McGhee’s timely reminder

 

Published: 04/09/2009

 

MARK McGhee fears it will be another two years before he has an Aberdeen team capable of competing for third place in the SPL.

 

The Dons manager insists he has inherited a squad of players with the potential to challenge again for Europa League qualification but, given the financial restrictions he is working with, it will take the rest of this season and the whole of the next campaign to build a strong enough squad.

 

He said: “I don’t think this team is anywhere near being the standard I need to achieve my ambitions. I don’t think that is being hard on them. When you look at the squad there is a nucleus of experience, but we could be done with another three or four players.

 

“I think this time next year we will look different and by the start of the third season I would be here, I would expect to have a team put together which would be really competitive in a challenge for third spot.â€

 

McGhee was able to bring about an immediate and drastic improvement at former club Motherwell, leading the club to third place in his first season in charge, but he believes the circumstances he faces at Pittodrie are very different from those at Fir Park. He said: “I was able to do it quicker at Motherwell as I had different players there. The team I had there was at a different stage from this one.â€

Sounds to me like McGhee getting his excuses in early.

 

The mark of a poor craftsman is to blame his tools, innit?

 

(Although they do play like a bunch of fucking tools at times right enough...)

 

And just because it drove me mad reading this thread; Stoney - it's YOUNGSTERS not YOUNGSTARS...

 

(And I think you meant INCLEMENT weather)

 

Use your spell check or a dictionary or even google every now and then Stoney, ffs...

 

Rather than seeing this as excuses or lack of ambition why can't it be under promise and over deliver ?

 

I think he is just trying to lower expectations to take some pressure off his squad which is currently under the spotlight due to the media circling around our financial difficulties. There is a time to talk up your performance and opportunity and there is a time to keep a lid on expectation. Any decent manager of people knows this. Now is certainly not the time for McGhee to be blowing trumpets.

 

McGhee is being crucified because he is coming out and being up front and honest about the circumstances he finds himself in, I find it quite refreshing.

Rather than seeing this as excuses or lack of ambition why can't it be under promise and over deliver ?

 

I think he is just trying to lower expectations to take some pressure off his squad which is currently under the spotlight due to the media circling around our financial difficulties. There is a time to talk up your performance and opportunity and there is a time to keep a lid on expectation. Any decent manager of people knows this. Now is certainly not the time for McGhee to be blowing trumpets.

 

McGhee is being crucified because he is coming out and being up front and honest about the circumstances he finds himself in, I find it quite refreshing.

 

I'd rather he just didn't do these interviews, its pointless. Is he filling some sort of quota whereby he has to give one statement every two or three days?

I'd rather he just didn't do these interviews, its pointless. Is he filling some sort of quota whereby he has to give one statement every two or three days?

 

Like I said, we/he is under the spotlight. The media love a good car crash story and we are doing our best to provide one. He could certainly drink a large cup of shut the fuck up at times but the hysteria just builds behind silence on here as much as it does around chat.

 

If we assume he will suffer the same reactionary, unrealistic, irrational response from the fanbase whatever he does then I'd rather hear honesty. Thats all I'm saying.......ya prick.

Rather than seeing this as excuses or lack of ambition why can't it be under promise and over deliver ?

 

The point I was trying to make was that this "shouldn't"  have been taken well by the reactionaries that wanted Calderwood out. The under promise over deliver was one of the reasons folk disliked Calderwood, or at least was one of the excuses given for wanting that fat orange hun prick out  . However once it was brought up by (sorry, came to me too late, Kowalski) on the Hat it is evidently just another stick to beat Calderwood with.

 

As for McGhee's chatter to the press, I wouldn't want him to stop otherwise what else are we going to talk about till the next transfer window, and as I've said before all these soundbites coming from Pittodrie seem very similar to the ones trotted out by Calderwood in the past.