Slim

Oh for fucks sake, just let them sit out so they're at full fitness for Dundee Utd and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Everytime I read it, it just sends my blood pressure shooting up. The Dons security chiefs planning on using sophisticated computer technology to track down the fan in Dnipro with the flare, more than likely at a cost exceeding the paltry fine we may not even get from UEFA. Dave McDermid urging fans not to travel to Madrid without a ticket. What else are we supposed to do? Sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for tickets to go on sale while the cost of flights and hotels increase and availability decreases? In other words, they want everyone to pay a well over inflated price to travel with a club charter so they can make more money off us. If they concentrate on getting us a good allocation, there won't be a problem. Alex McLeish claiming Scotland have a glut of right backs, then goes on to name Alan Hutton, Graeme Murty and Graham Alexander as examples.

At least a dozen teams got fined for the same thing last season, the average fine was about £3000, pretty much the same as one of JC's business class flights to Egypt last season, not the end of the world. Hopefully it's a case of a boy thinking it's ok to do that in Eastern Europe, now knows better, won't do it again, and now everyone knows not to do it. Nae need for anyone to be named and shamed on this occasion.

Regarding hotels, just booked Reyes Catolicos City Center Hotel, 5 minute walk from the stadium, £70 for one night for a single room. http://www.hotelroom.com/pcln/hotel/93284

Got a different flight, £164 return from Glasgow with BA/Iberia

Grr, in the time it took me to fill in the form on Expedia, the price went up by £50 I'm going to a concert in Glasgow on the Wednesday night, so I'd need to fly from there on the Thursday morning and return on the Friday, and that's looking like being too pricey Hopefully the club will do some sort of charter leaving on the day of the game.

Seems like the earliest you can get into AMdrid with flying out on the 29th is 5.30pm, is that cutting it a bit fine?

I hope the fixtures change, I've got an exam on 6th December so will have to miss that away game, and looks like work is sending me to Dubai when we should be away on the 8th, though I doubt I'd go to Moscow anyway.

"we are now a consistent top six team despite having fuck all money and now we're back in europe." To be honest, for any manager of AFC who had the money we spent on Lovell and Nicholson, plus the hefty contracts given to them plus Scott Severin, Jamie Smith, Jackie McNamara, Lee Miller and Jamie Langfield, finishing in the top 6 for 3 years in a row and qualifying for Europe once should be the minimum expected requirement. It's not a massive achievement by any stretch of the imagination. He's done well, yes, but any decent manager could've at least matched it. People pay too much attention to how bad we were. Look how bad Motherwell were last season, and look at them this season. Same with Dundee Utd, both could easily finish top 6 with little investment in the playing squad.

Central midfield Jimmy, central midfield...

Aye, he was lying 'injured' off the pitch, then rolled himself back oto the pitch then refused to get off again when the ref told him to.

Soutar's out of his depth. While he's not made any obvious errors, he's conceded at least 4 goals that a better goalkeeper would've saved. The success of the team is more important than Soutar's feelings, and unfortunately for him, Langfield's a better keeper, albeit he's not ideal himself.

They were complaining about the standard of the food and were threatening to cancel their package, and AFC told them to sling their hook because they could easily sell it to someone else is what I heard.

Fucking terrible performance, too many 'superstars' trying things they don't have the ability to pull off without putting in the effort that makes the ordinary players that they are, effective. Only positives was some good link up play between Miller and Lovell up front, although it didn't come to anything ultimately.

I would've thought he would be renting a flat up here too, otherwise he'll spend 5 hours a day driving.

Home Office red tape could prevent the Dons helping a young asylum seeker start a new life in Scotland. Congo-born striker Christian Kisuka, 15, is earning rave reviews playing for Aberdeen's Under-17 side. The Dons want to take the Glasgow-based youngster on full-time when he turns 16 next year. But their plans could be scuppered because the Home Office has so far taken five years to issue a passport to the youngster, who fled war-torn Congo with his mother thinking his father had been murdered. Christian needs a passport because the Dons would find it almost impossible to gain a work permit for the youngster when he turns 16 in March. The Dons have now taken legal advice in their bid to get clearance for Christian, a pupil at Shawlands Academy in Glasgow. Dons head of youth development Lenny Taylor said: "It will be difficult to sign Christian if he doesn't have a passport. "It's frustrating because he is a tremendous prospect." Christian and younger sister Hanlene, 5, moved to Glasgow with their mother, Yvette to escape the on-going conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo. They thought his father, Manzanpi, was one of the estimated 60,000 civilians killed in the ethnic conflict in the African country. It was only 18 months ago that the family discovered Manzanpi, an agricultural engineer, is alive and had escaped to Paris. He was refused entry to Britain at Dover just two weeks ago. Glasgow-based Dons youth coach Peter Weir said: "Christian is a wonderful lad when you consider what his family have gone through." Christian's mother, who speaks only basic English, has no intention of taking her family back to the Congo. She hopes gaining British nationality will help her husband gain entry to Scotland and give Christian a better chance of having a career as a professional player. But she's constantly hit a brick wall with attempts to get British passports for herself and her children. That meant the Dons were unable to take Christian to youth tournaments in Holland and Ireland. Glasgow-based solicitors Hamilton Burns have now approached the Home Office on behalf of the club to see if there is any way of speeding up the process. Lenny said: "We've been told families who seek asylum in this country get passports if it will help further the education of their children. "We are arguing that failing to issue a passport to Christian is a breach of his basic human rights. "Going with us to tournaments abroad and signing full-time would further his education as a footballer. "The boy is doing all he can to start a new life in Scotland and eventually become a wage earner." When we contacted the Home Office's Borders and Immigration Department, who issue passports and travel documents to asylum seekers, a spokeswoman said they do not comment on individual cases.

Lovell and Maguire if we were to play proper football, otherwise Lovell and Brewster/Miller. As long as we've got Lovell in there, I'm happy.

Played a lot better when he came on last night against Galway by all accounts.

He was recommended to us by Ryan Esson after an unsuccessful trial at Shrewsbury. He's only 18 so likely not going to be a first team player if taken on.

On trial at Ibrox apparently. Wonder how that happened...

Hmm, I'm due to fly home from Dubai on the morning of the Celtic match, could be touch and go for making it, I'll definitely miss the Hearts game. Possibly no footy for me until mid-September

The match on Monday 23rd August will be broadcast live on Egyptian telly, I wonder if we'll be able to watch through some dodgy internet site?

We can't go into the season with Considine and Diamond our first choice central defenders, it would be suicide. If Anderson goes, we need to sign an experienced defender to partner one of them. Touzani could fill the void, but I'd prefer someone that opposition attackers won't fancy playing against. Someone that gives the rest of the defence confidence.

Away to Gretna on Boxing Day? Fuck right off.