Panda

Results (domestically) have picked up since this thread was last active, but not sure we're much more convincing than we have been at any other stage of the season.

Next five games:-

I would love to come up at the other end of these with a good tally of points, but that's four away games there, at least three at tough venues, and I can't say I'm confident about winning any of them.

At least two of them though are after all our new January signings arrive...

7 minutes ago, The.Moog said:

If it was 6-0 so be it. Would just prove the duds are exactly that. If they can’t get up to “put themselves in the shop window” that’s on them.
 

But would Thelin survive another 6-0 within two months?

2 hours ago, Elgindon said:

If our recruitment is trying to  make us competitive in Scotland and Europe,it seems to be dulling our effectiveness in coping with Scottish fitba,and chasing a standard of football in Europe that I'd say is beyond our means.

   I'd rather we built a side to win,and be attractive in Scotland,ie non St Mirreny,and who knows it might be more effective in Europe than our current efforts

Yeah, it was one of the reasons why I wanted Thelin, because I thought his "long pass" style of play would actually suit Scottish football. Elfsborg usually played a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, quick transitions, outpaced defences, and their inside forwards were generally the goal scorers. The striker was a mere link up man.

But Thelin has moved away from that.

When we have been at our best under Thelin, it's been a 4-2-3-1 with a second striker. M**** in the few games he played under Thelin was in that number 10 role, Nisbet did it last season when he had Gueye with him, and together they'd find space for Duk and Morris to run into.

Now we have Karlsson on the edge of the box. He waits for an overlap, or cuts inside and takes on three players. Armstrong has to do the same on the right. Whoever is the striker barely touches the ball.

I know it wasn't working at the start of the season, and we leaked too many goals and didn't score, so moving to a back three shored things up.

However, it'll be interesting to see who he signs in January and what our "style" is in the second half of the season and whether the system changes again.

I watched the Celtic game on Wednesday. They could have had the game won by half time. Maeda suits the 3-4-3 and Celtic were killing United down the left. I'm not overly confident Devlin puts the brakes on him.

In the second half, the turnaround was because United played to their strengths, which is that they are probably the tallest team in the top flight. They got it wide to their wing backs and threw crosses in against a side playing just one recognised centre half.

I don't see us beating Celtic the same way. But, you would expect Karlsson should be able to cause Ralston problems - it's why I'm surprised he played the full 90 last night. 

The likes of Aouchiche and Armstrong should get space to work in though. We'll get chances.

19 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

Wonder if I’d feel differently if we’d advanced, but what a shit format.

 

 

I think it could be a lot better than it actually is.

For starters, the top five leagues should not be in it. Now, only Strasbourg and Rayo Vallencano actually finished in the top five so you could argue it was competitive, but a lot of that was the others - Fiorentina, Crystal Palace and Mainz - knowing they only had to give 75% effort in some games to get through. Palace made 11 changes for their game last night. At full strength they are way too strong for the Conference League.

It should be a competition for the rest. You'll still get good games and a decent final. 

As for Aberdeen, I think it's a good platform to go test ourselves. I enjoyed the Donestsk game for example, and despite the defeat it actually gave us a lift at a time when we badly needed it.

The issue for Scottish clubs is they have been going into these group stages when their domestic form has been poor. Hearts had the same last season and Aberdeen had it the year before. The feeling is the domestic form suffers because of Europe, but I think it's an easy excuse. We should have been doing a lot better domestically this season despite the European games.

2 hours ago, The.Moog said:

Personally, last night I’d have just played everyone who was out in the cold, on the way out or not likely to start on Sunday - Yengi, Ambrose, Nilsen, Palaversa, Milanovic etc.

Sunday is way more important than that game last night.

The fact he went for a bit of a half way house is what I don’t like, not the fact he played a lad he doesn’t want out of position.

He does that to players he does like too…

If the team was even weaker than it was last night, then that 3-0 could have been another 6-0.

Thelin had to balance it with giving some players minutes and still being relatively competitive.

That said, not sure playing Karlsson for the full 90 minutes was helpful if you plan to play him on Sunday, while Shinnie's 86 minutes suggests he won't play either at a venue where you would quite like your captain being in the face of the referee arguing against every shit decision we're likely to get against us.

I get Sparta had a similar formation to us, but once again we played three at the back when we really didn't need to. 

All three at the back really does for us is give us an extra man when teams throw in crosses. But on nights like tonight, we can't hold onto the ball, and the way Sparta played meant any 'advantage' of having an extra man was lost.

As much as they are struggling at the moment, Celtic will play a similar way on Sunday, and Wilfried Nancy will absolutely have Maeda and Hatate cutting inside and finding the space to get shots away.

5 minutes ago, Brochred said:

YAAAS Rapid Vienna own goal takes us to 2nd bottom

Successful European campaign imo

55 minutes ago, Panda said:

We're becoming very predictable. Name the wrong line-up, fix it at half-time. 

Thelin mixed it up tonight by not fixing anything at half-time.

12 minutes ago, OneBrianIrvine. said:

 

I know a few folk get a piss up abroad but honestly I’d sooner be in the league cup group stage.

 

I get tonight is a tough watch, but overall Europe has been good for us. Four games where we have played relatively well in, we've banked £6m, and by qualifying we've attracted a few players.

But, for those who don't enjoy it, be encouraged that if we do qualify next season, it'll likely all be done and dusted by the end of August.

We're becoming very predictable. Name the wrong line-up, fix it at half-time. 

Clarkson being hung out to dry in an unfamiliar position. Karlsson not suited for any game where we have to be disciplined. Outnumbered in midfield.

Worryingly, Sparta look a better side than AEK Athens.

Clarkson said on the Dons social video yesterday that he would be playing Football Manager on the flight over to Prague, and was playing as Aberdeen.

Clearly Thelin is not going to accept him thinking he can do the job better than him. Probably pipes up every 20 minutes to announce Ambrose has just scored a hat-trick in a 7-3 win over Motherwell.

He should have played as Torino and tried Serie A.

NB: Nilsen said he would be writing poems on the flight over, which sounds lovely, but he's not playing either, so they must either be shit or all about Thelin.

Be interesting to see the midfield set up. Is it the normal two in the middle and front three - and if so, who is stepping into the front three?

Or, is it a three-man midfield with Karlsson and Nisbet as a front two? I'd like that, and tonight would be the time to experiment with it.

4 hours ago, tom_widdows said:

Can see him making his way to Dingwall

Edit: Just realised you were taking about Yogi

My immediate worry would be Peter Leven being courted for the Kilmarnock job. 

Looking at who is in our European squad, happy for this to be the team. 
 

If Gyamfi isn't fit, then play Clarkson or Palaversa at LWB for shits and giggles, and play Nilsen in the middle. Or play Jensen and play Shinnie at LWB v Celtic. A shame Bilalovic isn't in the Euro squad because would have been a nice run out for him.

Go enjoy yourself lads, Prague should be nice this time of year. But it's all about another Glasgow win over Celtic on Sunday.

3 hours ago, dons8321 said:

Maybe you just need an appointment with Specsavers.

To be fair, the RedTV commentary team initially credited the goal to Lazetic too, so the loyal armchair fans are blameless for this mess.

2 hours ago, Jupiter said:

I see the BBC can't be bothered showing highlights of our game tonight.

It's on tomorrow night chief. The license fee doesn't cover four Sportscenes in a row.

27 minutes ago, The.Moog said:

I’ve heard something about what happened behind the scenes wi Clarkson (at the joot game at Tannadice), but I’m nae sure fit the rules are on here about spreading club gossip, even from a decent source, so dinna want to overstep.

Donstalk has some excellent legal representation so they'll be able to fight any lawsuit.

29 minutes ago, Jormungandr said:

Onybody else reminded o Hannibal Lecter by thon Karlsson?

More Percy from the Green Mile vibes for me.

I think that's the first time Celtic have lost two cup finals in the same calendar year since 1984, when they also lost the Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen.

By the way, we have far too many players who look like each other when watching on the telly.

Lazetic-Bilalovic.

Jensen-Karlsson

Milne-Polvara

Too many times today I praised/criticised the wrong player. It's another issue Pfannenstiel needs to sort out.

Not for the first time, Thelin names the wrong line up, but makes the changes which turn the game.

Nisbet did nothing until Lazetic came on, and then he was everywhere for the last 20 minutes. Shinnie brilliant. Bilalovic is raw, but very good. 

Aouchiche - get that £1.5m paid. Lovely player. 

This is not a game for three at the back. We've got an extra passing option in our own half which we don't need, and it means we're short when going forward.

Case in point: Jensen gets the ball wide. Fans screaming at him to pass but he's no options, so has to wait for Karlsson to come to him. He makes the pass and Karlsson then is wide with no-where to go, so he has to wait for Jensen to then overlap him. 

We like to double up down the sides but Killie are wise to it so crowd us out. We are constantly having to pass backwards and inevitably towards our back three.

@OrlandoDon pal, see if I go to the Brazil game, I fancy popping along to see the Kennedy Space Centre while in that part of the world.

Apparently there's no public transport and the tour buses take like two hours. Any chance you could just give me a lift?

4 hours ago, TheDonbytheDee said:

You would think that Cormack would be willing to say how much would be needed to build the stadium

To be fair to him, he has. His last estimate was £80m.

The club need to do a feasibility study to get an accurate cost of building at the beach, but the club's issue is they keep spending money on feasibility studies that then prove useless because the prospect of building the stadium soon goes.

Ie, they did one for Loirston, then the council decided they wanted a school on part of the land instead. Then they did one for Kingsford, only for the council to approach them about the beach. Now the council have been saying up until now they aren't putting any money in towards the stadium, so the club are asking why they should spent any money on the project.

2 hours ago, Jupiter said:

Still never going to happen

It might not, but something has to happen. Pittodrie won't stay standing forever.

* Upgrade Pittodrie (likely with a smaller capacity)

* Build at the beach

* Build at Kingsford

* Build elsewhere

One of those things will happen.