Jimmy in warning to Reds reserves

 

Published: 16/09/2008

 

DONS boss Jimmy Calderwood today challenged his first team fringe men to prove they are ready to be recalled to face Dundee United.

 

Calderwood is considering changes for Saturday’s SPL clash with United at Pittodrie in the wake of their 2-1 SPL defeat by Hamilton Accies.

 

The extent of those changes will be dictated by how well some of the players waiting to come back in – Zander Diamond, Tommy Wright, Chris Maguire, Lee Mair and Stuart Duff – perform in today’s Reserve League clash with Rangers at Brechin.

 

Calderwood said: “The reserve game will have a bearing on what happens.

 

“Zander, Tommy and a few others should be champing at the bit hoping to force their way back into my plans for Saturday.

 

“If they do something special in the reserve game it would strengthen their hand.

 

“But if the performances are as poor as some of the ones I saw when we fielded a pretty strong reserve side at Fraserburgh then that will be a different matter.

 

“Stuart Duff’s display up there particularly upset me, which was why he wasn’t even stripped for the Hamilton game.

 

“It was annoying because he was starting to force his way forward and would probably have been involved.

 

“I spoke to Stuart about it. I’m hoping to see a reaction from him today, but he isn’t the only one I will be watching closely.

 

“I have 22 fit players battling it out for 11 starting places and I don’t really care who they go to.

 

“I know how we will play against United.

 

“Who plays will be decided after I’ve seen the 90 minutes at Brechin.â€

 

Wright hasn't started a game for the Dons since making his £75,000 switch from Darlington.

 

When I asked if the Red Army are ever going to see that change, Calderwood replied: “Of course they will.

 

“Tommy wasn’t fit to start games when he first came but he has been working hard and is close to being back at his peak. It’s a matter of deciding the best time to throw him in.â€

 

In an interview with the Evening Express the day after joining the Dons, the Englishman revealed he had already pencilled in the date of their league clash with the Tannadice club.

 

That’s because Wright would love to put one over United boss Craig Levein, who he claims never gave him a chance to play when they were at Leicester.

 

When I mentioned that to Calderwood, he smiled and said: “I’m aware of that but that won’t be what convinces me to play Tommy at the weekend.

 

“It’s what he does in the game today and in training through the rest of the week that will make my mind up.â€

 

Right, time to stick Wright in from the start.

Another gutless performance and our 'saviour' Tommy Wrong turns out to be the liability I always suspected he might be.

 

Utter pish.

 

EDIT: Cannae type I'm so hacked off!

jimmy's interview on setanta:

 

"we dominated, individual mistakes..."

 

host: "did you see it that way Scott..."

 

scott booth: "dominate... ha ha ha ha...No"

 

 

 

Watched [most of] the game courtesy of some bloke uploading the Setanta game to the pornonet, then me streaming it on my pornonet, then pluggin a cable into my tele and chuckin it on full-screen.

 

It's the best Dons I've seen on the tele for five years, cos the last time the Dons were on NZ tele was 2003.

 

Unfortunately, it was also one of the weakest most lacklustre performances I've ever seen from the Dons. They had something like 369 corners, yet you just felt that every single corner would come to nothing. How many times must McDonald balloon the ball into the stands before he understands that getting his foot under the ball is gonna send it skyward?! I mean, basic football skills!

 

And WTF was Tommy playing at waving his hands around in the box?? It's okay for Maradonna and Zerouali to do it in the OPPOSITION box, but don't fuckin do it in yer own one! It's gonna take a hell of a performance from him to make the Red Army like him again.

 

Aluko! All the tricks and backheels and stepovers in the world, and ye still cannae beat the first man. Get back to basics, min.

 

Diamond ... solid performance from big Zander. He's starting to look as comfortable at the back as Anderson. Is he finally coming of age?

 

Everybody else, gtf! It's all very well performing on the road, but it's the home support that pays yer wages. After that performance, I can see a lot of fans nae bothering for the next few weeks.

Just back.

 

Was it Wright that handled for the pen? 

I thought both him and Miller were very poor today.

But i thought they were all fucking abysmal, with possibly only Zander getting pass marks.

The thing is, Dundee Utd never looked like scoring. 

 

Its probably time for a change of management, but until that happens Calderwood needs to rethink central midfield and central defence.  There is no bite in midfield at all, so I think Seve should go back in there.

I thought we played reasonably well in the first half, a solid base to improve on in the second half. Unfortunately, the players came back onto the pitch as if they'd just been forced to watch a 15 minute video of baby orphans being slaughtered, every head was down, no-one was up for it, and it took 4 players to just stand and watch Sandaza dribble unchallenged before taking the shot that led to the corner that led to their goal.

 

We're being undone by Calderwood's poor transfers in the summer. Replacing one good central midfielder with 2 very average central midfielders and not buying a central defender is going to kill our season.

I thought we played reasonably well in the first half, a solid base to improve on in the second half. Unfortunately, the players came back onto the pitch as if they'd just been forced to watch a 15 minute video of baby orphans being slaughtered, every head was down, no-one was up for it, and it took 4 players to just stand and watch Sandaza dribble unchallenged before taking the shot that led to the corner that led to their goal.

 

We're being undone by Calderwood's poor transfers in the summer. Replacing one good central midfielder with 2 very average central midfielders and not buying a central defender is going to kill our season.

 

We certainly had alot of the ball in the first half but created the square root of fuck all.  As Reekie said 369 corners 540 free kicks and their keeper didn't have a save of note to make.  Do we practice set pieces?  Even when we won the ball in the air it invariably bounced off our players head as if he was a 14yr old school girl trying to head a football for the first time.

 

Midfield is powder puff and aluko, maguire and foster can run up and down the touch line all day but if they don't get a decent ball in then all they are doing is running, and they can do that down duthie park. 

 

We had, on paper an easy start to the season.  Yet again we have had a terrible start and we are now faced with Killie (a), Celtic (a) Hibs (h) Falkirk (a) Hearts (a)

Not many points out of that lot you would imagine and quite possibly out the cup too. We next play United on the 8th Nov. If the intervening 5 league games (celtic, hibs, falkirk, hearts then killie(h) ) don't throw up a couple of wins will JC still be in charge?

Utterly depressed - what a woeful game.

 

The players need a kick up the *rse. Whatever people say about Jimmy, we played a standard 4-4-2 today.

Supposedly, with pacey wingers/fullbacks and 2 target men in the middle - and we were rubbish.

Should have switched Aluko or Maguire in to the centre to give Wilkie some pace to think about, totally devoid of any cutting edge.

 

I think Jimmy will get another couple of weeks, but if Well go out of Europe we should be tapping up McGhee straight away.

That was fckin pish.

 

I actually thought Foster had a decent game for once and Aluko, Severin and Diamond tried - but the rest of the team were missing. McDonald skied THREE chances from less than 15 yards. That just isn'tgood enough.

 

And Tommy Wright Wright Wright was fckin Shite Shite Shite.

 

That's about it. managed to fend off the guffies in the pub as the sole Don, against a shower of wankers who wanted to watch Sunderland v Middlesboro, and what do I get for my endeavours - that load of fucking shite.

 

Jimmy, gtf now,enough is enough. You are clueless.

I thought we played reasonably well in the first half, a solid base to improve on in the second half. Unfortunately, the players came back onto the pitch as if they'd just been forced to watch a 15 minute video of baby orphans being slaughtered, every head was down, no-one was up for it, and it took 4 players to just stand and watch Sandaza dribble unchallenged before taking the shot that led to the corner that led to their goal.

 

We're being undone by Calderwood's poor transfers in the summer. Replacing one good central midfielder with 2 very average central midfielders and not buying a central defender is going to kill our season.

 

Aint that the truth.  Gary McDonald is fucking gash.  Kerr at least looked for the ball (first half only) and made some good runs (first half only), but we are fucking pedestrian. No ideas or imagination, no craft or guile, no belief or desire to win.

 

That team lacks so many things, but the biggest thing it lacks is a soul.

again i thought the defensive back 5 looked solid defensively, even foster.  got to include kerr in that back 5.  we didn't seem like conceding until we went gung-ho towards the end.

 

but the thing that confuses me most was calderwoods tactics.  Did he look at past united games during the week and say "wow they've got two big donkeys at the back who win everything in the air and seem to get undone by teams who play small wee guys who play football.  Maybe i should confuse them and play two target men upfront and continually instruct my team to pump high balls at them.  no-one would ever think of that"

 

surely he didn't send his team out like that?

again i thought the defensive back 5 looked solid defensively, even foster.  got to include kerr in that back 5.  we didn't seem like conceding until we went gung-ho towards the end.

 

 

I didnt think we were that strong definsively, granted they only scored from the penalty, but they could have scored more. There was 1 chance in particular were there was 1 utd striker in the box and 2 defenders, and both defenders ran towards the ball and left the utd guy alone in the box, and he should have scored.

 

In general i thought aberdeen looked very sluggish and things need to improve quickly!

Must admit, i'd Kerr down as our MOTM. MacDonald was practically anonymous as per usual. And as for Bebo... Jesus. That was awful. Why does he feel the need to "jazz hands" at every pass that gets put to him? Thought Miller and Wright looked promising first half, but the second half as a whole was shocking.

 

Special mention to Ricky Foster, who had by far and away his best game of the season. He wasn't great, but at least he wasn't as bad as "one touch/one pace" Captain Seve...

 

Just as last week, when the inevitable "expectations" remark comes from JC in the post match interview pish, i don't expect to win every single game. But i do expect us to be at least as fit as our opposition and to give them a fight if/when they go one ahead...

I'm quite pissed off by the result today, but unfortunately not surprised.

 

JC should stop coming out with all the shit about the players hurting and being willing to atone for their abysmal home results and start actually managing the team, sorting out the problems with the team and getting results at home. Maybe he likes being portrayed as a clueless buffoon, I don't know, but if I was manager of Aberdeen, I'd be wanting to sort the mess out and not have people clamouring for me to be removed from my job.

 

If I could give him two pieces of advice, I'd tell him to put Severin back into midfield where he belongs, and give Diamond the captaincy. If anyone can step into Anderson's boots as a captain, then Zander can.

I'd drop Seve. His legs have gone. The way he was effortlessly outpaced time and again in the second half was embarassing. He's no defender, and i don't think he's as good a holder as Kerr. If he was more mobile he could replace MacDonald in the weekly hiding contest, but he isn't.

I'd drop Seve. His legs have gone. The way he was effortlessly outpaced time and again in the second half was embarassing. He's no defender, and i don't think he's as good a holder as Kerr. If he was more mobile he could replace MacDonald in the weekly hiding contest, but he isn't.

 

Seve should have been dropped over a year ago. He knows he will play whatever happens. Last season he was not training during the week due to "injury" but would then suddenly be fit again on Friday allowing him to play at weekend.

 

Around the time of the Madrid game he was dropped and we won a couple of games on the bounce. He was then brought back and team was reshuffled, we then went back to getting beat.

 

Im not a fan of his at all and though they may share an interest or two, JC should have the balls to so something regarding what is in effect a large reason as to why we struggle on the pitch.

 

 

Im not one for throwing the toys out of the pram in regard to our performances but I will give serious consideration as to whether I will continue to waste money going to games if our on the field leadership is to be provided by Severin.

I actually thought Bebo was decent, everyt?me he ran at h?m they just took h?m out. Mulgrews del?ver?es were  p?sh, beat the f?rst man tw?ce and both t?mes the ball flew too far past the last man!! Th?ngs weren't go?ng our way but at least Bebo kept ask?ng for the ball, wh?ch ?s more than can be sa?d for others.

I just think the whole team is rotten at the moment thank fuck I won't see them for a month

again i thought the defensive back 5 looked solid defensively, even foster.  got to include kerr in that back 5.  we didn't seem like conceding until we went gung-ho towards the end.

 

but the thing that confuses me most was calderwoods tactics.  Did he look at past united games during the week and say "wow they've got two big donkeys at the back who win everything in the air and seem to get undone by teams who play small wee guys who play football.  Maybe i should confuse them and play two target men upfront and continually instruct my team to pump high balls at them.  no-one would ever think of that"

 

surely he didn't send his team out like that?

 

Attacking where the lines are strongest is EXACTLY what the enemy will expect us to do . . . .

I actually thought Bebo was decent, everyt?me he ran at h?m they just took h?m out. Mulgrews del?ver?es were  p?sh, beat the f?rst man tw?ce and both t?mes the ball flew too far past the last man!! Th?ngs weren't go?ng our way but at least Bebo kept ask?ng for the ball, wh?ch ?s more than can be sa?d for others.

 

No, bebo was gash. Yes he was taken out but he couldnt pass the ball and in the second half he did a wee dance for us in the South Stand as three different untied players skinned him in succession. But saying that - he is not in his correct position!

Yeah I know h?s pass?ng was a b?t off, thats why I sa?d th?ngs werent go?ng our way but he st?ll showed for the ball. A few t?mes ?n the f?rst half he tore D?llon apart when he was cyn?cally taken down. The ref was very len?ent ?n the f?rst half.

Aint that the truth.  Gary McDonald is fucking gash.  Kerr at least looked for the ball (first half only) and made some good runs (first half only), but we are fucking pedestrian. No ideas or imagination, no craft or guile, no belief or desire to win.

 

That team lacks so many things, but the biggest thing it lacks is a soul.

 

Sadly, so true.

 

Sadly, so true.

 

 

Hardly a set of nuts between them.

No, bebo was gash. Yes he was taken out but he couldnt pass the ball and in the second half he did a wee dance for us in the South Stand as three different untied players skinned him in succession. But saying that - he is not in his correct position!

 

Totally disagree Mizer, apart fae the played out of position bit, although you already know I do after my rant in the pub! 

 

I thought Maguire played quite well today, yes he got skinned a few times in the second half but he skinned others several times too.

I don't know where you get that he couldn't pass the ball, were you at the game ??! . Setanta clearly showed him passing the ball successfully many times 

 

 

 

 

I only saw the second half and I thought he, like EVERYONE else from midfield forward, were a total disgrace.

Totally disagree Mizer, apart fae the played out of position bit, although you already know I do after my rant in the pub! 

 

I thought Maguire played quite well today, yes he got skinned a few times in the second half but he skinned others several times too.

I don't know where you get that he couldn't pass the ball, were you at the game ??! . Setanta clearly showed him passing the ball successfully many times 

 

Your opinions on Maguire dont count, you're to biased