CtS

Good point, well presented. I don't have the answer.

Ricky Foster is the least of our worries and I'd have no problem with him being in next seasons starting 11. (Serious comment, not fishing, might not be popular with some, but it's my opinion)

This is all a bit worrying. Like I've said before, without some big name signings and due to the disappointing end to this campaign, season ticket sales will be well down. We've got enough dross in the squad already with Duff, Mair, Young (to name but a few). The AFC Board need to deliver this time...

Firstly, on the news about Nicholson leaving, I think the guy should play until the end of the season and he deserves a good reception from the fans. He's honoured his contract, he's played his part during a couple of great seasons, scored several important and very nice goals, and he's going to be a big miss next season. The only gripe I've got is the protracted contract yes/no fiasco, but I think his mind has probably been made up for a while, and it's the club who have been waiting for the right time to break the news. Good luck Barry wherever you end up. Secondly, if my work allowed it I'd move to Edinburgh in a flash. I'm happy here in Aberdeen but Edinburgh always strikes me as a lovely place to be, the nicest main street anywhere in the world without question IMO. And I can totally see why people wouldn't want to move up here, with our joke airport that offers services to about half a dozen destinations, run down railway station, main roads with speed cameras every 500 yards, limited choice of retail and recreation facilities, freezing temperatures, inflated house prices, ignorant and narrow minded locals (not a problem exclusive to Aberdeen I grant you). Aberdeen offers nothing more, and in a lot of cases much less than any other city in the UK can offer, and it's obvious to me that a huge percentage of non-Aberdonians living in the North East are here because of Oil industry related employment and nothing else.

There is no way Aluko will get a regular game in the Premiership (if Birmingham stay up) and I think it would be better for all concerned if he had another season at Pittodrie. Walker won't be that much of a loss. Good luck to Nicholson, he's been a consistent SPL performer for years and deserves a crack at something new. Miller should stay. I think he was lucky to get a move to the Dons in the first place and Calderwood has shown remarkable patience in keeping him in the team despite some terrible performances. He's looking more like a player now, and it's time for him to repay that loyalty.

Have a wee 'applaud' Sir. Afc are still the dogs bollocks.

1 Rangers 30 49 75 2 Celtic 32 51 71 3 Motherwell 32 3 52 4 Dundee Utd 33 10 50 5 Hibernian 33 9 50 6 Aberdeen 33 -10 44 7 Falkirk 33 -4 42 8 Hearts 33 -6 42 9 Inverness CT 33 -17 36 10 Kilmarnock 33 -12 33 11 St Mirren 32 -26 33 12 Gretna 33 -47 7 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Hamilton 34 33 72 2 Dundee 34 29 68 3 St Johnstone 34 14 55 4 Dunfermline 34 -6 48 5 Queen of South 33 4 46 6 Partick 33 7 45 7 Livingston 34 -10 36 8 Clyde 34 -20 34 9 Morton 34 -24 31 10 Stirling 34 -29 21 QOS are 11 league places behind us, this is not the worst result ever although it did feel like it at the time. If Rangers had been put out of the cup by Gretna it would have been an upset and the huns would have been pissed off, but it certainly wouldn't have been the worst result in their horrible history. It's a sore one, but we get over it and move on to next season. I agree with DON 71 in as much that the alarm bells should be ringing in the Board room. The squad needs some quality additions, and that means loosening the purse strings a bit.

One of the few carrots we could offer players to persuade them to come here was Europe, and that's sadly gone now. But I remember a few months back someone posting here that good players will always want to play for Aberdeen, and it's true we won't stick for a half decent squad, but if we want to make any sort of progress I hope the Board realise we need a blinding domestic season in 2008/09. The time is right for investment in the first team squad. We, the paying customers, can accept pish poor perfomances week in week out if the team are getting results. However the fans will soon stop coming back if we continue to suffer embarrassing defeats like the one this weekend. Effort and Bravery are qualities any player worth his salt will have, but at the moment we dont even have that. Anybody that moves on must be replaced with a better player. We need carefully selected players coming in, hardmen and flair players, and at least one player that will give the red army genuine hope for the future. No more Mairs and Duffs. Or we're on the slippery slope to who knows where.

Ouch. They say it's the ones you love that hurt you most, well the dons fecking hurt me today. As one of my boys started crying as the realisation of what was happening hit him, his old dad was only just holding back the tears. I thought our departing duo of Miller and Nicholson were our better performers today, however the defending was laughable at times. Despite that, with a wee bit more luck we could have still sneaked a win, but it wasn't to be. On a positive note, the Red Army were magnificent again. The fans make the club in my opinion, and long after managers and players move on, you and I will still be there. Fellow Reds, our day will come. Stand Free.

Your generosity is admirable. Let's not kick the feckers while they're down by bringing up their relegation battle.

Can anyone explain why these English clubs can afford these 'Film-Star' salaries they pay to average footballers? Are their crowds vastly superior to ours, better prize money at stake, better sponsorship and TV money? Or are they living on borrowed time and falling into the trap of overspending like most Scottish clubs were until a few years ago? It's a double edged sword really. Even in my line of work I could work in some pretty stunning locations but nowhere in the world just now can match the money I get in Aberdeen. The opposite can be said for Barry Nicholson, while Afc may give him a better quality of football life (ie Bayern Munich, Cup semis etc) the big bucks are to be found elsewhere. I think he'll be a big loss.

I might head down there and start a few protests myself. ROMANOV, GET TAE FUCK. ROMANOV, ROMANOV, GET TAE FUCK!

Superstar Tradesman, Shabba, Graeme_S etc etc.

Apart from the female users obviously. Sluts.

Scot-ads? Fuck me, last time we won a cup was before I had a mobile phone and probably before I'd ever used the internet.

Remember it well, I was a little older than 10 but still found the atmosphere electric and terrifying at times. Aitken got red carded and the dons fans all surged forward down the terrace, scary shit when everyone else is twice your size. I was already a seasoned Hampden fan by then having been lucky enough to experience the two wins over the Huns in 1982 and 1983. Worst memory was probably Gary Smiths OG, gifting the League cup to those cunts in 92/93. And of course the Skol cup penalty shoot out when Peter Nicholas fired over the bar.

Up until a few weeks ago not only did he never score, but he never looked likely to score. At least he's getting himself into the box now and taking the chances that come his way. Long may it continue.

Should go down as a Soutar OG in my opinion. He did have a decent save in the first half though. Good to see Maguire proving me wrong, he's far from the finished article but looked more like a player last night and took the second goal very well. Good work bebo fella.

Then death by Firing squad at half time on Saturday. And in a cruel twist, my blood will be mopped from the Hampden turf with an AFC towel.

I can't deny it. His reaction was a bit OTT but I take my share of the blame, I've apologised in here and by PM and hopefully he'll come back and not hold any grudges. You guys are the only friends I've got.

I do sit in the corner, counting my chickens. Listen mate, it was an attempt to be funny with a wee 'towell' and 'dry' reference, admittedly not my best effort. I actually cringed a wee bit when I woke up and re-read it yesterday morning. Sorry for any offence caused. *wanders off feeling sorry for myself after accidently upsetting a fellow donstalker*

Has anyone else noticed we don't seem to get so many Jambo visitors on the dons forums anymore? BOTTOM SIX. Saturday, May 17 - Gretna v Hearts. My money's on the Jam Tarts to end the season on a real high.

There were a few eyebrows raised when Harcus selected Heston, nobody was sure if he could cut it at this level but he's proved all the doubters wrong. The boy done good.