This should have been a fairly routine fixture, but now on the back of some horrendous results and effort, this is absolutely a must win game given the possibility of falling out of the top six, let alone losing fourth. 
 

their form is as bad as ours, so it really could go either way. I’d say I hope we don’t over complicate it, but not sure that’s going to be an issue.

out

Driving back from Cambridge

likely avoiding the football

Dinner

1-1, McCrorie

Out

thought the game was away

visiting family

spreading my festive joy

1-2, Barron. 
GOODWIN OUT

Out

Fuck knows

Red TV

Fuck knows

5-0 Miovski x 5

P.S. In my defence regarding this I might have had a few drinks to try and dull the pain of witnessing that shite last night

Oot

Lismore

3 - 0 Dons  Duk,Hayes x2....Bounce back starts here(also enjoying a good wine tonight 🤔)

Not sure if I am going to bother with this. £40 return on the train plus beer makes it an expensive day. After Tuesday we have to change things. Wondering if we consider going back to 4 at the back to allow us an additional body in midfield. Do we also stick with two up top or switch back to one. Big test of Goodwin’s ability as a manager. Is he up to it? I don’t know. 
 

Oot unless I change my mind. 
 

2-0 Miovski and Ramirez. 

There should be big changes after Goodwin's comments about lack of fight etc, but there won't be. Stewart will return, Hayes if fit will play, maybe Besuijen starts cos Clarkson injured, that will be it I imagine. Same tactics, McCrorie probably still in defence, but a smug Goodwin telling us they've answered their critics because a poor County side are put to the sword. 

Want: A shit, horrible 1-0 win that gets us the points so we don't fall further behind Hearts, but still results in Cormack realising it's time for change, getting a ferry to Norway (climate change and that), and getting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. (Hear me out. He's coaching the Kristiansund U14s, he says he wants back in management, was getting things together at Molde before Man Utd came calling, has pumped Celtic and Hibs already. Let's do this. Ole for the Dons min. The campaign starts now).

Expect: 3-0 the Dons cos County are wank. We go on to lose to St Johnstone, Rangers and Hearts. We pay the SFA all the money we saved for the new stadium to get Steve Clarke, and without Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney and John McGinn in his team everyone gets to see how bang average he is. Cormack announces the £80m new stadium will be a 14,000 capacity and they hope to move in by 2028.

 

Edit: I do appreciate Charlie Nicholas pitched Ole in February and we all ignored him. That was a mistake from everyone and I want to be first to apologise to the great man.

Edited December 30, 20223 yr by Panda

Another Donstalker succumbs to the drink....😔

12 hours ago, Jute said:

Wondering if we consider going back to 4 at the back to allow us an additional body in midfield. Do we also stick with two up top or switch back to one

A back four doesn't give us an additional body in midfield though. We played a back three against killie, with five in midfield, Coulson and Kennedy as wing backs. It was actually a 3-1-4-2, which we've played successfully at home prior to Barron coming back. It very much does not suit Barron, and we should have played the 3-4-1-2, which allows him to get more of the ball, keeps us tight and would have allowed Duncan the freedom that Clarkson was given. If we're going four at the back, then for me it has to be a 4-2-3-1, rather than a 4-4-2. If we have Stewart at the back and Kennedy or Richardson at fullback, then we need two players sitting to protect. I don't even know if that'll be enough! Stewart is a real dilemma, and I think we should just persist with the back three until we get a proper centre back (McRorie isn't the answer either, he was honking in the past couple of games) in January. Stewart is okay as the centre of a three. It's the best of a bad situation probably. 

I'd like to see us with the same setup as against the Hun, a 3-4-1-2. I think Duncan should be given another chance behind the strikers, as I think having Barron close to him confused matters. Hayes on the left and Kennedy probably deserves another chance on the right. Ramirez has to come in for Miovski and keep Duk there to see how they get on together. Worryingly, the back three of McKenzie, Scales and McRorie didn't work, with Scales in particular looking ropey. That could just have been the conditions though, adding to the plastic turf difficulties. I'd be happy to give that another shot. Lewis should get his opportunity. 

3 hours ago, Elgindon said:

Another Donstalker succumbs to the drink....😔

I'm not gonna lie Elgin, some Sardinian red wine was drank, but I'm gonna stick with Ole until Knutsen throws his hat into the ring.

By the way, talking of mad decisions, I've somehow been roped into Elgin City v East Fife on Jan 7, which as you can imagine I'm thrilled about. Where's good for a night out in Elgin afterwards? (Yes I did just ask that).

4 hours ago, Panda said:

Where's good for a night out in Elgin afterwards? (Yes I did just ask that).

Dr Gray's

Edited December 30, 20223 yr by tom_widdows

Joanna's? Is that a thing?

I'm going on the wine now so I'm gonna predict a 2 each draw with Hayes & Ramirez scoring 😉

59 minutes ago, RicoS321 said:

Joanna's? Is that a thing?

That was very much a 90's thing surely.

Try the A96 East towards Aberdeen 😉

Look, Elgin wouldn't be my first choice either, and that was before the train strikes meaning I'll need to drive and stay relatively sober which is going to affect any posts I make on here.

It's a corporate thing which means I'm probably paying four times as much as I should be.

Sure it'll be great.

Anyway, bringing the thread back to the game on Monday, I caught glimpses of County v Dundee United and the scoreline flattered United. County were very much in the game and on another day get a point.

Also played okay v Rangers but their problem, again, was scoring, which is just the sort of side we want to be facing. 

 

6 hours ago, Panda said:

I'm not gonna lie Elgin, some Sardinian red wine was drank, but I'm gonna stick with Ole until Knutsen throws his hat into the ring.

By the way, talking of mad decisions, I've somehow been roped into Elgin City v East Fife on Jan 7, which as you can imagine I'm thrilled about. Where's good for a night out in Elgin afterwards? (Yes I did just ask that).

Am a bit past the Club stage so not sure if Joanna's is still on the go.

  Muckle Cross is always lively,Thunderton good too.

Italian food at LA Toscana,Indian at Qismat. Good food and drink at the Mansfield,pricey kind

Edit - Niece says for younger crowd Foggies or Pinz 

16 hours ago, Panda said:

Anyway, bringing the thread back to the game on Monday, I caught glimpses of County v Dundee United and the scoreline flattered United. County were very much in the game and on another day get a point.

Also played okay v Rangers but their problem, again, was scoring, which is just the sort of side we want to be facing. 

 

Doubt if that will continue given our defence.

On 31/12/2022 at 11:54, dons8321 said:

Doubt if that will continue given our defence.

That’s the spirit 😂

I expect a Jekyll and Hyde 3-0 today to paper over the cracks.

He won't change anything.

He'll play miovski, he'll score a penalty and everybody will say he's worth 10m again. 

Jim will put the last few weeks down to bad luck and well move on until the next poor run.

 

3 at the back stays but now 3 strikers. Barron dropped. 

Barron can have no arguments.

Was at both St Mirren and Killie games and he was honking in both.

Pleased to see Ramirez getting a start.

If he plays the same set up. Is Ramirez being asked to play behind the other two?

I genuinely can't believe that he sacrificed Barron to keep miovski in the side. 

I guessed Lopes will be asked to play wide to supply Miovski and Ramirez but really not sure if it’s even that. 

Is Hayes lacking fitness or something? Wouldn’t have Coulson on ahead of him otherwise.

35 minutes ago, redordead said:

If he plays the same set up. Is Ramirez being asked to play behind the other two?

I genuinely can't believe that he sacrificed Barron to keep miovski in the side. 

Being protected  ?

Perhaps his big move is going through in the next few days 😉

Lots of huff and puff but no end product so far 🙄