RicoS321

I don't think narrow mindedness holds our game back at all, it's lack of fairness, lack of discussion and openness and agreement on what we want from our game as supporters, predominantly. The notion of being held back suggests that there's some sort of target or point to our game, which I don't believe there is. It frustrates me when people parrot terms like these, as it's clearly through lack of thought and it leads to situations like moving to Westhill. I think that's where Cormack has a poor understanding, but I think that probably stems from being a businessman rather than a football fan, as opposed to nationality. That said, the American dream and it's overbearing free market principles aren't something I feel Scottish football would benefit greatly from, but then our side of the pond certainly doesn't stand up to scrutiny in that regard either. I have little knowledge of the US game, but the notion that Americans can't bring technical expertise is ridiculous, I'd agree. More importantly, the people who run the game, manage the teams or provide punditry in this country have shown little ability when it comes to improving our game for the majority here, we exist purely to provide a training ground for the scum whilst looking dolefully down South at money. In that regard, the US involvement is as useful as any other.

Accepting a massive payout from a TV company with zero financial scrutiny is so 2009.

I agree, however I think the two need to be separated into their distinct failures. I've said for years that recruitment needs to be removed from McInnes, as he already has too much responsibility at the club. We should be targeting a 50-60% success rate in signings, accepting that not all of them will work out. I accept guys like Ojo and Bryson, not gleeson, Maynard and Wilson (second time) and definitely not tansey, storey etc. May is borderline as a player, but we definitely massively overpaid. Overall, there's enough mistakes in there to justify the segregation of recruitment like they do at the Tims and Huns, with the manager simply getting the final say. That doesn't mean you subcontract to a bunch of clueless yanks however, there's a happy medium here. McInnes' mistakes were all comfortably within budget, he didn't bring in any Megabucks superstars (maybe Wilson first time round?), or break the bank on transfer fees. It was a sensible strategy, badly executed. These guys seem to be winging it on championship manager. Hernandez simply didn't fit our signing profile and showed a complete lack of competence and strategy.

Hopefully the extent of the mistake will make them wisen up a little. It was bordering on a money laundering scam, such was the ridiculous cost for such an obvious dud. To take us that far out of our normal price range (nearly double what we paid for May, and he was a huge risk) was completely reckless. It risked completely undermining the squad, especially when you factor in just how crap he was. Imagine the other players seeing this guy turning up in training with that price tag (and I'm assuming associated wage) and being horse shit? On one hand we were lucky that he was that dire, the players probably quickly moved from resentment to feeling sorry for him. It's no use Cormack doing these one sided updates, serious questions need to be asked about how this happened. Somebody who clearly has zero understanding of the Scottish game was involved in this, and they're exactly the type of idiot that would promote an Atlantic league.

I got the impression that the signing was for Atlanta's benefit rather than ours. They can have him. Weird partnership, us and Atlanta, I don't like it.

"Sold" would suggest a fee. No chance anyone's paying money for him, he'll be shipped out. Unless Atlanta stump the cash for their mistake.

Apologies to the BBC, the analysis is up there now, just took them a minute, which is to be expected.

I didn't think they'd be allowed to given that the ref had already dealt with it. It's a definite red. It must be frustrating for a manager to see an obviously talented player do that sort of thing, it was such a ridiculously stupid action, and not even hard enough to hurt the player either. In fairness to the ref, from his angle it possibly just comes across as "leading with the arm" rather than what it was, which was an actual deliberate elbow. The former being a yellow in most cases. Edit: more importantly, what about the BBC coverage? I didn't watch sportscene, but I'm guessing they discussed it properly, but normally you'd have the "was this a red card" video singled out (like happened for Ferguson, correctly, the other week) with the incident shown on its own and the pundits view. Instead it goes with a "there's no elbow there" headline with Gerrard's view on the incident. Blatant pandering, again. Concerned they'll get accused of picking on the hun, or specifically, Morelos. Any objective coverage would show this incident in its own right as it merits it - it's the very obvious controversial talking point of the games which likely had a significant impact on the result.

I am, you're right. He does deserve his place, he's earned it. I don't think it was good movement for his goal, it just came to him. A fantastic turn and hit though, he can hit a ball. Given the fact that it seems he's a part time bouncer, I'm not surprised he gives defenders a hard time. I think he's very reactive and gets beaten to the ball too often, hence he ends up fouling. Anyway, he's doing well as you say.

I disagree, I thought he was painful to watch. He's just not a footballer, his reading of the game is atrocious, he's like a shit Josh Magennis. Head down and charge. Not what you want to pay to watch. I don't think it has anything to do with Cosgrove though, it's entirely the way McInnes fucks about with the team. Since Cosgrove came back, Wright has been injured, and/or Hedges had been shifted out wide, the obvious covid issues ruining our midfield and Hayes missing. Despite that, when we had a nearly full selection to pick from against St Mirren, he cunts about with the positions like we're a Dutch team from the Cruyff era. All of that leads to lack of forward movement and players in each others way, so the defence have to hit it long after five minutes of passing it between them. As soon as Cosgrove is dropped, and his confidence ruined, he gives Curtis Main the opportunity with the exact team and system (Kennedy in place of Wright) that got us playing well in the first place and he scores two goals, including an excellent finish. But Curtis Main isn't making amazing runs or using his deft touch to draw defenders in, it's the fucking obvious tactic of playing Johnny Hayes down the wing, McLennan on the other side and giving Hedges (and Kennedy, sort of) freedom to roam high up the park - none of which was offered to Cosgrove. The problem we've got is that Cosgrove is going nowhere in January on this form and McInnes is setting up the team to play against his better attributes, meaning we're missing the best of a talented young player (again) who has the potential to make us significantly more watchable than Curtis Main ever could.

Agree with your second paragraph. Thing is, it doesn't need to be without the scum, that's just an option! Their elevated position has been entirely manufactured over the last thirty years with ridiculous levels of spending based on funding gained from their participation in our league. I'd far rather see we tackled that part of the game first and create a truly competitive league first, because that's what sport should be about. I wouldn't want a 16 team league where we become the new Tims or Huns. Make it a truly equitable setup, with the only entry qualification being that you're a full time club. I think your right about Cormack too. The frustrating thing is that, like Milne, he's never asked the fans what they want. He's unilaterally deciding what's best for AFC and Scottish fitba. Millionaire pays his money, gets to choose. Of course, like the move to Aberdeenshire, it would be presented as the big shiny new thing with no possible alternative. They'll be a big fanfare, that'll win over the gullible, with the "opportunity" to pick the new Atlantic league theme tune to be belted out when the players line up, along with various meaningless consultations to make it seem like the fans are involved, conveniently ignoring the fact that the only decision that matters has already been made on our behalf (would you like safe standing in your atrociously located new stadium?). Like it or not, we have absolutely zero say in the running of our team or league.

Agreed, don't think Cosgrove was ready to come back, way off the pace. When he was banging in the goals at the beginning of last season his work rate was noticeably high as was his awareness. His form dipped when we moved to Westhill, almost like he was doing too much too soon in training, like the infamous "burnout" attributed to younger players by pundits. With that in mind, you bring him back in slowly and allow him to build up an understanding with the new formation and players around him. McInnes didn't do that. Main did well yesterday, but he has zero game intelligence, regularly making shite runs, getting caught offside and giving away ridiculous fouls. Cosgrove gives away stupid fouls when he's knackered or frustrated, Main just does it as a matter of course. What was really annoying yesterday was that McInnes finally decided to play the correct players in the correct positions and do that for almost the entire second half (I only listened to the first on the radio so couldn't say). He hasn't done that for Cosgrove once since he returned, constantly switching Hedges and Hayes, Kennedy and Leigh or McLennan throughout the game giving the returning striker no chance of finding his feet in a new setup and building confidence. If we're bringing Cosgrove in when fit, we need to retain a shape for a good hour or more, with Hedges and Kennedy or McGinn alongside with McLennan and Hayes wide. I guarantee he won't though, it's almost like he wants to make it as hard as possible for his players. He needs to give Cosgrove the same opportunity as he did Main yesterday. It worked well for Main, it's fairly simple stuff.

It was/is the obvious next step, hence the yank investment in our game. There was always going to be some elaborate scheme. It's clear there's been an attempt to create a second tier of teams with enhanced budget for likes of us, Hibs etc. making a bigger gap between us and the rest. Basically doing what the scum do currently, gaining access to a league where being in that league allows you to buy your way back in yearly. More trickle down pish. It's a shame, but Cormack is just doing what Milne would have had he the support to get it through. I don't really see eye to eye with AFC on most off the field matters, I have long accepted that they are not representative of my beliefs, and maybe that's fine. This is just another step in the widening gap.

Shame, he's had a fair time of it like. Every injury under the sun.

I do see that, that's what I'm saying. I agree with your last part, I don't need you or others to tell me that's why I brought up the NHS clap originally. What I'm saying is that the whole experience is political whether you like it or not. By supporting Aberdeen in Scottish football, you're taking a political position. I don't care if most people feel the same way or not, it's a simple fact. Your agreeing to everything about Scottish football by paying your money to watch AFC, and every decision made by the SPFL and its setup is political, unless you can point to any of the examples I gave and say they're not political (or propaganda)? The football match you attend doesn't exist in a vacuum, whether you pretend it does or not, it's just a subset of capitalism. You're buying into the "AFC family" narrative. What you're actually saying, then, is that you don't want a particular type of political action to be practiced at a football match. I'm saying that you're choosing an arbitrary cutoff point. I make a choice to ignore the fact that AFC play in a fixed league designed around two teams (that's political, just in case you thought otherwise) when I turn up at Pittodrie - to suspend the belief for 90 minutes. Whether I extend that for another 30 seconds prior to kick off or not is arbitrary, and would miss the point entirely.

Who are its shadowy backers? Who owns the movement? More importantly, who doesn't? As I said before, any player wishing to not comply would easily get to make their point in any of the national tabloids in this country, there would likely only be the Guardian and twitter/social media that would hold the opposing view. You entirely miss the point. You're not simply there to see a simple 11 vs 11 and you are having propaganda shoved down your throat every time you attend a football match. Whether it be the lining up of the players in front of the dugouts, the billboards at the side of the pitch, the players on one team earning six times that of the opposition, the chairmen colluding on media deals, the segregating of a club and the company that owns a club, the community work that a club does, the holding up of red cards for kick racism out etc etc. You can't opt out. You're objecting to a single form of propaganda because it falls outwith the propaganda you've already bought into.

Nobody's stopping them. I'm not suggesting otherwise in any of my points. What the fuck does becoming the target mean? These guys are perfectly able to get their points across if they can articulate them. The daily mail, the express, the telegraph will happily print them if they don't amount to basic racism. There's no shortage of platforms for them.

It's got fuck all to do with who pays who's wages. They're not the property of Millwall fans. You couldn't get a more naziesque mentality if you tried, that's how shallow your argument becomes. To exclude politics from anything is political. Millwall fans don't control players, the FA don't control players, they're human beings with their own opinions based on their own experiences. I'm more than happy for the Millwall fans to boo, and it would be terrible if they were censored or fined, but insisting that players conform is equally as bad. If the Millwall fans have the understanding and conviction to back up their position then that's great. They should be happy to take the flak like adults and articulate their position. I doubt that's the case, and I think using the "no politics in fitba" excuse to make up for their ignorance is fairly pathetic. It would be good if Millwall could organise some sort of forum with their supporters and players to state their position on the issue.

Just checking, will no deal mean we get to send Ojo back?

I haven't shifted the argument, I'm making exactly the same point as I was from the beginning. Football is politics, and fitba politics is an exact mirror of society. BLM, regardless of how you feel about it, is about equality of opportunity at its very essence. That's why the grid iron shite is equally as applicable in this country as it is in America, where stop and search is more of an issue than police shootings, poverty equally so. The structural inequalities that prevent Hamilton ever being able to win a trophy and, without a miracle, even finish top six are exactly the same as though those that make it harder for a black child (statistically speaking, and I personally think it would be better to substitute class for skin colour, but it doesn't make it any less correct) from becoming prime minister or a lawyer. You get just enough breaking of the mould that people can say "well Livingston managed it last season", but you'd never see Livingston, St Mirren and Hamilton in the top six at the same time. That's structural inequality - by design. If players can see that in society, they're right to challenge it. You can disagree with their right to say it, but it has every place in society and football.

Yep, though I think they've actually got worse since we last played them. A fairly good draw all things considered, we're capable of an airse up against Israel or Moldova, but we could also pick up wins against either of the top two.

Moldova.... that's our fuck up right there.

Faroes too. Awesome.

Fucking Israel! Good group though.

Interesting you draw equivalence with the Nazi salute rather than the raised fist of Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Weird, I'd say. As for the rest of your post, I just gave you examples, which were pertinent to the whole of football and not the sideshow of religion. Scottish football as a whole is built entirely on politics. Was Stewarty retaining the 11-1 voting system political? What about Hearts' attempt at not being relegated? Scottish football needs a strong Rangers? But the biggest thing that is political is the duopoly and, as stated, the idea that the betterment of two teams will be beneficial for the entire game. It perfectly mirrors the "wealth creators will just leave!!" bullshit that we're fed in other walks of life. If you have any interest in the betterment of the Scottish game, which you seem to, then you're political. That you shouldn't bring a Palestinian flag to a match is just a specific form of politics that is frowned upon, the rest is the game itself, from the size of the league, whether Celtic can fuck off to a training camp, how the finances are split and so on. All politics.