Craig Brown has been Aberdeen manager for about 2 years now.  He is 72 years old and he wont go on forever.  His contract is up very soon and Stewart Milne has been cagey about his thoughts as to offering a new one.

 

Aberdeen FC have played some good football this season without really hitting the heights that some might say they deserve; 7 wins (only 3 at home) and 25 goals in 20 league games is not scintillating form.

 

He has steadied the ship after the McGhee debacle, he has made us harder to beat.  Everything is relative though.  The team that Jimmy Calderwood had finish in fourth and qualify for Europe was unquestionably in decline, but was nowhere near as bad as what it became under McGhee, with similar personnel.  McGhee turned that team to shit.  It would be interesting to see what Craig Brown would've done with that team, which was undeniably better than the one he eventually got from McGhee.

 

What I'm ultimately driving at is - has Brown actually improved us so greatly that he deserves a new contract at his time of life?  Whilst I am certain that we wont finish in as poor a position this season as we have for the past three, we are currently as close to the bottom of the league as we are to the top, and also only 2 points clear of the 9th place we finished in for the past 3 seasons.

 

Unless we round the year off with a cup win or a 2nd place finish, I think it makes sense for the board to let Brown go at the end of the season in favour of a younger man.

 

Thoughts?

Going 3 games without beating Ross County is good enough for me too.

 

 

Very much this. Hasn't a leg to stand on, it's been nothing short of catastrophic.

I don't care anymore. They can do what they like.

As both are out of contract in the summer, the board should be telling them now that their contracts won't be renewed, and the search started for the next manager who could either be appointed as soon as Brown and Knox's contracts are up. 

 

Season is over, I don't see the point in spending money sacking another management team.

The only reasons sacking now would make sense is if they reckon crowds will improve enough to make up for expense. And that any out of contract players we want to keep/bring in aren't going to consider joining while the folk in charge are for the chop. Plus we need to spend the summer strengthening the squad, not scrambling around for new coaches.

 

But even saying that, until it's mathematically impossible to make top six/europe, it's still down to the fans to support the players, if not the coaches. I'm fairly disgusted with how this season's gone for many reasons, but the booing players off after a win and then at half time last night, plus the routine 'langfield get to fuck' chants while still at 0-0, are so brainless it's almost unbelievable. No wonder the players look to have no confidence. They're playing in front of some of the worst fans around.

The only reasons sacking now would make sense is if they reckon crowds will improve enough to make up for expense. And that any out of contract players we want to keep/bring in aren't going to consider joining while the folk in charge are for the chop. Plus we need to spend the summer strengthening the squad, not scrambling around for new coaches.

 

But even saying that, until it's mathematically impossible to make top six/europe, it's still down to the fans to support the players, if not the coaches. I'm fairly disgusted with how this season's gone for many reasons, but the booing players off after a win and then at half time last night, plus the routine 'langfield get to fuck' chants while still at 0-0, are so brainless it's almost unbelievable. No wonder the players look to have no confidence. They're playing in front of some of the worst fans around.

 

This.

Given that only 6000 or so bothered their arse to turn up, I'd suggest they're playing in front of some of the best fans around.

The only reasons sacking now would make sense is if they reckon crowds will improve enough to make up for expense. And that any out of contract players we want to keep/bring in aren't going to consider joining while the folk in charge are for the chop. Plus we need to spend the summer strengthening the squad, not scrambling around for new coaches.

But even saying that, until it's mathematically impossible to make top six/europe, it's still down to the fans to support the players, if not the coaches. I'm fairly disgusted with how this season's gone for many reasons, but the booing players off after a win and then at half time last night, plus the routine 'langfield get to fuck' chants while still at 0-0, are so brainless it's almost unbelievable. No wonder the players look to have no confidence. They're playing in front of some of the worst fans around.

 

Are you advocating keeping Brown then?

Anyone who paid 20-odd quid to watch that pish last night had every right to boo.

 

I watched the first half online and it was truly terrible. Like a couple of pub teams.

 

 

Are you advocating keeping Brown then?

 

no, that's why I mentioned that after reasons for paying the expense of punting him early.

 

As I've said before I see no reason to believe we'll be getting a better manager in, but the tide's definitely turned - again - so the only thing that has a chance of getting extra people through the turnstiles is yet another managerial change.

As both are out of contract in the summer, the board should be telling them now that their contracts won't be renewed, and the search started for the next manager who could either be appointed as soon as Brown and Knox's contracts are up. 

 

Season is over, I don't see the point in spending money sacking another management team.

 

I agree with this, top 6 is gone IMO, we are not going down, why spend money we don't have paying Brown and Knox off. The ideal scenario would be for Brown to walk but we all know he won't do that.

no, that's why I mentioned that after reasons for paying the expense of punting him early.

 

As I've said before I see no reason to believe we'll be getting a better manager in, but the tide's definitely turned - again - so the only thing that has a chance of getting extra people through the turnstiles is yet another managerial change.

 

Fair enough.

 

I agree with you on the possibility of new manager not being any better as its the same clowns appointing the new man as saddled us with the current one.

 

Fair enough.

 

I agree with you on the possibility of new manager not being any better as its the same clowns appointing the new man as saddled us with the current one.

 

To be fair on Milne he is more busy thinking up a reason to explain how we were for a 10 team league a few weeks ago and now advocate 12-12-16.

Brown is in the EE begging for more time to turn the Dons into winners.

9th

Out of 2 cups to teams we should have beaten

Crowds down

Lost another good young prospect

Signings have been poor (apart from one)

Form has bee attrocious since Christmas

 

No, Craig, you've blown it!

So since Collins walked out on Livi yesterday, would anyone wish to see him at Pittodrie?

Christ on a stick  no

As I've said before I see no reason to believe we'll be getting a better manager in.

 

As we stare down the barrel of a fourth consecutive 9th-placed finish, I point-blank refuse to believe that Aberdeen Football Club cannot attract a manager who is not better than our past two.  Just because the fans can't think of one, doesn't mean that person doesn't exist.  None of us would've wanted Steve Lomas, Kenny Shiels, or Pat Fenlon, but they're all doing the type of job that we need an Aberdeen manager to be doing - challenging towards the right end of the table, getting to cup finals.  All these guys are hungry to do well.

 

I do have a dark feeling inside that our next manager will be a choice of two former Hearts managers, one of which is currently out of work, and the other isn't getting paid on time.....

As we stare down the barrel of a fourth consecutive 9th-placed finish, I point-blank refuse to believe that Aberdeen Football Club cannot attract a manager who is not better than our past two.  Just because the fans can't think of one, doesn't mean that person doesn't exist.  None of us would've wanted Steve Lomas, Kenny Shiels, or Pat Fenlon, but they're all doing the type of job that we need an Aberdeen manager to be doing - challenging towards the right end of the table, getting to cup finals.  All these guys are hungry to do well.

 

I do have a dark feeling inside that our next manager will be a choice of two former Hearts managers, one of which is currently out of work, and the other isn't getting paid on time.....

As we stare down the barrel of a fourth consecutive 9th-placed finish, I point-blank refuse to believe that Aberdeen Football Club cannot attract a manager who is not better than our past two.  Just because the fans can't think of one, doesn't mean that person doesn't exist.  None of us would've wanted Steve Lomas, Kenny Shiels, or Pat Fenlon, but they're all doing the type of job that we need an Aberdeen manager to be doing - challenging towards the right end of the table, getting to cup finals.  All these guys are hungry to do well.

 

I do have a dark feeling inside that our next manager will be a choice of two former Hearts managers, one of which is currently out of work, and the other isn't getting paid on time.....

 

Exactly what I said on Facebook the other day, We hired Brown and Mcghee on the back of a good season at Motherwell, that's why I don't want Derek Adams and would rather have someone that has shown consistancy, even if it be an unknown manager abroad or in England, with someone who knows the Scottish game as assitant.

There has to be someone out there that has the experience, managerial skills, transfer nous and tactical know how to get us into the top 4 regularly that would be interested and would be affordable.

 

 

I don't buy into the whole "has no knowledge of Scottish football" crap as anyone with the above qualities would do a great job, maybe we NEED someone from outside our insular and parochial little league?

There has to be someone out there that has the experience, managerial skills, transfer nous and tactical know how to get us into the top 4 regularly that would be interested and would be affordable.

 

 

I don't buy into the whole "has no knowledge of Scottish football" crap as anyone with the above qualities would do a great job, maybe we NEED someone from outside our insular and parochial little league?

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hull_city/8066339.stm

 

 

?

All the positive attributes folk say they want apply to the likes of Solbaaken. He'd probably be a good shout actually, but at the end of the day our choices are journeyman, failure, or young and totslly/relatively untried.

 

Question is, what name do you think will get the crowds back initially, get the team challenging for 2nd, hang around for a meaningful length if time, and ideally lay foundations for continued success.

 

If we can't have that then we're better off operating onca revolving door basis. Like now but without the compensation packages. If we can have that, then I'd be very glad to know who our realistic targets are.

 

I've said before I think Hartley is the most promising young manager around and I'd happily have him. Others aren't so sure. Whatever we do, it's going to need to work this time.

I do believe the last manager to lead us to 2nd is currently unemployed in football: the last to lead us to 3rd is in Abu Dhabi I think?

Why not tlg? Just out of curiosity? He's a cup winner, something which cannot be said about previous candidates.

Jim fucking Jeffries and Craig fucking Levein.

See, now why can't AFC be seen to be doing something like the below article.  I can't say i've ever read someone from the board statig that they are organised / doing their jobs / prepared for any eventuality.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21647609

Funster, I think I would actually cry if it were either of those managers.