Panda

From the outside, it looks to me Labour are using Cormack to paint the SNP/Lib Dems in a bad light to win them votes in the next council election.

Labour have previously done little to move on Aberdeen's stadium plans and I doubt we'll see any progress once they're back in power.

At the risk of getting carried away...

Rangers have two fairly tough away games up next. We could be above them by Saturday night.

Well, I'll give Thelin some credit. He inverted the wing backs more in the second half which meant we were not as overrun in the midfield. It allowed Aouchiche to find space to pick passes, which also brought the likes of Armstrong and Karlsson more into the game (even if the latter at times was a waste of a shirt). 

But again, it's individuals that have won us the game rather than what we were doing as a team. The goal is Shinnie refusing to give up on the ball, and Keskinen doing what Karlsson doesn't do and looking up to pick out a teammate.

And the first half was unforgivable. A better team than Livingston have that game won by half-time.

That goal is why Graeme Shinnie should be our captain forever.

2 minutes ago, Panda said:

One positive I'll say (a crumb of comfort from this shitshow) is that Aouchiche playing in a deeper midfield role is bringing out the best in him. Some very good passes when he finds space.

Armstrong has made some good runs in behind, but (back to the negative) Karlsson's refusal to pass the ball means they're being wasted.

 

So yeah, let's take off Aouchiche and Armstrong...

One positive I'll say (a crumb of comfort from this shitshow) is that Aouchiche playing in a deeper midfield role is bringing out the best in him. Some very good passes when he finds space.

Armstrong has made some good runs in behind, but (back to the negative) Karlsson's refusal to pass the ball means they're being wasted.

We're outnumbered in midfield. At times we pick it up deep and are asking our two midfields to pick passes through a ruck of yellow shirts, which is why we're giving it away so much.

Livingston at times are pushing players forward and playing three strikers against our back three, which should mean there's gaps to counter, but we can't even get that going.

We're playing two wing backs but they're so deep they're barely in the game. 
 

Big half-time from Thelin. If he changes a few personnel but sticks with the same system, it'll be more of the same.

I'd put Devlin or Milne into midfield alongside Nilsen and Aouchiche, move Armstrong more central and play two up front. 

Aberdeen have just tweeted saying "0-0 as we search for an opener".

Really disappointing to see the club account lying to the fans, because at no point today have we done anything of the sort.

When did Livingston sign Jesper Karlsson?

Fair play, good signing for them. Creating so much for them.

2 minutes ago, swaddon said:

The Beeb has it as a 3-4-2-1 with Lazetic up front.

It's Opta, and they are to blame for having Nilsen at LWB.

I think I've only been to Livingston away once too; a boring 0-0, and all I remember of it was the birth of the Leon Mike song. But like @JuteI do enjoy the two shopping centres next each other. 

@tlg1903 I thought it was a four at the back when I first saw the line up too, but I think it might be Shinnie at LWB. Aouchiche playing deep alongside Nilsen. 

I think he's resting Jensen with a view to starting him on Wednesday and resting Lobban.

The numbers for imorn.

Cove Rangers would be nice. 

Would quite fancy Dunfermline away. Stadium we've not been to for a while, nice big away end, and a chance to upset Neil Lennon.

@OrlandoDon where is it you stay and how many of us are allowed to crash at your gaff for the World Cup?

First game this season I'm not looking to. I'm just so bored with this team at the moment. I've a dentist appointment on Wednesday I'm looking forward to more than the Dons game that night.

I'll watch if we play this team.

Lobban would usually be my first pick but Id be inclined to not overplay him, especially with the number of games we have coming up in December.

Nisbet generally plays deep anyway so let him do that, Lazetic and Karlsson central, Clarkson pinging passes for fun.

27 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

I don’t get why people think two up top will work. It’s in midfield we are really poor. We had to go to a back 5 because of that. Going two up top will, in my opinion, mean more long ball. And neither lazetic or nisbet are strong in the air. 
To dominate games means you have to dominate in midfield. How does two up top help us there? We also don’t have width/wingers to stretch the field to give two up top more space to operate in.

We have very little link between midfield and attack. Our two midfielders sit really deep - whether that's by accident or design. Our wing backs don't get up the pitch or overlap quick enough. So we build up slowly, then have a line of four players passing to each other while the opposition are very comfortable in their defensive shape.

I was looking at the 'average positions' from recent games on the opta stats website (I'm on my phone at the minute and the mobile version of the opta site is chronic, so can't post the graphics). It's noticeable how deep Nisbet generally is as opposed to Lazetic and Karlsson. He essentially plays as a number 10, which he did to great effect last season. But last year - as @RicoS321has just said - he had Gueye to play off of. Karlsson tends to sort of drift, not knowing if he's a striker or inside winger. At the other side, Armstrong or Aouchiche aren't forwards and don't play as such.

When Lazetic plays, he plays further forward, but then there's this big gap between him and the midfield so he receives very little of the ball, certainly not in dangerous areas. Our tactics appear to sort of hope he can pull defenders out of position so Karlsson and whoever is on the other side can exploit the space, but it doesn't really happen, especially when playing a three-man defence. 

There's two options with a front two. Play Nisbet as a 10 and play Karlsson and Lazetic as a front two.

Or play similar to Hibs' set up. Three in midfield, meaning two number 8s step up further forward (a role that would suit Armstrong) and allow the front two to move the defence more while the opposition try to cover the extra bodies. It would also allow to press more.

I don't think he's fixed anything from a month ago, despite the relatively positive results.

Defensively I'm not sure we have really improved. I think we just have an extra man in there which means by default second balls in our own box are more likely to fall to a red shirt.

Midfield - no improvement. Up front is the same.

When Thelin first came in, the first thing I noticed was how well we passed the ball in little triangles. We'd play our way out of trouble. It's clearly something worked on every week in training and even now we still look confident in small pockets of space, and our touch and control is generally good.

However, that's it. There's no real substance there. I don't see a game plan. I expected us to play long ball, or "long pass" the Swedes describe his play. It was supposed to be quick transitions, soak up pressure and counter. Elfsborg were comfortable without the ball, but would jockey the opposition into areas they couldn't hurt them. None of that describes how we play.

It almost seems like we're getting away with things because we do have good individuals (not to be confused with having a good team).

In Thelin's post match interviews he talks a good game, identifies all the things we're not good at. But I don't see any evidence of him ever fixing these issues.

4 minutes ago, wee toon red said:

I'm curious as to the school of thought that the Livi game is more important than this one. We're not winning the league (this season...) and we're clearly not getting relegated, so if beating Livi is to have any relevance it must surely be to get as high up the league table as possible, to... qualify for Europe? Just to "not prioritise" it anyway? Doesn't compute.

Yeah I don't agree Livi is more important.

Even if you think the chances of qualifying from the league phase isn't going to happen, based on last season's prize money then just winning tonight earns us £350,000.

Fourth round draw is this weekend, when the cup holders enter to bring the glamour.

My mate has organised a stag do for the weekend of the final which is fucking ridiculous planning.

So what was the justification for the extra £5? Some sort of late fee? 

Six months since that wonderful day  

On 23 November 2024, Aberdeen were 22 points ahead of Hearts.

Had Hearts won today, they would have been 22 points ahead of us.

I was only half watching it today so didn't get a proper look at it.

My take though was Derek McInnes made a mistake by naming a two-man midfield, especially with Baningime out. In the last few weeks, Hibs and Motherwell have demolished our midfield by adding an extra man. We looked like we could pass through their midfield pretty easily at times.

It also looked like three at the back from Hearts. We're not a team that pepper the opposition box with crosses, so it looked like a man wasted from Hearts, and in the first half we always had an extra man outside their box getting to second balls.

In the second half we gave the ball away and invited pressure. It looked like a 6-3-1 formation once Shinnie and the rest came on, we had no out ball. 

Still improvements needed but will take the three points.

9 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

One or two means new additions. Like it or not, Adams Gunn and to a lesser extent Hirst are not getting punted from the squad. Who is better that replaces them??

I can't think of a Scottish player better than Mbappe, but I wouldn't want him in the Scotland squad either. 

8 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

Is only wanting players who really want to play for Scotland the same as only signing players who really want to play for Aberdeen?
 

No, because that's what club football is. Players can move freely from club to club. Ibrahimovic has played for both Milan clubs. Sometimes it leaves a sour taste (like Miovski) but it's club football, it happens.

If you make international football like club football, then what's the point in it? I think you said in a previous post other countries are picking players not even remotely linked to that country - that's not right. 

I'm not saying Scotland should use the grandparent rule, I'm saying it shouldn't be a thing at all.

Should be the parent rule (because that's  jus sanguinis, so there is no argument over McTominay or Dykes' nationalities). 

I'll accept the grandparent rule only if they have also lived in Scotland for a certain period of time (I think it's five years in rugby).

3 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

Is it any different to Angus Gunn? Made his Scotland debut at 27.

Like I said, he should have been told to ram it too. (Although, granted, he is at least Scottish by parent).

4 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

Remember, McInnes loves to talk about players being doubtful, only for them to miraculously appear in the starting lineup with fuck all wrong with them.

You may be right on account they're using Shankland on today's match graphic. Or maybe it's a double bluff.

I hope he does play as he's likely to lose the head again anyway.