http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/780769

 

DONS boss Jimmy Calderwood today reassured their furious fans they will recover from their opening day SPL jitters.

 

The Dons left the pitch to a chorus of jeers after Inverness Caley Thistle dumped them 2-0 at Pittodrie.

 

It was the Highland side’s first victory over Aberdeen at the 18th attempt.

 

It also maintained the Dons’ curious record of failing to win an opening fixture since 2002, but Calderwood won’t be pressing the panic button.

 

He said: “We have brought quality in and it will eventually shine through. “It would be daft for anyone to write us off after just one game. “If we are still in this sort of position in three months I might start to worry, but I’m sure that won’t be the case.

 

“I had bargained on us being undefeated after the first six matches, so the Inverness result has caught me by surprise.“But we will bounce back quickly. “I have faith in the players to go to Motherwell at the weekend and get the result we want. “They have to put the Inverness result behind them and stay focused on keeping us up with the leading pack after those first half a dozen games.

 

“If they do that I’m convinced we will have a very good season.â€

 

Calderwood conceded that the Dons fans were right to express their frustration after witnessing yet another opening day slip up.

 

“I’m frustrated as well because we should have been able to see them off at home,†he said.

 

“Our home form last season was good, so that makes it more annoying. “The defeat will be seen as a wake up call, but I’m fed up getting those.

 

“How many times are we going to do things like this when so many things seem to be in our favour? “Every game against Aberdeen is like a cup final for Inverness, but we failed to react properly to that. We then allowed ourselves to get frustrated and the quality our play deteriorated.â€

 

Dutch winger Jeffrey de Visscher looks likely to pay the price for a lack lustre display by dropping back on to the bench.

 

Calderwood said: “Jeffrey is an honest lad and knows he should have done a lot better.â€

 

Zander Diamond, Derek Young, Darren Mackie and new signing Tommy Wright will feature at Fir Park.

 

All four will play in tomorrow’s Reserve League clash with Inverness at Brechin.

“How many times are we going to do things like this when so many things seem to be in our favour? “Every game against Aberdeen is like a cup final for Inverness, but we failed to react properly to that. We then allowed ourselves to get frustrated and the quality our play deteriorated.â€

 

 

More like a cup semi-final for the dons. 

 

“I had bargained on us being undefeated after the first six matches, so the Inverness result has caught me by surprise.“

 

You're the only one!

 

 

“The defeat will be seen as a wake up call, but I’m fed up getting those.

 

Well do your job and sort it then! Surely one should be enough?

 

 

Zander Diamond, Derek Young, Darren Mackie and new signing Tommy Wright will feature at Fir Park

 

That'll be another game without Aberdeen goals then

JC: Aberdeen will get it right at Fir Park 

 

and what if they don't? what happens then? what excuses will be used?

 

After a poor performance and result, by all means make changes to the side, but I really hope we don't have another season of having 387 different centre half pairings.

That'll be another game without Aberdeen goals then

 

I thought he did well (compared to the pretty much the rest of team) when he came on.  Has to start ahead of Maguire if Wright is not fit.

I wish he would stay out of the papers and spend more time actually sorting out what's wrong with the team, rather than spouting shite about how the players aren't good enough and moaning that the fans don't like him.

JC: Aberdeen will get it right fucking up them from a manager who knows what he's doing at Fir Park

It's all excuses and no reason's with Jimmy C

Quote

DONS boss Jimmy Calderwood today reassured their furious fans they will recover from their opening day SPL jitters.

He said: “We have brought quality in and it will eventually shine through. “It would be daft for anyone to write us off after just one game. “If we are still in this sort of position in three months I might start to worry, but I’m sure that won’t be the case.

 

Three months?!, then he might start to worry    

 

“Our home form last season was good, so that makes it more annoying. “The defeat will be seen as a wake up call, but I’m fed up getting those.

 

So are we JC, so are we

 

 

The players here and the ones that have been signed are simply not good enough (maybe Diamond and Miller excluded)

And to make matters worse they are mostly played out of position by a useless cunt of a manager..

We will lose to motherwell as well call it negative if you want..

 

btw this was not a reply to any post in particular..

I'm sick of this pish already and it's only week 1!

 

Other than Seve, who was out of position?!

 

Don't say Foster as I'll argue he's not a winger, midfielder or striker either.

 

So, let's have it....... 

I'm sick of this pish already and it's only week 1!

 

Other than Seve, who was out of position?!

 

Don't say Foster as I'll argue he's not a winger, midfielder or striker either.

 

So, let's have it.......   

Its difficult to know what fosters true position is 

Maguire on the wing perhaps but its bad enough having your captain who is a midfielder in defence

But im not only talking about this game you must see he plays players out of position all the time..

and what if they don't? what happens then? what excuses will be used?

 

But what if they do? What happens then?  What will the fans say?

 

The players here and the ones that have been signed are simply not good enough (maybe Diamond and Miller excluded)

 

Its difficult to know what fosters true position is 

Maguire on the wing perhaps but its bad enough having your captain who is a midfielder in defence

But im not only talking about this game you must see he plays players out of position all the time..

 

No, I don't see it, at all in fact.

 

Seve has been pish in the middle for quite some time now.  Maguire or Foster have never really shined in any position they've played in, bar one or two occasional displays.  JVD & Smith have played on the wing loads, the middle two were bought for those positions and the front and back are all more or less first picks for those positions on the field.  Who exactly are you meaning?

 

Your post smacks of nothing less than lazy journalism that you'd find in the EE.

 

These players that are "constantly played out of position" have finished top six since JC took over, been a breath away from Europe twice and managed it once.

 

It's not the positions that bother me, it's the fact they can't be arsed to perform or can't get the basics right.

 

Langfield can't kick a ball and Seve who isn't captain material shouldn't put the 'keeper under pressure knowing this.  Foster must be blind, Smith can't be arsed, the midfield create nothing, JVD can't run, Maguire flaps and Miller's sole contribution is to jump up to let the ball skiff off his napper and then fall over a lot.

 

It's fucking shocking in fact and it starts at the back!

But what if they do? What happens then?  What will the fans say?

 

 

 

Then it's all good, isn't it?

Then it's all good, isn't it?

 

Is it?

Is it?

 

apparently it would be.

But what if they do? What happens then?  What will the fans say?

 

 

So do you think the players we have are good enough but just cant be arsed

So do you think the players we have are good enough but just cant be arsed

 

We need a right back as Foster simply isn't good enough for there, a centre half as I'm not convinced in Considine and some creativity in midfield, preferably from the wings.  Jamie Smith has a lot to offer, and the McDonald/Kerr partnership in the centre should blossom into a good one.  We do need someone else on the wings however.  Ideally it'd be someone that can play right or left.

 

Would've said we needed a striker as well but want to see how Wright gets on.  Miller showed a lot of promise last season, but we just need to get a settled partnership up there.  Maguire I can't decide on.  Shows a lot of promise but goes missing in games as well.  I think, alongside Miller, he could turn into a very good player.  Whether or not he can hold down a regular place remains to be seen.

 

Not wholly convinced in Langfield either, and for me he should never have been taken back after what happened last summer, but he has got a lot of ability.  Very inconsistent though.

 

In Diamond, Mulgrew, Kerr, McDonald, Severin, Smith and Miller we've got some very good players.  Would walk into pretty much every SPL team, within reason.

 

Duff and Young have blown hot and cold, so I'd say they're good squad players at most.  I doubted their signings but they've done okay considering how little they've played.

 

I can't comment on Wright, Bossu and Stewart as I've not seen enough of them.  I'd also throw Smith, Paton, Pawlett, Crawford and Bateman in here as well.

 

I've never rated Foster, Mackie and I'm not a huge fan of Considine.  De Visscher isn't good enough either I think.  Mair is another who probably falls in this bracket.

No, I don't see it, at all in fact.

 

So you haven't seen any of the following?

 

- Chris Clark at RB

- Severin not only as a centre back but also as a striker

- Foster at LB/RB

- Duff at RB

- Considine at LB

- Mackie at RM

- Jamie Smith as CM

 

Those are simply incidents which I recall from last season. I could go back further if you like, but there's not really much point. How anyone can deny that JC plays players out of position is, quite frankly, beyond me.

 

What effect that has on our results is obviously open to debate, but I don't think many people would argue that a team of players played out of position performs as well as a team of players playing in their preferred positions.

 

So you haven't seen any of the following?

 

- Chris Clark at RB

- Severin not only as a centre back but also as a striker

- Foster at LB/RB

- Duff at RB

- Considine at LB

- Mackie at RM

- Jamie Smith as CM

 

Those are simply incidents which I recall from last season. I could go back further if you like, but there's not really much point. How anyone can deny that JC plays players out of position is, quite frankly, beyond me.

 

What effect that has on our results is obviously open to debate, but I don't think many people would argue that a team of players played out of position performs as well as a team of players playing in their preferred positions.

 

 

And I'll say the same thing as always:

 

- Chris Clark at RB *which position was his position because he was mince on the wing and couldn't/wouldn't tackle anyone in the middle.  In fact I remember he played quite well at RB against the Huns.

 

- Severin not only as a centre back but also as a striker *the striker position was a one-off where we had a striker crisis.  Seve at least could drill a ball from time to time.  As for playing at the back, he's certainly not pulling the strings in midfield so why not have your captain there?

 

- Foster at LB/RB *where would you rather see him?

 

- Duff at RB *see Chris Clark.

 

- Considine at LB *we didn't have one until recently so it was either him or any other defender who wasn't a LB.

 

- Mackie at RM *played there for a loan spell at Caley and by all accounts did well.

 

- Jamie Smith as CM *people are happy enough to shout for him 'in the hole' behind the strikers so why not as an attacking midfielder?

 

If you did sit the team down and ask them where they all wanted to play you'd have big gaps in the park where nobody wanted to play.  Somebody has to play there and we can only piss with the Foster we've got.

Well if you cant see that players are played out of position you are either

A-Jimmy Calderwood

B-Stevie Wonder

I must be Stevie Wonder as I still haven't seen you post a list of players he plays "out of position all the time".

 

 

I must be Stevie Wonder as I still haven't seen you post a list of players he plays "out of position all the time".

 

 

 

see Sweetchucks post for starters

I think its fairly common for holding midfielders who are slowing up in the later stages of their careers to drop back into central defensive roles. Its also fairly common for lightweight CBs with youth and speed on their side to operate in FB positions from time to time when injuries in small squads bite. As for players in the Foster/Clark catagory they have always had a flexible role in the squad and when budgets are tight and squad sizes are under pressure it makes sense to use these types of players where you need them most.

 

While I agree that JC makes some crazy tactical/positional decisions in games, I agree with ST that its a little hysterical to claim that it goes on endlessly.