Panda

Today was apparently our last pre-season friendly. So with seven days to go, what's everyone's predictions for how this season will go? I think we'll be third, but hopefully not miles off the top two. I think back to the 1997/98 season when 10-in-a-row was the pre-season talk, and Hearts managed to get themselves in about it. They trailed off by the end but at least made a fist of it and won a cup. Would like to think Aberdeen could at least do the same - but don't for a minute think we have enough in us to actually win the thing. The empty stadiums might be a leveller though - and we're at Parkhead early on. By default we should be stronger. We've only really lost Greg Leigh, and Jonny Hayes is an upgrade. McKenna or Cosgrove leaving could change things I suppose. So many players last season were not fully fit - Ojo, Bryson, McGeouch. Kennedy took a while to settle. Hernandez obviously too. All of them this season should be in better shape. It's a bit of a cliche but Bryson and Hernandez are essentially new signings considering how little they played last season. Anderson too in a way. I also have a funny feeling we might finally see off our Celtic Hampden hoodoo and take them in the semi. Europe - no idea, luck of the draw. But yeh, I'm optimistic. Too optimistic probably. Hibs to be fourth. Can't see Motherwell being as strong this season. Ross County and St Mirren could be surprises. I actually think Dundee United could be in relegation trouble.

Firstly, loving the new look forum. Much easier to use on a mobile. Draw with Hibs - having to base everything on a mini-report on the Aberdeen website. I suppose from Derek McInnes' point of view he's using the lockout to keep Rangers guessing as much as possible as to his tactics (unless clubs are still allowed to send scouts to games). Noticed Hayes, Kennedy, McGinn, Anderson, Bryson, Ojo and Ferguson were all on the pitch at the same time. Makes you wonder who played where - did Hayes play left-back, overlapping Kennedy? Did he play left-wing with Kennedy through the middle? Who was the more advanced midfielder out of Bryson and Ferguson? Like I say, keeps Steven Gerrard guessing ahead of next week, so as frustrating as it is fair fucks if we spring a surprise next Saturday. Does Anderson start v Rangers? He's played far more pre-season games than Cosgrove. Huge decision as Cosgrove is a sort of talisman, but by the looks of it Anderson has had a good pre-season. Hoban - glad he got a run-out and I'd like to see us take a risk on him, even a pay as you play deal. Devlin not fit and Hoban a better player than Taylor. Bryson - will judge him when I see him play but commented he was looking trim the other day and now has a goal too. Positive signs. Shite - I'm starting to get optimistic about this season.

One of the things that hasn't been reported from the Russian report - that Putin has been trying to influence whether Derek McInnes stays on as Aberdeen manager or not.

Rocket, one day me and you are going to be best mates. I can already feel a bromance beginning.

As for the St Johnstone defeat, appears it was a penalty (conceded by Ash Taylor) and a free-kick that did the damage. Bruce Anderson scored with a volley.

Leaving aside the fact that pretty much your entire post was wrong and that you're batshit mental - I'm genuinely interested in how someone backing McInnes would make them a "fraud"?

I didn't say he was going to have a great season, I simply noted what you yourself have written in bold and wished him well.

At the risk of being accused of being a Milne apologist, in the latest training photos Craig Bryson appears to have lost a ton of weight during the lockdown. Really hoping we see something from him this season.

If someone posted they think the strip is not bad, you'd reply with a rant about McInnes, Milne and the club being in decline.

As for the thread title - when are we next playing a pre-season friendly? According to McInnes we are playing twice a week but have heard nothing since the Ross County draw, which itself was cloaked in secrecy with no match report or even line-ups.

Thanks, appreciate that. You've kind of made my point for me. We probably got everything out of Shinnie we were going to get out of him. He did the job he was supposed to do. He was a very good captain for us, and undoubtedly took us up a level when he signed. On occasion when he did play left back, he rarely reached the same levels and we always missed him in midfield. There were occasions where he was absolutely outstanding in the middle and his lack of Scotland call-ups were a disgrace. Yes he picked up a lot of bookings, but if we're comparing him to Ryan Jack - his disciplinary record, especially at Rangers, hasn't been too great either. Jack is the one player you could argue had his career negatively affected by McInnes, in that he was played too defensive when he was more of an attacking player. Shinnie and Jack were both played as defensive midfielders and Shinnie was better at it than Jack. Whether that makes Shinnie a better player than Jack is more of a debate.

I rated Ryan Jack at Aberdeen and wasn't one of his boo boys. But, when they were both at Aberdeen, Shinnie performances in midfield were well above Jack's. Also, the first bit in bold, Shinnie has a Scottish Cup winners medal.

No, you said McInnes playing Shinnie in midfield was to his detriment. If you've now realised you're wrong then that's fine, but don't pretend you didn't say that when that was your argument in two separate posts.

You've missed the point. McInnes playing Shinnie in midfield wasn't to the player's detriment. How often the current Derby manager (who didn't sign him) uses him is irrelevant. What you think he'd have become playing as a left-back is hypothetical. You also criticised McInnes for believing he was better used in midfield than left-back, as if he was the only one with that view. Frank Lampard signed him as a midfielder and Steven Gerrard wanted him as a midfielder also.

Playing midfield earned Shinnie a move down to Derby County and got him into the Scotland squad, so it can't have been that detrimental. Big fan though of - despite all the things you could have had a go at Donald Trump and Boris Johnston about - picking them up on their lack of football knowledge ?

That doesn't necessarily mean Leigh won't be signing a deal. It's just that his loan has finished so he's returned to his club. If it's a choice between him and Hayes though, I'd take Hayes.

Wouldn't say he's past it considering he was still doing a good job for Celtic last season, and the general consensus from Celtic fans were they were happy for him to at least get another year. He was more of a left back at Celtic. I'd certainly put him in the team there allowing Considine to go more central ahead of the inevitable departure of McKenna. Would do a job for us for 1-2 seasons.

I'm now making a third post about the strip, which is more than I've ever posted about any strip. Was looking at the new Sweden strip, which is the same template, but theirs has a few wee tweaks to it - the position of the stripes and adding a lighter blue hoop to the sleeve rather than having a big block in one colour like us. Maybe it's just that yellow and blue suits that strip more than red and white, but Sweden's looks far better. Also, Sweden's away strip is also a cracker. Anyway, we can't change it now. The 2013/14 strip was also crap and we won a trophy in it.

Celtic are apparently getting a black and gold away strip, and they've just signed up with Adidas. No idea if it'll be bespoke or from a template but will be annoying if it ends up being a cracker that we could have had for our own away top. Last season's away but reversed would have done fine.

The away is okay, though ruined by the sponsor logo (not much they could do about it though). The home top is a poor effort. Quite like Aberdeen trying to claim it's based on the 1958-64 kit, which I've never heard anyone ever say was a kit we should replicate. I don't think I've bought a home top since the one we had in 06-07 with the two shades of red. Bought the 1990 retro one and I'll just wear that until it falls apart.

Uefa make between £2.5bn & £3bn a year in revenue I believe. The majority of that is from selling the TV rights for the Champions League and Europa League. BT's deal for the U.K. is worth £1.2bn for 2021-2024 I think. The rest of it comes from commercial rights, sponsorship, and ticket revenue. Aye they're not short of a few bob like.

Since McInnes has taken charge, Aberdeen have sold 18,000 tickets or more for a home match 15 times. Four of them were last season. Bear in mind one of our most popular games v Rangers wasn't even on the fixture list for four years. This season the crowds have been disappointing. Biggest 16,400 v Hearts 3-2 game, swelled by a rare decent away support from Hearts. The biggest Aberdeen support was 15,200 v Rijeka. But, the potential is clearly there to bring in 18,000+ crowds regularly, and some of those games mentioned above were sell outs. And I always argue Pittodrie is a difficult ground to sell out - not because of lack of fans, but because of the make up of the ground. Once around 15,000 are sold, the seats that are left tend to be Merkland (currently only available to families, though granted that changes next season), an uncovered section Y, and the upper deck where you struggle to see the goal line at that side ever since the pitch was lengthened so it essentially has become restricted view. If they build a good stadium, with your rail seating etc, even out at Kingsford I don't think they'd struggle to sell 20,000 for big games. And to me that's what you build to - your potential. Not locking fans out who would want to go - whether they are fair weather ones or not. If you're going to build a new stadium, especially if you're moving the club from their natural home and out into the countryside, then do it right.

At the fan meetings last year, Cormack said they were considering a smaller stadium of around 17,000. Something to do with rail seating being more expensive, and he asked fans to give a show of hands over whether they wanted a smaller stadium with rail seating or a 20,000 one without. It all sounds like another smoke screen, trying to convince the fans it was their idea, rather than explain why we're building somewhere that supposedly should be a blank canvas yet has restrictions in place on height and, presumably, capacity. And of course the lack of travel options mean the bigger the capacity, the bigger the problem. The stadium application already suggests the Old Firm would have 3,000 tickets - around double their current allocation. If they all arrive by supporters bus that helps solve a lot of your public transport problem. For years the club have mentioned Hearts when Tynecastle was 17,000, and how that smaller capacity helped lead to sell-outs and a scramble for tickets, like it was some sort of successful operation that needed copied. Forgetting of course that Hearts spent millions on increasing the capacity, whereas we're spending millions on decreasing ours.

Cutting capacity to 15.5k is fine when you still have the potential to sell 20k for a big fixture. They won't have that choice if they build a smaller stadium at Kingsford. The smaller capacity thing seems to be coming from this height restriction they apparently have at Kingsford which limits how big they can make it. Rather than answering questions on that, they're trying to convince everyone that we should bin 20,000 crowds in favour of smaller ones as it apparently improves the atmosphere. I like a lot of what Cormack says and have been happy to see the initiative with the Merkland (can we stop calling it "red shed" though. When was it ever called the shed? It's not Tannadice) but I think mine and his vision for the new stadium differ greatly.

Didn't see the game, but how did Main play? I'm not convinced he's worth persisting with, but interested to hear how he performed. Likewise, how did Anderson play in his standard 15 minute cameo?