Craig & Archie Q & A

[Robbie Winters]

I had the pleasure of listening to about an hours worth of Q & A with Craig & Archie in the RDS last night.

Nothing really talked about that Brown has'nt been talking about in the press in last few days or what you can read between the lines but what is inescapable is the fact that we are totally skint but then again so are the rest of Scotland's teams apart from however qualifies for the CL next season.

Clear indication that he probably have kept all players but he needs to create space and free up cash hence Young and others going. The Chris Maguire situation is clear, AFC have told him he is wanted, he has been offered an improved deal and they are telling him basically don't be a dick and end up doing a Jim O'Brien and sitting on the bench with a team like Barnsley but obviously his agent is filling his head full of wasps.

The signings coming in will be free's or loans, as usual, but they will be of an experienced nature.

Sobering thought came from Craig is that even a very average EPL players annual salary is far larger than the SPL's total cash available to buy new players perhaps outside the OF.

 

You can tell they are committed to AFC and cannot thank enough the goodwill of the Fans and will do their upmost to bring at least a degree of dignity and hopefully success to the club.

[baconman]

Its clear from this that we need a chairman who has money to burn. I.e. someone who can pay off the debt and then stick another few million quid into a managers hand and say buy what you need. Milne & other directors clearly haven't got the reddies so our best hope is youth development and build from there. Sell on our developed players for profit. To do this we need a youth academy with private facilities so we can develop the best set up in Scotland. Already we are behind Hibs, Rangers, Celtic and Hearts. This was something Milne promised in the mid 90's when he took over...................still nothing!

[Stoney]

There is no chance of Milne going now, not with the stadium move coming up............

 

Who would to invest in scottish football just now?

[tup]

There is no chance of Milne going now, not with the stadium move coming up............

 

Who would to invest in scottish football just now?

 

Mind that utterly thick plank McGuinness was it? He invested millions of a lottery win in Livingston, only to see the whole lot disappear up the swanney and into the pockets of sh*t players and slimy agents.

 

This is why he was too stupid to have money in the first place. Folk like that shouldna be allowed to play the lottery, they're f**ked up anyway, the money just makes them 100 times worse.

 

Same as the fat prick binman who invested in the hun. Bet he feels a right gimp now, if he never before

[Jazzer_Bett]

Milne is going to secure us in a new stadium, make great business from Pittodrie, and have the debt restructured do that it doesn't cripple the playing side of the club. This will go some way to making up for the "fashionable overspending" that he and other SPL chairmen undertook in the 90s. There is no one out there to take over Aberdeen and burn cash on the club.

 

We are going to be in better shape in a few years and no amount of sniping from certain arseholes on here is going to get on the way of it.

 

When Mr Brown speaks I listen and he has reiterated all of the above. Meanwhile, I'm sure we will have a team we can trust in the immediate future, with pros we can rely on to play for the famous badge-at long last.

[RUL]

Milne is going to secure us in a new stadium, make great business from Pittodrie, and have the debt restructured do that it doesn't cripple the playing side of the club. This will go some way to making up for the "fashionable overspending" that he and other SPL chairmen undertook in the 90s. There is no one out there to take over Aberdeen and burn cash on the club.

 

We are going to be in better shape in a few years and no amount of sniping from certain arseholes on here is going to get on the way of it.

 

Have a word min, in other news Jazzer is arrested for dabbling in to many magic mushrooms.

 

 

[RTYD]

Milne is going to secure us in a new stadium, make great business from Pittodrie, and have the debt restructured do that it doesn't cripple the playing side of the club. This will go some way to making up for the "fashionable overspending" that he and other SPL chairmen undertook in the 90s. There is no one out there to take over Aberdeen and burn cash on the club.

 

We are going to be in better shape in a few years and no amount of sniping from certain arseholes on here is going to get on the way of it.

 

When Mr Brown speaks I listen and he has reiterated all of the above. Meanwhile, I'm sure we will have a team we can trust in the immediate future, with pros we can rely on to play for the famous badge-at long last.

 

Jazzer your approach has been consistent. You mention "certain arseholes" on here and fair enough everyone is entitled to their opinion, but we cannot surely allow Stewart Milne off from the diabolical mistakes he has made in the past, some of which he was pre warned about, for example hiring Alex Miller.

 

We will hopefully be in better shape but I for one would love it if Mr Milne would just hold his hands up and say "OK guys I've f**ked up in the past and hopefully I've learnt enough not to do it again"

[Stoney]

Milne is going to secure us in a new stadium, make great business from Pittodrie, and have the debt restructured do that it doesn't cripple the playing side of the club. This will go some way to making up for the "fashionable overspending" that he and other SPL chairmen undertook in the 90s. There is no one out there to take over Aberdeen and burn cash on the club.

 

We are going to be in better shape in a few years and no amount of sniping from certain arseholes on here is going to get on the way of it.

 

When Mr Brown speaks I listen and he has reiterated all of the above. Meanwhile, I'm sure we will have a team we can trust in the immediate future, with pros we can rely on to play for the famous badge-at long last.

 

 

Please eleborate?

[BigSmokeDon]

we cannot surely allow Stewart Milne off from the diabolical mistakes he has made in the past, some of which he was pre warned about, for example hiring Alex Miller.

 

 

Newsflash: Unless you've got a spare

[Jazzer_Bett]

Looking at thge positives guys, as always. Naysaying won't get the club anywhere - I think its remarkable that we are managing to start a new dawn for the club in such difficult times, especially when there is no money around, let alone in football.

 

I am not for or against Milne, just making an observation that he is in charge right now (not for ever) and the club and most of it fans are pulling together to make AFC great again.

 

Shoot me down for looking up if you want, no sweat peeps.

 

COME ON YOU REDS

[Stoney]

Dont mind you being positive, what i do mind is you refering to people as "arseholes" for not agreeing with your point of view.

I dont think you understand the message Craig Brown has given the fans by offering Langfield a new deal.

[RTYD]

Newsflash: Unless you've got a spare

[tup]

Dont mind you being positive, what i do mind is you refering to people as "arseholes" for not agreeing with your point of view.

I dont think you understand the message Craig Brown has given the fans by offering Langfield a new deal.

 

What message is that?

 

That he knows better than most of the people in the stands about the merits of football players?

 

Agreed.

[RUL]

Newsflash: Unless you've got a spare

[RUL]

What message is that?

 

That he knows better than most of the people in the stands about the merits of football players?

 

Agreed.

 

That by keeping players like Langfield the fans will associate Brown with the past, a great opportunity to get rid of someone who's been error prone for far to long. The end result will be in season ticket sales, or the lack off.

 

Heard Brown on Northsound just there saying Aluko/Maguire were offered contracts weeks ago and the club have heard nothing. He's pushing for a quick answer.

[tup]

Come on te f**k tup. Sticking with Langfield is a guarantee of nothing better than mediocrity and a savage indictment of AFC's lack of ambition. He is a f**king clown. Have you not been watching these last seven years? The thing that we don't know is whether Brown has seen that he's pish but has been told to stick with him by Leighton and Miller, or whether he himself is making the same mistake as his two predecessors.

 

He's nowhere near as bad as portrayed here, savage indictment of a decent servant for the club.

 

Yes, he's bottled it several times, but show me a keeper who has not?

 

I don't particularly associate Langfield with failure, it's been a mixed bag overall for him here, but I do accept he may be tainted by too many big game defeats.

 

He'd be a decent keeper in a strong Aberdeen side, of course he's been exposed in a weak one, but I don't think that Brown should be hung out to dry for offering him a deal.

[Jazzer_Bett]

what i do mind is you refering to people as "arseholes" for not agreeing with your point of view

 

Au contraire Stoneymin, we all know who is the master of that. I apologise if you felt that you are one of these poeple because that was not the intention! You are fair and constructive in your questioning of who the club is run and how you go about it on here, from what I can see.

 

Mistakes have been made, by all SPL clubs - however AFC is trying to correct these and move forward with the meagre resources we have, making the most of what we've got. It was never going to be a quick fix unfrotunately and the younger generation of fans has only known suffering sadly. However for the first time I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and the Club has to be applauded for how it has gone about rectifying this over the last couple of years - and i'm talking off the field of course.

 

On the field things look brighter with Mr Brown and Archie in charge that is certain.

 

Aye Langfield is a strange one, must be said. Maybe its actually Jim Leighton, whom Mr Brown has huge respect for - who made that decision?

[minijc]

I'm not hanging Brown out to dry but if it is his decision and his alone that Clangers is good enough for AFC, then this is a big mistake. I don't believe he has a choice in certain matters personally and this may well be one.

 

This sh*te about a good keeper in a strong side and exposed in a weak one is bollocks. He can't do the basics and his reactions are garbage. Whatever goes on in front of him affects the number of goals against, but he could be a great keeper letting in an average of 3 a game or a sh*te keeper letting in 0.7 per game. He still has to do his job and he can't, because he's a f**king charlatan piece of sh*t.

I've heard that Brown has Graeme Smith (ex Hibs and Motherwell) lined up to come in.

[BigSmokeDon]

Especially as he has just over 1.5m shares that are currently worth f**k all. Nobody will be buying him out at this time as he has ruined the balance sheet FACT and we have every right to expect him to provide reparation OPINION. He probably wants out as much as some of us want him out, but not before he cleans up the mess of his making.

 

And I'm sure we would be in a much better position if someone else was chairman?

Can you point out to me the chairmen at their football clubs that are popular in any league?

I bet you can name 10 maximum in all the football clubs you can think of.

Of those, all of them will either be dead or have spunked a vast quantity of their fortunes for no return.

 

It's easy for the fan to criticise the chairman, as they never have to deal with how to actually run a football club. And any suggestions they make are always purely theoretical.

Could you have done a better job?

 

Do you love the Dons more than Milne? If so, does it matter?

how do you prove it?

[Jazzer_Bett]

*I should add the reason for my timing is on the back of the planning permission to sell and redevlop Pittodrie - another step forward another job well done.

 

For all Milne's faults, it is lucky that he is a house builder who will purchase this site and develop it regardless of the depressed market.

 

If Langfield was ever a decent keeper, he isn't now after years of psychological set backs as part of failing teams. He is damaged goods - I still think he could be a really good keeper - just at another club.

 

Ex MWell man Smith is pretty agile but not big enough for me. We need a keeper with the stature of Theo, Schmeichal who imposing not only to the opposition but his to own defenders!

[Jazzer_Bett]

Do you love the Dons more than Milne?

 

+1

 

One of the best lines i've ever, ever, read on this forum - I wish I had come up with it myself.

 

Summed up perfectly in 8 words min.

 

STAND FREE

[tup]

This sh*te about a good keeper in a strong side and exposed in a weak one is bollocks. He can't do the basics and his reactions are garbage. Whatever goes on in front of him affects the number of goals against, but he could be a great keeper letting in an average of 3 a game or a sh*te keeper letting in 0.7 per game. He still has to do his job and he can't, because he's a f**king charlatan piece of sh*t.

 

He can do his job, we've all seen it.

 

Keepers make mistakes, all of them. This stands out more in a poor team who are continually on the backfoot. Disna matter how good he might be, if shots are raining in, some of them will go in, inevitably.

 

He can do the basics, kicking perhaps being his weakest point, and I would suggest his reactions are well above average.

 

It's all about opinions, my opinion is you personally do not like the guy rather than deal with his merits or otherwise as a goalkeeper.

 

He is a good keeper. Therefore we offer him a contract. No big deal.

[RUL]

And I'm sure we would be in a much better position if someone else was chairman?

Can you point out to me the chairmen at their football clubs that are popular in any league?

I bet you can name 10 maximum in all the football clubs you can think of.

Of those, all of them will either be dead or have spunked a vast quantity of their fortunes for no return.

 

It's easy for the fan to criticise the chairman, as they never have to deal with how to actually run a football club. And any suggestions they make are always purely theoretical.

Could you have done a better job?

 

Do you love the Dons more than Milne? If so, does it matter?

how do you prove it?

 

You are dealing in hypothetical questions and not fact.

 

The facts are that Milne has been in charge of Aberdeen through their worst era, both on and off the pitch. He has gone through more managers than anyone else in a comparative period of time and has defaulted on many of his own "5" year plans whilst also failing to deliver on many of the other promises, stadium in Kingswells (that the club also incurred costs for) and training facilities. The guy has gone through 2 share issues which have raised over £6M in funds. He will soon come begging to us for another f**king share issue. His current master plan is to sell Pittodrie to pay of the debt. At the same time the club will undertake a £35M new stadium with no funds in place to pay for this. If you think good times lie ahead for this club you are sadly mistaken.

 

The rest of your post is sh*te, who gives a f**k if he loves the club more than us? I have never doubted his love for Aberdeen but his competence in running AFC.

[Stoney]

Au contraire Stoneymin, we all know who is the master of that. I apologise if you felt that you are one of these poeple because that was not the intention! You are fair and constructive in your questioning of who the club is run and how you go about it on here, from what I can see.

 

Mistakes have been made, by all SPL clubs - however AFC is trying to correct these and move forward with the meagre resources we have, making the most of what we've got. It was never going to be a quick fix unfrotunately and the younger generation of fans has only known suffering sadly. However for the first time I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and the Club has to be applauded for how it has gone about rectifying this over the last couple of years - and i'm talking off the field of course.

 

On the field things look brighter with Mr Brown and Archie in charge that is certain.

 

Aye Langfield is a strange one, must be said. Maybe its actually Jim Leighton, whom Mr Brown has huge respect for - who made that decision?

 

Yup you are correct, every club makes mistakes, weather it be Livi / Dundee / Gretna punching above their weight and getting too ambitious for their own good and then coming unstuck financially, weather it be fooling managerial apointments, Mowbery at celtic, PLG at Rangers, McGhee here, or poor choices regarding player purchases or tactics.

 

The differance being at other clubs one way or another mistakes are rectified and dealt with accordingly, whilst at our club we find ourselves in the exact same position season after season. Its one thing allowing time for brown to have time to build a squad and for him to get his stamp on the club, but its quite another not learning from your mistakes. Mistakes that were made last summer and the same mistakes that are going to be made this summer.

 

Offering Langfield a new deal is a sign that he is the best this club can hope to achieve, i for one refuse to admit this, i cannot believe that this is the best goal keeper we can attract to this club, we have had some fine goal-keepers over the years. I cannot belive that he has made it 6 years at this club.

 

Releasing 11 young players, now im no mathimation (i cant even spell it) but our U19 squad is made up of what 18 / 20 players! Now you cant be trying to tell me that in 5 years of development *multi million pound development if you believe the club* that we could have failed that badly in training these players that more than half of our U19 team are deemed surplus to requirements, not good enough. these guys have been playing U19's all season, these guys were meant to be making the step up. Does this now mean we are going to have to wait another 2 or 3 years before we see any sign of any talent coming through our youth set up.

 

There are players in the first team now that have no interest in giving their all for Aberdeen Football Club, they let Calderwood Down, they let McGhee down and now they are letting Brown down! Yet we throw money at them and beg them to stick around for the next failure.

 

Mistakes arnt being addressed they are only being rewarded with new deals.

 

Since the 2008 season we should have been on an up-curve, a high, we sold off our best assests we made a fortune on tv revenue - the future of the club was going to be youth, throwing money at the youth set up (allegedly) and for what - two years down the road to tell half of the youth team to f**k off! We should have been a force in scottish football for years to come with the set up we had, Between the managers and managment we are destined to become a farce for years to come.

 

Its a sign of how the highty have fallen. If Langfield signs another deal I fear for us next season......I really do.

[Jazzer_Bett]

AFC and Milne's reign in particular reflects the majority of the SPL clubs and chairman on the back of bad, bad decisions taken in the 90s the club and him are not alone.

 

AFC have a brighter future, because of a recognition and reaction (albeit sloiw) to the mistakes that were made. Like I said undertaking such a massive operation in a recession is to be applauded. In my opinion the pace has gathered only in the last 2/3 years - ironically after previous hingmy was fired, and unfortunatly at the expense of Mark McGhee.

 

We are cleaning up the mess so patience is required, not sniping, in fighting and abuse - please leave that to the Old Firm fans, we are better than that.

[Stoney]

Complete bollocks. I don't care about liking or disliking him and I'm not qualified to pass opinion, having never met him.

 

The only thing that matters to me is his performances for AFC. On this, we massively disagree. How can you see the first THREE goals at the Allianz and NOT consider his reactions as second or even third rate? I could go on for ever with goals against which were wholly down to his ineptitude but I fear I would be wasting my breath on you.

 

Anyone can see that Langfield is a goalie who even the basics are lost on, Some people know football some people don't unfortunatley the only one whos opinion matters has just given him a new contract, effectively signing his life away.

 

Would you trust Jamie Langfield with your job? I wouldnt.

[Jazzer_Bett]

I hear you Stoney, but I we need to wait and see after the summer as to what Mr Brown has in mind - I am willing to trust him.

 

-Langfield - I don't think he is going to be number 1. You don't sign other keepers as back up, you sign them to fight for the number 1 shirt. Previous managers signed back up keeprs and that was a mistake. Perhaps if we bring in someone of quality Jamie will raise his game? Personally, I'd rather have a new keeper but I am not against having Langfield in reserve.

 

-Under 19s - I think Mr Brown has let a bunch go because he simply feels the standard isn't good enough, and he is going to replace them with alternative under 19 signings? Again, wait and see - he is no fool.

 

-Since 2008 - Agree 100%, however I lay a lot of blame at previous hingmy and sadly, McGhee's door. He signed and re-signed players with no character and we've paid for it over the last 2/3 years. Finally we have a manager who recognises the barriers that have stood in our way football wise, and is setting about dismantling them. If you want two words that sum it up : Zander Diamond. That he wasn't offered a contract sends a clear message out to the Red Army. Dezzy Young is a nice guy but symbolises the poor standards we have had to put up with, and again Mr Brown has been ruthless here. He binned Ifil instantaneously.

 

In one phrase we have a manager who "sees what we can see". Finally.

 

Things will take off and with the team performing and with father figures in Mr Brown and Archie they will deliver the club into its new era. My big question is who is going to take the club forward in that new era - who is in line to be groomed under the tutelage of these two? I asked this at the time when they were being appointed in Glasgow (Eoin Jess was one I suggested), but perhaps it is for another day.

 

Aside of AFC, I am fed up reading all the nasties on here that emanate from one source in particular and I get the feeling a lot of other folk are turned off by it on this superb forum. I think we all want a cracking summer of Dons excitment to talk about on here and a break from all the repetitive, poisonous negative sh*te.

 

Cheers

[tup]

Complete bollocks. I don't care about liking or disliking him and I'm not qualified to pass opinion, having never met him.

 

The only thing that matters to me is his performances for AFC. On this, we massively disagree. How can you see the first THREE goals at the Allianz and NOT consider his reactions as second or even third rate? I could go on for ever with goals against which were wholly down to his ineptitude but I fear I would be wasting my breath on you.

 

You quote Allianz, playing against top quality players, the ball getting smacked at him from all angles, any goalkeeper would struggle in these conditions. It's just as easy to quote Dnipro, or other games where he's been nigh on unbeatable. I won't.

 

It's easy to pick out individual games to beat him with. Stoney reckons he cannot do 'the basics'. What are 'the basics'?

 

Has he hoodwinked several coaches over a number of years to get to where he has? No.

 

Of course he knows the f**king basics.

 

I prefer to look at his time here as a whole, he's been a decent servant overall.

 

He's a confidence player as I've alluded to in the past. The intensity and insanity of the criticism some of our best players take is hard to believe, Maguire was getting it in the neck a few weeks ago, that's gone quiet, now it's Langfield's turn.

 

There is no point in constant criticism of players who are on our payroll, I'm not sure what purpose it serves.

[Stoney]

I would say

commading your are during set pieces - fail

making yourself big during one on ones - fail

Kicking - fail

catching - fail

jumping out of the way of shots - pass.

 

You can argue till your blue in the face, its not going to make him any better.

[tup]

I agree that constant criticism of our own is counter-productive but he should never have been one of our own, ever. You would know this if you had seen him regularly enough over the last seven years or it could be (the only other possible explanation) that you don't understand the difference between bad, mediocre and good goalkeepers.

 

Well of course I do, I'm talking about having a sense of perspective, I don't see budding Schmeichel's playing for the other clubs in our league outwith the Old Firm.

 

I'm not saying he's brilliant, I'm saying he's decent and has done reasonably well at times.