Aberdeen v Livingstone

[TheDeeDon]

Ah see Alex McLeish was in attendance. Job huntin??

He's great mates with Burrows, so will be him with Lennon assisting.

[stewarty27]

He's great mates with Burrows, so will be him with Lennon assisting.

Stop it just stop it !!

[TheDeeDon]

Highlights watch and the finish for the goal was even better than it looked at the game. Frankie would have approved of that finish

Was a pity that Duk couldn't have got on the end of that cross from Ramadani in the first half. Would have been a great goal coonsidering he started it off in our own half.
Some of the tricks he pulls off can are great to watch, although the two drunks behind me in the SS today wouldn't agree.

Shinnie getting stuck into his brother too was another good sight to see. Wasn't quite sure what happened late in the game when the Livi player took him out and got booked (I don't think it was his Brother), but he leapt up cupping his ears which got a 'one of our own' sung to him.

[rico94]

The 2 CBs are defenders who think like defenders and don't imagine they are Beckenbauer in disguise - they were up against a lump today and handled him pretty comfortably. Also thought McKenzie was good today and hopefully he'll keep him place next week - he deserves a run in the team and it's better to develop our own and not some other team's.
Hopefully the Arabs don't ditch their manager just yet - we don't want them having a "new manager bounce" next week, but yes it was pretty funny hearing the results.

Have to say I like the look of Pollock and MacDonald but it seems to me that Barry Robson has instructed them to just do their job and defend.

I have no problem with that and I would be more than happy to give MacDonald a contract for next season.

I do wonder though whether he would struggle if the new manager tries to get him to play out from the back.

It seems to me that Glass and Goodwin were trying to get the likes of Gallagher and Stewart to play out from the back which they were uncomfortable with and if they were told to just clear the ball up the park like Pollock and MacDonald have been they would have been better.

[Don Julio]

Just watched the Sportscene highlights. Looks to me like McCrorie had another strong game at full back. Can we just keep a settled back four for the rest of the season with the two CBs and then Scales/Mackenzie at LB? I think that if we do we can climb to 4th, with or without a new manager.

As others have said, while I understand the desire to play it out from the back, with the wages we pay we’ll do well to find a back 4 that can do that.

Robson’s simplifying what’s required of our defenders and moving Clarkson to playmaker look like simple but effective changes. Combined with Shinnie’s drive and the undoubted talents of Duk and Miovski we have a solid platform. We do look a little light on creativity in midfield ahead of Clarkson but maybe in the situation we find ourselves in that’s tolerable.

[Shetland Don]

Just watched the Sportscene highlights. Looks to me like McCrorie had another strong game at full back. Can we just keep a settled back four for the rest of the season with the two CBs and then Scales/Mackenzie at LB? I think that if we do we can climb to 4th, with or without a new manager.

As others have said, while I understand the desire to play it out from the back, with the wages we pay we’ll do well to find a back 4 that can do that.

Robson’s simplifying what’s required of our defenders and moving Clarkson to playmaker look like simple but effective changes. Combined with Shinnie’s drive and the undoubted talents of Duk and Miovski we have a solid platform. We do look a little light on creativity in midfield ahead of Clarkson but maybe in the situation we find ourselves in that’s tolerable.

McCrorie and Duk for me were the best two players on the park and our two new CB’s had a great game too - both had a real physical presence and were commanding throughout the entire game. Apart from the goal, the game was pretty boring (and cold!) though, but I was OK after I defrosted with a hot shower and then a nice meal out with a few drinks.

PS - Ramadami too had a good game.

[InversneckieDob]

I think a problem with fitba at all levels is a desire to copy what the Wendy-moneyball guys are doing.
"Playing through the high press" and other such w@nkyisms are commonplace (it's many a year since I was at Inverdee on a Saturday, but it wouldnae surprise me to see Pep wannabees espousing this in that arena) but if you have players that are nae that comfy on the ball, it's a recipe for disaster.

In this league, and let's nae beat around the bush........it's sh1te, if you put round pegs in round holes and ask players to do what they're capable of doing, you can get into the top six, and push for top four, relatively easily.

Look at what Martindale's done at Livingston, that team has nae right being where they are.
But he keeps it simple.
Dinna get me wrong, it's eye-bleeding fare and Aberdeen as a football club should be capable of hitting a substantially higher level.

But the basic premise is the same, get players in roles they're capable of playing and dinna ask them to do what they canna do.

[RED_JOHN]

Or you sign players who can take the game up a level or two. The standard is bad because the players are glamourised Sunday league players

[TheDeeDon]

Or you sign players who can take the game up a level or two. The standard is bad because the players are glamourised Sunday league players

Finding these players within our means is the much more difficult part.

[bigj]

I think a problem with fitba at all levels is a desire to copy what the Wendy-moneyball guys are doing.
"Playing through the high press" and other such w@nkyisms are commonplace (it's many a year since I was at Inverdee on a Saturday, but it wouldnae surprise me to see Pep wannabees espousing this in that arena) but if you have players that are nae that comfy on the ball, it's a recipe for disaster.

In this league, and let's nae beat around the bush........it's sh1te, if you put round pegs in round holes and ask players to do what they're capable of doing, you can get into the top six, and push for top four, relatively easily.

Look at what Martindale's done at Livingston, that team has nae right being where they are.
But he keeps it simple.
Dinna get me wrong, it's eye-bleeding fare and Aberdeen as a football club should be capable of hitting a substantially higher level.

But the basic premise is the same, get players in roles they're capable of playing and dinna ask them to do what they canna do.

Speaking of ****yisms I see Shinnie has learnt the art of "buying" a foul in his time down south