Topic: critique allowed

[ayrshire_don74]

6 home league games no wins ? correct ? imagine we had won a few of them... or have we simply chucked it

[Ten Caat]

We seem to be getting one good game followed by one horseshit performance out of both McLennan and Shinnie at the moment. To be expected of McLennan considering his age and experience but from Shinnie it's just not good enough. We all know that when he is bad, he's honking but this recent frequency of honking games is a relatively new phenomenon, it used to be maybe 1 in 6 with other 5 all good. Obviously he has a lot on his mind just now. It's a shame he didn't pick up a knock as he is now off with Scotland where a wee break from football might have done him good.

McKenna is getting the blame from me for their goal today. Seemed to have switched off momentarily, but overall the team were underwhelming as a whole. Maybe a reaction to the efforts from Tuesday but this horrendous home run of results has now become a monkey on their backs. I thought GMS only picked up bruising in the cup draw against sevco but it's taking a helluva long time to settle down. Indeed the Record were running with a story this morning that he's struggling to make the cup semi next month, though were totally short on details why.

Thankfully our away form is as good as our home form is bad. Once again we are almost forced to win our next match to atone for our home failings. A point at Hearts would normally be seen as a good point but it has to be 3 now. Just hope McKenna, Shinnie and Ferguson return from the international break unscathed as that match will be a bruising encounter.

[donsdaft]

I could have, at a push, made it to the game today.

I couldn't be arsed though because going to Pittodrie has become boring.

[rocket_scientist]

I could have, without a push, gone to the game today.

I couldn't be arsed though because going to Pittodrie has been an endurance for too long now.

And the weather was shite. No, even if it was fine, I still couldn't be fucked.

Nor do I care about being an Uber fan and giving "loyalty" to a shit cause.

After north of 750 AFC games (but less than 1,000) over a period which will span 7 decades in January, I am finally joining the cast of the missing thousands. You can have my ticket for the semi. I couldn't be arsed with that either.

[RicoS321]

It's interesting, I just don't think we are that good a team. I think in the games against the hun (and even Hibs, Killie and Hearts) we've just raised our game and played better. For the first time in a few seasons I don't think we've got the squad to just turn up and beat teams in the bottom end. Teams have worked out how to - quite easily - keep us quiet. More worryingly, they've also scored a few too as we keep switching off.

It comes down to poor signings for me. Cosgrove is a young lad, who's had a good run of form, but we can't be relying him 100% of the time, which is what we seem to be doing. It then comes down to the bench and that's where are problems lie. We've got an horrendously expensive, shite, bench. Wilson, Gleeson, Stewart (he's been okay) just aren't doing it and that's a hell of an outlay when you consider that's after getting rid of our other duds in Forrester and Tansey. When you consider that May has been pish for a long time (apart from in games where we need someone to run around a lot) and McGinn is so hit or miss we really can't afford these mistakes in the rest of the squad. We can say what we like about Dom Ball but I was happy we re-signed him this season because he was a good squad player that we could call on when required. We don't seem to have that in the forward areas (otherwise they'd be starting!). To me, McGinn is at that stage where he should be benched and be the reliable sub, but he's playing better than some of the others (Stewart, May, GMS etc). We're just not creative enough to win against teams who sit in.

[TheDeeDon]

Said it for two seasons now, but the manager has been here too long, we are stale and bar a couple of excepetions  have a pretty poor squad of players. I am happy we have young players coming through, but I believe this has a lot to do with our signings being very poor so he has no option but to give our youth a chance, but I do wish he would drop Ferguson for the loons sake.

Regardless if we win the cup or not a parting of the ways with DM in the summer would be best for us and him, who we get in I have no idea, but a change needs to be made to try and keep us up at top end of the league and trying to win trophies.

[manc_don]

Said it for two seasons now, but the manager has been here too long, we are stale and bar a couple of excepetions  have a pretty poor squad of players. I am happy we have young players coming through, but I believe this has a lot to do with our signings being very poor so he has no option but to give our youth a chance, but I do wish he would drop Ferguson for the loons sake.

Regardless if we win the cup or not a parting of the ways with DM in the summer would be best for us and him, who we get in I have no idea, but a change needs to be made to try and keep us up at top end of the league and trying to win trophies.

Pretty much how I feel. I like dm but he's continuously reduced the quality of the squad over the past 2 - 3 seasons. We're far too predictable and he's not been able to break teams down when they sit in. It's not like it's a new tactic teams ar deploying, he's just unable to counter it.

I think ricos hit it on the head we're just not a very good football team.

[RicoS321]

Pretty much how I feel. I like dm but he's continuously reduced the quality of the squad over the past 2 - 3 seasons. We're far too predictable and he's not been able to break teams down when they sit in. It's not like it's a new tactic teams ar deploying, he's just unable to counter it.

I think ricos hit it on the head we're just not a very good football team.

In defence of McInnes, he has been able to counter it in the past few seasons. Our record against the bottom 7-8 under McInnes has been phenomenal. It's really this season that I was referring to. To me, it's the weight of two seasons of poor signings that is finally having an effect on our squad. We simply cannot afford to have such a bad 3-4 windows and not see an impact on the pitch. As mentioned, our first 11-13 are all decent on their day (good enough to finish third), but any time we look to the bench we're screwed. There is/are basically no mitigating options when a player/players is/are having an off day/days.

I think that there has to be a huge caveat too though. We're actually producing/buying/playing players who people want to sign too and that has to be credited to McInnes. We've never replaced Hayes, Jack, McLean, Rooney, McGinn Mk1 and Shinnie will be another. All of those have been replaced by slightly worse players, in a slow depletion of our squad. I feel a bit sorry (I don't really) for McInnes, because the margins are so fine. If Gleeson and Wilson had turned out to be even 15% better than they actually are we'd have been in a far better place. But they're both pap.

[kiriakovisthenewstrachan]

In defence of McInnes, he has been able to counter it in the past few seasons. Our record against the bottom 7-8 under McInnes has been phenomenal. It's really this season that I was referring to. To me, it's the weight of two seasons of poor signings that is finally having an effect on our squad. We simply cannot afford to have such a bad 3-4 windows and not see an impact on the pitch. As mentioned, our first 11-13 are all decent on their day (good enough to finish third), but any time we look to the bench we're screwed. There is/are basically no mitigating options when a player/players is/are having an off day/days.

I think that there has to be a huge caveat too though. We're actually producing/buying/playing players who people want to sign too and that has to be credited to McInnes. We've never replaced Hayes, Jack, McLean, Rooney, McGinn Mk1 and Shinnie will be another. All of those have been replaced by slightly worse players, in a slow depletion of our squad. I feel a bit sorry (I don't really) for McInnes, because the margins are so fine. If Gleeson and Wilson had turned out to be even 15% better than they actually are we'd have been in a far better place. But they're both pap.

What you say above is spot on Rico.

As you say other clubs have started to pursue our players again of late and we have turned into a selling club which is where Scottish football is with the finances available up here.  Problem is that catches up with you eventually as Dundee United proved. 

We've seen from Hibs and Kilmarnock losing a few of their best players recently that it can have a massive effect on the team and it seems to be now that almost every summer we are having to replace our best two or three players.  Recruitment definitely has to be better but it's bloody tough going when you are trying to pick out a few gems from free transfers and loans.  It must be pretty sole destroying for a manager when the best players are cherry picked by other clubs each summer. 

In reality there is so little between the clubs in 3rd to 6th in our league that losing a couple of good players can mean the difference between competing for 2nd place and fighting to stay in the top half of the league as Hibs have demonstrated this season.

[RicoS321]

It must be pretty sole destroying for a manager when the best players are cherry picked by other clubs each summer. 

His footwear seems to be holding up okay for now.

[kiriakovisthenewstrachan]

What are you angling at?

[RicoS321]

Aberdeen have what money can't buy: a sole, a team spirit built in a family tradition

[Tyrant]

Aberdeen have what money can't buy: a sole, a team spirit built in a family tradition

Are they suitable for the shite Pittodrie surface?