Figured I’d start the thread a week early, is that illegal? Preseason has been hard to tell given the lower level of opposition, I suppose much like the early European rounds, tough to tell our true level based on somewhat unknown opponents we play.

jury still out on molloy and sivert, two of our new signing ‘starters,’ not sure if they are up to the pace and physicality of our league, plus we haven’t resolved our width issue, if anything we’re worse with not having duk or hoillet. Think we’ve upgraded the keeper though, although he’s had very little to do so far.

starting 11 is predictable, although I think sivert is suspended? Immediately highlights the squad imbalance, we don’t have a legit replacement. Would like us to actually try jack Milne in holding mid but the last few games would have been the games to experiment with him in there. I’d say we’ll see mcgrath in center mid and possible Vinny on the left simply because we don’t really have anyone else? Saying that, I’d take mcgarry at left mid over Vinny but I don’t think JT sees him that way.

saying all of this, my ideal is we sign another holding mid this week who starts and McGrath is on the left, plus a right mid is signed benching Morris.

anyway, still optimistic, 2-1 us with sokler and McGrath getting the goals.

Way too early to think about this one. Hoping we will have at least a couple of players in for start of league campaign as squad definitely looks weak in certain areas. 

Still a few tickets left for away end when I looked last night but not many. 
 

St Johnstone struggled to get out of a weak league cup group and their fans are already talking about it being a long season. 

Personally, I'd have started a simple "new season optimism" thread, and left the match thread for later in the week, but we are where we are. People these days simply don't value the technical and etiquette side to posting these days.

I think we're a long way off being ready for the league, I don't think our starting eleven is brilliant, and the bench a good bit worse. We do seem to be able to follow Thelin's game plan, and I think that tactically we'll be okay. Morris is a very obvious weak link, and it might be too much to carry him through games. It's very difficult to play a high press if you have a guy that isn't proactive in the wing position, which is fairly key to the whole approach working. Of those on the bench, I think Duncan would be the most disciplined alternative, but he's limited in other areas. As I said previously, I had hoped that we'd have moved a couple on by now, but I don't see anything to suggest that will be the case. I don't like that we're still experimenting at this late stage, but that's the way it goes. During both Glass and Robson eras (less so Goodwin), I had hoped that Cormack would have addressed the turnover of players and the scale of the project and tried to temper expectations going into the season - asking the fans for patience. That didn't happen, and I think that we're in exactly the same position now. We're going to need a lot of patience in the opening weeks of the season until we get something like a team on the park. That'll include an allowance for any new signings that we make to turn out to be not that good, which will happen.

As for the Saints game, I think it'll be classic with both sides going for it as usual. Maybe 5-7 victory or something?

7 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

Personally, I'd have started a simple "new season optimism" thread,

Well if we're doing it all in here, then...

While we should temper expectations for Thelin in his first season, I still expect at least fourth.

Hibs - bar the Kelty defeat - actually look okay, but our squad even at this stage still looks stronger than theirs, and the same goes for Killie, Dundee and St Mirren. We're two players away from being a tidy enough side, if not spectacular.

Hearts - on paper they look to have strengthened, and have good squad depth which will help them cope with European games. Even if Shankland goes, they'll have that cash plus the European money to strengthen even more in January. But, despite comfortably finishing third last season, they were not great shakes, and although Naismith seems competent enough I don't think he'll ever have Hearts being fantastic. They are definitely there to be got at if Thelin can get any sort of consistency going.

Reckon this could be the year Motherwell go down. St Johnstone and Ross County also to struggle.

Goodwin to get sacked by Dundee United, but they'll have enough to be safe.

Celtic to stroll the title. Mine and Philippe Clement's gym is currently getting an expensive upgrade which might be enough to convince him to see out the season (honestly, should see the number of different saunas they're building. Looking forward to discussing Connor Barron in there with him).

Predicting the cups a waste of time as much depends on the luck of the draw.

Player of the season: Have a feeling a maturing Jack Mackenzie could really impress this season.

3 hours ago, Panda said:

honestly, should see the number of different saunas they're building. 

Yeah....Gym

 

I’m guessing this’ll be the same starting XI as the Dumbarton game providing there’ve been no injuries since. Keep forgetting we’re playing after the weekend though! No idea what to expect from this. The cup games whilst competitive, didn’t provide a high level of opposition, but u know there are swings and roundabouts to that. JT was able to test a couple of things. Really had hoped we would have a new striker by now though. 

46 minutes ago, manc_don said:

I’m guessing this’ll be the same starting XI as the Dumbarton game providing there’ve been no injuries since. Keep forgetting we’re playing after the weekend though! No idea what to expect from this. The cup games whilst competitive, didn’t provide a high level of opposition, but u know there are swings and roundabouts to that. JT was able to test a couple of things. Really had hoped we would have a new striker by now though. 

Clarkson didn't train the other day, and fairly certain he's out with a shoulder injury. It'll be McGrath in his role maybe, with Gueye out wide. Or besuijen in for Clarkson.

18 minutes ago, RicoS321 said:

Clarkson didn't train the other day, and fairly certain he's out with a shoulder injury. It'll be McGrath in his role maybe, with Gueye out wide. Or besuijen in for Clarkson.

Rumour (rightly or wrongly) that he is out for six to eight weeks 🙄

So compared to last year, the center mid on Monday will have no Barron no clarkson no polvara and no suspended sivert?

not a great start to the campaign if so…

Definitely no Clarkson for Monday. Out for Potentially 8 weeks. 

 

So this leaves shinnie and McGrath as our only central midfielders. We saw Jensen in there for a brief stint recently, anyone else? Jack Milne?

assuming we don’t sign anyone by Monday, what we looking at in central mid, arguable they most important area on the field and where we failed last year after excelling when we had Rama???

4 hours ago, BigAl said:

Rumour (rightly or wrongly) that he is out for six to eight weeks 🙄

 

56 minutes ago, Jute said:

Definitely no Clarkson for Monday. Out for Potentially 8 weeks. 

 

So the rumour was right then 🙄

45 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

So this leaves shinnie and McGrath as our only central midfielders. We saw Jensen in there for a brief stint recently, anyone else? Jack Milne?

assuming we don’t sign anyone by Monday, what we looking at in central mid, arguable they most important area on the field and where we failed last year after excelling when we had Rama???

I'd have Milne over Jensen. Assured on the ball and intelligent. Keep McGrath further forward. He's good enough to be getting plenty of minutes this season, but that hasn't happened so far, which is a shame. He's exactly the type of player that should be making the step up from the young squad. 

This won't be how we line-up because of course Morris will start, but that's how I would play.

Milne I agree is better than Jensen, but St Johnstone under Levein are cloggers, so I'd rather they kicked Jensen early on before the yellow cards come out rather than Milne, and have him come on as a second half sub.

Also, Milne has played a total of 10 minutes in pre-season so he's not gonna be match fit to last 90. (Mind you, Jensen has had less than 20 minutes).

Unless of course we did in fact delay registering Nilsen so he could serve his suspension and Thelin is playing mind games with Levein.

Vinnie and Duncan as inverted wingers. McGrath number 10. Sokler to end the weekend as the Premiership's top goal scorer hours after Barcelona have pipped their city rivals to the signature of Miovski.

If Morris does start I would be playing him on the left, he looks more effective there 

1 hour ago, Panda said:

Unless of course we did in fact delay registering Nilsen so he could serve his suspension and Thelin is playing mind games with Levein

Aberdeen - the website admin at least - appears to believe Nilsen is available.

Another who would like to see what Milne can do in midfield.Think he's worth trying at R/B again if ness,....midfield,also possibly right central defence until he hopefully finds the role that suits him. Got a hunch he may end up a useful utility player.

As for the game

Oot thankfully

Working

Prediction,Saints are rubbish 0 - 3 Dons.  McGrath x2,Rubezic header

1 hour ago, Panda said:

Aberdeen - the website admin at least - appears to believe Nilsen is available.

In RedTV commentary on Airdrie game, they said Heltne Nilsen was missing in previous game (E Kilbride) as he was serving the suspension from red in Norway.  If that's correct, he should be available on Monday

Seems odd that the suspension would kick in for the second league cup game and not the first but a boost if he is. 

5 hours ago, KWT15 said:

In RedTV commentary on Airdrie game, they said Heltne Nilsen was missing in previous game (E Kilbride) as he was serving the suspension from red in Norway.  If that's correct, he should be available on Monday

 

4 hours ago, Jute said:

Seems odd that the suspension would kick in for the second league cup game and not the first but a boost if he is. 

Aye, just been reading up on it. Apparently the suspension hadn't "kicked in yet" in time for the QOTS game, but it did for East Kilbride.

Well, that settles that then. Nilsen alongside Shinnie and McGrath the No.10.

Looking forward to tomorrow, although we are a squad work in progress, we have to have 2-3 more impact signings.

Expect McGrath at 10 which I think is his best position. Would prefer mcgarry ahead of Mackenzie on the left, but part of me wonders if we see a 4-4-2 with McGrath on the left and both sokler and miovski up top. 

still think 2-1 is, McGrath and sokler.

2 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

Would prefer mcgarry ahead of Mackenzie on the left

What?

Mcgarry at left mid with Mackenzie at left back. Yeah, poorly written earlier post!!!

4 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

Mcgarry at left mid with Mackenzie at left back. Yeah, poorly written earlier post!!!

I figured this is what you meant and agree.

Bit disappointed we have not brought in any wide players for the start of league campaign. I would think we will go with back 4 of Mackenzie, Molly Rubi and Devlin. Midfield I would go with Shinnie and Nilsen in the middle with Boyd in front of them and a front three of McGrath, Miovski and Sokler. Why Sky took this is beyond me as these games are usually fucking brutal watches and not expecting this to be any different with Levein in charge. 
 

Oot

Work

TV

Flat

1-0 Miovski

Out

Walking the dog on the beach (assuming forecast rain deluge of biblical proportions has passed)

TV

Celebratory dram

1-3 (Sokler, McGrath & Gueye)