Remember and do your predictors folks

 

Score http://www.thedandies.co.uk/messageboard/index.php?topic=6078.0

Guess the crowd http://www.thedandies.co.uk/messageboard/index.php?topic=6076.0

BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/predictor/index.shtml

 

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/856931

 

Tomorrow’s Dons game at Celtic has taken on a whole new significance – but Neil Simpson isn’t fazed

 

Hard work. Two words which will today take on extra significance at Pittodrie as the Aberdeen first team arrives for work on the eve of the biggest game of the season to date.

 

Tomorrow, Jimmy Calderwood sends his team out to face Celtic at Parkhead in what could prove a pivotal moment in the campaign.

 

After three consecutive defeats, victory against the odds over the SPL champions would stem the wave of criticism and turn the tide back in the manager’s favour.

 

Defeat would set up a home match against Hibs next weekend which would provide the sternest examination of Calderwood’s character.

 

For those who work within the confines of Pittodrie, there is no secret surrounding the solution to the current troubles.

 

Neil Simpson, an assistant director of the club’s youth academy, has backed the current crop of players to make amends for the disappointment of recent weeks by producing a positive performance against Celtic tomorrow.

 

Simpson said: “It is easy to be critical. We all want our team to do well because we are all supporters, but there also has to be an appreciation that there are no easy games in Scottish football.

 

“The only way forward is to get back on the training ground, roll up the sleeves and work through this difficult period to build up a series of results.

 

“There was nothing between Aberdeen and Dundee United at the weekend and Hamilton won by just a single goal the week before.

 

“That is typical of the SPL, where the dividing line between success and failure is so thin.

 

“Outside of the Old Firm there really is little between any of the teams.

 

“It is all about which team is the most solid and can get the first goal.

 

“It just needs somebody to spark something for us, to break the bad run and get a win on the board.

 

“I am sure the players will battle on and come through the other side.â€

 

Calderwood’s new recruits have had swift introductions to life as an Aberdeen player and the pressure the role brings.

 

Simpson believes the summer additions have already shown they are capable of shouldering the burden, but has called for patience as the new side settles. He remembered the early days of some of his fellow Gothenburg Greats.

 

He said: “It took Peter Weir a season to settle. Mark McGhee had a terrible first year at the club and I can remember Gordon Strachan being absolutely blasted by Billy McNeill just after he arrived. We can learn from that.

 

“The difference now is you do not always get the time in the modern game to ride out the transitional periods. We always expect players to slot right in, but it is bound to take time for a new team to gel.

 

“It is no different from any company taking in new staff and everyone has to get to know one another before you get the best out of them.

 

“The difference with the players I mentioned in the 1980s is they were coming into a team with a lot of experience already in it. We have a very youthful team at Aberdeen at the moment and the experience will build as they all play more games.â€

Come on... We can get the winner!

fucking tim bastards.

Nah, it's all over. Sounds like a sloppy individual mistake, and Celtic have won.

Who was it that bottled the challenge out wide on the halfway line?  > >

Mackie GTF

Mackies miss has just gutted me 

was almost counting my winnings.

Great match though shame it went the other way.

Mackies miss has just gutted me 

 

Aye, not only is he utterly inept, it was a fantastic defence splitting pass by Aluko who was on the pitch for a total of 2 minutes.

Whos this muppet on your call? Mackie showed great skill for his miss at the end? 

Thought we were going to hold on for a draw.

Sounded like a cracking match.

Incidentally, a comment from "Dons Fan Bobby Biscuit" got read out during Sportscene Results tonight when discussing the CIS cup debacle, sounded like it was lifted straight from here or another forum.

What was the comment?

Incidentally, a comment from "Dons Fan Bobby Biscuit" got read out during Sportscene Results tonight when discussing the CIS cup debacle, sounded like it was lifted straight from here or another forum.

 

Eh? What was it then?

Just looked at the red web site and it stuck at 1-0 on the match report.

No interviews.

No anything.

Seems about normal.

Why can't we fight like that against, ICT, Dundee Utd and Hamilton?????

And we wonder why the daily retard says we only raise our game against the old firm!!!!!!

Why can't we fight like that against, ICT, Dundee Utd and Hamilton?????

And we wonder why the daily retard says we only raise our game against the old firm!!!!!!

 

Maybe they've turned over a new leaf, and will start fighting in every game from now on?

 

Maybe we'll tear Hibs a new arse next week?

 

Maybe I'm talking shite again?

Just back from it. First away game and it was a really good game. Jimmy can keep his job for another week. I was expecting us to defend the whole time but we attacked quite a bit. Mulgrew's freekick was brilliant. Mair had a solid game i thought. Justified the fact he shouldn't of been dropped when Seve and Diamond came back from injury. Foster had another game in which he wasnt shite. Personally thought he linked well with Mulgrew when he came on for Seve. Duff seemed ok too. The Tim i went down with said they didnt deserve all 3 points and i couldn't of agreed more with him. Loved the fact we outsung(dont know if thats a word) them for 3/4 of the game.

I thought that was a decent performance and of the games I have seen this season it was the best I have seen them play. We definitely deserved a draw if not three points. I  thought Mair, Foster, Miller and Duff played really well considering some of the stick they have taken on here and elsewhere in the past. Mackie really is shite and has to go, he just is not good enough. Apart from him I thought they all played quite well.

Eh? What was it then?

 

Word for word, it was this:

 

the fans sang at the end "You're not fit to wear the shirt",is very apt, what's more apparent is that the chants of "you don't know what you're doing!" directed towards Calderwood are far, far more accurate. 

 

Did you send that in to the Beeb?  Or are the Beeb reading this forum? 

for me mair is a must for this game

 

The fact that that is true is pretty significant.

 

Mair is, on current form, unassailable as the first choice centre back.

 

Calderwood has made little or no attempt to deal with the skittery shite softness of the the centre of our defence which has, more especially in recent weeks, been absolutely critical in defeats.

 

A defence that loses 4 goals against 1st Division opposition and currently looks likely to lose exactly that against any cunt. When you score 2 goals away from home, even at Celtic Park, you fancy your chances. Not us. Oh no.

 

When you score 3 goals at Hampden in a semi, you may be forgiven for thinking you should be in the fucking final. Not us. Oh no.

 

Calderwood has completely winged it since Anderson left and decided to strengthen EVERY area of the team except that which has crippled us since the departure of Anderson. He, on our meagre finances, is someone we couldn't replace, not as such but surely to fuck there are centre backs out there better than what we have?

 

This could very well be the rock upon which Calderwood founds. The resolute ignorance of the facts that surround the utter shambles that is the centre of that defence  will cost him his job unless he very rapidly turns them around.

Word for word, it was this:

 

Did you send that in to the Beeb?  Or are the Beeb reading this forum? 

 

Richard Gordon used to have an account on here years ago, so its likely he still reads here. I upset him by saying he stuck something up his bum passage 

Just seen the

 

Celtic's three goals were pretty poor ones from our point of view.  Usual story of failing to clear a ball, but I would have liked to have seen Langfield come off his line for the 2nd and collect the ball.

 

Mulgrew's free-kick was a beauty, and his first goal was a very good move.

 

Mackie's chance wasn't as easy as I'd been led to believe.  It was typical Mackie (i.e. not scoring in a one-on-one) but Boruc made himself very wide and it wasn't a particularly easy chance IMHO.

Just seen the

 

Celtic's three goals were pretty poor ones from our point of view.  Usual story of failing to clear a ball, but I would have liked to have seen Langfield come off his line for the 2nd and collect the ball.

 

Mulgrew's free-kick was a beauty, and his first goal was a very good move.

 

Mackie's chance wasn't as easy as I'd been led to believe.  It was typical Mackie (i.e. not scoring in a one-on-one) but Boruc made himself very wide and it wasn't a particularly easy chance IMHO.

 

I'd agree with that on seeing it a 2nd time. Even if he took it past the keeper on his left peg there's a fair chance the line would've been covered for someone to clear.

But that is what Mackie is paid to do - you would think he would score a reasonable percentage of these and he simply does not.

Dons defeated but performance gives Red Army some hope

 

By Michael Gannon

 

Published: 29/09/2008

 

From jeers to cheers, life is never dull when it comes to Aberdeen FC. After three performances from football's Room 101, the Dons typically showed at Celtic Park they might not be quite as bad as some of the more despairing supporters feared.

 

This dramatic and undeserved 3-2 defeat at the home of the champions summed up the enigma that is Aberdeen.

 

The Dons produced some wonderful football to come from behind to lead at one of the most feared arenas in Europe, only to proceed to shoot themselves in the foot once again.

 

They even could have snatched a draw with the last kick of the ball when Darren Mackie beat the offside trap and goalkeeper Artur Boruc, only to see his clipped shot squirm inches past the post.

 

It is all very well running Celtic ragged, but the Dons continue to make the kind of mistakes in defence which would result in school boys being ordered to write out a 100 times: “I must stop giving away stupid goals.â€

 

Kamikaze-defending aside, this was a promising performance from the Dons, the challenge now is to repeat it week in, week out in the SPL.

 

When Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink opened the scoring after just 14 minutes, the highly-vocal travelling support would have been forgiven for fearing a return to the bad old days when Aberdeen simply turned up in Glasgow's East End and prayed the bleaching would not be too severe.

 

The opening goal was well crafted, but also badly defended. Mark Kerr, Richard Foster and Lee Mair all had opportunities to boot the ball and or Georgios Samaras into Row Z, but instead dallied and allowed the Greek forward to tee up his team-mate.

 

The Dons refused to buckle, however, and they knuckled down and thoroughly grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.

 

No doubt several of the Aberdeen squad were smarting after the 4-2 League Cup thumping at Kilmarnock made it three miserable defeats on the spin.

 

None more so that Charlie Mulgrew, dropped on his return meeting with the manager who showed him the door two years ago.

 

Mulgrew must have ben hurting and when he replaced the injured Scott Severin midway through the first half, he looked like a man desperate to prove two managers wrong.

 

Even he must have been surprised just how emphatically he did it.

 

First he latched on to Jared Hodgkiss's delicious back post cross and battered the ball into the net for an equaliser on 57 minutes.

 

Even better was to follow when he stepped up eight minutes later and curled a magnificent free kick from 25 yards inside Boruc's near post to give Aberdeen the lead.

 

The advantage was deserved, but Celtic do not play fair. Manager Gordon Strachan has the enviable position of turning to his dugout and seeing the likes of last season's leading-scorer Scott McDonald and player-of-the-year Aiden McGeady giving him the puppy eyes in the hopes of getting a game.

 

It was these two who changed the destiny of the game, particularly the mercurial McGeady. It was the Glaswegian Republic of Ireland international who danced down the right and sent over a devilish cross on 78 minutes which McDonald gorged himself on at the back post for a leveller.

 

Then he was at it again, deep in stoppage time, when he ripped the heart out of the visitors with a wicked near-post ball Vennegoor of Hesselink scrambled home despite the valiant efforts of Zander Diamond.

 

The fact it was Mulgrew, along with Foster, who got caught in possession for the winner was the sort of cruel irony which sums up the Dons and drives manager Jimmy Calderwood to the brink of despair.

 

Calderwood's anguish was intensified in the final moments when Mackie raced through, but even he would have admitted there was an awful inevitability it was not to be.

 

The Dons succumbed to their fourth defeat on the trot, but unlike previous defeats this time they left the field to a standing ovation from the loyal Red Army.

 

They demanded a response and got it. Now Aberdeen have to maintain it.