Panda

1 hour ago, manc_don said:

I think I'd rather he was in after the cup final but before the end of the season.

The only game after the cup final is the relegation play-off  

1 hour ago, manc_don said:

 

We need him to see the squad in a competitive environment so he knows who to cut this summer. Waiting for the off-season is no good imo..

I'm sure he'll be watching every game. If anything, if I was an Elfsborg fan I'd be annoyed as his focus will be elsewhere, but I'm sure he'll see plenty of the Dons. They've got dodgy fire sticks in Sweden don't they?

NB: Breaking news tonight is that Thelin is pronounced Te-leen, with the emphasis on leen. I find if you say it out loud that way you can't help but sound Swedish.

You just said it out loud didn't you?

As much as I'd like Thelin in charge now so he can begin his magic at Hampden, it makes sense for him to wait until summer.

Big move, uprooting his life from Sweden to Aberdeen, being thrown straight into a huge game v Celtic and working with players he won't know. It didn't do Glass, Goodwin or Warnock any good in the short-term (or long term) taking over a struggling team towards the end of the season. He could have a few early defeats and have fans doubting him early.

Makes sense to move when he's been able to watch from afar and get to know a bit about the team, and come in summer ready to rock and roll.

By all accounts he's very "boring", not one to criticise referees or make outlandish statements. But Henrik Larsson was the same and until now he's the most successful Swede in Scottish football, so I'll take it. 

39 minutes ago, Elgindon said:

The Hat version of mainstandmoan maybe worth listening to in future 

That would involve having to go onto the hat.

I'll wait until he finds his way over here. 

21 minutes ago, RicoS321 said:

Perfect. Although he'll be disappointed not to be lifting the trophy at the end of May. 

It means Peter Leven will be the first interim manager since Valdas Ivanauskas in 2006 to win the Scottish Cup.

You can have that for your next pub quiz.

Reports in Sweden saying Jimmy Thelin to Aberdeen is done, but he'll join on 1 June, along with his two assistants.

https://www.fotbollskanalen.se/allsvenskan/uppgifter-allt-tyder-pa-att-thelin-lamnar-elfsborg/

Ajax had been on somewhat of a comeback after their horrible start to the season, but plugged 6-0 off Feyenoord at the weekend.

Ajax Aberdeen - having terrible seasons.

8 minutes ago, redordead said:

Can we just get McCabe in?

. Another win and Airdrie in serious playoff contention with fuck all resource. He's going places and plays the football Dave promised. 

Just do it.

He should be sacked for being 17 points behind Jim Goodwin.

Also, he's lost home and away to Scott Brown's Ayr United.

A failure.

Apparently we have our man, announcement expected this week.

Dunno if that's Thelin or someone else.

31 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

Is he though? 

Yes.

Duk has the most assists and is the third top goal scorer.*

Though Miovski has the most goals and is the third top for assists.*
 

*in the league 

No point celebrating goals now until after the VAR checks. No-one gained an advantage from the offsides.

As for the game. Meh. Hopefully a new manager before the semi-final.

We're fortunate that Livi's Dan Mackay can't cross the ball, because they've done us repeatedly down our left hand side.

Rubezic obviously not fit enough for the bench. Or maybe they don't want risk him on the plastic pitch.

No Phillips either.

Cracking weekend of football. I presume all the leagues get together and organise twice a season we'll have stand out fixtures on the same weekend?

Livingston v Aberdeen

Roma v Lazio

Man Utd v Liverpool

Feyenoord v Ajax

Sporting Lisbon v Benfica

Rangers v Celtic

Can't be a coincidence they're all on the same weekend? 

On 14/03/2024 at 20:13, tom_widdows said:

BBC updated their page sharpish but decided to take a screenshot when the whistle went. Will whole of europe notice benfica win?

 

On 14/03/2024 at 20:21, BigAl said:

Thon boy Panda has a lot to answer for 

Sorry, only just noticed this. I don't work on the website anymore, which is why it's gone downhill.

But I think from memory that's the page the match report goes on. So they have a preview written on it, then it gets rewritten as the match report, and it's likely not just updated quick enough.

True story (maybe).

Have to say, Hearts' promotion has been night and day compared to Aberdeen's. Loads of videos from previous semi-finals to get fans in the mood and excited about going.

It's been six days since Aberdeen have even mentioned the semi-final, and that was just to say they were on sale. In that time Hearts have made six posts about their semi-final, including video content.

35 minutes ago, wee toon red said:

 

Everyone's entitled to make their decisions as they see fit. I'm not going either because I've got another big event on that weekend that's been booked since December.

You're not going but you're hitting out at other fans for not going?

35 minutes ago, wee toon red said:

However, I think this is evidence that we don't have the fanbase that we - as in the wider suppport - like to think we have.

No it's not, because we sold around 20,000 for a 3pm kick-off at Hampden v Dundee United in 2015.

Good kick-off time, not on TV, the club in a good place, the support will come out.

Likewise, as I've pointed out, Hearts have in the past have poor ticket sales. For the 2012 semi-finals, they actually sold fewer tickets than Aberdeen & Hibs.

Circumstances change. Sometimes our support will be big, sometimes it won't. If Aberdeen appoint Jimmy Thelin on Friday and we put five past Livingston on Saturday, you might see a spike in sales come Sunday night.

35 minutes ago, wee toon red said:

 

, and is all the "justification" anyone needs to deny us half the stadium next time we want it. 

The "justification" is simply this: it's a semi-final, both clubs deserve to be given the same chance of winning it.

The game being in Celtic's own city is already an advantage. Them having the bulk of the support is another. We're at a disadvantage before a ball is kicked. 

If we win, anything less than 50% for the final would be a disgrace, the semi ticket sales should be an irrelevance, in the same way I wouldn't expect Hearts or Rangers to be given a goal start in the final because their performances over the season suggest they deserve the cup more.

56 minutes ago, wee toon red said:

It's an undeniably poor turnout from us and seriously harms our case for a 50/50 split ever again. "We're crap. Celtic always beat us. We don't have a manager. I hate Cormack. It's too far". All just excuses - none of which applied when we took 40,000 to Parkhead because the glory hunters in our support expected us to win and didn't want to miss it - which will be seized upon for our next semi final or even the final if we get there.

 

It's not a poor turnout, 7,000 is actually a huge away support all things considered.

There's not a club in Scotland who would sell that in our position (both geographically and in football terms). Hearts sold less than 10,000 tickets for a cup semi-final in their own city v Inverness.

I haven't bought a ticket, not because I think we'll get beat, but because the club is a fucking shit show at the moment. "All just excuses", if you say so, but I don't need to blindly follow the club anywhere, especially when I've shelled out for plenty games this season. It's that attitude that's allowed the club to have such disdain for the support the past few months because they think we'll all turn up regardless.

I'll buy a ticket if from now until then they sort their shit out. I have my doubts.

6 hours ago, Jute said:

We were given the opportunity to take a 50/50 split but didn’t want to guarantee we would take any shortfall in sales while Hearts did. From the sales club were right to do so. 

That's not true, we were never offered a 50/50 split.

Hearts strongly argued they would sell 50%, but that any unsold (100s at most) they would pay for. The SFA accepted this proposal because Hearts are a massive club, the third biggest in the world they say. Unfortunately, sales haven't been what they expected and It actually looks like they may be a few thousand short. Oops.

Aberdeen's proposal was that any unsold tickets would go to Celtic, which is the sensible and fair solution. The SFA said that wasn't possible (of course it is) and that Aberdeen should be rightly penalised for choosing to base themselves 180 miles away in the north-east of Scotland.

Typical. Thelin has an awful start to the Swedish season and NOW he wants to jump ship to the Aberdeen job.

3 hours ago, Elgindon said:

Mainstandmoan saying announcement imminent...and it's also the 1st April....  

The Aberdeen-mad version or the AFC Chat one? Because I'm pretty sure the latter is impersonating the former.

Bold strategy of not marking Simon Murray at a corner doesn't quite pay off there.

I'm expecting the manager to be someone I've never heard of, or someone I'm dead against.

I'd still like to think Stephen Kenny would be in the frame. Good experience, successful in the past, dealt an unlucky hand with Republic of Ireland, currently a free agent.

Angus MacDonald ill apparently, which explains his absence.

Other than that, probably our strongest XI.

Looks like we've sold around 7,000 tickets so far, which is incredible numbers considering what's going on with the club right now.