RicoS321

The Motherwell lad has apparently transformed their style, but so did Glass with us. It's just that every single goal conceded for both is from an error caused by a player trying to be too intricate and giving it away. It won't be long before the Motherwell fans are bemoaning the passing out from the back, despite its apparent easiness on the eye. I don't think we're overthinking, just that we've got several players who are very average. Coupled with lack of preseason and additional European fixtures and it's showing. I don't think Hearts investment is going to make a huge difference. At best, they'll get a slightly better player. There's not enough difference financially to make a consistent difference. It'll all be down to the things I've already mentioned, which is the balance of the side, pragmatism, experience and a good dose of luck in the transfer window. Our investment hasn't set us apart from the rest to date, and I doubt Hearts will.

You're right, but that was one of the reasons for changing approach under McInnes. Team balance under McInnes generally didn't work because he made mistakes in the transfer window. He'd identify a key position and then sign someone like Greg Tansey to fill it. GMS and Stewart to replace Hayes and McGinn almost looks sensible on paper. McInnes' problem is that nobody was there to question his signings, and also that nobody was there to pressure him into playing youth players (which we're still not seeing). Cormack's bravado ensured that we spent three managers trying to implement the change in approach, but we're clearly still not getting it right. It's like everyone is so focused on getting the next big moneymaking signing, that we're ignoring the bigger squad picture. I would suggest, perhaps, that a technical fucking director might be asking questions were they to exist.

I suspect the upside is that you get the consistent challenging for third, doing so while also getting a good return on the foreign project players, plus playing out from the back (it's very debatable whether this is better than a McInnes or Robinson side or not). Overall, the idea is that we'd have a structure in place behind the manager, that would allow us to transition to the next guy with little upheaval, but I'm not convinced that is the case at all. There is no reason for us to take the three year project with any seriousness though. Cormack simply chose to say that about Thelin. He could easily have said that about Glass, Goodwin or Robson but for some bizarre reason chose not to. Thelin's repeated mistakes and failure to address key areas wouldn't look out of place in any of the other guy's Dons teams. Hopefully he can learn from mistakes in the way the others weren't given the opportunity to. Thelin certainly has a more complete backroom than the others had (strangely missing a technical director). All of this should have been ready while McInnes was still at the club, but we chose to half-arse it with a few role-players (Cormack included). As I mentioned on the transfer thread, it seems we are still making errors and there's no overall good strategic thinking at the club. It's still hugely debatable whether our model versus our model under McInnes works better in Scottish football though. The risk is that a team like hearts or Hibs get it right and we're lagging because we chose to stick with giving a manager all the control.

Tomorrow is a huge day for us. There's a lot riding on any signings we make. I said at the end of last season that I was glad that we didn't make European group stage football, as we were nowhere near ready for it. Unfortunately our cup triumph scuppered that! Eight extra games before Christmas is ridiculous, and we could see today the toll that is going to take. We don't have the depth in quality, and we're nowhere near it either. Midfielder has to be the priority, and we have to be looking at someone mid to late twenties. With Sokler away, we could be doing with someone quick through the middle. Neither Milanovic or Keskinen are actually that quick, so someone to replace Morris (unless Bilalovic is rapid, it was difficult to tell, but he might be). The midfielder is a must, with the other two just a hope. It'll be difficult, and I suspect we might be way down our list already. There'll be a lot of crossed fingers within Pittodrie that Lazetic and Bilalovic meet the standard (I think they will). Overall though, regardless of what happens tomorrow, I think the squad building has been pretty awful. For at least the last four seasons. The complete lack of balance is frustrating. Minimal internal youth progression, no proven players that are relatively risk free from the SPFL, no proven players in the midst of their career from elsewhere, no Scottish players. With Morris gone, there is no longer a player that can single handedly allow us to change approach, and it doesn't really seem like our system changes offer too much in the way of actual change (because our players - in their respective positions - are very similar). Cormack's strategy of going for project players has worked in some senses, but it hasn't returned a particularly good team, and it's exceptionally transient in design. I don't think it's working.

Aye, that was turgid stuff. We're not very good. They were a good championship side basically. The red card was a decision that needs to be made in order to justify VAR, and the other over-officiating that preceded it. Football is a contact sport, and people get hurt in accidental collisions. Trying to eradicate all injury from the game is not the goal of anyone but the dickheads that run the game. That red changed the game. We are nowhere near good enough to beat anyone when a player down. Anyway, very little to get excited about so far this season. Our signings look very ordinary. Keskinen hasn't kicked on, with his decision making still atrocious (he is playing a hell of a lot of football in fairness to the lad). Across the front, generally, we looked very poor. Milanovic offers very little, Aouchiche was terrible when he came on, Polvara struggled. Palaversa was shite. Jensen just a very average footballer. Lazetic looked good, Bilalovic might have something about him, although he was a little 100mph in the little time he had. Otherwise, I don't think we're actually a very good team!

What are you talking about? If we've learned anything over the Miovski affair, it's that tweets mean everything.

Or BM 0.45 goals per game, Cosgrove 0.46 Cosgrove also had about 15-20 games to get up to speed too.

I suspect that it isn't strategy. If the lad doesn't want to be here, then there might be little the club can do.

I'd heard rumours last season that he was looking for a move, but thought it could have just been pish. I doubt we'd be putting him up for sale at this stage, but maybe a bit of pragmatism if he doesn't want to be here.

I'm not surprised. Looks a player. Also looks like he doesn't want to be here, and I wonder if the management see that, hence his lack of game time.

Hope he gets injured quickly. Dirty cunt. Wonder if he'll be in tears when he eventually leaves Ibrox? As others have said, probably, wouldn't really minded if it was someone like McGrath who just picked up a wage, acted very professionally and worked hard, without any playing to the fans or showing any real affection for the club. Miovski very much gave it the "club has a massive place in my heart" type shite the entire time he was here, and after leaving. If big Ash knows what it means to be a Dandy, then Miovski can't claim anything was lost in translation. It won't be long before he's talking up how great it was to play at Ibrox with the Dons and how he'd dreamed about playing there. Fucking cunt.

There is no comparison between what Snelders did and what the dirty Judas Hun cunt Miovski has now done. They shouldn't be uttered in the same breath.

Disgusting. I'm contacting my local reform MP to get them sent back to their own country.

Tweedmouth Huns? They don't sound very Scottish.

Nah. We won't get anywhere near the original fee, because it would have been inclusive of add-ons.

Aye, I forgot Hibs were on their second chance knockout. I actually do think that there's a trajectory of shiteness, and it's heading upward. There is a predefined goal, too, that us mortals are not party to. European leagues of some sort. It's all just nudging forward, little bit at a time.

Turgid league pish. Couldn't give a fuck. Hibs' run in Europe is exactly how it should be. Proper excitement and actual jeopardy. None of this "we'll get the plate tournament if we lose" shite. Like being in Primary school, where everyone gets to win.

Although Jensen does have the advantage of not having played the full ninety! Devlin ran himself into the ground last night. Jensen has actually looked less fit than last season, and he's a lesser player for it. It's a difficult role and I think they'll just have to divvy it up this season. If we'd had an established left back, I'd like to have seen Lobban get an opportunity on Sunday. We should be able to carry a young player through games, especially at fullback, so either him or Frame should be getting minutes soon. Boyd too further up the park, but obviously not all at the same time.

In Scotland, the refs were - at least a season ago - clearly told to wise up and stop giving pens every time it goes near someone's forearm in the box. I can't think of any good sporting reason as to why it would be changed - what happened tonight was clearly against basic fairness and sporting behaviour. Anti-sport, in other words. Which is exactly what VAR is (and European football I guess).

VAR checks everything, so yes they will have been checking. Nobody in the world would have thought that they were checking handball, which is why everyone thought they'd have been reviewing a foul (I couldn't hear the commentary in the boozer). Everyone watching the game will have seen it touching Jensen's arm in real time, or at worse on the replay, but nobody in their right mind would have thought they were checking for handball because it was such a fucking atrocious decision. I didn't even know it was given for handball until I saw a replay of the ref's signal during half time highlights. My mate had suggested it for a joke, but we all laughed it off. I just assumed that the non-foul was classed as inside the box.

Fairly certain the yellow is correct protocol. They hadn't given a penalty originally. However, the yellow card should be indication that the decision was stupidly incorrect. How on earth can you book a player for being hit by the ball? There's no way that the ref could have been comfortable with that.

The referee saw the possible foul, and didn't call it. There was no reason for VAR to intervene. The handball rules are awful, but they do not state that all connections with a hand are handball. Jensen was terrible BECAUSE HE'S NOT A FUCKING LEFT BACK The above is aimed at Thelin, and the numerous Dons fans that think that he might be because he did it once in primary school.

Anti football pish wins the day again. VAR will end football in a decade if this shite continues - which it will. I'd love it if we were a lot less accepting of it. Jensen kicking fuck out of the VAR screen at the side of the pitch on the way off. We just meekly accept this shite.

Seems like you've misunderstood football.

Martin will be hoping he can find some alcoves In Bruges tonight, to hide in.