Panda

Appears McCrorie will be back. A late call on Duk to be made. I think in this day and age of five subs you probably just take a risk on someone not 100% fit. Quite confident to be honest. Think we'll win 2-0. Miovski and Duncan. See you all in Rome in October.

He often does them early, he likes to get them out of the way. He's done them a few times on Wednesday since taking charge.

Aye, Robson out. Drawing with Hibs should always be a sackable offence.

Off the boil? Because he's gone two games (both v Rangers) without scoring, after scoring three in the previous two games? <Insert "not sure if serious" meme>

That is incredibly harsh. Rangers had seven shots on target to our four. That's not total domination and that's not going there and defending for our lives and relying on a Duk miracle, it's defending well while offering a threat on the counter attack which we did, and did well. The saves Roos makes are actually routine. He closes the gap on Sakala who shoots straight at him. Duk's chances at the other end were actually bigger opportunities. Roos tipped one over the bar, so did McCrorie from a Pollok header. Morris should have done better too when forcing McCrorie into a save. Bavidge and Watkins both should hit the target from close range late on. Rangers best chance - other than the goal - was actually two opportunities that were nearly own goals. Yes we could have held onto possession a bit more. We also could have got a fairer referee who gave us little. But like Robson said in his post-match interview - that's how we should be playing when we go down to Glasgow, and on another day we win that.

Scales wasn't booked, it was Clarkson. And it was because it broke Beaton's heart to book Cantwell, so it softened the blow a little. Beaton, once again in a Rangers-Aberdeen match, had an absolute shocker.

Just back from the game. On the balance of play we deserved at least a draw, but only have ourselves to blame. Two huge chances for Duk in the first half, from where I was he has to take at least one of them, but guess would need to see them again. Second half I thought Hayes was terrific, really drove us on. To think there were people suggesting (including on this forum) his legs had gone. Clarkson was actually very good defensively but couldn't quite find the right ball at the other end. Coulson was okay but guilty of always wanting an extra touch. We did get at them in the second half but couldn't get enough on target. Frustrating because like I said we were probably worthy of a point, but if anything that's probably not a result and performance that rocks the confidence too much.

As long as you're all still paying your licence fee, that's fine. That Old Firm documentary won't fund itself.

Not at all, because I for one won't be giving them £9.99 of my hard earned money. No way. Because I've already given them £34 for a ticket

For anyone wanting to watch this match who doesn't have dodgy firesticks & aren't confident an online stream will hold up, it's on Rangers TV for £9.99, viewable in the U.K. Link here. https://rangerspayments.streamamg.com/account/register/step1

Could be a strange atmosphere if Celtic beat Hearts - that game starts 45 minutes before - so second half could be very quiet.

Moving the kick-off time of our national cup final because it clashes with an English game is embarrassing. And that's not even the main issue. If a team from Inverness is in the cup final, and you're going to make them play it in Glasgow, then you put the game on at 3pm and do as much as you can to help get as many of their fans there as possible.

The Clarkson rumour came from someone notorious for just posting random "exclusives" on Twitter in the hope one of them sticks.

You wanted Neil Lennon, who couldn't even come back to Scotland until April. The Neil Lennon who was twice appointed Celtic interim manager before convincing the club to give him the job permanently. Never works tho, apparently. Do we not? He's just won 8 out of 10 games. I'd say he's proved to be a competent boss. What we don't know is if he'll he a long term success, but there's not a single manager in the world who could guarantee that. What a weird take. Yes, had recent results been terrible, there would have been more criticism and doubts over his ability. And when we don't score, we hardly ever win.

And had we appointed Chris Wilder and got five pastings in his first five games, what then? It's all a bit theatrical anyway is it not? What evidence is there to suggest a team that hasn't conceded a goal from open play in seven games is about to take five pastings? Is this another myth that Robson is going to play defensive football every week based on Ross County being a bit of a battle? We were attacking in the wins over Motherwell, Hearts and Dundee United (all with three goals scored). We were actually more attacking and scored more goals against Rangers than Celtic did at Hampden yesterday. Interim bosses are a necessity, unless you wanted Cormack to take charge, or the players to run the team themselves. It's allowed us to give Robson a chance, see how well he's done, and appoint what appears to be a competent boss and coaching team. Again, what if Chris Wilder or some super coach from Spain had come in and done the same? Is that the Ole Gunnar Solksjaer who was a league title winning manager before going to Man Utd? Yeh the defeat to Darvel happened because we were too attack minded. Should have stuck 11 men behind the ball.

Steve Agnew staying is also great news.

Hearts estimate they made £5-6m last year, which is where that fabled figure comes from. Three home sell outs - including hospitality - and share of TV income to add on to it.

Inverness have a tidy record against Celtic in the cup to be fair (if it's them). I can think of three cup wins this side of the millennium, one at Hampden. I'll support them in the final if Aberdeen fail to finish third.

Aye but when you say he's replaceable, I'm saying he'll be very, very difficult to replace. What would be the equivalent of McCrorie? You've said Devlin - he's not on on McCrorie's level (imo) and likely not for what we signed McCrorie for too. It would be the equivalent of signing Anthony Ralston to use an example - a player good enough to play for the Old Firm but doesn't play most weeks. That's what McCrorie was to Rangers. We struck lucky with McCrorie, and I think he'll he really tough to replace. NB: Bristol City are fucking shite anyway.

Well clearly every player has their price. Ramsay was certainly sellable. But as I said, we'll likely lose a lot of starters this summer. It's important we don't destabilise the team too much over summer until we've actually got a team in place. But yes if big money comes in then you have to say yes. However, I don't think £2m (and let's be honest it'll be 500k up front with instalments and add ons) is big money, especially when it'll leave us with yet another big hole to fill. If third place is worth £5m-6m, then I'd say there's a bigger reward for keeping the likes of McCrorie.

I disagree with your first sentence. It's his value to the team and what Aberdeen can make with him being in it. I agree he's not a utility player, he's a right wing back and now we've a manager who recognises that he's only going to get better. He also fits perfectly into the type of team Barry Robson is trying to put together. I'd rather Bristol kept their £2m and we had another two years out of him.

I took my dad to the Dundee United game, his first since 1994, and he has incredibly at the age of 74 got the buzz for it. He's now asking me to take him to another game so he'll be at the St Mirren match at Pittodrie, the first time he's stepped in there since Willie Miller's testimonial. He lives in Dundee (I want it on record neither he nor I are from there, he just lives there for reasons you don't need bored with), and so I would quite like Dundee United and Dundee in the Premiership next season to take him to a few games before Aberdeen resort to type and put him off football again. Can't see him making the trip to Kilmarnock or Ross County to be honest, even if he is now a diehard.

It's not a question of if he's a £2m player, it's his value to Aberdeen. McDonald signing up is great. But we could still begin pre-season without Pollok, Scales, Clarkson, Shinnie, and with Miovski and Duk being courted by others. It's not a case of spending £2m on a replacement for McCrorie because we never would spend £2m on a player. We're still in debt too. Maybe £400k plus a bit more for wages goes towards his replacement. Now, I can't remember what we actually spent on McCrorie, maybe it is possible to get a replacement for £400k, but I think we were also really fortunate to get him. A player telling the Old Firm he wants to leave to get regular football doesn't actually happen too often. James McCarthy - remember him - is still at Celtic. James Forrest and Scott Wright appear happy to be bit-part players than play for an Aberdeen, Hearts or Hibs. I think McCrorie is an excellent player who has finally been given a role that suits him, and he'll be really hard to replace, and leaves a big hole, especially if all the players mentioned above don't come back or are replaced with similarly talented players. McCrorie to me is worth more to Aberdeen than £2m in my opinion.

Outstanding stats. I notice we didn't win either of those games either, but did beat Celtic, St Mirren and Hibs in the last five games of the season which I'd certainly take now.

Barron has been injured. As for being "insulted" by the £2m price tag, if McCrorie was injured for the last five games, who would replace him? Kennedy? Richardson? Morris? One of those players you don't miss until he's gone. Would be hard to replace, even with £2m.