Nicholl fires Dons warning shot

It is not about axeing or rotating, it is about picking a side which can win, says assistant manager

 

By Michael Gannon

 

Published: 01/10/2008

 

Wielding the axe or player rotation – the Aberdeen squad has been warned no one is assured of a place for Saturday’s crucial SPL match against Hibs at Pittodrie.

 

Dons manager Jimmy Calderwood left Charlie Mulgrew, Sone Aluko and Gary McDonald out of his starting line-up in the 3-2 defeat at Parkhead in the aftermath of Aberdeen’s League Cup exit at Kilmarnock four days earlier.

 

Defender Lee Mair and midfielders Stuart Duff and Derek Young came in and impressed in the narrow defeat.

 

With captain Scott Severin expected to recover from the shin injury which took him out of Saturday’s match, there are tough decisions ahead for the Dons management team.

 

Defeat by Hibs at Pittodrie is unthinkable for Aberdeen. It would make it five straight losses and a failure to win in their first five home fixtures of the season.

 

The pressure on manager Calderwood is building but his assistant, Jimmy Nicholl, said: “The players know the team is picked for a reason.

 

“There are better players at bigger clubs than ourselves who go through the same thing. They have to take it and get on with it.

 

“If you tell the players we are going to operate a rotational system, they accept it and do not bang on the door demanding a game on the Friday.

 

“It is not about axeing or rotating, it is about picking a side which can win matches.

 

“Jimmy dropped Gary McDonald against Celtic because he likes to bomb forward and it can leave Mark Kerr a bit exposed at times.

 

“You cannot afford that at Celtic. Charlie Mulgrew can have no qualms about being left out of the starting XI but he came off the bench and scored two, although he got caught out by failing to stop a couple of crosses.

 

“Then there is the likes of Sone Aluko, who has great quality, but sometimes you feel he is more suited to playing at home. When you play Hibs you have to contend with their diamond formation in midfield.

 

“You have to decide whether to stick to your 4-4-2 or do you adapt to cope with their formation? We coped well with Hibs last season.â€

 

While Severin is hopeful, attacker Jamie Smith and defender Andrew Considine are less than certain to return.

 

Smith met club doctors yesterday to assess his calf injury, while Considine failed to train yesterday due to his shoulder complaint.

 

The duo are unlikely to be risked if not 100% fit, especially with the international break giving them another two weeks to recover after this weekend’s match.

 

“You have to decide whether to stick to your 4-4-2 or do you adapt to cope with their formation? We coped well with Hibs last season.”

I'm sorry, but in my opinion we should never be changing our tactics to cope with ANY team at our own home. Let them worry about us.

I'm sorry, but in my opinion we should never be changing our tactics to cope with ANY team at our own home. Let them worry about us.

I thought Macdonald was supposed to be the attacking midfielder? Seve should be dropped for this game and yet again the usual pish from the management saying we should cope with other teams...why!

Results have proved that we can't cope with any team at Pittodrie.

It's about time that the the management team just shut the hell up and did the job they are employed to do. Get results! 

I'm sorry, but in my opinion we should never be changing our tactics to cope with ANY team at our own home. Let them worry about us.

Delusions of grandeur anyone? We're not Manchester United.

 

In my opinion the management team should be doing everything the can to win every match. If that means adapting to the oppositions style of play, even at home, that's fine by me. It's the result that matters to me, not some pathetic sense of pride.

Delusions of grandeur anyone? We're not Manchester United.

 

In my opinion the management team should be doing everything the can to win every match. If that means adapting to the oppositions style of play, even at home, that's fine by me. It's the result that matters to me, not some pathetic sense of pride.

So we should adapt to play Hibs? They're not Manchester United either

So we should adapt to play Hibs? They're not Manchester United either

If it means we win the game, yes.

We should definitely have players playing in position as a general rule but changing tactics and dealing with the opposition are part and parcel of football, no matter whether you are Man U or whether you are Yirmaw's Athletic in the 5's league.

 

To suggest otherwise is frankly ridiculous.

Funster, you mentioned my team, I like you.

 

The Dons will win on saturday 3-1

Let them worry about us

 

On current home form, how worried do you think they'll be?  We need a win, so it'll mean we set our stall out to stop their threat (as any manager does in any game).

 

 

We should definitely have players playing in position as a general rule but changing tactics and dealing with the opposition are part and parcel of football, no matter whether you are Man U or whether you are Yirmaw's Athletic in the 5's league.

 

To suggest otherwise is frankly ridiculous.

Keeping an eye out for certain players, working on defending set pieces having certain players working in different ways to stop the other team playing are a few things I would agree could be worked on, but no not changing the whole formation at home against a very average side.

It's not just any side, bobo. It's Hibs ... you know, Scotland's only team capable of playing "total" football.

 

To be honest, I'd rather this match was at Fester Road, cos we seem to have a better record there over the past 7 or 8 years.

They're not quite the great Hibs team of 2006 though.

End of the week optimism

 

Im going for  2- 1 the dons. Dodgy sclaff goal by Miller following a whipped in free kick from Mulgrey. Then after heaps of pressure and a shot at goal by Mackie, Aluko will score a cracker from 25 yards. We will then sit back and give away the customary shite goal so that we endure the traditional squeaky bum time. Oh and Foster will have a good game

 

Then the pressure will be ramped back onto Mixu

http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/868082

 

Dons will have to get nasty at home

Nicholl’s plea to Reds

 

By Sean Wallace

 

Published: 02/10/2008

 

ANGER: Dons assistant manager Jimmy Nicholl.

More Pictures

 

JIMMY Nicholl has called for the Dons to get nasty at Pittodrie, and make life a misery for Hibs on Saturday.

 

Aberdeen have yet to win at home this season, and were booed off the pitch in their last home appearance, a 1-0 loss to Dundee United.

 

And Nicholl reckons adopting a mean streak will end that dire run.

 

He said: “Unfortunately we have been letting the opposition come to Pittodrie and enjoy themselves a little too much this season.

 

“We need to make it much harder for teams coming here.

 

“It is vital we go out at home and show the fans we are desperate to do something about our form.

 

“We cannot allow teams to come to Pittodrie and dictate the game and play one-two, passing football.

 

“Aberdeen must close Hibs down and get on top of them.

 

“If we do that and show urgency when going forward ourselves, the fans will get right behind us.

 

“The fans will accept many things, but not seeing their team outplayed at home.â€

 

Aberdeen’s poor home form has led to some sections of the Red Army booing the team.

 

And Nicholl has called for the fans to get right behind the Dons against Hibs on Saturday.

 

He said: “Everyone is entitled to boo after 90 minutes if we have not done the business on the park.

 

“But not before that.

 

“I accept that the longer this poor home form continues the crowd will become impatient.

 

“The Aberdeen fans have been fantastic, and hopefully they will get right behind us and see us turn around our form with a win on Saturday.â€

 

Aberdeen are now languishing second bottom of the SPL.

 

Defeat to Hibs could lead to what was unthinkable last season when the club were blazing a trail in Europe – the Dons propping up the entire table.

 

But Nicholl insists both he and manager Jimmy Calderwood, are not feeling the heat.

 

“Both myself and Jimmy Calderwood are big enough and ugly enough to handle that,†he said.

 

“As a manager, the only time you really feel the pressure is when you’re not getting a response from the players. When you are getting nothing in the dressing room and during the week in training.

 

“But we have the absolute opposite at Pittodrie, because everything from the players is positive.

 

“Great attitude, passing, movement – they show everything.

 

“We keep saying to the players they have to put the performances from training into games.

 

“When they start to do that we will be okay.â€

 

Although now more than four months since their last home win, Nicholl insists the Hibs game has not become an all-or-nothing must win.

 

“We will be doing everything possible to get three points,†he said.

 

“But you cannot talk about must win games after only seven league games.

 

“Last season we only had eight points after our opening eight games, but still went on to finish fourth.

 

“If the players go out and do what they are capable of we can get a win.â€

 

Defender Andrew Considine has returned to training after a shoulder injury and is in contention to face Hibs.

 

Jamie Smith is awaiting results from a specialist on a thigh strain and Scott Severin is fit.

Remember and do your predictors folks

 

Score http://www.thedandies.co.uk/messageboard/index.php?topic=6174.0

 

Crowd http://www.thedandies.co.uk/messageboard/index.php?topic=6183.0

 

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

Team according to Sportsound is (I think):

 

Langfield

 

Hodgekiss

Diamond

Mair

Mulgrew

 

Foster

Kerr

Severin (?)

Aluko

 

Miller

Mackie (?)

 

Was a bit distracted and I'm assuming the ones with question marks are correct.

what the hell?

 

 

BBC text coverage

 

24:25

Shot by Lee Miller (Aberdeen) right-footed from right channel (20 yards), save (tipped round post) by Jamie Langfield (Aberdeen).

 

 

Another week, another defeat.

Daylight fucking robbery 

 

I'm not making excuses, but when are we going to get some decent refs in the SPL?  Mockery shouldn't be allowed to referee in the SPL, especially when people's jobs are at risk.  He failed to send the Hibs player off when awarding us a penalty (it was clearly last man and Miller would have been through on goal).  For their penalty, it was an accidental hand ball by Mulgrew and I thought the penalty and red card were harsh, but the radio was talking about a clear offside leading up to the handball and there was apparently no way it should have been a pen.

 

FFS, I was raging with him. 

 

It sums up our luck at the moment.

I thought we were by far the better team and created a lot of chances.  Some very good performances from us - particularly Hodgkiss, Mackie, Mulgrew, Miller and Severin.  Unfortunately Mair seemed to be at fault for their opening goal.

Daylight fucking robbery 

 

I'm not making excuses, but when are we going to get some decent refs in the SPL?  Mockery shouldn't be allowed to referee in the SPL, especially when people's jobs are at risk.  He failed to send the Hibs player off when awarding us a penalty (it was clearly last man and Miller would have been through on goal).  For their penalty, it was an accidental hand ball by Mulgrew and I thought the penalty and red card were harsh, but the radio was talking about a clear offside leading up to the handball and there was apparently no way it should have been a pen.

 

FFS, I was raging with him. 

 

It sums up our luck at the moment.

I thought we were by far the better team and created a lot of chances.  Some very good performances from us - particularly Hodgkiss, Mackie, Mulgrew, Miller and Severin.  Unfortunately Mair seemed to be at fault for their opening goal.

 

I agreed with your until I read your second last sentence. Mackie was not worthy of mention, he contributed little in my opinion. Severin was frustrating me in the first half but was a bit better in the second. Sadly I think we'll never see performances like his first season from him again, and I should probably readjust my expectations of him because of that.

Daylight fucking robbery  

 

I'm not making excuses, but when are we going to get some decent refs in the SPL?  Mockery shouldn't be allowed to referee in the SPL, especially when people's jobs are at risk.  He failed to send the Hibs player off when awarding us a penalty (it was clearly last man and Miller would have been through on goal).  For their penalty, it was an accidental hand ball by Mulgrew and I thought the penalty and red card were harsh, but the radio was talking about a clear offside leading up to the handball and there was apparently no way it should have been a pen.

 

FFS, I was raging with him. 

 

It sums up our luck at the moment.

I thought we were by far the better team and created a lot of chances.  Some very good performances from us - particularly Hodgkiss, Mackie, Mulgrew, Miller and Severin.  Unfortunately Mair seemed to be at fault for their opening goal.

 

, at last!. Someone who see's the wider picture like me, and isn't blinkered to 100% of the blame being JC's every week!.

 

(Anyone who knows me will confirm I am definitely NOT in the JIG club!)

 

If we were doing better in SPL there would have been outrage at McCurry's decisions today 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right on the button Kow, we wiz robbed but we had how many one on ones wi a dodgy keeper and effectively fucked them all up.

 

Ref=cunt

Linesman=total cunt  Have we had a few issues wi this cunt before?

 

Kerr and Seve looked pretty good in the middle, the defence still looked edgy but much improved, Miller did pretty well but was getting dragged too deep for my liking, although this could very well have been to make space for Mackie, who was horrendous but did work like fuck.

 

Foster and Maguire, dear fuck.

Linesman=total cunt  Have we had a few issues wi this cunt before?

 

Its always the bald South Stand linesmen that are the worst.

 

Foster and Maguire, dear fuck.

 

Probably our only two poor performers yesterday.