So after that embarrassingly disastrous game against the arabs, we have Hearts at home. We have a chance here given we are at home, but we'll no doubt play hearts back into form too.  The other positive is they'll be coming back from Florence, hopefully a pumping there with a few injuries for good measure. Huge shake up of mentality required, and I'm hopeful we'll see a reaction. Too many didn't turn up last weekend, it's not like the chances weren't there. 

How do we set up? Do we move McCrorie out to the right? Personally, I can't see it, not unless Richardson is injured. I'd like to see Barron get more of a run out too, but we can't rush him back, especially against a team like Hearts.  Is it time to drop Miovski?

Out
Bed
Bed
Bed
2-1 Dons, McCrorie and Duk

Thought Hearts were pretty ordinary,but created a few chances in the first half due to slack play from us,Roos had a few excellent saves to keep them out. Much improved second half,lifted the tempo and moved the ball about better.Duk was excellent,often creating something out of nothing,and his persistence paid off with the goal,and carrying on with cramp to assist the second.

     Think we can play a lot better too,as I thought Barron,Clarkson and Ramadani were pretty quiet for large spells.Top Dons, Stewart and Scales(dodgy passes apart),Roos and Duk.Thought Miovski was ok.McKenzie looks a bit heavy/cumbersome at times,but improved in the second half.

   5 - 0 defeat at Fir park next week to settle us down 👍

Great win, well played the dons. Deserved it in the second half after a poor first. A little tweak in midfield, pushing Ramadani into the three, as opposed to sitting gave us a lot more of the ball. That three (including Barron and Clarkson) was okay today, they seemed to stop getting in each other's way with the change in the second. McKenzie was honking in the first and much better in the second, but isn't a wing back. He didn't give up on that ball for the goal when others would have. Duk was great. He's frustrating but people seem unable to get the ball off him, so he ends up carrying it far up the pitch making for an excellent out ball. Thought he should have had a pen in the first half too.

Think we got lucky yesterday Hearts should have been a couple up at least before Lopes scored. Thought they should have had a penalty at game and after seeing in on TV not changed that opinion. Think the 3-5-2 is probably way to go for us at the moment. As others have said got better in the second half and got two well worked goals. 

29 minutes ago, Jute said:

Think we got lucky yesterday Hearts should have been a couple up at least before Lopes scored. Thought they should have had a penalty at game and after seeing in on TV not changed that opinion. 

What would their pen be for? Duk was definitely clipped in their box in the first half (a camera behind the goal would have spotted it), but I don't remember them even having a claim. Obviously they had that sitter, but for me the next best chance before the goal was Duk's one on one. With the balance of play in the first half, going in a goal down would have been fair, but it'd be rare that a team scores every single opportunity they get.

15 hours ago, dons8321 said:

Can't believe the Hearts player (Grant?) wasn't sent off for going straight through Barron.  

 

^^^

This

Was out all day yesterday and only getting to see highlights now.

I trust in the interest of fairness for all a retrospective two match ban will be offered to Grant. Knew exactly what he was doing going through Barron like that and looked every bit as bad as Clarkson's one at Dingwall.

1 minute ago, BigAl said:

^^^

This

Was out all day yesterday and only getting to see highlights now.

I trust in the interest of fairness for all a retrospective two match ban will be offered to Grant. Knew exactly what he was doing going through Barron like that and looked every bit as bad as Clarkson's one at Dingwall.

Worse than Clarkson's. Clarkson didn't even have his eye on the player, he just threw out a leg. His was just a really shite attempt at a tackle. Grant's was deliberate and malicious. You'd probably class Clarkson's as out of control and endangering an opponent, with Grant's classed as violent conduct. Much as I love a Dons player hoofing some Hun up in the air (Clark on Hutton for example), I'd also happily take a retrospective/VAR red for it. I can also see why the ref just gave the yellow in fairness.

6 minutes ago, RicoS321 said:

Worse than Clarkson's. Clarkson didn't even have his eye on the player, he just threw out a leg. His was just a really shite attempt at a tackle. Grant's was deliberate and malicious. You'd probably class Clarkson's as out of control and endangering an opponent, with Grant's classed as violent conduct. Much as I love a Dons player hoofing some Hun up in the air (Clark on Hutton for example), I'd also happily take a retrospective/VAR red for it. I can also see why the ref just gave the yellow in fairness.

In fairness Rico, I played down my reaction to it in order to avoid shouts of me being biased but I agree with your analysis.

It actually is worse and he knew exactly what he was doing and Barron had zero chance of avoiding the assault. He is actually probably very lucky to have avoided serious injury.

I fully expect the SFA carpet sweeper to take care of matters 🙄

P.S Thaks for reminding of Clark chasing Hutton the length of the South Stand to take out Hutton in an act of retribution. Without doubt his greatest contribution to the cause in an Aberdeen shirt 😂

2 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

What would their pen be for? Duk was definitely clipped in their box in the first half (a camera behind the goal would have spotted it), but I don't remember them even having a claim. Obviously they had that sitter, but for me the next best chance before the goal was Duk's one on one. With the balance of play in the first half, going in a goal down would have been fair, but it'd be rare that a team scores every single opportunity they get.

Roos challenge on Humphries looked a penalty. I thought Duk dived/was going down anyway in first half. 

1 hour ago, Jute said:

Roos challenge on Humphries looked a penalty. I thought Duk dived/was going down anyway in first half. 

From the RDL, looked like Roos won ball and man at the same time. Again, from RDL, Duk didn't look like he was going down until the guy's trailing leg caught him and sort of shunted him sideways before he went down. It wasn't anything like Sibbald's for Utd in my opinion. I don't think it was a clear and obvious error of course. There was also a definite clumsy handball (I think by the same player) a few minutes later that the ref was in no position to give, but had VAR a camera behind the goal, which I don't think they will, it would have been spotted and perhaps given. It would have been a shitey penalty to get though.

4 hours ago, BigAl said:

It actually is worse and he knew exactly what he was doing and Barron had zero chance of avoiding the assault. He is actually probably very lucky to have avoided serious injury.

Perversely, despite it being violent and malicious, the fact that it was aimed and deliberate probably makes it less likely that Barron would have got serious injury I reckon. If you've ever kicked someone while playing fitba, which of course I would never do, you sort of know what you're doing with the stiff booting that you dish out in frustration. Those ones are the sort that give a nasty bruis or a dead leg or whatever, but not the breaks that come with a clumsy studs up or "out of control" slide. He knew what he was doing. "Left one on him" I think the dinosaur pundit would describe it.

4 hours ago, Jute said:

Roos challenge on Humphries looked a penalty. I thought Duk dived/was going down anyway in first half. 

Think Duk was changing direction in an attempt to beat the player in front of him and get a shot away, when the player behind stuck out a leg which tripped him has he made the change of direction. Was earlier in the same move where Duk was hauled back by his shirt 2 handed, that never got called back for a yellow, at the next break in play? 

TBF thought the hearts one was probably a pen too. 

There was a similar challenge to Richardsons maybe Cochrane on Stewart that was given as a foul but no card (no consistency) and Barron seemed to be getting kicked all over the place with impunity, which likely lead to Grant feeling he could make that challenge.