RicoS321

Welcome Kristers. This is Peter, he's our best available striker.

Gallagher and Bates, and thon other lad, Brown or something? If we're expanding to British, then McGrath, Stewart, Jet, Gurr and many others. I don't think there's any evidence of not coping with humour because of nationality in football or any other line of work. Most players we've signed, probably in our history, have had a good grasp of English. Apart from Johnny Hayes, who still requires an interpreter after over a decade in this country. Guys like Ramadani, Miovski, Sokler, Rubi all appear to enjoy playing here too. To be honest though, your initial suggestion was that you wanted to see more Scottish players playing, which I'd agree with because I think Scottish teams should provide a route to the national side, and if international football is to have any meaning, it should retain and promote that Scottish football connection. I also think that signing players like Hayes and McGrath is beneficial because they have proven SPFL record, but that would also be applicable if we signed a foreign player from another club. Mitov for example. Beyond that, I don't think there's any evidence from our signings that foreign players stay less time than British players or can integrate more successfully. Proportionally, we've signed as many dogshite players from down south as we gave foreigners from foreign land I expect.

Our signings are now predominantly data led, with a focus on value for money, supplemented by 2-3 that the manager has seen that he believes will fit our system. As we have a foreign manager, that supplement will be foreign rather than Scottish (Devlin, Shinnie etc) for the next window or two. That should revert to Scotland again as Thelin becomes more intimate with the players here, and his knowledge of home becomes less up to date. The exception was Nisbet, but that was clearly pragmatism based on Miovski leaving and the realisation that Ambrose wasn't actually a professional footballer at all. I agree, I would like to see more Scots. I don't think that's necessarily the case at all. I would say that the majority of the signings we make of any nationality rarely stick around. Obviously we can really only take this century as relevant, because of changes in transfers that probably didn't properly unfold completely until the late nineties. Of the Scottish players (Several, Nicholson) we've signed, there are just as many that play 100+ games as there are foreigners such as Logan, McGinn and Hayes*. Guys like Kenny MacLean had no more affinity with Aberdeen than Arnason for example. The main criteria for a player staying any length of time at AFC is if they fit in at our level, rather than nationality. MacLean was our level when he joined, but moved beyond that eventually and so joined Norwich. Miovski stayed another year just like Ferguson. I can't think of a single player who has joined us and stayed beyond the point they were deemed too good. If a player finds his level here then we'll likely immediately want him replaced with someone better as we're fickle that way! Devlin last season regularly identified as a weak link, Shinnie too, after a handful of poor performances. In terms of Scottish players in the squad, the most disappointing area is youth players coming through. Ramsay and Barron probably don't help the numbers, but I'd have hoped we'd be targeting one to two players per season making the squad and get regular minutes before the age of 21 (a bit arbitrary, I know). Milne squeezes in (defenders take longer!), and Duncan should be aiming for next season or moving on. I think youth products are really the only ones that are likely to develop significant affinity and loyalty, and the most likely to see a good number of appearances. Mainly because they might have family in and from the city, and may even raise family here. Again, though, that's only if they find their level here. *I've assumed you class Brits and Irish as foreigners (I do) based on your comments about the national side.

Correct. The whole family went.

I'm wondering if it's an either/or with the defenders. If not, that's a fair outlay.

Yep, but it's about style of play and personnel. Devlin and Mackenzie were constantly in the opponents box, the midfield were bursting a gut to get there too, we played high intensity and pressing and regularly ran ourselves into the ground during games. That's what won us the games, basically. It's not that we're completely spent, just that we're not playing with the same intensity, the fullbacks aren't getting forward and we're not getting players in the box as often. The lack of good options in the key areas and the picking up of niggling injuries just compounds it. It won't be then done for the season, with a couple of additions, I wouldn't be surprised if we went on another good run in a bit when they get a second wind. It's fairly fine margins in this league, and if we're not prepared to sacrifice our style to grind out wins then we'll need more players in to do that. We're a good couple of seasons, at least, from having a team that can compete in both league and Europe, I suspect it'll be one or the other for the foreseeable.

McGrath doesn't appear to lack focus, it's fitness. He's played nearly every game this season and rarely gets taken off. He's taken a few belters to the heid in that time too. If we limit ourselves to players that are going in any given season, we're going to have a lot of difficulty fulfilling fixtures. What about the guy who's coming in on a six month loan? Is McGrath any different to Nisbet in that he's playing for his future elsewhere? Or Miovski last season? In my opinion, McGrath is just suffering from the same drop of form that Shinnie, Nilsen, Devlin and numerous others are experiencing after an intense start to the season and a light squad. Difficult to tell with MacKenzie, but looks like he isn't fully fit after his injury

They're done for the season. As in injured. According to the rumours. Big Pape is also dead, according to stories.

Motherwell didn't push on, but they were lucky not to lose a goal and we pressed them and they couldn't hold onto the ball, regularly punting it straight back to us.

Not a bad half. We're much better playing midfielders at the back. We can play out reasonably safely. I'd consider Polvara and Molloy for the next game. I'm assuming the subs were all down to fresh legs rather than tactical. You can see why Morris isn't preferred to Keskinen, he does nothing going back the way, and never pressures his man. Palaversa did okay in the second half, and we don't need Clarkson that deep, he was very effective up the park a bit. Shinnie looked knackered at 60 minutes, and that showed in his abysmal passing. Devlin similar. Hopefully Thelin has learned a bit today, he should now know the guys that can't be relied on.

Aye, MacDonald - our only centre half available - subbed for a midfielder, says it all.

Aye. That wasn't a red, and should have been overturned. Rubi stood up when Watt was bent over him. Nobody headbutts with the top of their head on the underside of someone's chin, it's just poor technique. Anyway, I turned it on at 30 minutes and we've only been gash from that point. Not even sure where Nisbet is playing, Nielsen given the ball away several times and MacDonald and MacKenzie beaten by simple balls over the top.

Palaversa alongside Shinnie and Nielsen in midfield. Probably something that should have been tried weeks ago. After failing miserably on his favoured foot, MacDonald is once again being tried on his weak side.

Aye, Bavidge needs game time. He wasn't good enough to nail down a start for Ayr and unlikely he'd get used here, so hopefully he can develop at ICT. Ambrose being shite doesn't mean Bavidge is the answer. Hopefully he'll get better and better, and we can reassess in the summer.

He used to be good. No idea if that's still the case.

Hopefully. He was shite again. His freekick was also shite, but the keeper was even shiter. Better than Ambrose though, which could be said about any footballer currently playing in Scotland. He definitely needs to change the system, unless he can get new signings in quickly. I'm not convinced - and said so before he joined - we'll ever be able to play the way he wants on our budget. It took teams a round of fixtures to work us out, and injuries and tiredness did the rest. MacDonald and Doohan showed today how unsuited they are to the system, and we've yet to find a number nine that can fathom it. We've basically knackered half the team playing the system for four months. Hopefully he can change to a hybrid of the existing system, where we play percentage football when necessary. McInnes would have won those last few games by grinding them out, and being very tight at the back. Not a great start to the year, but the traffic has improved and it was easy to get a seat in the boozer too.

Are Rubi and Palaversa also suspended for this one? Or is that just internet speculation. I'd check the BBC, but there is no mention of anything on today's game yet, despite a full write up of one other game today (but they're not biased). If so, could be an interesting lineup. In sure Molloy coming off was just precautionary, so I'd expect him and MacDonald. That'd leave Polvara to slot in alongside Shinnie. Although I wouldn't be surprised to see Polvara further forward and Clarkson in behind. If it's only Nilsen suspended then I'd expect it just to be Palaversa in for him.

I believe the club has contingency plans in place for such conditions

Strange, because I didn't read the words: dirty Hun cunt.

On our winning streak we created very few chances either in most games. It's kind of the theme of our play. We look for openings with intricate play, and our chances are usually well worked. We don't play percentage football, essentially. A good example is Clarkson twice trying, and nearly succeeding with, two very difficult flicks in the box against utd that would almost certainly have led to goals had they been played perfectly. Those don't go down as chances simply because they weren't shots on goal. Our form earlier this season shows how the definition of a chance is flawed in that regard, with our xG being low despite us winning all the time. Clarkson's attempted flick to put a player through is really no less of a chance than a speculative effort over the bar from 25 yards or a header from ten yards under pressure, or numerous other chances that other teams get where the keeper has an easy save to make. Basically our opportunities are breaking down one step short of the shot, whereas opponents are taking shots from which they have little chance of scoring, when perhaps if they had retained possession and re-worked they might have had a good chance (or failed at the final pass like us). We don't seem to suffer from the pundit/coaching of "got to work the keeper", which is such a lazy phrase and attitude. Very often you'll see a player just hit a ball straight at a goalkeeper in a safe manner, when "working the keeper" has really done nothing, as it does in most instances. I'd far rather see a player hit a ball inches past the post in an attempt to hit the corner than a safe shot that the keeper easily parries round the post for example. Our guys seem to be working the openings to the extreme and not just settling for a shots on goal stat, which is nice to see. However, I'm certain there's a happy medium to be struck when we're going through the present lean spell.

Sounds about right to be honest. Probably at the higher end of these types of payouts? With the interest charges over the 40 year payment schedule, we'll likely end up making £15M, crossing three versions of the Hun company that owns the club called sevco.

Robson to Raith. Good move. His Dons stint probably hasn't done him any harm. Doubt he'd have got a bigger club before now otherwise.

Just watched it again on the highlights, it was honking from Nilsen. The wind fairly catches the ball in flight, but he totally loses track of it and his man. He ends up nowhere near it. In saying that, I would expect somebody coming from behind the ball to throw themselves in there when it was clear Nilsen had lost his man. Molloy isn't brilliant in the air, but I've a feeling he might have read that situation.

The point is, obviously, if you try and buy a freekick by diving, you don't always get one. Their guy had a similar one in the opposite corner of the pitch where Beaton waved play on and we got a throw. Polvara grabbed the ball with his hands to try and sway the ref further so gets a yellow and freekick for them, which is the correct decision if you think it's a dive. It's a fifty fifty call, and if you chance your luck, you have to be prepared to take the consequences. Personally, I think Polvara made an arse of the dive. I'd rather we make use of the ball in those situations rather than try to buy freekicks. They happen all over the park, it's almost impossible for a ref to be consistent when every single player is at it. In terms of Devlin's arms, height is a position. I don't have the ref's view, if he thought they were higher than they were or slightly further out from his body then it's a penalty. It's no different to parallax in an offside call, things look different from different angles. That's why the rule is so fucking stupid. It was clear to everyone in the world that it wasn't a deliberate handball, but when you introduce stupid shite like "unnatural position". The ref also is told to make the call he believes is correct and not leave it to VAR, so they can't really win. I think it was a shite decision, but I think that the rules make it a lottery for the refs, handball decisions have been unilaterally shite since VAR existed. Anyway VAR came to the rescue of its own creation.

Good enough game, could have gone either way. The biggest difference is that we play to try and pass the ball into the net, where they play the percentage throwing of balls into the box, with the wind being the difference between the halves. We can't defend set pieces, and I'm not sure it's the players as much as the instruction. We have a tactic of leaving one on two at all corners that regularly leads to a shot on goal and often a rebound and more often another corner. We seem to be zonal too, and the players don't seem to know what one another is doing. The commentator blamed Mitov for the goal, but the throw was going ten yards out until the wind caught it and took it towards the six yard box. There was a rake of players in that area and no chance a keeper should be going into that. What shouldn't ever happen is a player given space for a free run and momentum into that area. It was Nilsen this time, but we've done it numerous times this season. United are a decent side, and a draw wouldn't have been a terrible result. I don't blame Beaton for the original penalty decision, the rule is an absolute abomination. It would never have been a pen under the old rules, and so easy for the ref to call. Now he's making a split second decision on how high Devlin's hands are. It's a fucking awful rule these days, which is pot luck guessing in real time. Also, Polvara dived like a fanny. Shinnie would have been given the foul, but you're always chancing it. It didn't lead directly to the goal anyway.