Craig Brown's Post Match Interview

[Stoneybloke]

Normally CB doesn't dwell on the negatives too much after a match, but in his post-match BBC interview he said, amongst other things, that it was a very disappointing performance, we were always second to the ball and United were much sharper. Most worrying was the bit where he said that neither he or the players could understand why they can't play to the best of their ability.

 

If that is the case then what hope have we got. Has he not realised that maybe they just haven't got the necessary skills and ability and there are too many dysfunctional players in the team. Maybe he was trying to be kind to them in that nice way of his.

[Bobbyskitter]

Normally CB doesn't dwell on the negatives too much after a match, but in his post-match BBC interview he said, amongst other things, that it was a very disappointing performance, we were always second to the ball and United were much sharper. Most worrying was the bit where he said that neither he or the players could understand why they can't play to the best of their ability.

If that is the case then what hope have we got. Has he not realised that maybe they just haven't got the necessary skills and ability and there are too many dysfunctional players in the team. Maybe he was trying to be kind to them in that nice way of his.

I would be very surprised if Craig and Archie don't know exactly what kind of players the majority of the squad is made of and just how dysfunctional some of them are, considering how good friends Knox and McGhee are they probably knew more about the players they'd inherited than the squad themselves realise.

 

The bit where he said that neither he or the players could understand why they can't play to the best of their ability probably means when CB and AK asked them to explain why they didn't perform as he knows they can they all probably just sat quiet and looked at their feet, and as briPod says CB's not going to slate them in public even though he knows exactly why they've been so poor.

[Mouse]

I have more faith in Craig and Archie than Caldospiel and McGhee combined, then is that much to ask?

[weapon]

I have more faith in Craig and Archie than Caldospiel and McGhee combined, then is that much to ask?

 

I agree, I have total faith that his future signings will be good and move us forward.

 

He will realise that there's still players in the squad that are sh*te and need moved on......diamond, young, langfield for example and hartley is starting to look his age.

 

We need to get in young hungry players with good technique and i believe brown and knox will do that........it may take another season or two (if brown survives) but i believe we will be awesome again

[RUL]

I agree, I have total faith that his future signings will be good and move us forward.

 

He will realise that there's still players in the squad that are sh*te and need moved on......diamond, young, langfield for example and hartley is starting to look his age.

 

We need to get in young hungry players with good technique and i believe brown and knox will do that........it may take another season or two (if brown survives) but i believe we will be awesome again

 

I don't have any faith in Brown releasing any of the above and I expect more signings of the McNamee ilk.

 

That said if we beat St Mirren on aturday I won't dwell on it.

[Stoneybloke]

CB's not going to slate them in public even though he knows exactly why they've been so poor.

So does he know how to make them improve, is it just a temporary thing?

[Bobbyskitter]

So does he know how to make them improve, is it just a temporary thing?

In my opinion its not temporary, if anything its been systemic of the club for years now and i cant help but worry that we've seen the improvement already with the run of decent results that happened when CB and AK initially arrived at the club and what were getting now is a leveling off of the performances now that the initial lift the new management brought with them has worn off. One positive is that new players have arrived during that time to so were i a better place as far as the squad is concerned compared to when McGhee was sacked so no mater how poor thing get now they'll never be quite as bad as they have been earlier in the season. I think it'll be next season before we see a real change in the attitude and application of the squad but that will be mainly due to a large turnover of players with the majority of the out of contract players leaving during the summer.

[Stoneybloke]

In my opinion its not temporary, if anything its been systemic of the club for years now

I agree with you that we have had an ever repeating cycle of mediocre inconsistency, with an occasional decent or above average performance for what seems like an endless period now. Is there something about the culture or atmosphere at Pittodrie that breeds a sense of complacency, or false confidence in different sets of players under different managers. Maybe this happens to other teams as well and we just don't notice it. Of course Ferguson cracked it when he was here, and probably Turnbull as well, but apart from that it's been more or less the same for about 60 years.

[K-9]

I don't have faith he will get the full wages of those leaving in summer from those above to use rebuilding squad from basically scratch.

[bobb4you]

It's a little early to lose faith and if you don't have faith a little bit of what they call "benefit of the doubt" wouldn't go amiss.

[RUL]

I've given to many managers the benefit of the doubt, how about one of them actually earns it,, in Brown's case - by winning on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

[Stoneybloke]

It's a little early to lose faith and if you don't have faith a little bit of what they call "benefit of the doubt" wouldn't go amiss.

Faith in what? The team, the manager, the board? To have faith, sometimes you have to ignore facts. Unfortunately the facts are that the team, or teams have let us down far too often. The current manager, although I'd say he is the best we've had for a long time, has to be viewed as a relatively short term stop gap, and the less said about the board the better.

 

Having been a Dons supporter, albeit an exiled one for the majority of the time, for over 50 years, I must have some faith, or whatever it is, but having suffered false hopes too often, the facts are that as usual we have an inconsistent, over-rated team with too many non-performing individuals. I have some faith that Mr Brown recognises that, but sadly, not a lot of hope that anything can be done to resolve that situation.

[Crossbow]

CB took a long time to come to us - that time I hope he used to get Wiggy to agree to develop the squad. He knew what he was inheriting - it does no good for CB/AK to slag the players - he might as well keep them as onboard as he can - the summer is hopefully when we'll see improvement. I'd add McLeod and McNeill to the list of managers who have done something here - Ally changed attitudes and McNeil developed a fine squad; that being said the board was different to todays. I still thinnk CB/AK represent our best hope of progress but we need to be realistic about many of the squad - the are bottlers and con merchants of the highest order and hopefully a few less will be qearing red next season - our hopes and fears will become reailty in the summer. If we keep and play Clangers and Zander then prepare for more seasons of mediocrity.

[RTYD]

Normally CB doesn't dwell on the negatives too much after a match, but in his post-match BBC interview he said, amongst other things, that it was a very disappointing performance, we were always second to the ball and United were much sharper. Most worrying was the bit where he said that neither he or the players could understand why they can't play to the best of their ability.

 

If that is the case then what hope have we got. Has he not realised that maybe they just haven't got the necessary skills and ability and there are too many dysfunctional players in the team. Maybe he was trying to be kind to them in that nice way of his.

 

 

Brown is talking in the short term as he has to work with these guys until May. He can then bin the majority and bring in players who will be able to understand.

 

It's called man management.

[RUL]

Yeah but you posted the exact same thing about McGhee this time last season, many of your comrades also believed he was going to get rid of the dross, it was only "mind games" that he was saying he wanted the players to stay....

 

 

[Crossbow]

Yeah but you posted the exact same thing about McGhee this time last season, many of your comrades also believed he was going to get rid of the dross, it was only "mind games" that he was saying he wanted the players to stay....

 

You can either hope or despair - I certainly hope its just mind games - proof comes in the summer - it would be galling to find three managers in a row thinking that that lot are footballers worthy of AFC.

[Sonic]

yeah, because how could 3 actual managers think someones a good player when frothing r-tards on here dont agree?

 

Because only the manager knows the budget.

 

It's not about how good a player is, it's about how much we are paying them.

[Crossbow]

yeah, because how could 3 actual managers think someones a good player when frothing r-tards on here dont agree?

 

frothing retards - you're the one who called Bobby Robson a gibbering idiot whose managerial record right to the end knocks into a cocked hat that of MM and JC, so for frothing retards - please check image in mirror. CB very much gets the benefit of the doubt - to suggest that our team is composed of would be Messi's, McLeishes and Shiltons is flying in the face of reality. We have to cut our cloth to match our finances but I do think that we can spend some wages better; Langfield and Diamond are surplus to requirements come the summer (unless prepared to stay on a sensible salary as would befit a squad player). I know you have a different opinion on the matter, I think you, JC and MM are wrong.

[Bobbyskitter]

to be fair to to MM crossbow, i think he had identified that Langfield at least wasn't providing value for money as he did attempt to bring in keepers to challenge for the No1 spot but i think it was lack of finances rather than anything else that meant he failed in his search for a decent first team keeper.

[Crossbow]

to be fair to to MM crossbow, i think he had identified that Langfield at least wasn't providing value for money as he did attempt to bring in keepers to challenge for the No1 spot but i think it was lack of finances rather more than anything else that meant he failed in his search for a decent first team keeper.

 

Point taken, consider MM taken off the list. That just leaves MT and JC.

[Bobbyskitter]

yeah?

 

who did MM bring in and who did he try and bring in to replace JL?

Folly and Vernon, who do you think.

[K-9]

well, ...if he thought mark howard was going to replace langfield then he was an even poorer judge of player than i thought

Howard was brought in to replace no.2 Nelson who left and was never going to be no.1 and never going to be coming on wage anywhere near Langfields.

[tup]

We have plenty of hope for the future, of course the rest of this season is going to be a bit of a grind, we just need to see it out.

 

We'll have a proper team capable of challenging at the right end of the table come August.

[Bobbyskitter]

well,...if he thought mark howard was going to replace langfield then he was an even poorer judge of player than i thought

He was brought in to challenge langfield and when you consider the wage he's on compared to Langfields he's def better value for money. The fact he played a 10 first team games this year some of them at Langfields expense shows that MM did see Langfield as a weak link in the team and he was willing to try Howard. As for poor judge of player the question is was the worse decision to try Howard ahead of Langfield or to give Langfield the contract he's on in the first place rather than look around for something better on the same money?

[K-9]

He was brought in to challenge langfield and when you consider the wage he's on compared to Langfields he's def better value for money. The fact he played a 10 first team games this year some of them at Langfields expense shows that MM did see Langfield as a weak link in the team and he was willing to try Howard. As for poor judge of player the question is was the worse decision to try Howard ahead of Langfield or to give Langfield the contract he's on in the first place rather than look around for something better on the same money?

Howard would probably still be our number 1 had he not got injured.

[Stoneybloke]

I remember saying the same thing last year.

I imagine there will be plenty in the same boat as RUL who are fed up putting their faith in a manager only to be let down time and time again, and who can blame them? I know we'll likely lose players this summer, but staying in the cup for as long as possible and try and climb up in the league to end the season on something approaching a high.

 

No need to imagine, look at the season ticket sales, and the level of attendances. If we lose on Saturday, then that's the season over, because the top six is looking like a lost cause now.

[K-9]

im going to call you on that thinkly veiled attack on sir jimmy

 

first of all, JC didnt think we needed anyone better, not as a priority anyway

 

mcghee failed to find anyone

 

brown doesnt seem to want to either

 

so whats your point?

2 of the 3 haven't had a choice yet. Brown will have choice for summer though.

[RUL]

not when that includes derek young

 

as much as i like the man, hes just not good enough for us and its ok if he comes on with 10 mins left, but when hes starting games in the middle of our park, theres problems

 

Or when he's first on as sub, when your looking to turn the game, fkn unreal.

[Bobbyskitter]

im going to call you on that thinkly veiled attack on sir jimmy

 

first of all, JC didnt think we needed anyone better, not as a priority anyway

mcghee failed to find anyone

brown doesnt seem to want to either

 

so whats your point?

JC claimed Tommy Wright and Gary McDonald were going to take the SPL by storm, so his thinking that we didn't need anyone better than Langfield doesn't necessarily mean Langfield's the best we could hope to get for the money we pay him.

 

McGhee didn't fail to find anyone better, he didn't get the opportunity to.

 

What i said was "the question is, was the worse decision to try Howard ahead of Langfield or to give Langfield the contract he's on in the first place rather than look around for something better on the same money?" McGhee didn't get a chance to find a better keeper for the same money, McGhee failed to find a better keeper on a much lower wage.

[RUL]

Indeed, it begs the question of the competence of our board, to employ McGhee, by sacking a previous manager at great cost, then reduce his budget. After a fkn awful season they cut the budgt once again and then half way through sack him and then give the next guy more money.....

 

Yet some cants on here still trust this board to produce a top class stadium when they can't even get the fundamentals behind the football team right.