Jump to content

Saturday 30th  March 2024:  kick-off 3pm

Scottish Premiership - Aberdeen v Ross County

🔴⚪️ Stand Free! ⚪🔴

Bruce Anderson


Recommended Posts

Great news for the club and even better for Bruce.

 

It's now up to him to make it impossible for the manager to not play him.

 

If we are all being blunt, Stevie May doesn't exactly contribute much, does he, and again, being blunt, Anderson probably couldn't do any less than May does over 90 minutes. Difference is, Anderson is currently full of confidence, and scoring goals, May is neither.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest kiriakovisthenewstrachan

May and Cosgrove's inability to find the net seems to have made everyone particularly edgy and impatient but in reality the team just isn't creating many chances at the moment.  Can't say I have seen either of them going through a game where they are missing chance after chance.

 

Not wishing to pish on anyone's parade but we have to be careful of the expectations of young Anderson. 

 

He scored half a dozen times for Elgin City and has made 4 fleeting appearances for the Dons, scoring once.  The clammer to suddenly make him the first striker on the team sheet is a bit much.  He's done nothing to suggest he will become the next Michael Owen.

 

I suspect if his goal had come against any other team then the hype might be a bit less.

 

I hope he is a roaring success but let's not pin all hope on a youngster who has barely pulled on the red top. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was still be nice if Anderson made it impossible for the manager not to play him rather than May making it impossible for the manager not to play Anderson! I think the biggest problem Anderson will have is Wilson. If he's any good then he'll push May out of the first eleven. That'll push Anderson further down the order with May seen as the first sub (in McInnes' mind). Anderson looks like a decent impact sub (unlike May), and I hope he gets plenty of those appearances before throwing him, he's got time. Ten minutes once every 3 months like Wright is of no use. Good to see the influence Rooney has had on him, that can only be a good thing.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

May and Cosgrove's inability to find the net seems to have made everyone particularly edgy and impatient but in reality the team just isn't creating many chances at the moment.  Can't say I have seen either of them going through a game where they are missing chance after chance.

 

Not wishing to pish on anyone's parade but we have to be careful of the expectations of young Anderson. 

 

He scored half a dozen times for Elgin City and has made 4 fleeting appearances for the Dons, scoring once.  The clammer to suddenly make him the first striker on the team sheet is a bit much.  He's done nothing to suggest he will become the next Michael Owen.

 

I suspect if his goal had come against any other team then the hype might be a bit less.

 

I hope he is a roaring success but let's not pin all hope on a youngster who has barely pulled on the red top.

 

But realistically, we still put enough crosses into the box for the Striker to get on the end of. May has had plenty of opportunities now, he's not up to it, it hasn't worked, I hoped it would have.

 

Regarding the pinning our hopes on Anderson, we are not doing that, we are seeing that May is not capable ( He's had plenty game time ) and Cosgrove is really rough around the edges, he could probably do with a loan to guarantee him game time and opportunities. Anderson is full of confidence, he is scoring for fun in the reserves and making more of a nuisance of himself in his brief appearances than May is in almost a full game. How will we know if Anderson is ready if he barely gets an opportunity? Shankland was the very same, he got 3-4 minute cameo appearances and we released him, as I have said before, perhaps he's found his level at Ayr United, or perhaps we missed a trick, we will never know because we didn't give him the chance. Scott McKenna is now being touted for a multi million pound move etc... and he only got an opportunity because our defence was pish at the time, what's the difference between our defence being pish and our Striker being pish? Anderson deserves an opportunity to start a handful of games until Wilson is fully fit at least. 

 

EDIT TO ADD - Anderson got one chance vs Rangers and took it, he finished confidently and clinically, hit the bar against Dundee and never really got any chances against Kilmarnock. May had a good opportunity against Killie and sclaffed it pathetically wide, he did all the right things in getting the chance, but he was never convinced himself he was scoring, these things make the difference, had May had the chance in the exact same place Anderson did against Rangers, I would be absolutely confident he would have ballooned it or looked for a pass instead of having the confidence to take it on himself. Fine margins and all that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe Mcinnes, when he has 3 fit/not suspended centre backs available fully intends to go 3-5-2 for the majority of games this season. So I fully expect at least initially once Wilson is fit he will play Wison and May as a partnership. If that proves unsuccessful then Anderson has a chance of getting a start for a few games but really would only expect him to get 10-30 minute cameos as a sub probably till November anyway.

 

I do not think May will ever be prolific for us but if he can give us 10 goals a season whilst laying on goals for his strike partner and linking play with the midfield I believe he will stay in the team. At least we should see (well hopefully anyway) an end to defenders lumping long balls up to him as a lone forward and expecting to retain posession.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure about the 3-5-2 TC.

 

He enjoyed a bit of success with a variation of it at times post split last season. McGinn at wing back at times played very well for instance. We definitely have the personnel with a fit McKenna and it would suit us in many ways. I think we'd get a bit more out of all our strikers, who get isolated a lot in the 4-2-3-1. The only downside for me is shoe-horning in GMS somewhere. Arguably been our best player so far this season but wouldn't slot into any of the available roles comfortably. His tracking back is much improved though, and so no reason why he can't alternate with McGinn wide left when required. Logan would be first choice on the right, but again could switch with McGinn when we need to be more attacking.

 

-----------------Lewis------------------

--------Devlin---Consi---McKenna-----

Logan--Ball--Wright--Shinnie-----GMS

----2 of Wilson/Cosgrove/Ando/May---

 

Gleeson drops out due to his name being too long for a midfield 5 I'm afraid. I'll let McInnes explain it to him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually think Logan could be the one to suffer in the system. Lowe seems a more natural wing back than Logan. I'd expect GMS and McGinn to rotate for one of the attacking midfield roles and the same with Ball/Gleeson for the holding role though I just have a feeling DM prefers Ball overall as he is more mobile and a bit more physical too. Wright should get a decent amount of game time, Ferguson has astonished us all so far but will need a rest sooner or later, his last 2 performances have been average at best compared with his sparkling start.

 

I could be totally wrong but I just feel DM is preparing us for the loss of Logan and possibly Shinnie at season's end by trying out a new system where Shay really won't be missed and Shinnie could be fairly easily replaced.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fuck, I forgot about Ferguson! Ditch Ball. I also forgot about Lowe! Wright won't get much game time if we're rotating McGinn and GMS in attacking midfield though. Given McGinn played several games as an auxiliary wing back and his tracking is good I'd think McInnes would do the same switching with Lowe and McGinn, GMS and Logan depending on whether we want to attack more or not.

 

Given the fact that I've forgotten half our players, I think we should revert to 4-2-3-1. Or a 4-4-4-4 and give everyone a game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

------------Lewis------------

---Devlin---Hoban---McKenna---

GMS--Gleeson--Ferguson--Shinnie--Lowe

        Wilson-----Anderson/Cosgrove

 

Harsh on Logan, McGinn & Considine, who have served the club well, but if McInnes were to go for a 3-5-2, that's the players I'd like to see within it. Would also give us a pretty good bench with the likes of Shay, McGinn, Ball & Andy etc....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

------------Lewis------------

---Devlin---Hoban---McKenna---

GMS--Gleeson--Ferguson--Shinnie--Lowe

        Wilson-----Anderson/Cosgrove

 

Harsh on Logan, McGinn & Considine, who have served the club well, but if McInnes were to go for a 3-5-2, that's the players I'd like to see within it. Would also give us a pretty good bench with the likes of Shay, McGinn, Ball & Andy etc....

 

Don't think we will be seeing much of  Hoban this side of Xmas if at all given that he was sent down to Watford for their medical team to have a look prior to having his definitely required shoulder surgery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...