Ajja

Do we not already have two 6ft plus FBs. I want some short, fast little fucks out there who won't get turned inside out by Conway, Driver, Weiss or Forrest. ....Clearly I am making sweeping judgements based on nothing but the guys height but hey-ho it's an interent forum, who needs facts ?

Don't remember such activities but then I was utterly rinsed that day....in many ways.

FuckinA, was wondering about taking the brolly!

He is like a tank up there. Goes through just about anyone and I suspect anything.

I just can't get past how he uses the ball. I know it's not his job to be spraying inch-perfect balls around the park but it lowers my confidence in him to watch it. There was a moment in the first half where he went to meet a high ball on the right hand side, he took it onto the inside step of his right boot and killed the ball instantly with the control of an accomplished and skillful footballer, it was beautiful. Having created the space with this touch he then proceeded to slice it straight up into the roof of the stand. Ooooooft.

Folly without a doubt.

Been thinking about the issue of PP and Maguire as it seemed so obvious to everyone that they needed to be switched yet McGhee didn't do it. In fact he switched Aluko and Maguire about 10 mins before HT to try and get Sone to exploit the weakness that Maguire had been getting some change out of through the right channel. I suspect this was as a result of them bringing an unfit Grainger in there due to the injury to their FB. He then switched it back in the second half ?!? This demonstartes that McGhee is looking at moving players about to get the best of a game and is aware of the tactical requirements yet he didn't ever think to shift PP out wide despite him doing almost nothing in the centre. Go figure ? I think the big problem is that in order to play a formation that allows someone like Maguire to play 'through the middle' effectively he has to be feeding off the takes from either Magennis or Vernon (as you suggested). Again it seemed obvious that this was lacking on Saturday as a lot of Miller-esque takes were wasted as nobody was there to use the ball. This can only really work in a 4-4-2 but the modern game is all but out-moding the 4-4-2 as a credible formation. In order to play it you pretty much have to go to a 4 man midfield and I agree the idea of Aluko and PP playing aggressive attacking football while Harltey and Folly hold the midfield sounds beautiful in theory. However, with the new 4-5-1 (which can move to a 4-3-3) style the emphasis is on flooding the midfield and gaining control of the game. Its what made UTD so effective last season and the OF and Hearts tend to play that way these days. Hibs are more inclined to go for the 4-3-3 version of it and are getting found out now. Unfortunately the tiresome technical approach to football is winning the battle and so any decent side we come up against who are going to play a 5 man midfield are going to kill us if we play 4 with attack minded wide men in that group. I suspect McGhee knows he has to be flexible enough to go with a strong 4-5-1 set up that can adapt to a 4-3-3 to suit the way the top 6 sides in the league are going to play. If you then try to play 4-4-2 against lower league teams then the players are less likely to settle into a routine that they can understand. Maybe if he played Mackie or Maguire in central midfield with a view to supporting the target man it might work but I think the idea of a 4-3-3 is two attackers coming in through the channels to support the target ? I thought the switch that really changed the game was introducing FF into midfield alongside Hartley and Folly. That move created so much more space for Aluko and Mackie and they were far more effective in pushing on top of Vernon in a more 4-3-3 style formation that the previous personnel had been. It might have helped that Morris did his hamstring in with 15 mins to og but they had no subs left. All just my interpretations but McGhee clearly has a strong will for a formation that we are not quite understanding and everyone in the ground on Saturday could see something that he was not willing to change.

GS, I'm heading to the 208 near the ground if you fancy it.

So....50% of 21,000 = 10,500, sounds like an improvement on a lot of games last season to me ?

I'm thinking the complex world of Aberdeen Football Club will conjure up 8 points somehow, just to keep us all confused.

I'm totally with you on the giving him time. Its really our only sensible option. However, the money is not going to come. We lost a significant income when Setanta went and our crowds are dropping alarmingly. McGhee will have to work wonders to turn things around. Unfortunately for us we are up the proverbial creek without a canoe.

The frustrating thing for me is that in our last 13 games we have won comfortably at Tannadice, easily dispensed with Hearts in the cup and taken them to pieces at Tynecastle with some scintillating football and given Hibs a really good game away as well as outplaying Celtic at home. However, we have also failed to defeat Raith twice, been humiliated by Motherwell at home and lost to Falkirk twice as well as losing to St Mirren. Its easy to think we are a team who are on the slide right now but 40% of these recent performances have been good ones. The whole clubs is suffering from a lot of problems, there is no doubting that but at present its really only confidence and hard work that is putting fears of relegation in our minds. I can't see us in serious trouble but this season will deliver nothing for us for sure. Its all about what the squad looks like going into next season and right now ho the fuck knows what thats going to be!

In the great oscillations that this roller coaster season brings is it not time for us to hit form again for 2 games ? Hopefully Hearts will do what they did at Tynecastle and come out at us with absolutely nothing up front and allow us to wipe the floor with them...again. If they sit back and soak us up then hit us on the break then expect another dire 1 goal defeat.

Not sure he can drop these guys. We have such a tight squad and with injuries there a very few options to replace them with. I like this talk but people have to realise that its going to be a long and painful process for McGhee to uncover these heroes who are going to come in and play for him. He didn't do too badly with it at Motherwell so I'm remaining patient but I fear he won't get the time he needs from the fanbase.

Maybe they can swap stories about utterly ludicrous hair dos and then trumps wallet will just fall open in a big love fest. FFS.

Excellent post Tom. Unfortunately thoroughly depressing. I may have to officially give up.

I was just coming in here to post exactly that. It was an absolute carbon copy, the ball pretty much took the same route to his foot and then ping. Although, much easier to do it against hibs of course

I'm not sure if there is a wrong or right in this, only opinions, of which we are all entitle to. If you find my criticisms are unfair and inaccurate then possibly they aren't being aimed at you. I guess everyone is feeling pretty fragile and angry just now and I will join you in making this my last words

Is our game in hand against them So much for Brazil 1970 splitting the OF.

I don't think that has been suggested. We're having a discussion about it are we not ? I'm expressing my opinion along with many others, often they differ, but that's the nature of it. I hope I am not coming across as dictatorial as its not my intention to stop anyone from having their say, unless of course they are wrong, then they need to shut the fuck up

It may have started that way but its now pretty consistently used to say 'don't you look stupid' to anyone who agreed that we needed a change of management. As I said, with hindsight its easy to say that was the wrong decision and to be triumphant about it, in humour or not just isn't helpful.

Thing is, I suspect their are several players at all clubs who are not interested in the club or the manager of any football club. It spart of the modern game and the managers who can crack it are not going to be managing Aberdeen FC. These players he is referring to were not performing week in week out last season either.

Excellent post GS Hindsight is a wonderful thing and for those who are now screaming that we should never have got rid of Calderwood its cleary a joyous time. I'm struggling to remember much clambering to carry on down the road we were on last season among the support back in the spring of last year. Yes we made Europe amidst poor opposition and we achieved a credible league finish but the football was awful almost all season and 90% of the fan base was not enjoying it. When I refer to 'treading water' that's what it felt like, another season of sub-standard football, poor cup runs and moderate top 6 finishes with a possible european place was not my idea of an exciting season. Would I take that this season ? Yes I probably would but thats the great thing about informing the decisions you should have made with future actions. Its hard to deny that performances and results have taken a step down and its hugely frustrating to face up to that fact but somewhere in this shitstorm there has to be some sort of belief that a better picture might emerge otherwise we might as well all just pack it in. What really pisses me off about some of the opinions in this thread is that so many people on here historically presented themselves as rational thinkers with a longer, more sensible viewpoint. Yet the prevailing noise on the site since about 10 games into the season has been one of total intolerence and short term knee jerk reaction towards the change of management. Acidic commentary about 'transitional phases' and barb humour about 'Jimmys dross' merely appears representative of the fact that you have no patience or support for anything McGhee might be trying to do. Before I get pelters for suggesting that we should just tolerate the shit we are being presented with let me make it perfectly clear that I am not happy with what is going on at the club. However, what I am willing to do is give the current manager more time to try and change things. It might have been a huge error to put him in place but we did and the least we can do is let him try to sort it out.

I also believe it was the right decision. There is no denying he lifted the club out of the shit and brought back credibility in many ways. However, we were treading water with him in charge, nothing more. We needed a change if we had any designs on a better future. Its undeniable that McGhee has not delivered. We are slightly worse off now than we were but that doesn't mean we would be anywhere else with Calderwood in charge. The environment changed when Calderwood went, our financial position downshifted significantly so its not an apples with apples comparison. I'm angry and frustrated just like everyone else but this constant need to apportion blame or point the finger at what should have been done is just getting boring as shit. We are where we are and no end of knee jerk, pissing and moaning will change that. Support the team, don't support the team. I couldn't give less of a fuck.

Very much so and therein we find the debate. I'd have to ask though, this retrospective analysis of how things might have been had we not taken this route....where exactly does it take us?