Jimmy Thelin

[tom_widdows]

Same thing irritates me about goal of the season.

Mitov runs full length of field leaving tic players in his wake before smashing it into the top corner to win the Scottish cup...

But trophy aalready awarded to a tic or sevco player for a tap-in...sorry 'team goal' at home to killie back im August

[Jute]

Nominated for manager of the year by football writers 

 

[OxfordDon]

Named Manager of the month.

 

[Jute]

16 minutes ago, OxfordDon said:

Named Manager of the month.

 

That’s us fucked for Sunday then. 

[OrlandoDon]

I’ll add a more detailed post sometime but interesting first season for him. We clearly had a style of play early season, hit an attacking central player who was able to hold the ball up while the wide guys pushed on, then move the ball forward. Plenty of nice counters early doors.

then teams figured us out and no plan B. What did JT do from there? That’s my big disappointment, since then jTs team had no positive identity. Yea it’s clear we like to play possession, but we were pretty poor in the final third or breaking teams down, and we had plenty of time to work on that. We went to shit pretty much after everyone played us and teams adapted. 
Not only do we not create, today’s a day we started well yet don’t get a second and push on. Even two up we tend to fall out of it. Zero killer instinct from this team and I wonder if that’s JTs style and demeanor. Need to bully punch kick etc. 

[Panda]

I'd give him a B for the league season. Had we finished third it would have been a very good season. To have finished below a Hibs side with a rookie manager in place, and a newly promoted Dundee United, that's disappointing. But I do give Thelin leeway because it's his first season and no-one on here was saying he'd sort us out in one season. The proof will be who makes the most improvement out of those three teams next season (and Hearts). 

Pros:

* You can see the game plan as opposed to wondering what Robson's long ball football was trying to achieve.

* Has improved a few players. Clarkson mainly, Morris too. I would add Mackenzie to that although he did drop off. Moving Nisbet to 10 got him going when others would have given up on him.

* Perhaps to his detriment, wants to attack, even against the Old Firm. The game at Parkhead (5-1) was one of those games where we took the game to them, created chances, but our marshmallow defence melted.

Cons

* None. Just a bit unlucky.

* Okay, if you want to attack, sort your defence out. Even when we're ahead we always look vulnerable.

* Indecision over a few positions. Keskinen looks better on the left but often been played on the right to accommodate other players. Same situation with Jensen.

* There are clearly quite a few deficiencies with the team, but let's see how much he can fix in summer and see how we look next season. 
 

I don't buy the "if we start next season poorly he's under pressure" stuff. I think the club are backing him, even if we finish fifth next season again. Only a terrible season would make Cormack wobble.

[OrlandoDon]

And by no means do I want a coaching change, we’ve done that too much in the last 5 years, but questions have to be fairly asked. No plan B is a crime and for the rest of the season results were pretty crap. We looked good at times but this league is about grinding out results. I certainly hope it’s been a learning experience for JT. Obviously getting half a dozen new players in will help, but he didn’t get enough out of this current squad, and the last 4 games we looked uninterested and unmotivated in parts of each game. In the other threat out coached today was mentioned, and I totally agree, motivation is a factor and is JT too nice?

any news on a new Killie manager? Any interest in Leven for that? And are we filling the coaching position after the assistant went back to Sweden?

Edited May 17 by OrlandoDon

[OrlandoDon]

2 minutes ago, Panda said:

I'd give him a B for the league season. Had we finished third it would have been a very good season. To have finished below a Hibs side with a rookie manager in place, and a newly promoted Dundee United, that's disappointing. But I do give Thelin leeway because it's his first season and no-one on here was saying he'd sort us out in one season. The proof will be who makes the most improvement out of those three teams next season (and Hearts). 

Pros:

* You can see the game plan as opposed to wondering what Robson's long ball football was trying to achieve.

* Has improved a few players. Clarkson mainly, Morris too. I would add Mackenzie to that although he did drop off. Moving Nisbet to 10 got him going when others would have given up on him.

* Perhaps to his detriment, wants to attack, even against the Old Firm. The game at Parkhead (5-1) was one of those games where we took the game to them, created chances, but our marshmallow defence melted.

Cons

* None. Just a bit unlucky.

* Okay, if you want to attack, sort your defence out. Even when we're ahead we always look vulnerable.

* Indecision over a few positions. Keskinen looks better on the left but often been played on the right to accommodate other players. Same situation with Jensen.

* There are clearly quite a few deficiencies with the team, but let's see how much he can fix in summer and see how we look next season. 
 

I don't buy the "if we start next season poorly he's under pressure" stuff. I think the club are backing him, even if we finish fifth next season again. Only a terrible season would make Cormack wobble.

Cons, not having a plan B? For example, do you adapt a style of play or formation when we are chasing a game? I agree we have a passing style, but I’d say that was from keeper to midfield, and midfield/attack we really struggled to create and I can’t say we had an attacking style.

[Panda]

6 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

Cons, not having a plan B? For example, do you adapt a style of play or formation when we are chasing a game? 

He has done it on occasion. Today was an example of it; moving Clarkson to the left of a back three, which looked unorthodox but meant he received the ball in space and could pick passes. It meant Shinnie and Jensen could push forward and we doubled up on their full-backs.

Individually our players didn't take advantage, but I think Thelin does show more tactical awareness than previous managers.

[OrlandoDon]

37 minutes ago, Panda said:

He has done it on occasion. Today was an example of it; moving Clarkson to the left of a back three, which looked unorthodox but meant he received the ball in space and could pick passes. It meant Shinnie and Jensen could push forward and we doubled up on their full-backs.

Individually our players didn't take advantage, but I think Thelin does show more tactical awareness than previous managers.

You were there, i stopped watching closely by that point. I will say I thought we went long hit and hope today, haven’t really seen that this season. We looked desperate. To a fault I felt we stuck to our passing game in other games when we could have been more direct. But more direct should still have a purpose,  diagonal long balls, players pulling markers for a long ball in behind a defense etc. I didn’t see that today, I just saw long hopeful/hopeless balls.

[Panda]

Some comparisons with last season. Both overall, and up until the split (considering last season we played five bottom six opponents compared to top six this season).

Points (up until split in brackets)

23/24: 48 (35)

24/25: 53 (50)

Five more points overall, 15 more up until the split.

Goals scored

23/24: 48 (35)

24/25: 48 (44)

Goals conceded

23/24: 52 (49)

24/25: 61 (49)

Up until the split had conceded the same, but post split this season there were hammerings by Celtic and Rangers in particular.

Wins 

23/24: 12 (8)

24/25: 15 (14)

Stats were skewed a little last season by the bottom six split, but likewise a lot of our goals and wins this season were at the beginning.

So, how about February 1st (after transfer window closed) to the split?

Games played 

23-24: 12

24-25: 9

Points

23/24: 11

24-25: 15

Four more points despite three fewer games played.

Goals scored

23-24 11

24-25 13 

Goals conceded 

23/24: 16 

24/25: 13

Wins

23/24: 2

24/25: 4

 

Conclusion: Stats are like miniskirts...

[Reekie_Red]

On 18/05/2025 at 08:17, OrlandoDon said:

You were there, i stopped watching closely by that point. I will say I thought we went long hit and hope today, haven’t really seen that this season. We looked desperate. To a fault I felt we stuck to our passing game in other games when we could have been more direct. But more direct should still have a purpose,  diagonal long balls, players pulling markers for a long ball in behind a defense etc. I didn’t see that today, I just saw long hopeful/hopeless balls.

You must've been like me and bowed out about an hour into the game. Until Utd scored their first, we were so dominant. The only bewildering thing was how we'd only scored 1 goal. And that's what urgently needs fixing more than anything. The games I've managed to watch on the tele, I've seen us absolutely dominate possession yet continue to hoof the ball over the bar, or miss the  post by miles ... or just hit it too weak for the keeper to be bothered.

Teams have yet again figured out our game-plan, and have been marking Nisbet completely out of the game. Starve him of chances, and we struggle to score. We cannot have 1 guy who can hit the target consistently. We need to bin Ambrose, Dabbagh, Sokler and Gueye, and go strike a deal for a proven scorer ... proven in leagues of similar quality to ours, such as the Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Swiss, Polish, Austrian, Czech or Hungarian top leagues.

[tlg1903]

As first seasons go it's been an odd one.  First he breaks a record for best start ever by the club then goes on the longest without a win run in the clubs history.  When we are on it we look a really good outfit but I've not felt this level of fear about crosses into the box since Clangers moved on.  All in though, a cup semi,a cup final and euro football next season isn't too shabby as long as you don't dwell on what could have been. 

Regardless though every report from Sweden I heard (which was 3 or 4 to be clear) all said "you need to give this guy two years before you really see what one of his teams is all about".  I've had that in my head all season and I'm not going to start judging him overall until spring 26.   The problem I think we have at the moment is that gegenpress systems by their very nature operate on fine margins, particularly when it comes to defending.   I'm no coach but best I can tell is that for these systems to work properly, whether it's in defence or attack, players need to be positioning themselves correctly as second nature which takes time to coach into them.  This aligns with the "give him two years" advice 2bf.  I will say this though, as some of you may remember I watched a good few Elfsborg games before Jimmy left and 100% that team could defend.  The first game I saw was against Malmo where Elfsborg had about 20% possession in the 90 but won 3-1 and looked in complete control (I remember being genuinely shocked when I looked at the possession stats at the end given how the game had played out).  With that in mind I am hopeful we will start to see the defence tighten up as next season progresses.  If it doesn't though Thelin is fucked.  I do agree a strong start to 25/26 isn't needed to keep Cormack on board but if we get into January and still really powderpuff at the back Thelin is going to need to start looking over his shoulder. 

[wokinginashearerwonderland]

Surprised Thelin has not come in for more flak actually.  If my maths is correct, after the initial new manager bounce, we took 22 points from 27 games (9th November onwards).  Over that same time St Johnstone took 22 points playing 2 less games.  Barry Robson got the P45 having taken 24 points from his last 21 games.

The cup runs have papered over the cracks but we drew Queens Park (twice), Dunfermline, Elgin and Spartans.  We would have had to lose against one of those not to have reached the semis of both cups.

The team is powder puff.  The defenders can't defend, the midfield too soft and the forward line not particularly potent - a horrific combination.  All this despite replacing most of last season's players at a considerable cost (I would think maybe only three from Robson's last team will start against Celtic on Saturday).

 

 

[tlg1903]

43 minutes ago, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

Surprised Thelin has not come in for more flak actually.  If my maths is correct, after the initial new manager bounce, we took 22 points from 27 games (9th November onwards).  Over that same time St Johnstone took 22 points playing 2 less games.  Barry Robson got the P45 having taken 24 points from his last 21 games.

The cup runs have papered over the cracks but we drew Queens Park (twice), Dunfermline, Elgin and Spartans.  We would have had to lose against one of those not to have reached the semis of both cups.

The team is powder puff.  The defenders can't defend, the midfield too soft and the forward line not particularly potent - a horrific combination.  All this despite replacing most of last season's players at a considerable cost (I would think maybe only three from Robson's last team will start against Celtic on Saturday).

 

 

The good run at the start of the season has bought him wiggle room with the fans I would suggest.  

[Slim]

Pedigree and track record go a long way. Skovdahl was still popular with the fans despite finishing bottom of the table.

[Panda]

5 hours ago, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

Surprised Thelin has not come in for more flak actually. 

He has had constant criticism recently, from the media and from sections of the Aberdeen support. 

The same people criticising him are some of the same ones telling us we had to give him time.

2 hours ago, Slim said:

Pedigree and track record go a long way. Skovdahl was still popular with the fans despite finishing bottom of the table.

I wanted Skovdahl gone quite early on. At the time I wrote the Aberdeen teletext column (oh yes, heady days) and I called for him to be sacked after the second of his 7-0 defeats to Celtic. That was when I found out how many people actually read that page because I got blasted for it by a lot of angry punters.

I didn't think Ebbe's heart was really in it. I think he could have improved us long term, but wasn't going to get the backing he needed from the board, and it was probably a relief to him to head home.

With Thelin though, it's a different feeling (as he might say). He's a year in, knows the team and league, and despite his calmness I sense a real hunger there. I truly believe, even if it doesn't happen this weekend (it will though), that he'll be a successful Aberdeen manager.

I all honesty, I couldn't give a shit that we finished fifth. It was his first season, he has qualified for Europe, he has improved us (maybe not as much as people want), he's leading us into a cup final on Saturday. This "be prepared for some pain along the way", that was it, yet we were still better than four teams we finished below last season, including Hearts. And we'll be much better next season.

[wokinginashearerwonderland]

12 hours ago, Slim said:

Skovdahl was still popular with the fans despite finishing bottom of the table.

It is because curiously, fans buy into this myth that because we appoint someone from abroad or sign a foreign player, we will be getting something better than we can get from someone we already know about back home.  Like goalies playing out from the back, centre halves who cannot head the ball away, inverted wingers, false nines, substitutions for the hell of it and Clarkson playing as a holding midfielder, it's all nonsense.

9 hours ago, Panda said:

he has improved us

And we'll be much better next season.

   

 

 

 

[RicoS321]

3 hours ago, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

It is because curiously, fans buy into this myth that because we appoint someone from abroad or sign a foreign player, we will be getting something better than we can get from someone we already know about back home.  Like goalies playing out from the back, centre halves who cannot head the ball away, inverted wingers, false nines, substitutions for the hell of it and Clarkson playing as a holding midfielder, it's all nonsense.

   

 

 

 

Agree with all that, apart from the Clarkson part. He's been very good for the last few months and he's getting fitter and fitter. I think we're going to have the player we all expected next season and he'll definitely be one of a pair of midfielders, rather than advanced. 

On your other point, you missed the part where it suddenly flips and foreign players and managers are a problem. It took us years to get over Skovdhal, and it remains to be seen whether Scotland will have shaken the Vogts memories post Clarke. There's probably a cyclical wave form somewhere. It's frustrating, because we arbitrarily segregate managers (players to a lesser degree) into these ridiculous groups, and then suggest we appoint on that basis rather than attributes or abilities. We need a foreign/young (always preceded by "hungry")/experienced manager as if they are three homogeneous groups. In a similar vein, we had many comments on here about all the foreign players we were missing out on when McInnes was in charge, where foreign was simply synonymous with good. 

I think you're right about Thelin's foreignness buying him time, but the actions of Cormack have helped in that regard too. He has been clear about "the project". The most frustrating part about that is that he could have done exactly the same with the previous three managers to buy them time too, but he chose not to. Both Glass and Robson had fairly clear ways in which they wanted to play football, but it was never labelled a project from the very start, which all three previous managers were. The erratic approach to transfers and the lack of support team consistency (still no technical director) clearly indicated a wider project. I still don't think we've got it right off field, and I'm still not convinced we have the budget to make Thelin's plan a success, and I don't think we'll be any closer to finding out by the time he moves on and we follow Hearts down the route of experienced (I think it is experienced's turn!) manager, to "steady the ship".

Edited May 23 by RicoS321

[Panda]

On 17/05/2025 at 20:23, Panda said:

I'd give him a B for the league season. Had we finished third it would have been a very good season.

And I'll give him an A+, as well as a gold star and a letter home to his parents praising him for his Scottish Cup performance.