A-Z: Ultimate Aberdeen Squad and Team from your lifetime

[Don Julio]

At the risk of being ridiculed and starting a thread that dies on its arse, I thought I'd suggest an alternative distraction to the 4 word story (which I'm loving by the way) while we otherwise waste our days away googling stuff to do with the C word.

Basic idea is that you need to build your ultimate 25 man A-Z Aberdeen squad (plus manager) and from it a starting 11 with 5 substitutes. The rules are:

1. You're allowed only one person for each letter of the alphabet (surname basis). So if you choose Miller you can't have McLeish, McKimmie or Mackie So you'll end up with maximum 26 names in total (A-Z) from which you'll choose 17 (starting 11, 5 subs and manager) for matchday.

2. They can only be players/managers who played for Aberdeen during your footballing lifetime (no need to have seen them in the flesh - you don't need to be a Top Red to play). So for me given my first footballing memory is 1978, that's where things start. Much as I might like Zoltan Varga as my 'V' or Martin Buchan as my 'B' I can't have them. But on the other hand, although by the time I saw Joe Harper his glory days were over, I can still have him at his peak.

3. If you can't find someone who played for or managed Aberdeen during your lifetime whose surname starts with X, for example, then that's a blank in your roster

4. You can pick whatever formation you like. Auld mannies like me can have 4-4-2. If you fancy yourself as the new McInnes or Levein you can make up any weird stuff you like, so long as there's only 11 players on the pitch.

5. It has to be a genuine squad so you need cover for each position, including on your bench. Obviously if you were to choose Andy Considine then as we all know he can play centre back, left back, striker, etc. Utility players are fine.

6. AberDNA members are allowed 2 extra players of their choice. (That one was a joke by the way)

It's not as easy as it sounds. For one thing, you can only have one M, and that includes Mcs and Macs. For another, you need to balance the team, so you can't just fill the squad with strikers. There's some hard choices to be made. In thinking about it a bit, you might need to swap a true great for a lesser player in order to get 3 or 4 centre backs in your squad or whatever.

Anyway, if this doesn't die right off the blocks hopefully it will inspire some debate, misty eyed reminiscence, ridicule, etc. Feel free to explain why you chose someone or who you purposefully overlooked in their place.

Your final entry should look something like this:

A - Archibald, Steve
B - Bett, Jim
C - Clark, Bobby
...

Starting 11:

Manager - Ally MacLeod

GK - Bobby Clark
LB - ...

Substitutes:

John Hewitt (for obvious reasons)
...
...

If nothing else, I'll get one reply as I'll do one. Might take me a day or two though.

Apologies to those whose football life started post-Alex Miller. Might be a tough task...

[Red Zone]

I'll give it a go as I'm as bored as everyone else on a Saturday with no sport

Squad

A - Anderson, Russell
B - Bett, Jim
C - Cooper, Neale
D - Dodds, Davie
E - Esson, Ryan
F - Ferguson, Sir Alex
G - Gillhaus, Hans
H - Harper, Joe
I - Irvine, Brian
J - Jess, Eoin
K - Kennedy, Stuart
L - Leighton, Jim
M - Miller, Willie
N - Nicholas, Charlie
O - Osbourne, Isaac
P - Pawlett, Peter
Q - Quinn, Paul
R - Rougvie, Doug
S - Strachan, Gordon
T - Tzetanov, Tzanko
U - Uchechi, Daniel
V - Vernon, Scott
W - Weir, Peter
X - ????
Y - Young, Willie
Z - Zerouali, Hitcham

and the team

Starting 11

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson

GK Jim Leighton
RB Stuart Kennedy
CB Willie Miller (captain)
CB Brian Irvine
LB Doug Rougvie
RM Gordon Strachan
CM Neale Cooper
CM Jim Bett
LM Peter Weir
CF Joe Harper
CF Hans Gillhaus

Substitutes

GK Ryan Esson
D Russell Anderson
D Tzanko Tzetanov
M Eoin Jess
M Peter Pawlett
F Charlie Nicholas
F Hitcham Zerouali

As you say not as easy as it sounds as so many M's I could have picked. I would have liked Rooney as well but was struggling for a left back (where have I heard that before) so went for big Doog instead

[Don Julio]

I think that's pretty close to what I have in my head, with a few wee tweaks. I think I'd go with:

Squad

A - Anderson, Russell
B - Bett, Jim
C - Cooper, Neale
D - Dodds, Billy (controversial, I know, but the poor loon cried the day we sold him to TSBTID)
E - Esson, Ryan (I struggled with this, but I couldn't find a decent outfield player with an E and he's not bad back-up)
F - Ferguson, Sir Alex
G - Gillhaus, Hans
H - Harper, Joe
I - Irvine, Brian
J - Jess, Eoin
K - Kennedy, Stuart
L - Leighton, Jim
M - Miller, Willie
N - Nicholas, Charlie
O - O'Neill, Brian (probably controversial too)
P - Pawlett, Peter (didn't feel right including him, but without him too light in midfield)
Q - Quinn, Paul
R - Rougvie, Doug
S - Strachan, Gordon (heartbreaking not to have Neil Simpson in the squad but still)
T - Tzetanov, Tzanko
U - Uchechi, Daniel
V - Van Der Ark, Willem
W - Weir, Peter
X - ????
Y - Young, Derek/Darren (can't remember for the life of me which was the better one)
Z - Zerouali, Hitcham

and the team

Starting 11

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson

GK Jim Leighton
RB Stuart Kennedy
CB Willie Miller (captain)
CB Russell Anderson (I think that alongside Miller he could have been immense)
LB Doug Rougvie (like you I couldn't find a proper left back I wanted that didn't start with M. Thought about shoe-horning Stephen Glass in)
RM Gordon Strachan
CM Neale Cooper
CM Eoin Jess (Not sure if that leaves the staring 11 too attacking but couldn't leave him out)
LM Peter Weir
CF Charlie Nicholas (Never saw King Joey at his best. Watching Nicholas/Gillhaus play together were some of the best moments for me)
CF Hans Gillhaus

Substitutes

GK Ryan Esson
D Brian Irvine
D Brian O'Neill
M Jim Bett
M Peter Pawlett
F Joe Harper
F Hitcham Zerouali


In the end too many forwards, too many centre backs. If the full backs got injured would end up playing 3 at the back! I'm sure someone can come up with a more balanced squad.

[seeyazander]

Nae room for Zoltan Varga in that team?

[Don Julio]

My youth excludes him! Sadly...

[rustlinsweetiepapers]

Well done Don Julio, that was extremely difficult even with the advantage of having more to choose from as an auld mannie. Started with so many strikers that when the rest of the team got filled and the forwards pruned was struggling for the bench but enough goals from midfield to see off most opposition.

Old age does teach that you need a proper left back and they don't come much more proper than Jim Hermiston.

A Steve Archibald
B Jim Bett
C Bobby Clark
D Billy Dodds
E Ryan Esson (because I can't think of anyone else)
F Sir Alec Ferguson
G Arthur Graham
H Jim Hermiston
I Brian Irvine
J Eoin Jess
K Stewart Kennedy
L Jim Leighton
M Willie Miller
N Charlie Nicholas
O John Ogston
P Jens Petersen
Q I know this could be Paul Quinn but, no thanks
R Doug Rougvie
S Gordon Strachan
T Theo ten Caat (If this C not T then Ian Taylor)
U No way Daniel Uchechi is getting anywhere near a 'best of anything' squad
V Zoltan Varga
W Peter Weir
X ???
Y Willie Young
Z Hicham Zerouali

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson
GK Jim Leighton
RB Stuart Kennedy
CB Willie Young
CB Willie Miller
LB Jim Hermiston
M Gordon Strachan
M Jim Bett
M Zoltan Varga
M Peter Weir
F Charlie Nicholas
F Stevie Archibald

Subs:
GK John Ogston
D Doug Rougvie
D Brian Irvine
M Arthur Graham
M Eion Jess
F Hicham Zerouali
F Billy Dodds

[Don Julio]

Well done, Rustlin - that’s a cracking looking team. And you can see some hard decisions had to be made. Sacrificing King Joey in particular I imagine. But worth it for a proper fullback.

Steve Archibald, eh?

Had to look Jens Petersen up, to my shame. How come joining Aberdeen ended his international career?

[rustlinsweetiepapers]

Well done, Rustlin - that’s a cracking looking team. And you can see some hard decisions had to be made. Sacrificing King Joey in particular I imagine. But worth it for a proper fullback.

Steve Archibald, eh?

Had to look Jens Petersen up, to my shame. How come joining Aberdeen ended his international career?

Denmark only allowed amateur players at international level then and Aberdeen was Petersen's first professional gig.

People forget how good Stevie Archibald was. A record transfer between a Scottish and English club, top scorer in the English 1st Division, £1m+ transfer to Barcelona who won their first La Liga in years in his first season and he played in a European Cup Final. European Cup, English 1st Division, jumpers for goalposts. Mmmm marvellous. What was amazing at the time was that we didn't really miss him, there was such a conveyor belt of great strikers to follow. Hermiston had to be there so no King Joey though I did think briefly (really, really briefl, honest, about David Robertson).

[Don Julio]

Still hoping someone born mid-80s or later has a go at this, to see whether it’s possible to build a half decent squad