson: Jury still out
MacLean: Jury still out

That's not to say he hasn't tried. The stark reality is that insufficient backing from the board of directors and a decreased budget season upon season mean that it's now impossible to compete for players with even the English 3rd division. Painful stuff.

Coupled with the fact he's 'led' us to our worst ever European result, been sent packing in both cups by lower league opposition yet again and lost to the likes of Hamilton and Falkirk at home, it doesn't make for pretty reading. The only decent game i've seen all season was against Celtic (see below), and that was due to horrific defending by both sides.

Now, it's quite obvious the board are not backing McGhee with any funds whatsoever but I can't understand how any fans can put up with rubbish like this. It's simply not acceptable. I'm not saying we should be expecting to beat anyone, but I at least want to see some fight and passion on the park and that is sadly lacking. The product on the pitch is atrocious.

This club is rotten from the core.

Milne out.
Miller out.
All the playing staff who are out of contract this season, get rid.
Tea lady out.

Something needs to be done ASAP. We can't all sit here and 'write this season off' as many are saying. What is going to change next year? Nothing if things keep going in this manner. A couple of loan players from Plymouth won't cut the mustard for next season. Wholesale changes from top to bottom are needed and I think it needs to start with messrs Miller and Milne making way at the helm.

Let's not take anything away from Raith Rovers however. They have to be applauded for picking themselves up from losing an equalising goal late in the first game and finishing the job off up here. If the Aberdeen players showed half as much determination and grit as them we wouldn't be in this situation. Although I wish i'd stuck my bet from the first game on again... 1-0 Raith, Tade to score first. Typical.

And as for the vile moron who spat on Mark McGhee, absolutely unforgivable. The man deserves more respect and I hope the individual in question is thoroughly ashamed and issues a personal apology to Mark, not to mention never returning to Pittodrie again.

Anyone want a season ticket?

Holy Horseshit!

2010-02-15T03:38:00.000-08:00

2010! Already. And all in Dons land was quiet and dismal. That was until the visit of the green half of the bigot brothers. The Dons had the added bonus of my Rangers supporting father being in the crowd today, so it was always going to be a spicy one (the Dons always win when he comes along).

So off we trot to Pittodrie, passing the masses of weird and wonderful 'characters' (complete and utter scum), on the way to the Dick Donald stand and settle down with a bovril to watch the ensuing hammering (judging by recent results and performances).

Sure enough, right on cue, we go 1-0 down within minutes of kick off. HERE WE GO AGAIN! It's going to be a long afternoon at this point. But no, we don't crumble just quite yet, and indeed score a quite wonderful leveller through Paton with a low volley past a helpless Boruc.

Things are looking up, but hark, what's that.... yes, more horrendous defending leaving the disgustingly 'weegie like' Brown (thought he was a good scottish lad till he signed for the ugly sisters) to tear our midfield apart and Celtic score the easiest of chances. Woeful.

However, it seems there is something in the air today. The Dons storm back up the park and Paterson whips in a fantastic cross. It falls to the much maligned Darren Mackie at the back post who shows great composure to chest the ball down and unleash a cracking volley into the bottom corner. Man of the match by a country mile. 2-2. Game on.

Into the second half. The Dons are huffing and puffing. The referee is doing his best to deny us everything. Not to mention letting Cetic away with murder. MacLean is halved by Boruc in the box. Penalty. Don't be silly.

Celtic then take the lead through another poor goal. Diamond caught out. Langfield in no mans land. Keane nips in. Disaster.

A couple of minutes later and it's all over. Short corner. McGeady given too much room. 4-2. Goodnight Irene.

I turn to the boys. 'Bugger this... pint?' Nah, give it 5 mins. Soo we settle down in vain hope of a fightback. Another Dons chance. Cleared off the line. It's not happening. Then a moment of madness from Celtic. Clear handball in the box. Penalty. The ref actually gives it. Praise be. MacLean steps up to dispatch. It's still on. 15 minutes left.

The Dons throw everything at Celtic. Cleared off the line again. COME ON YOU REDS! Mackie wins the ball in the box. Lays it off. Comes back to him. Hits a shot towards goal, takes a deflection into the path of MacLean who makes no mistake and Pittodrie erupts as he careers along the Richard Donald concourse with his red shirt held aloft. Magical. Lee who...?

Phew. One of the best games i've ever seen. A more than deserved point for the Dons and a game which must have been a real treat for the TV audience. Lets hope for many more like it.

Dusts off the cobwebs.....

2009-12-15T03:52:00.000-08:00

It's time for the first update of the season.... and we're now in December.

Yes, this season has been THAT bad for the 'Dismal Dons' that I couldn't even bring myself to update about the whole travesty.

Saturdays abysmal performance against the mighty Hamilton was just one in a series of horrendous performances and results. So i'll add a little update about that wonderful match then reminisce a little about the glowing season so far.

This image has been an all too familiar sight. A despairing keeper. Static defenders. And Saturday was certainly no different. The Dons had christmas spirit in abundance and were dishing it out to Hamilton in spades.

Right from the off, this game was pretty turgid (nothing to do with my horrific staff christmas party hangover you understand). A meagre crowd was served up what can only be described as a 'shocker'. Although the taxi of Hamilton supporters had reason to cheer as their team walked off with the 3 points handed to them on a plate.

A very lacklustre half was followed up by an equally embarrassing second with only a Gary McDonald strike to lift the gloom for all of a few minutes. At least it meant I could leave the game early (and not for the first time this season). I'm also glad I left the heating on in the flat too. Final Score Aberdeen 1 - 2 Hamilton. Disgrace.

The only saving grace is that i'm off on holiday in a week so will miss some of the Dons own brand of 'total football'. Totally guttted.

So what has preceeded earlier in the season? Um, not a lot worth talking about to be honest. Here's the highlights:

A new manager (who has yet to convince).
A complete lack of signings.
A host of injury problems.
A horrific disciplinary record.
A shambolic performance in the league cup.
A complete embarrassment in Europe.
The first time i've walked out of a match before half time (Celtic at home).
Dwindling crowds.

And the positives? Slim pickings. The emergence of some young talent has at least given us a faint glimmer for the future. But knowing Aberdeen, we'll mess that up too.

A whirlwind week....

2009-05-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a quiet final week of the season, winding down slowly to a relaxing summer away from the terraces. Not at Aberdeen Football Club though, oh no. We don't do things by half measures. To say this week has been rather bizarre would be a massive understatement. Now that i've had time to catch my breath and the dust has settled, lets have a wee recap.

Ok, the first major 'incident' of the week would be the choice of many of the first team 'stars' to go out on a drunken rammy 4 days before arguably our biggest match of the season. Several questions need to be asked and answered. Firstly, why couldn't they wait till after the final game. Secondly, why would Gary McDonald have his stag do in Aberdeen, on a Tuesday, but more importantly why would he go to the Priory? Beggars belief. And thirdly (and most importantly) did the club know about this 'session'? No wonder we can't string a couple of wins together.

Not only this, but one of our better performers this season, Mark Kerr, getting a fractured eye socked and arrested for assault, thus missing said vital match on the weekend. Read the good news here.

So, the dust has settled on that little episode and it's off to todders on a sunny Sunday afternoon to hopefully sign off with a win for the season. A crowd of about 15,000 was inside Pittodrie and got right behind the team from the off (despite the incident earlier in the week). My main worry was the sight of Dick Foster at centre back (although 'fozzy' is completely inept in any position). We created a host of chances in the early exchanges, but went ahead through a very bizarre incident. Ma-Kalamaty blasted the ball off a retreating Lee Miller and it rolled harmlessly into the back of the net. No-one knew whether to laugh or celebrate, but welcome it most certainly was. It calmed the nerves however, with news also filtering through that the currant buns were ahead through that vile excuse for a human being, laugherty.

The post was hit, more half chances were squandered but right on the stroke of half time up stepped Mulgrew to curl home a fantastic free kick into the bottom corner. Game over surely? Don't be silly.... right from the restart, a Hibs goal. Riordan, and fozzy well and truly skinned. 2-1. Half time. Over at Tannadice, 2-0 Rangers. Europe was still on the cards.

Into the second half. More chances wasted. We looked VERY nervous. Hibs are reduced to 10 men when Pawlett skips round Murray only to be hauled down in his stride. A Lee Miller free kick is goal-bound until a wicked deflection takes it wide. We get a penalty, which Aluko misses (but to be fair the keeper makes a great save). It's tense stuff, and to be fair to Hibs, they are up for the game. We hang on though and it's a return to European football next season. Praise the lord. Match reaction is here.

That's not the end of the story for the day however, not by a long shot. There had been rumors of an announcement from the club on the Monday. Things seemed to gather pace after the game however that the management team had left with immediate effect. This was finally confirmed by the club later in the evening. Their statement as follows. To say it was a bit of a shock is an understatement. Was he pushed? Did he jump? I think it's fair to say it was a bit of both. So who is next for the poison chalice? Willie Miller, Mark McGhee, Lee Richardson, John Hughes? Just some of the names being banded about.

One thing is for sure, they had better get him in quickly, and get the right man, or there will be egg on faces all round (not in a Kirk Broadfoot way though). Until next season.

The final countdown

2009-05-18T03:19:00.001-07:00

Ok, so two games to catch up on here, and both rather controversial it has to be said. First up it was Hearts at Pittodrie. And a 'must win' it was for ourselves to keep our Europa League hopes alive. The end result was a rather pathetic 0-0, with Hearts responsible for some rather shocking time wasting from the off.

The theatrics were highly evident throughout, and Lee Miller must be given credit for rolling Bruno Aguiar back off the pitch after he went down like he had been shot on the touchline. Miller should also have gained us a penalty when he was man handled in the box, but not one thing was going for us. Hearts were also reduced to 10 men yet again when Zaluska was red-carded for a petulant kick at MaGuire.

We only have ourselves to blame however as we missed a glut of chances to finish the game off. Jamie Smith in particular missed two gilt-edged chances and then was unfortunate enough to injure himself and effectively end his Aberdeen career. Thanks for the memories smudger. The match reaction is here. So Europe was effectively out the window as we now needed a win at Ibrox coupled with other results going our way. No danger.

And so on the the hunnery we boldly march, and the alarming thing is that it was even more controversial than the Hearts game, not to mention quite embarrassing for the unwashed scum. The game itself was proving to be rather open and competitive for a change until a late challenge from behind by Lafferty on Mulgrew. The two squared up and Lafferty went down like the proverbial sack of tatties. On seeing the replay I (along with pretty much everyone else) went livid at such a blatant example of cheating. It highlighted everything that is wrong with 'modern day' footballers. A total embarrassment to his club.

The Dons were not daunted however and actually performed very well when down to 10 men. Then came the next talking point. The ball was fired into the Dons box and Bougherra went studs first into Langfields face (not like a Rangers player to do that to one of our keepers eh?). Now, dangerous it most certainly was, but the following red card wouldn't have happened had the ref not made a horses arse of the earlier incident.

Into the second half we go and lose two goals in quick succession. A 'Ravishing Ricky Foster' own goal followed by poor marking on Kenny Miller by el Dick yet again and that's it.... 2-0 down. The faint European hopes gone.

But hark... wait.... what's that? A goal. For the Dons. At Ibrox????? Surely not!!! Paton comes off the bench to score his first Dons goal with a great little finish. This sets up a tense finale, but it simply isn't meant to be. Ah well, we can safely say we were anything but embarrassed by today's performance. Highlights here.

And to cheer us up a little more, Hearts thunp United 3-0. If we win next week, Europe is still possible. How this has happened I have no idea. Lets hope we can round off the season in style.

To the wire....

2009-05-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

I decided against a trip to Tannadice following the shambles that was the previous trip to Scumdee (result and car troubles not withstanding). Instead I settled for watching the game on BBC Alba to see our glorious heros making another stride towards a European spot.

Although it didn't really pan out like that (it never does). We seemed to come out of the blocks quite well, but then it all went horribly wrong and United were all over us for most of the first half. So it was a great surprise when we took the lead with a wonderful overhead kick from Lee Miller. It was a sublime finish when Severin nodded down a corner kick into the path of big Lee.

It was to be short lived however, as some woeful defending from Charlie Mulgrew allowed United a sloppy (JC mannerisms ahoy) equaliser just 4 minutes later. In the second half we were playing some great stuff until things took another turn for the worse 15 minutes from time. Mark Kerr (just back from suspension) was sent off again for foul and abusive language. One of our more experienced pros should know better than this and it was backs to the wall for the remainder of the game. Match reaction is available here.

All in all we could think ourselves fortunate to come away with a point and its now a must win game against Hearts at Pittodrie on Tuesday night. Lose that one and Europe will be nothing more than a distant memory.

A distant memory

2009-05-05T03:39:00.000-07:00

Oh goody! I've got a hangover and the footy is a 12.30pm kick off. Oh goody, it's those unwashed minks Celtic yet again. Oh Goody, my phone/buzzer are going off and it's only 10am!

Yes, my cousin Stuart arrived early. I was still drunk, had very little sleep and was in no way excited for this upcoming match. Note to self, I really must quit drinking. But not today, oh no! The only thing that was going to prepare me for the forthcoming match, was another beer. And so off to the golf club we toddle. A quick refresher later and trying to avoid as much of the unwashed hordes as possible and we sidle into the 'theatre of dreams' (yes, perhaps i'm still drunk now) and settle down for the glorious day of football ahead.

One positive aspect was no need for a jacket today. It was sunny AND warm. Yes, I know, this is a rarity for the 'deen so we all took the opportunity to bask in the glorious sunshine.

And to be the fair, the first half of the match was almost as glorious. Maguire opened the scoring, heading in from a Mulgrew free kick. He should have scored another 2 in the first half, missing a glorious chance early on with a lob when clean through on Boruc.

It all went horribly, horribly wrong just on the stroke of half time (as always seems to be the case against the tatties). A woeful Considine own goal and the teams go in on level terms.

Surely the second half would see us come out fighting? Don't be so silly, Celtic are all over us, score another two terrible goals (with Considine the culprit for both) and it's all over. That being said, the referee did us no favours throughout the game awarding every 50-50 decision to Celtic. Not to mention the fact he didn't show any cards for Celtic players after a series of bad fouls, but produced one for youngster Pawlett after his first foul. Reaction here.

And to compound matters, Dundee United scored a last minute winner to effectively end our chances of Europe next season. Disaster. We now have to win at Tanadice this coming Thursday, I certainly can't see it....

Trouble in Paradise

2009-04-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

Celtic. Parkhead. The usual story. 2-0. Dross.

I'm not really going to say much more. Wasn't at the game. Didn't listen to it. Don't really give a shit. 'Highlights' are here for anyone that cares. I certainly don't.

Next up, Celtic. Again. At home. Lets hope we fare better. We certainly couldn't be much worse.

6 pack!

2009-04-14T03:55:00.000-07:00

A place in the top 6 of the league beckoned on Saturday if a win was secured against a resurgent Inverness side. Much negative press had surrounded the manager and club for this very reason .... many people see qualification for the top 6 as a given, and don't see it as an achievement, which is completely understandable. What I would personally see as an achievement this season would be a return to Europe. But first.... that top 6 place.

The build up to the match was well and truly overshadowed by a minutes silence to remember those who lost their lives in the recent North Sea helecopter tradgedy. Love them or loathe them, the Red Ultras put on a very poingnant display, which i'm sure was greatly appreciated by all, and a very fitting tribute.

Now, onto the match itself. The first half seemed fairly even to be fair with the best chance falling to Lee Miller who forced Esson into a great diving save. Things just don't seem to be going big Lee's way and he really needs a goal to get his, and the Dons, season back on track for a Euro spot.

If the first half proved a little lacklustre, the Dons have to be given some praise for the way they came out in the second half and well and truly dominated. Aluko seemed to get into the game far more and looked menacing, Maguire was unlucky with an effort which cannoned back off the bar but it all looked to be petering out to a goalless stalemate.

All credit to the much maligned Charlie Mulgrew for whipping in a wonderful ball right onto the head of Gary McDonald though. His 6th goal of the season and yet another assist for Mulgrew which proved to be the winner. And well deserved it was too. You can see the highlights here.

Shock of the day for me personally was Dick Foster actually playing quite well. He must have made about 10 passes to his own teammates too.... keep it up Ricky, greatness beckons!

Next up, Celtic Park. Whatever will happen?

Murderwell

2009-04-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

Ah Motherwell, about the only team in the league with a worse pitch than ourselves right now. So this game was never going to be a silky passing affair. The way we are playing right now however, a good pitch would make no difference to our misfiring 'stars'.

A pretty paltry crowd of 4,600 is inside Fir Park for this feast of football and the Dons quickly go a goal down inside 9 minutes. From there on the first half is all Motherwell, with the Dons struggling to even get out of their own half.

Jimmy 'shoogly peg' Blunderwood obviously read the riot act at halftime and changed the formation from a 3-5-2 to our more regular 4-4-2. This had immediate results, with Maguire blasting in the equaliser off the bar following a flick on from the returning Lee Miller.

The joy was short lived however as Andrew Considine was soon given his marching orders for two poor challenges on Clarkson and it was backs to the wall once more. Motherwell almost snatched it right at the death, only to be denied by a Langfield wonder save. See it in all its glory here.

Inverness at home on Saturday. Win and its 'top 6' glory again this season! Woo! Apparently there is a demostration planned for after the game regardless of the result. It could get interesting.

4am! What's that all about?

2009-03-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

I find myself sitting in a bar on George Street, Sydney, with my brother. The time is 5.45am. What are we doing here at this ungodly hour you may ask? Well, it just so happens the 'mighty' Dons are playing Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup and we've got front row seats (to put it another way, we're the only 2 people in the entire pub).

But more on that tantalising story later. What's happened with the Dons since i've been away in a nicer and warmer country on holiday? Well, to put it bluntly, we've been utter horse. I won't be going into any details to save my sanity, but the results have been as follows:

Aberdeen 0 - 0 Kilmarnock (Horrific game the day before I left to go to Australia).

St Mirren 1 - 1 Aberdeen (Tommy Wright on target).

Aberdeen 1 - 0 Hamilton (Maguire with the goal).

Hibernian 0 - 0 Aberdeen

So all in all, it's fair to say i've missed the square root of fuck all. Which brings me back to 'Cheers' bar. Australia. Did I mention it's nice and warm? Ice cold Schooner in hand (no, nothing dirty, a weird Australian name for a beer), ready for a majestic cup win and a trip to Hampden when I return home.

The match kicks off. And nothing happens. And I mean nothing. We are awful. The pitch looks awful. Dunfermline have the better chances. I'm not going to say anymore than that. There is nothing to say. The fact that Jimmy 'the tactician' Calderwood matches their 4-5-1 formation says it all. Spineless, gutless, a total shambles.

We should be ripping shite teams like this to pieces at home, not playing to their strengths and tactics. A total mess from start to finish. On to penalties, and it was blindly obvious we were going to lose. I thought it was particularly fitting that Dick Foster missed the last kick. A total disgrace of a performance from a total disgrace of a player. He wouldn't get a game in the Highland League.

To say the backlash has been fierce is an understatement. I think the winds of change will be whistling down Pittodrie way sooner rather than later at this rate. Watch this space. I don't even know when our next game is.....

Damn Jutes

2009-02-24T05:34:00.000-08:00

What is it about Dundee United this season? In the first home game against them a shocking penalty kick is given away (the less said about the game at Tannadice the better). And so it was to be the case again on Saturday. But lets take nothing away from the match itself, as it was very entertaining and exactly what we should be seeing week in week out.

A healthy crowd was inside Pittodrie for this 'Europa Cup' qualification clash! Ricky Foster was dropped too (which is always a bonus). And as usual, the Dons get off to the worst possible start, with Diamond making a right pigs ear of a simple passback and tangling with Sandaza in the box who goes down looking like he's been shot. Penalty. Typical. 1-0 down.

Did the heads go down though? No, most certainly not. The Dons literally ran the show for the rest of the half, and indeed the entire match, creating a sucession of good chances on a far from perfect pitch.

Our just rewards came right from the kick off with a great move ended by a lucky deflection off Severin and into the net. 1-1! Lets go on and win this. But no, as on many an occasion this season we switch off and gift the opposition a howler of a goal. See the hightlights here as I don't want to go over it again. Back to square one. But again we fought back and created a sucession of good chances, the best of which fell to Miller, whose header crashed back off the bar.

It was probably justice that Diamond popped up on the end of a Mulgrew free kick (both players at fault for the United goals)to nod in the equaliser and give the Dons a well deserved point. Coupled by the fact Hearts were held to a draw and it's as you were in the race for Europe.

Kilmarnock on Saturday, my last game for a month before a nice jaunt off on holiday. Lets sign off with a win boys!

GOALFEST '09

2009-02-19T04:16:00.000-08:00

TOMMY'S GONNA GET YE! I ventured down towards todders (having successfully given away our extra tickets to some poor souls) feeling a little wary of this impending cup tie. Especially considering the disaster that was last years semi final in the same competition.

I need not have worried however, for minutes after i'd sat down with my pie and bovril East Fife were reduced to 10 men. A glorious lob from Vidal, Aluko is racing onto it and out bolts the opposition keeper to inexplicably handle outside his area. Red card, game effectively over.

This proved to be the case a few moments later, a great cross from the left (from... you guessed it, man of the match Aluko) and up pops Tommy Dreamer to open his account for the Dons. Glad to see the big man off the mark and lets hope it's the first of many.

It was pretty much one way traffic from this point onwards, the second goal being the pick of the bunch. A 'flowing' passing move side footed home by our resident hairdresser, Vidal Sasson to open his Dons account too.... 'silky smooth'!

Aluko soon added the 3rd with the help of a wicked deflection which effectively killed the game. It didn't kill my appetite though and I added to my pie scoreline with a sly little steak pie to bring the count up to 2. I think the steak actually edged out the chicken for once. Result.

Onto the second half. A lot of huffing and puffing. And to be fair to East Fife, they created a couple of chances to at least give their impressive away support something to cheer about. The Dons hat the post through Severin and Maguire missed a total sitter when clean through.

To be fair to the young lad he rolled his sleeves up and popped up with a late double. One header and a great finish for his second, and the Dons 5th! Hopefully this will give him a bit of confidence to push on and cement a place in the first team. Match report is here.

It was also pleasing to see two other youngsters (Pawlett and Paton) get a run out. Big things will be expected of these two young lads, lets hope they deliver.

Up next, United. At home. We really need to win this one. If we don't, it's an uphill battle for 3rd spot. Lets hope the boys are up for it. We have a score to settle, especially after the last match at Tannadice.

Yet another slip up

2009-02-17T03:29:00.001-08:00

Tynecastle. Hearts. Bruisers. Defeat. That kind of sums up the day. Thankfully I wasn't down to the match as I had a prior engagement that day. I can't really comment much on it either as I turned off the highlights once I saw a Mackie wonder strike (yes, I did just say that)!

What a goal! A long raking 40 yard pass from Mulgrew, drops down over the defenders shoulder and Mackie hits it first time past the keeper into the top corner. Wonderful stuff. Sublime even.

As usual, after the good, we get the inevitable bad (and oh how bad). It had Calderwood unleashing a few of his favourites... 'sloppy defending' being the highlight. A goal lost just before half time, then another not long after the break. Not that we didn't have chances to tie it up, and to be fair to Jimmy, he went for it. 4 up front. A sitter missed by Wright and MaGuire so unlucky to see his effort rebound off the post. Watch it here yourself if you dare!

Worse news was to follow with a spate of injuries picked up over the course of the game. Diamond, Considine, Mackie, Aluko, Smith and Mair all struggling to be fit for tonight's barn stormer against East Fife.

Lets hope we don't blow it. Gulp.

Back to reality

2009-02-03T02:51:00.001-08:00

The writing was on the wall for this game. I can't even bring myself to say very much. I can't muster up the enthusiasm let alone the vitriol to recall such a gutless performance.

It's all very well performing against the big boys, but those matches take care of themselves in many respects. It's about rolling your sleeves up and giving 100% against the so called 'lesser' teams. Teams like Inverness (1 defeat), Hamilton (2 defeats), and on Saturday Falkirk (now the first time they've beaten us since 1994).

Simply not good enough. Records are tumbling left, right and centre this season, and not in a good way. A terrible performance, which i'm not even going to describe, i'll leave that to the professionals. Not to mention bizarre tactics and players out of position all over the park.

Added to that a week of no activity in the transfer window, not to mention lousy weather, and it's smiles all round!

Next up a respite in the form of the Scottish (sorry homecoming) cup. Let's hope we can play some good stuff against East Fife, score a few goals and get the confidence levels back up.

Although this is the Dons we are talking about. Anything could, and probably will happen. Watch this space.

The unwashed come to town: Part 2

2009-01-29T02:49:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, an old firm double header. Celtic well and truly dispatched. Up next, the other half of the ugly sisters! I'm up bright and early.... on a Saturday too. I am supposedly meeting a friend for a nice sociable breakfast as he's off to the Cove game later in the day. I meander up town on what turns out to be a frosty spring morning only to have my phone ring as i'm almost there. The Cove game is off. Bastard. Never mind, I buy some things I don't need and head on back towards my flat.

As I head closer to Pittodrie I notice the unwashed have already started to arrive (and it's only 10.30am). The union jacks, the lack of dental hygiene, not to mention simple soap and water give away the game. All the usual ingredients are in place.

Once everyone arrives we meander towards the stadium, walking past the hordes of weegie zombies on the way, avoiding their grating accents and bleating for 'any spare tickets pal, by the way etc'. They drive past in buses banging on the windows like caged animals, the gutter trash of society without a doubt.

And so, to the game itself.... Boyd is dropped for the Huns. HOORAY! They are only playing 1 up front? HOORAY! They are surely there for the taking? An early free kick. Up steps Mulgrew, great strike, it looks in. No, saved by the self proclaimed ladies man. ANNNNNNNNNND.... that's it for the first half. Seriously dull stuff. 0-0 written all over it.

The second half was much the same affair. The only thing of note that happened was the usual Rangers clobbering of our keeper (this time by that headless chicken Kenny Miller). Bossu had to come on and coped well against a very poor Rangers team.
Rangers struck the post through the gap toothed spanish gypsy and Mackie missed a great chance from a Mulgrew freekick floated into the box. That was pretty much it.

Still, 4 points from the old firm in 2 weeks, I think everyone and anyone would have taken that beforehand.

And in other amazing news, all 6 season ticket holders were in attendance. Stone the crows!

Up next, Falkirk away. If we have any aspirations of getting third spot we must keep up our recent good run of form.

Jings Crivvens......

2009-01-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

Well. What can I say? That was a turn up for the books! 4 goals (yes, I did just say that) against the Tims. When was the last time that happened? Frank McDougal. He scored all 4 that day... we spread them out a little yesterday though (it would be rude not to).

I was confident all week that we'd get some sort of result in this game. I thought perhaps a sneaky 1-0 or 2-1 win given the decent run of form we'd been on of late. We almost got a full turnout of season tickets too.... almost. 5 of the ticket owners present.... one day it'll happen, perhaps the Rankgers game next Saturday.

So, we head down towards the stadium, past the hordes of weird looking people with no teeth, weird shaped faces and an even weirder dress sense. A motley crew and no mistake. Once the stench had left my nostrils I grabbed myself a chicken pie and a wee bovril to ward off the cold and took my seat... ready for a routine Dons win... or something along those lines.

The first 10 minutes did not look good for us. Celtic were all over us. Oh dear. Slowly but surely we worked ourselves into the game however. Aluko in particular was menacing down the left and whipping in some wonderful crosses (more on that aspect of the game later).

We finally took the lead around the half hour mark with a wonderful goal from Gary McDonald. The ball broke to Duff on the left wing, he turned well and put a great ball towards the back post, McDonald pulled off his marker and planted a great header beyond Brown into the top corner. No chance. YES!

Oh wait... but it's Celtic. I forgot. Straight up the park. Goal for Brown. Dreadful marking. Jesus wept... we've seen this before all too often. Time to roll up the sleeves and get on with it.

But wait... hark, what's this? 2-1 the Dons! A wonderful ball from Kerr, the Celtic defence are static and in steps an unmarked Duff to volley past a helpless Brown in the Celtic goal. First Dons goal for the local boy, and what a cracker to open his account. Half time, all is well.

Into the second half, and what do we do? You guessed it. Sit deep and defend our lead. BIG mistake, especially against Celtic. They throw everthing at us, and what happens? You guessed it. Equaliser, Scott McDonald (the swine). Here we go, a late Celtic winner, just like at Parkhead earlier in the year.

We seem to be made of sterner stuff right now however. We seem to roll our sleeves up and go for it. And it pays off, big style. A free kick is whipped in by Mulgrew and Diamond throws himself headfirst at it and the ball arrows into the top corner. Then the ref blows for a foul on Mackie. Then it's disallowed. Then it's a penalty to us. No wait, it's a goal! Come on Dons, hold on for a well deserved 3 points.

A minute later. Free kick (again). Whipped in by Mulgrew (again). Diamond at the back post (again). GOAL! (again) 4-2 Aberdeen. Cue mad celebrations. I think we ended up about 2 rows down when that 4th goal went in. Absolutely amazing. Only one team was winning from that point on.

On watching the post match analysis when I got home one thing struck me. Gordon Strachan comes across as a bitter, bitter man. He can never hold his hands up and admit his team were well beaten on the day. All rubbish goals apparently, the pitch was useless too apparently. His glib remarks that used to be funny and refreshing when he was managing in England do little now to hide the fact he's struggling under the pressure of managing a big team. In fact they are no longer even funny, he just comes across as an arse.

All in all a wonderful day. Re-live it here in all it's glory. Roll on next Saturday and Rangers at Pittodrie. It's about time we pulled off an old firm double. Lets hope the boys (and the fans) are up for it. Until then....

MILLERTIME!!!!!!!!

2009-01-14T03:33:00.001-08:00

ONE LEE MILLER, THERE'S ONLY ONE LEE MILLER, ONE LEEEEE MILLLLLERRRRRRR, THERE'S ONLY ONE LEE MILLER! Yes, Big Lee does it yet again! Kilmarnock away. The last time there we got royally humped in the CIS cup, with the mighty Bertie Bassett (sorry Bossu) in between the sticks. Surely time for revenge?

Again, a radio job for me. A round trip to Kilmarnock on a Tuesday night really didn't grab me by the cockles. Still, I had a few informants at the game to keep me up to speed. Now, a nice bright start will do nicely, keep it tight.... oh dear, 1-0 to Killie 10 minutes in.

SHITE!!! Ah well, that's us done, we'll never come back from that were my immortal words. What's that you say? 1-1 Lee Miller. Surely not! See, I always knew we'd come back from 1-0 down. What did I tell you?

Into the second half and another magnificent goal (which turned out to be the winner) from a man on a red hot run of form. He can do no wrong right now. Let's hope he keeps up this goal scoring record against the old firm in the forthcoming matches.

2-1 Aberdeen. Final score. Match reaction and highlights are available here. Backs to the wall for the last 20 minutes or so, with a few chances for Kilmarnock to equalise but a great away win in the end. And more importantly, up into the European places with everything to play for in the remainder of the season.

In saying this, holding on to Lee Miller is vital in order that this becomes a reality. Unless someone comes in with a 'silly money' bid, we really must keep hold of our top scorer and best player. The club need to show a level of ambition and show we are not there to sell a player as soon as the first offer comes in (Russell Anderson anyone?). Especially to Rangers, which would be a bad move for Miller. He wants European football, and if we continue playing in this manner, it is a certainty for next season. Keeping this squad together and adding to it, rather than losing some of our best assets, should be the priority. To be fair to Willie Miller and Jimmy Calderwood, they have come out and said he is going nowhere and even Big Lee himself has said he's settled and enjoying his football. But then it is football.... who knows what will happen in the next couple of weeks. Watch this space.

Up next, Celtic. At Pittodrie. About time we beat them up here. Can't wait!

Cup Fever!!!!!

2009-01-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

Well.... sort of. Certainly a potential banana skin to avoid! Something which we haven't been very successful at in recent cup 'runs'. Alloa Athlectic away, on their mighty synthetic surface. Over the course of the match build up Jimmy has maligned it saying it was a disgrace, then that it was better than expected. And after the game itself proclaimed it 'a leveller'. What. The. Fuck. Are. You. On. About. Jimmy?

Still, a 3,000 sellout and a good soaking for the Dons fans on the terraces due to the abysmal weather!

The match itself? As I wasn't there, I can't really put forth much of a review. By the sounds of things on the radio and in the press, we started the game brightly, culminating in a deflected opener by man of the moment Lee Miller from a MaGuire shot.

After that? What do you think? The usual... we sit back, ask them to come at us, and lose a bizarre equaliser just before half time. Alloa have the ball in the net, the ref then disallows it, then awards them a penalty, which is then delayed due to rolls of ticket tape being launched onto the pitch by the Dons fans behind the goal.

All is well shortly after the break as Sone Aluko scores what proves to be the winner. Cue a few anxious moments before the final whistle, but we've scraped through and more importantly have a home tie for once in the next round (against East Fife).

On another note, congratulations to 'Handsome Lee' for picking up the player of the month award. Well deserved for the big man and hopefully the rumors of imminent bids for him from The scum, Leeds and Norwich are well off the mark. If they are true, nothing less than £2M should be accepted for a man at the very top of his game.

Next up? It's back to league business tonight.... Kilmarnock away in a rearranged fixture from the end of last year. Win this and we're up to 4th. We won't blow it. Will we? Till tomorrow......

Dust off the cobwebs

2009-01-05T01:47:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, the festive period. A time of sex, drugs and rock and roll (wait, did I get that right?). Anyway, none of those were forthcoming for me, unless you count Guitar Hero on the PS3 as RnR?

So between the hangovers and illnesses of the festive period i've neglected to keep up to date with my Dons thoughts and gripes. 3 games to catch up on, and for once it's MOSTLY positive (note I said mostly). I'll keep it short and to the point.

Now.... the first game to catch up on wasssssss.......... let me think. It was so long ago. Hmmmm. Inverness away, just before Christmas. To cut a long story short, we hammered them 3-0. Goals from Miller, McDonald and Mackie (all mightily impressive I may add). I listened to it on the radio as I had a stinking hangover.

Next up, Hearts, on the 27th. Pretty much a sell-out at Todders. And for once, we didn't blow it! Excellent atmosphere, a match we were never in danger of losing and an absolutely terrific winner from 'Handsome Lee'. Player of the season by a country mile for me so far. And I must add, I hate Hearts, bunch of cheating scum. Berra, die!

That brings us up to the most recent game. Hamilton away. I must profess I didn't even contemplate going. And switched off the radio as soon as we lost the first goal. I have no idea how the game panned out apart from the score... a 2-0 defeat. Terrible stuff. I don't really want to know how it went (all I heard about was a flu outbreak and a narrowed pitch), but if you are so inclined, the match reaction can be found here.

Next up it's a cup weekend. Alloa away. After this latest disaster lets hope we pick ourselves up and push on the cup. It's been LONG overdue.

Half season review. B-. Stop losing stupid games. Arghhh. No wonder my hair is falling out.

Saints Alive!

2008-12-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

Rain. Again. Lots of rain. Rain, rain, rain. Still, at least the huns didn't win. Yes, it's that time of the week again. Saturday morning (although no whiff of a hangover) which makes a somewhat refreshing change.

I literally couldn't give the tickets away for the game, and 4 were available. I did find a couple of hardy souls to use 2 of them though. On with the assortment of winter clothing (although I stupidly forgot my gloves and scarf, so in reality I blew it) and off we set for the hallowed turf.

Falkirk, surely we'll beat them today? Although they haven't won here since the 50's, but then again neither had Caley or Hamilton until this season.... GULP!

By the time we arrive we are well and truly DRENCHED. Complete set of bastards. This had better be a good game.

As it turns out we didn't fare too badly on that front. A bright opening spell is capped off with a great passing move culminating with my namesake being hauled down in the box for a stonewall penalty.

Up steps the man of the moment, the outstanding (yet again) Lee Miller to cooly slot it home. From there on it was all pretty much one way traffic in the first half, which was compounded with a second goal for the Dons. A great ball whipped in by Maguire and Lee Miller is at the back post to squeeze it in for a fantastic finish across the keeper. He was also unlucky not to complete the hat trick a few moments later with a stinging shot from the edge of the box.

So, all bodes well for the second half! Or so we think. Why do we have this mentality of defending so deep once we take a lead? Really? The second half was a complete contrast. We should be going out and looking to turn on the style, score a few goals and get a few more bums back on seats at Pittodrie. But no, we sit back, lose a terrible goal (scored by Lovell of all people) but thankfully hold on to take the 3 points. Surely we need to take heed of this warning and be a little more positive.

Speaking of positives, Lee Miller and Gary McDonald were outstanding. And we have now won 4 on the spin at home, which is very encouraging given the start we had.

Match highlights and reaction

Chant of the day: OH MACKIE GOOOOOOOOOOO, MACKIE, MACKIE, MACKIE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......

Season ticket count: 5 out of 6 used....... we'll get that perfect 6 one day. Mark my words.

I'm frozen to my seat

2008-12-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

On reflection, staying up until 4am playing FIFA on the Playsation on Friday was not the best of ideas. Fun at the time mind you, but that's besides the point.

I awake to a slightly groggy, throbbing head, complain to myself a lot, and then turn on the tv to soak up the delights of Hearts v Rangers with a cup of tea.

Bad result for the Dons, although the Huns losing is always a sight to behold.

2pm.... where is Ryan?

2.15pm.... where is Ryan?

2.30pm.... where is... Oh, he slept in and is on his way.

On exiting my flat and heading to the theatre of dreams (to meet the aforementioned Ryan) I am delighted I opted for 2 pairs of socks (on reflection, 3 pairs would have been needed). I am however, a bit gutted I forgot my scarf as it is indeed brass monkeys in the Granite City on this fine winter afternoon.

Anyway, he finally arrives and we get inside and huddle up for warmth as best we can (and not in a sexy party kind of way). The match kicks off (Jimmy's 200th in charge), let the action commenceeeeeeeeeZZZZZZZZZzzzzZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz. Whoa.... What was that? I feel asleep? Well I would have been totally justified had I done so as the first half of 'football' was absolutely horrendous, with nothing at all of note I can recall. Not to mention the fact the atmosphere, for want of a better word, was sorely lacking.

The only real entertainment was the small hardy band of Motherwell supporters being harrassed by the stewards for actually trying to create some noise and excitement.

Into the second half we stumble.... and thankfully it's a marked improvement. The Dons actually start putting a few passes together and create some chances. It takes a tactical masterclass from Calderwood (or an injury to Considine) to change the game however and make the breakthrough. Aluko delivers a great ball from the right and the 'just on' McDonald pounces to flash a great header into the back of the net.

A few moments later and DeVisscher pings a great ball into the box before Mackie is dumped in the box. Penalty, red card for Quinn, and totally justified. The 'well keeper (Smith) tries in vain to put Miller off by throwing water in his direction (the twat), but handsome Lee confidently smashes the ball home.

Game over.

And but for some better luck it could have been 4 or 5.

Match reaction and highlights

Highlight of the day? Seeing Gus arriving rather 'refreshed' from a morning at the pub.

Season ticket count? 3 out of 6. Things are going downhill. And fast. And Dunc still hasn't seen a win. The swine.

EDIT: Raith Rovers or Alloa in the Scottish Cup 4th round ... away. Just for a change. I'll be paying a visit to Jonathan's that weekend. Bring it on.

17 year wait for a win goes on

2008-11-24T04:13:00.001-08:00

How shitty, annoying and downright useless is that? 17 years. 32 games. And no win at Ibrox. Deary me. Grim reading. Lots was said in the build up to the match. Apparently Clangers was going to get his 3rd win at Ibrox. Aluko was the new Eoin Jess too!!! Happy days. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, let me tell you. A whole lot, that's what. Rangers were there for the taking on Saturday, that's for sure. It looked like a VERY scrappy game. We had a few good chances to take the lead though, Derek Young in particular had a great chance to break the deadlock before half time.

And what happened? What do you think? Into the second half we trot and as usual, we lose 2 'sloppy' goals (christ on a bike, I sound like JC, shoot me now).

Final score: Rangers 2 - 0 Aberdeen.

Useless. Positives? Severin and Kerr looked good in central midfield. Aluko looks great up front. Two points whuch JC must surely take on board and bloody stick to. All this tinkering is no good for continuity. We need a settled team on the park that know what they are supposed to be doing.

Negatives? Oh yes. Of course!!! Again, defensively, we looked shambolic at the goals. Several opportunites were there to clear the ball for both. And it's silly errors like this that are the cause of us dropping so many points this season. Which is frustrating.

Match reaction and highlights

I hope we can get back on track with a win against Motherwell on Saturday. Hopefully it will provide me with a bit more ammunition for a more exciting entry. I'm just deflated and rapidly losing interest after Saturday. Yay. Or boo. Whatever.....

An International Flavour

2008-11-20T01:50:00.001-08:00

An update? For a Scotland game? But why I hear you say? For one small reason, the solitary Dons player in the squad. Handsome Lee. Would he get a game? Are we going to the match? Questions which simply had to answered.

The answer to number 1 was a resounding yes, which was great news. The answer to number 2? No, we didn't go. Our supposed 'lift' blew it at the last minute. So instead of a wintery, rainy, not to mention smelly evening in Glasgow, I settled down in the pub to watch the return of Maradona to Hampden.

The first 10 minutes looked pretty scary, Argentina were all over us. And that's being kind to Scotland. After one (or that should be several) fantastic piece(s) of skill at the edge of the box, a first time volley from Mascherano followed, and it all looked dangerously ominous. Just moments later, and several one touch passes along the way, the ball was nestled in the Scotland net. 8 mins gone. Waheyyyyy.

I thought the inevitable collapse was on the cards after that. But Scotland seemed to come into the game a bit more, to their credit, or Argentina stepped down a few gears. Never the less, Scotland created a few chances before half time, James McFadden in particular a little unlucky.

The second half looms, and what's this? A smiley faced Lee Miller beaming on the touchline. Splutter.... a Dons player getting a game for Scotland? Surely not!!!!!! Jings Crivvens, stone the crows etc etc.

Lee Miller vs Killie. Just a taster of what he is capable of on his day. As for his performance last night? I have to say I thought he handled himself well. He had a couple of good chances, a turn and shot from about 20 yards and a header from a corner. Can't do his international chances any harm surely? He was certainly better than Iwelumo.

Full time Sotland 0 - 1 Argentina.

Scotland plus points? Certainly the form of Kris Commons. From a Dons point of view? Great to see Miller get a deserved run out for the national team. Lets hope it inspires him to do the huns over on Saturday. Here's hoping. Lots.

Oh dear.........

2008-11-17T03:03:00.000-08:00

2-0 up. Cruising. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing surely. Oh wait. Hold the bus. This is Aberdoom we are talking about. The cock of the walk.

Really?!?! What the hell is going on? Everything is going so well. I'm sitting watching Scotland beating South Africa in the rugby at my parents. News filters through it's 1-0 to the Dons via Mackie. All good so far.

Then half time happens. Scotland begin to collapse. Doubt enters my mind about the Dons. It's time to head back through to Aberdeen. I'll watch the game on BBC Alba when I make it back home.

The wavering radio reception, the dithering drivers, the showering rain, the.... YESSSSSSSSSSSS 2-0 Aberdeen, Diamond. Happy days. Tonight will be a good night. I'm happy for those brief, flittering moments. Then it all comes crashing down as per usual.

Almost immediately.... goal for HIbernian. Shite. Typical. I knew it. Now, just hold on Aberdeen. Surely you can do that. Push up the table. Get up into the Euro spots. The reception is further wavering, much like the Dons defence.

The full time scores flood in. Surely it's all over? But no, the radio suddenly becomes crystal clear. And now we can go to Easter road.... Great save... Another block.... No, it's a goal for Hibs, with the last kick of the ball.

To quote another Johnny Mac:

You. Can. Not. Be. Serious.

From a seemingly unstoppable position, we blow it yet again. Hibernian 2 - 2 Aberdeen.

Highlights can be seen here. Along with reaction from Blunderwood.... blaming the man of the match, Sone Aluko for the whole fiasco. Deary me.

I was even silly enough to watch the entire game later on in the evening. Thankfully, there was beer involved, so I didn't have to pay too much attention. One thing's for sure, it's certainly been a rollercoaster season so far. Whatever will happen next?

Oh wait, I know exaclty what will happen next. Rangers. At Ibrox. Oh dear. I feel a storm is brewing. Lets see what happens. Gulp.

Oh to have someone in the team who could do this against the great unwashed. Enjoy.

EDIT: Congratulations to Lee Miller for his call up to the Scotland squad this morning. Lets hope he gets to play some part in the Argentina game.

Points on the board

2008-11-12T02:27:00.000-08:00

Ah, midweek football. Floodlights, great atmosphere, passing football, entertainment.

None of which were on show at Pittodrie last night (albeit the floodlights, but that was hardly any consolation).

Bring a Buddy to the Buddies was the tagline. I'm so sorry for my workmate Steven who came along last night (although he is a hun, so he probably deserves it). But anyway, that's besides the point. We may have had the tagline but we certainly missed the punchline.

On a more serious note, I had to defeat the rumblings growing that I was the jonah. No wins seen at all this season. Thankfully that myth was destroyed with a resounding whimper last night. Leaving only Duncan yet to see a win this season.

Despite feeling like death, I stepped out the flat door to a chorus of rain and was soaked by Urquhart road. I did try the 'match special' once inside the stadium however. A chicken pie (still gave me heartburn though, the swines). The Bovril helped to keep the cold out mind you.

The match itself was delayed by 10mins due to road blockages, but they need not have bothered, a mighty crowd, just shy of 10,000 was there for the impending football masterclass.

The first half was, how can we say.... forgettable to say the very least. Along with freezing. Summer football please. The only things of note I can remember were the linesman getting clattered and Lee Miller being unlucky with a great free kick not long before half time.

He really has been one of the few positives this season. I've been saying it for a while but I think he's got the best touch in the team by a mile. Makes good space for himself and brings other players into play well. All he needs to add are a few more goals to his game. Although in saying that he was unlucky last night and on another day would have had a hat trick on Saturday.

But I digress. The second half of total football at Todders last night was.... even worse than the first. So i'll skip to the goals.

Good play on the wing from Severin (I did just say that, yes) and a great touch from Kerr followed by a good cut back to big Andy Considine who produced a tremendous finish.

The second was on the break, Aluko beat the offside trap and slotted home with ease. Darren Mackie, please take note.

Final score Aberdeen 2 - 0 St. Mirren

Match reaction

Next up, Hibs at Easter Road. There was talk of going..... but I think I'll pass.

Season ticket count for last night.... 5 out of 6. We may get the full compliment at some point this season.

Christ on a bike

2008-11-11T02:49:00.001-08:00

Ah Tannadice, an often visited venue from myself with some quite horrendous results (and Saturday was no exception let me tell you).

The day started pleasantly enough mind you. I wake up at 10am, with no trace of a hangover (unfortunately the rest of the weekend would more than make up for this). I go and collect the hardy troops, one of which was very hungover (yes, you Mark) and one of whom was not long in from a night shift.

On seeing their faces I felt good about myself and off we went. Ryan managed to consume 4 rowies by the time we'd passed Stonehaven (healthy as you like). We even passed the Brian Grant memorial site, McDonalds beside Forfar, which prompted me to foolishly announce that surely the Dons would win today.

Now, for those of you that don't know, i've been to Tannadice probably around 20 times and never seen a win. It all started to go wrong just as we got into Dundee. We get to the top of the hill, are about to turn into Forfar road and my car decides to cut out. Fun times ahoy..... I should have taken this as a sign and headed straight home. Miraculously, it starts up and we manage to abandon it and head to the pub.

The Centenary bar, on Clepto road. Mobbed. Lots of drunk people. Roasting. Some cheeky songs. Lots of Dean Windass chanting. And people so hammered at 1pm I don't know how they even made the game.

A few pints later (cokes in my case) we head down and join the already monster queue to get into the shed. Confidence is high (as the sherminator from American Pie would say). We even manage to get a pie inside, which thankfully have improved since last season.

The football sadly hasn't, however. 2-0 down within 10 minutes. A complete shambles at the back, yet again. Why Severin is playing in defence is beyond me. If the 3rd goal had gone in it was hometime. Somehow we struggle on to half time only 2-0 down.

To be fair, we came more into the game towards the end of the half and totally dominated the second half. Lee Miller and Sone Aluko both played particularly well. How we only managed to score 1 goal through Mackie is beyond me. The usual dubious disallowed goal and it's back off up the road with tails between legs. Again. Yet again. I think i'm going to retire from Tannadice.

Also having to listen to Celtic fans phoning in about their minute's applause for 2 hours on Scotsport made things even more unbearable. The swines. And Jim Traynor. An even bigger swine.

Dundee United 2 - 1 Aberdeen

High(low) lights here for those hardy souls interested.

St Mirren tonight. If we play like we did in the second half against United, we should murder them. But it's the Dons we are talking about. I just don't know what to expect. Until tomorrow.........

Sone Aluko (Buckie + Highland League = Alcohol)

2008-11-03T02:58:00.000-08:00

Worst team in the UK no more! Be gone I tell you. I'm seriously starting to wonder if i'm the Jonah? Nah, surely not. I've seen us win at home before.... I think?!?!?! When was that exactly? Ummmmm, no, me neither.

A great win for the Dons. And a wonderful goal by Sone Aluko. Although judging by the highlights, we looked a little nervy and rode our luck at times. See for yourself:

Match Highlights and reaction

Aberdeen 1 - 0 Kilmarnock.

But enough of that... I had another agenda on Saturday. Cue my alarm clock going off at 8.30am! What on earth? Yes, I had too many beers last night allied by very little sleep. Well, time to toughen up. I struggle out of bed. Pull on a hat and venture out into the cold to meet JoJo.

What is happening today? A highland league showdown, that's what. For some reason JoJo (a Raith Rovers fan... yes, I didn't know there were any either) has decided to follow a Highland League team this season. And to make matters even more bizarre, has chosen Clach, the fool.

Now, me being a Buckie boy, I couldn't resist a trip up to my folks to take in the game and hopefully see a win (although in saying that, Buckie are even worse than the Dons this season, nae luck).

So anyway, a nice breakfast at Beautiful mountain, a load of water and a shower later and i'm ready to hit the road.

We arrive in Buckie and hot foot it to the ground (we get in free and into the boardroom etc which makes a nice change and I see some of the local characters). The pie and bovril is also good (and not a heartburn inducing like todders).

The game itself? Started off so well, Buckie up 1-0 in the first few minutes. It all went horribly wrong after that though. 3-1 down. Down to 10 men. A late goal to make it respectable. Buckie 2 - 3 Clach. Why did they sack my hero, Big Dunc? Why is it so cold? Why can't I walk? All questions that needed to be answered (and were over several refreshers in the social club afterwards).

Chant of the weekend (from the Clach fans).

'The Buckie end, is always full.
The Buckie end is always full.
It's full of poofs, queers and wankers.
The Buckie end is always full'.

Genius.

So, a nice change from the Dons, but I have to say i'm looking forward to Tannadice on Saturday.

Season ticket count for Saturday at Pittodrie: 4 out of 6.

Jimmy to go?

2008-10-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

There was a match on Saturday apparently. So I heard. It all seemed to be a little shoved to one side due to rumors that Jimmy Calderwood was to be sacked within 48 hours.

Reports in the local rag today however, are that the Dons are demanding a public apology. Here, read all the gory details for yourself:

Aberdeen demand public apology

Having not been to a game for 3 weeks now, i'm struggling to find some witty banter and little anecdotes to keep this fresh and entertaining. No pub trips, no heartburn steak pies (or the vegetarian option - macaroni). Although the weather is getting increasingly BALTIC. I'm not looking forward to the next few months of footballing entertainment(?!?!).

I did make a trip to Frank McDougals new pub last week though (The Criterion) and got some great stories from him. A brilliant host and well worth a trip to sample a pint or two and hear some tales from the past. I also sampled some banana and coconut beers at the Moorings just along the road (try them for yourself.... you may be shocked).

Anyway. I digress. Saturday. Hearts. Tynecastle. A day of Sky Sports News for me. 1-0 Dons.... Mackie. Splutter.

1-1 almost immediately. And that is how the game finished.

On viewing the highlights, we were unfortunate with a couple of great efforts from Hodgkiss and Miller that struck the woodwork. Hearts had chances too however, so a draw was probably a fair result. The main talking point was the 'penalty' that Hearts thought they had won, and was subsequently reversed by the linesman (sorry referees assistant). A brave decision, albeit a correct one. The referee needs to be applauded for having the balls to listen to his assistant and act accordingly.

Killie at home next weekend. I'm bringing down the season ticket count already (I have a prior engagement for Saturday). Hopefully a first home win of the season will be forthcoming though. Hopefully. Please. Thanks.

I'm not disowning the Dons though. A trip to Tannadice will ensue a week on Saturday! Let's hope I can finally see a win there too (after about 20 trips). I hope.

Woah.... it's been a while....

2008-10-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

Soooooooooo, the Dandy Dons eh! Thank god for the international break. That was a wonderful change of scenery from watching the Dons..... wait, did I just say that? It was almost as bad as watching our lumbering, ineffective players.

Thankfully, my supposed ticket for the Scotland game didn't materialise. Although in hindsight, it would at least have prevented a monster hangover.

But anyway, I digress.... back to more important matters. Falkirk away, at Brockville.... oh no wait, i'm WELL out of date there. Suffice to say I didn't go to the game. An all important win was accomplished though. A Lee Miller header from a wonderful Considine cross (yes, I did just say that).

However, judging by the highlights, we were pretty rank, and only the abysmal finishing of former messr Lovell saved our blushes and helped us rise up to the heady heights of 10th place.

Falkirk 0 - 1 Aberdeen.

Blunderwood had these comments to make:

"It's a massive result for us at a very difficult venue. Today we got the rub of the green that we've not been getting.

"In all fairness to John (Hughes)'s team it's probably a draw but we've got the victory.

"We know we should've won games we've lost in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully we can take confidence from it take it to Tynecastle next week.

"It's been a long time since we've had a victory on a Saturday. At last we'll have a good weekend. It's been five or six weeks.

"The last two weeks we've been bottom. It hurts. We're off that and hopefully it's the last time we see that."

Yes, we got the win Jimmy (and we'll probably need a few more ugly wins to move us up the table), but the simple fact remains that the product on offer is nowhere near value for money. Hopefully with a few more wins the players can start to express themselves on the pitch and add some flair. However, I think that may be wishful thinking. Time will tell.

Next up is the jam tarts at Tynecastle. I'd bought a ticket to go, but now have nowhere to stay... so a trip to see my parents will ensue instead. I'll be glued to Sky Sports News to see the results come filtering through though (or alternatively I could get a life and go and do something FAR more worthwhile).

Awful! All I really need to say....

2008-10-06T03:01:00.001-07:00

League Table

Position	Team	GD	Points
1	Celtic	11	19
2	Rangers	9	19
3	Kilmarnock	0	13
4	Hibernian	-1	13
5	Hearts	-3	12
6	Dundee Utd	0	11
7	ICT	1	10
8	Motherwell	-2	10
9	Hamilton	-6	9
10	St Mirren	-2	8
11	Falkirk	-3	7
12	Aberdeen	-4	7

A testing week....

2008-10-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

Woah. So since my last adventure at Parkhead things have taken a turn for the worst. Both for me, and the Dons.

My case in the bad books developed into a full scale pandemic and alas, I am no longer bequeathed. Still, I can now focus all my attentions on the Dons... right...??? They won't let me down, no, no.... they'll provide me with a lift and brighten up the week.

Jimmy was up to his usual antics all week.... this being one of my favourite articles:

"JIMMY CALDERWOOD vowed to abandon his love of total football to clinch a victory and appease angry Aberdeen fans.

Calderwood learned to appreciate the sizzling style during his spell in Holland.

But he insisted tomorrow's clash with Hibs at Pittodrie is a must-win match and he wants to put points on the board to get the Red Army off his back.

Calderwood won't care if his players boot the ball into the North Sea if it prevents a goal."

Rousing stuff eh?!!!

Well, onto the match today itself. The first thing I notice (apart from the fact that i'm waiting for Steve to turn up for ages) is that it is bloody baltic. I forgot how cold it gets at the football as the year and the weather draws in. That'll teach me to wear a thin jacket.

And we're off.... Things are looking ok. Some pretty passing patterns. A few shots on goal (Foster misses a sitter). Which brings me to a little rant. He really is the worst player i've seen for a while at the Dons. His passing is atrocious. Just really, really bad. Wrong. He's played all over the shop which I suppose doesn't help his cause as he's never really had a settled position. I always have to laugh when in Ma Camerons and Raymond annouces that he's being played out of position and is really a striker. I think that's all I really need to say on the matter.

And, back to the game. 1-0 Hibs. Disaster of a backpass by Mair and it's another shambles. To be fair, we picked up the pace and got back into it with a Lee Miller penalty (won by the man himself). In the second half, we were playing some nice attractive stuff.... then yet another clown show at the back. Mulgrew sent off for hand ball. Penalty. Salt. Pepper. Done.

Aberdeen 1 - 2 Hibs.

And what did Jimmy have to say...... well, there's a surprise:

"We got a sloppy goal against us and we came back from that and got the penalty."

And to think, the players got clapped off. After getting beat. Which was a bit of a surprise. At one point I thought it was going to be an all out demonstration. 5 losses in a row now. Something is going to have to change. And pretty soon. My week has been a total shambles, compounded by the Dons latest capitulation. Onwards and upwards..... things can't get much worse. Still, Scotland next week.... small mercies.

Oh, on another note.:
Season tickets : 6
Tickets used: 6
Fun obtained: 0

Same old story?

2008-09-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

Edinburgh. Saturday morning. No hangover, I feel great (Sunday morning was not so good however and I was, and still am, in the bad books). Anyway, I digress, that is a story for another time. The task in hand was the impending match against Celtic.

Today I am fortunate enough to have complimentary tickets for the game (courtesy of Jeff who works for Nike, cheers Jeff). The bad news they are in the Celtic end and i'm far from enamoured at the prospect of sitting amongst the hordes of one half of the 'great unwashed'.

Still, it's going to be Jimmy's last game in charge right? Regardless, we hop on a train at Waverly and make our way to the city of doom. It's a peculiar place Glasgow. Totally different to Edinburgh, and not in a good way I find. Once in Glasgow I always feel a little on edge, there is always something a bit nasty just bubbling under the surface.

We reach our fabled destination and head for a bite to eat in Waxy 'O Connors, which I must say was excellent. A quick beer later and some Merseyside action, we hop on a bus out to the tattie bowl. Now sure, some football clubs have a fraction of undesirables in their midst, but the Glasgow teams are littered with some of the most strange looking people on the planet.

The further towards Parkhead we venture, the more shanty town the scenery becomes. The boarded up bars, unwelcoming, fearful of having their non-existant windows panned in. The shell suits, the lack of dental hygiene, the sunken white faces, the weird close-together eyes, that irritating accent.

Not to mention the fact the bus was like a sauna. We arrive at our destination eventually and weave through the mass of sellic fans and into the Jock Stein stand. Fair play to Nike, we have nice padded seats in the very back row of the lower deck. I make the observation that Celtic Park is a lot nicer than the last time I was here (it was still all standing then), although it's fair to say it's still a shitehole.

And the atmosphere, let me tell you... there was.... nothing. Dead. Dull. The famous Celtic fans. Outsung the entire match by the small band of Dons fans who were a credit to us. With a plethora of flags, smoke and songs, we lit the otherwise dour stadium up. I felt so envious to have to sit and keep my mouth shut throughout the entire game.

The game itself? What can I say, well and truly robbed. As usual. The same old story. The first half was a non-event really, the Dons were passing the ball around well and the goal lost was a total shambles defensively (Foster and Kerr, oh dear). And it's not as if we weren't creating chances, Lee Miller in particular was giving the Celtic defence a torrid time.

The second half kicked off, Seve lost to injury and Mulgrew on in his place. Again, some excellent passing and movement from the Dons, highlighted by our equalising goal, which was an absolute cracker. Mulgrew finished it at the back post, volleying it through Boruc legs from a Lee Miller flick on. To say I was delighted would be an understatement, a totally different kind of celebration though, sitting there smiling to myself and listening to the unwashed volley out all sorts of abuse.

Our second goal was excellent too. Lee Miller (yet again) wins a free kick 30 yards out and up steps Mulgrew again to pop it in via the post. He races over to the Dons fans in celebration and all is good in the world (for a few glorious minutes anyway).

What is it about Celtic? We always lose late goals, yet whenever we take the lead we feel it's time to sit back and defend on our 6 yard line instead of continuing to play the same attractive 1 touch stuff. Two late goals (as usual) and the obligatory Mackie sitter missed and it's game over. Sadly, Mulgrew should have simply booted the ball out for the eventual Celtic winner, but decided to try and dribble round everyone. Final Score, Celtic 3 - 2 Aberdeen. Gutted.

I was furious when that 3rd goal went in, my phone almost getting thrown off the wall in fury on the way out of the stadium, the usual grey Glasgow rain lashing down to worsen my mood. Football, why do I bother.......

On reflection, I thought we were desperately unlucky and felt sorry for the players (and even Jimmy). I thought Mair, Duff and Miller were excellent. Kerr also had his best game in a Dons shirt so far. The sad fact however, is if we don't start picking up results soon then there is only one outcome. But surely, if we play like that against Hibs on Saturday, we'll hammer them.

Won't we.....?

Jimmy must go?

2008-09-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, I think that's a good way to start this entry. Swiftly followed by this little tit-bit from the bbc website:

Aberdeen were a shambles at the back throughout and it was some dithering defending that allowed Sammon to race through on to a David Lilley pass before forcing the ball past Dons' stand-in goalkeeper Bertrand Bossu.

Sounds familiar? And to think.... A David Lilley pass?!?! When did we ever see that at Pittodrie when he was in the red of the Dons? Our managers never seem to get the best out of players. Something in the water?

I really don't know what to say. Kilmarnock 4 - 2 Aberdeen. 3 losses on the spin. Goals from Miller and McDonald for the Dons, and all 6 goals in the first 30 minutes! It must have been quite a first half, full of incident, penalties and our now customary horrific defending. But I have to say, I'm delighted I wasn't there.

I received a text from my old flatmate Malcolm after the game, he hadn't been so lucky:

Fucking a goal down before I even got in the ground. Useless. Still not replaced Anderson. Too many lightweights that go missing when the going gets tough.

Couldn't have said it better myself Malcolm.

Added to this little ditty from my old workmate Michael:

Unfuckingbelievable!

Haven't heard anything from the mighty JC yet, but i'm sure he'll blame the fans, individual errors and sloppiness as usual. Those old chestnuts again. I really think it's 'shoogly peg' time for our divine leader now. A humping from Celtic at the weekend followed by a loss to the Hibbees at todders and I think the fat lady (or jimmy himself?) will be well and truly singing.

Next up, Celtic (at the tattie bowl). Suffice to say i'm going, but i've already put a bet on 6-0 to the Jungle Jims. At this rate we'll be lucky to get 0.

Jesus Wept.

It's good to be back?

2008-09-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

My head is fuzzy. Long haul travel always does that. The kick off is 12.30 tomorrow, live on Setanta, what a feast of football fun for the UK (alliteration aside). My optimism has returned after my re-energising break away. Not to mention the fact that watching the Toronto Blue Jays get minced at baseball has convinced me the Dons can't do any worse.

Silly, silly me. When will I ever learn? I awake to my flat buzzer going off. What's that? Who? When? Who am I? Oh, it's my cousin... i've slept in, again. We still have half an hour till kick off though. Nae probs, quick shower and off we go, full of enthusiasm on a bright, sunny, and I daresay warm Aberdeen day.

Pittodrie is fast approaching, looming ever closer and closer as the anticipation to kick off and a kickstart to the season builds. Tommy Wright starting eh! 3 up front, should be a cracking game. We best get some refreshments inside to tide us over. Ah, flat coca-cola and a nice heartburn steak pie. Life doesn't get much better.

I sense the feeling that this blog will contain more stories about the pre and post match as opposed to the football itself (that much seems apparent after only 2 posts). Anyway, what needs to be said about the game? Not much to be honest, suffice to say we were again horrendous, devoid of any apparent tactics, flare or effort and slumped to a 3rd home defeat in 4 games. Poor show indeed. Aberdeen 0 - 1 Dundee United. Entertainment.... you guessed it.... a bit fat 0.

Our great leader had the following to say:

"It was a game we absolutely dominated in the first half, we created a few chances. The thing that's doing us in is individual mistakes.

"It started at the start of the season, and its not finished yet. I know we can play a lot better.

"Goals change games, it suited United to play on the counter-attack, but it just wouldn't break for us.

"You get days like that in football, but individual errors are costing us big time."

My day didn't get much better when I got to the pub. What? My fantasy team are second bottom? Seriously? The beer did NOT taste good after this latest bombshell, but several made me forget the trials and tribulations of the day and sent me home oblivious to the fact I had the more sobering prospect of going back to work on Monday (Tuesday actually as Monday was a local holiday).

Next up. Killie. In the cup. Away. I dread to think.

On a side note, our mighty 6 is also starting to dwindle (already). Don't say I didn't warn you.

Season ticket count: 6
Actual Attendance: 3

Here we go....

2008-09-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

So, i'm sitting at a computer screen in Toronto, Canada, thinking about the football match i'm missing as my flight back to Aberdeen has been cancelled when I start to think about that 'day of the week'.

What is the big deal for so many people? Hopefully over the next few months (and perhaps longer) I can begin to decipher what I (and the others who suffer with me) think about Aberdeen Football Club and that Saturday game of football.

I check up on the scores and lo and behold, Aberdeen 1 - 2 Hamilon. Thank the lord for small mercies. Glad I missed that one. Apparently a shocking match and we've lost at home twice now in 3 games. Gary McDonald opens the scoring for the Dons only for us to lose 2 disasterous goals (an all too common occurance let me tell you).

Ok, lets rewind. Let's get back to the start of this season. How did we get to this point? Personally I blame Tricky. Yes Tricky, it's all your fault. Moves back to Aberdeen then suggests we should buy a season ticket (which I haven't done due to general apathy and some pretty horrendous 'fitba' on show for many a year).

Hmmmm, 'OK', I say.... but wait.... what's this? Others are going to join us. Are you serious? Oh yes.... 6 of us have signed up no less (Tricky, Myself, Gus, Dunc, Mark and his dad Ian). Aberdeen FC will be joyous at the prospect of some returning fans and will reward us appropriately. Or so we thought.

A quick recap on what has gone on so far this season. Some new signings, the pick of which would have been Kerr and Aluko on paper. The rest a mixed bag.

The first game. At home, Aberdeen 0 - 2 Inverness CT. Oh dear, what a shambles. All that early season enthusiasm gone, in one fell swoop. The first time they have beaten us (to be fair it had been looming for a LONG time now, with many a fortunate result on our behalf of late). Entertainment value = 0.

A fairly shambolic game against the Steelmen next but a win none-the-less courtesy of a last minute free kick from Charlie Mulgrew. Motherwell 0 - 1 Aberdeen. Entertainment value = 0 (I sense a pattern developing here).

Rangers at home next, always a powderkeg fixture. This one was sadly lacking however. Aberdeen 1 - 1 Rangers. Rangers pretty much ran the show and took the lead midway through the first half. The usual 'banter' between the sets of fans was FAR better than the game however. Derek Young popped up with the equaliser just on half time (makes a change). Rangers 'scored' right at the death but it was disallowed for offside which had them up in arms (boo hoo, it happens to us all. I seem to remember Parkhead AND Motherwell at the end of last season when we had 2 perfectly legitamate goals chalked off). All in all, another poor display. The natives are becoming restless....

Anyway, onwards to Canada, and the prospect of 3 football-less weeks (a good thing judging by the opening salvo of matches).

Next up... Ayr in the League cup. Midweek. Nothing really to add, Maguire for the win. Ayr 0 - 1 Aberdeen.

Apparently then another away win with Mackie, (jesus christ, surely not) the scorer. St Mirren 0 - 1 Aberdeen.

And then i'm back. Home, after a new flight has been purchased and what's that? Dundee United at home the next day. Why not..........