Calderwood is excited by a new dawn at Pittodrie

 

By Paul Third

 

Published: 22/04/2008

 

JIMMY Calderwood insists he is excited at the prospect of working with a new squad of players next season at Aberdeen.

 

The manager is making wholesale changes following the disappointing league campaign and has been scouring England and Holland in his search for replacements. Jackie McNamara’s departure yesterday for family reasons created another vacancy in the first-team squad but Calderwood is relishing the task of finding at least 12 new players.

 

He said: “It will be exciting to work with new players next season. My aim is to have all the new players here for pre-season and I would hope most will be here before I go on holiday.

 

“I would hate to start pre-season with 14 players. We are well down the road of recruiting two or three players. We are aiming to have 18 senior players next season and eight under-21s who will form the first-team squad.

 

“The under-21 players will be the standard of Sone Aluko, Chris Maguire  and Josh Walker but that will be easier to arrange than bringing in experienced players.â€

 

Calderwood believes the lack of players at the club this season has been a factor in the inconsistent league displays and highlighted the problems reserve coach Sandy Clark is having in putting a squad together for today’s game against Motherwell at Glebe Park as an example.

 

He said: “Jamie Smith, Jackie McNamara and Darren Mackie have been out for five months this season while Richie Byrne has been out for longer. That has brought our squad down to 20 straight away. We have had players playing for the first team on a Saturday and then the reserves on a Tuesday which is not ideal. We have 40 players at the club to cover three teams and right now we have 13 injured.â€

Chris Maguire is shit. That is all.

Doesn't sound too hopeful that. 12 new players in before the 19th of May? Only close to signing 2 or 3! That leaves 9 or 10 in three and a half weeks, by my reckoning.

I think the summer transfer spree is going to be pretty exciting to be honest. Never before have we seen such a clearout of an Aberdeen squad.

 

I am a bit worried by the quality of players we can attract but I think a few quality signings will be pulled out the bag...plus a load of dutch unknowns - but until you see them play, and after JC talks them up, they are excitingly brilliant!

 

Keep the faith!

Absolutely agree, we need a mixed bag.  A couple more quality youngsters on loan, maybe an experienced SPL campaigner or two, and hopefully at least one player that will give us all a real lift and some confidence for next season.

 

 

I'm also concerned about whether Duff and Mair will still be with us in 2008/09?  I hope not.

On paper it sounds great but considering we never pull in our first choices and usually end up with players who are no longer in favour at their current clubs then I'm not one bit excited about this.

 

Injury prone - tick!

 

Not getting a game - tick!

 

Personal problems - tick!

 

Past his best - tick!

 

Unknown Dutch players - tick!

 

All this searching for Dutch players, bringing them across and then how many have became main stays of the squad?

 

Sorry to sound so down but 12 new quality players don't sign unless you've got money to burn.

 

But in theory it sounds fantasitic..... 

This is just a feeble attempt to make us forget about Hampden. 

He said: “Jamie Smith, Jackie McNamara and Darren Mackie have been out for five months this season while Richie Byrne has been out for longer. That has brought our squad down to 20 straight away. We have had players playing for the first team on a Saturday and then the reserves on a Tuesday which is not ideal. We have 40 players at the club to cover three teams and right now we have 13 injured.â€

 

Maybe you should be looking at why over 25% of the playing staff are injured.

 

Also, the fact that we are intending bringing in u21 players means another inconsistent season next year - and these will no doubt be free transfers.

 

Oooh Im excited.  

This is just a feeble attempt to make us forget about Hampden. 

 

What's the alternative?  Dwell on it for weeks and weeks?

 

FFS - there's far too much negativity going on in here.  My medium wouldn't like it one bit.

We are linked with a move for Mark Burchill in the Sun today but we all saw that one coming...

We are linked with a move for Mark Burchill in the Sun today but we all saw that one coming...

 

EFF EFF ESS.

 

Queue the move for Jody Morris as well...

We are linked with a move for Mark Burchill in the Sun today but we all saw that one coming...

 

All the excitement and optimism I had just vanished, like an erection when my wife enters the room.

EFF EFF ESS.

 

Queue the move for Jody Morris as well...

 

Feckin hope not. He is a slower version of Neil Lennon.

 

Calderwood and co should have been planning for this weeks ago. Maybe they were and we don't get to hear about it but there is something about Calderwood's dealings over previous years that tells me planning is not his forte.

 

 

What's the alternative?  Dwell on it for weeks and weeks?

 

FFS - there's far too much negativity going on in here.  My medium wouldn't like it one bit.

 

We wont sign twelve players, they just want us to talk about something else other than the clubs failings. If we even sign five players I'll be surprised.

 

My medium can kick your mediums ass.

 

Feckin hope not. He is a slower version of Neil Lennon.

 

Calderwood and co should have been planning for this weeks ago. Maybe they were and we don't get to hear about it but there is something about Calderwood's dealings over previous years that tells me planning is not his forte.

 

 

 

He played well against Rangers the other day. Apart from missing the penalty I couldn't fault him.

He played well against Rangers the other day. Apart from missing the penalty I couldn't fault him.

 

Come on. He played excactly how Lennon played. Sat in front of the defenders picking short passes. The passes were decent right enough but he didn't really dominate in any fashion.

Come on. He played excactly how Lennon played. Sat in front of the defenders picking short passes. The passes were decent right enough but he didn't really dominate in any fashion.

 

I thought he played well, better than the majority of players in the First Division anyway.

Might as well sign Johnny Morris off Animal magic.......and he's been dead years!

Well I guess we've got the first 3 then:

 

Nicky Clark, Jonathan Crawford, Michael Paton, Stuart Smith and John Bateman have all had their contracts renewed with Paton, Smith and Bateman, being too old to play for the 19s next season, likely to be part of the first team squad.

What's the alternative?  Dwell on it for weeks and weeks?

 

FFS - there's far too much negativity going on in here.  My medium wouldn't like it one bit.

 

You ain't a medium anymore fatso!

 

But yes, I agree with the sentiment but I refuse to stop being angry about it.

 

2 attempts at semi-finals have resulted in utterly shambolic and souless performances of which the board, management and players should be utterly ashamed.

 

If I go to another game this season (and that is a fucking big if) I will be pretty liberal with my ranting at the useless cunts.

Well I guess we've got the first 3 then:

 

Is Bateman not the keeper that was described as being worse than shite?

Is Bateman not the keeper that was described as being worse than shite?

He'll be taking Kelly's spot as 3rd behind Langfield and A.N.Otheruselesscunt.

 

When do we get fed the line that these youngsters that are being kept on and Maybury are included in our 12 "new"?

I think the summer transfer spree is going to be pretty exciting to be honest. Never before have we seen such a clearout of an Aberdeen squad.

 

Eddie Turnbull did a mass clearout of a very established squad when he arrived. This succeeded in weeding out a sense of comfort and happy-with-mediocrity at Pittodrie, and started the path that eventually led to giving Alex Ferguson the basis of a squad with which to build his championship side.

 

Question is ... will Calderwood bite the bullet and get rid of the likes of Mair, Foster, Mackie and Duff?

Question is ... will Calderwood bite the bullet and get rid of the likes of Mair, Foster, Mackie and Duff?

 

The answer is probably no.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes. He'll keep them but no play them.

 

Simple isn't it? 

I will be pretty liberal with my ranting at the useless cunts.

 

 

Nothing new there! 

the useless cunts.

 

Trouble is, there's nothing new there ^^ either.