Chris Crighton Spot On

[WillemVan]

I said a couple of weeks ago that it was criminal from Aberdeen to go into the new season with the full squad not yet in place, Chris Crighton said the same today in his article, he is spot on.

 

To hang around until the end of August hoping a Preimership club will loan us a youngstar is scandalous, by then we could be facing a mountain to climb.

[Ke1t]

I said a couple of weeks ago that it was criminal from Aberdeen to go into the new season with the full squad not yet in place, Chris Crighton said the same today in his article, he is spot on.

 

To hang around until the end of August hoping a Preimership club will loan us a youngstar is scandalous, by then we could be facing a mountain to climb.

 

It's nothing short of disgraceful.

 

It's nothing short of how Aberdeen FC operates.

[tup]

Sometimes Crichton can be wrong too, so I wouldna be blowing smoke rings out of his backside just yet.

[HughMungus]

yeah spot on...

 

crodyon on fire...

 

Is it just me or should we be wondering what the phukk is going on...and -perhaps be remembering where we were when this sh!t happened...?

[WillemVan]

Out of interest and asking without prejudice, is any other SPL club who hadn't finished their shopping before 23rd of July just as criminal and scandalous?

 

 

Couldn't give a f**k about other clubs, Aberdeen clearly needed to bring in the right players before the start of the season and have failed. We have a team that can't create chances, never mind score goals. Three games in and we look like real candidates for relegation.

[Ke1t]

Can't say I know too much about the other clubs, so I wouldn't like to comment on their preparedness.

 

I do know Aberdeen is sitting joint bottom of the SPL, though. Largely because we haven't assembled a team capable of scoring goals, even though we've had at least a couple of months in which identify and rectify those shortcomings.

[HughMungus]

Can't say I know too much about the other clubs, so I wouldn't like to comment on their preparedness.

 

I do know Aberdeen is sitting joint bottom of the SPL, though. Largely because we haven't assembled a team capable of scoring goals, even though we've had at least a couple of months in which identify and rectify those shortcomings.

 

yeah!

 

It pains me..but my un-founded optimism has been found out for what it is....

 

We're well short..

 

Look out for Hearts getting their season going next saturday

[HughMungus]

So just take what we can before the 23rd of July, irrespective of quality becoming available later in the window?

 

There's a balance to be struck, and it's broon's neck who'll be on the line if he gets it horribly wrong.

 

I'd wager every SPL club will sign at least one more player between now and the end of the window, which this season is around six weeks after the start of the season rather than two weeks as we've seen in previous seasons.

 

I'll hit the club with a stick when it deserves it, but this isn't as black and white as some seem to think.

 

I agree ( i think) with you Bri..

 

Do you not agree with me that it's more down to an injury lottery?

[Ke1t]

So just take what we can before the 23rd of July, irrespective of quality becoming available later in the window?

 

There's a balance to be struck, and it's broon's neck who'll be on the line if he gets it horribly wrong.

 

I'd wager every SPL club will sign at least one more player between now and the end of the window, which this season is around six weeks after the start of the season rather than two weeks as we've seen in previous seasons.

 

I'll hit the club with a stick when it deserves it, but this isn't as black and white as some seem to think.

 

I'm not actually blaming Brown entirely. He works with the funds he has, and he had to replace more or less an entire first team. Losing Maguire and Aluko should have been top priority, but instead we dicked around AGAIN with these players, rather than finding out if they were staying or going. If we'd demanded a response we would have had time to identify their replacements. These two positions were priority, and yet they were allowed to leave with no replacement identified.

 

Waiting for the English to decide who they want to loan out, assuming there's even someone suitable, is essentially writing off the first few games of the season, risking getting off to a poor start and hoping that we might get someone when the English are ready to talk loans.

 

And if there's no-one available, or no-one capable of filling in the blank spaces then we stumble on with a team that's incapable of creating chances.

 

We're three games into the season, with a trip to Tynecastle coming up, and we've got a guy playing up front who has managed 5 or six goals a year for the last decade and a goalkeeper on the wing.

 

We've had time to get at least some balance to the squad and for whatever reason we haven't done so and are happy enough to write off the first half dozen games, rather than spend the money on capable replacements.

 

Short term financial gain isn't going to help us if we can't get out of the bottom few spaces.

 

But the happy clappers told us repeatedly "There's PLENTY time before the season starts"... well, apparently two months is nothing like plenty time.

 

Where's our creative midfield?

 

Where's our goalscorer?

 

"Maybe we'll get them at the end of the month" is a pretty sorry state of affairs for Aberdeen Football club.

[tommo1903]

Kin fit does my heed in? The fact we haven't signed anyone from a club outwith the UK since Jeffrey De Vischer*

 

*That might nae be true, but still.

[Foster14]

Kin fit does my heed in? The fact we haven't signed anyone from a club outwith the UK since Jeffrey De Vischer*

 

*That might nae be true, but still.

 

Mawene?

[tommo1903]

Your what?

[Stoneybloke]

Let's take something positive out of yesterday's result. Our defence stood up to and contained Celtic for probably 90% of the game, which is considerably better than last season. One defensive mistake cost us the game. OK, so we can't score goals, but neither can Craig and Archie perform instant miracles.

[ollie1903]

 

So in response to my question, you'd rather go with "bring in anyone now" rather than bide our time and get quality in when it becomes available?

Quality has been available since the 1st of January.

[Ke1t]

 

Disagree with the bit in bold - top priority for me this summer had to be to solidify given what we saw last season and it's not unexpected given the type of teams we've seen from Broon in the past.

 

Build from the back and add the attacking stuff as we go. If you give the young EPL loans "later in the window" theory a go, you'd rather get such players in the wide and attacking positions where they can flourish with a bit of freedom rather than bring in inexperienced 18 year olds where we have the likes of Mawene and Arnason in the guts of our team now?

 

Well we've largely lost our first team from last year, thankfully, so wholesale rebuilding was top priority. We lost our only two current internationals, we should have known this and made sure it wasn't going to be an issue. Instead we 'left the deal on the table' for Aluko, with little chance of him taking us up on the offer, and just didn't (and won't) bother in the case of Maguire.

 

So in response to my question, you'd rather go with "bring in anyone now" rather than bide our time and get quality in when it becomes available?

 

We sign average players now, to fill a shirt purely because they're available and not because Brown particularly fancies them, what if they turn out to be complete Derek Young?

 

This is a failing of our scouting system... assuming we have one, which I don't think we do. We should have masses of information on players who are promising, free or looking to move. I can't believe that there's no lower league players who aren't coming through. Did we really identify no-one at all who could improve the team over a goalie and a hopeless striker?

 

For me, a short term loan from England doesn't constitute a replacement, but rather a stop gap.

 

This is even assuming we do get replacements for two very important positions.

 

 

You point towards the importance of the first few games, I point towards the 30 after that.

 

They're not mutually exclusive. They're all important. Experience shows that once you find yourself down at the bottom it becomes difficult to get yourself out of there... whether it's from lack of confidence or other teams' gaining confidence that we're very beatable. Writing us off as a goal threat by claiming Mackie will replace an international striker is suicidal rhetoric that even Brown doesn't believe.

 

I maintain my point about it being a tricky balance still stands, rather than it being "disgraceful" - certainly not happy with our start, however I fully appreciate that the need to solidify was our key priority this summer to sort out first and foremost.

 

If it were an isolated incident then I could go along with that... but we have a recent history of ill-preparedness at the beginning of the season. I recall us using Duff and Young as emergency defenders against Sigma because we had failed to identify defenders prior to the season starting. Then we panicked and signed Jerel Ifil based upon one game v Hull. Perhaps if, in the months since the previous season had ended, we had identified and signed realistic replacements we wouldn't have been hammered by Sigma or ended up with a lemon like Ifil.

 

We are very poor at preparing for the new season, not just this year but in years past. We tool around with one target until it's too late to identify other players, then we either start short or panic buy.

[Coopy100]

Instead we 'left the deal on the table' for Aluko, with little chance of him taking us up on the offer

I thought we did this to reap the benefits of any lub signing him would have to pay us some moolah? Moolah we are in no position to turn down as well sadly if I am correct.

[muttonhumper]

I said a couple of weeks ago that it was criminal from Aberdeen to go into the new season with the full squad not yet in place, Chris Crighton said the same today in his article, he is spot on.

 

To hang around until the end of August hoping a Preimership club will loan us a youngstar is scandalous, by then we could be facing a mountain to climb.

Indeed. All the more infuriating when we actually KNEW this was going to happen.

We knew we needed a striker and a creative midfielder.

There is also no guarantee we'll get anything of any use before the window slams shut.

By which time, the team will have no confidence on the back of a run of games without a win...or maybe even a goal.

It's fxcking ludicrous, but typical of how much of a joke we have became.

Even if we do get some decent players in, there is still no excuse for not having some sort of balance. And for having to make do with utterly incapable mongs like Mackie and playing the likes of Magennis as a left winger.

 

 

I agree ( i think) with you Bri..

 

Do you not agree with me that it's more down to an injury lottery?

I doubt having any of those players available would have made a difference to our inability to score.

 

 

I'm not actually blaming Brown entirely. He works with the funds he has, and he had to replace more or less an entire first team. Losing Maguire and Aluko should have been top priority, but instead we dicked around AGAIN with these players, rather than finding out if they were staying or going. If we'd demanded a response we would have had time to identify their replacements. These two positions were priority, and yet they were allowed to leave with no replacement identified.

 

Waiting for the English to decide who they want to loan out, assuming there's even someone suitable, is essentially writing off the first few games of the season, risking getting off to a poor start and hoping that we might get someone when the English are ready to talk loans.

 

And if there's no-one available, or no-one capable of filling in the blank spaces then we stumble on with a team that's incapable of creating chances.

 

We're three games into the season, with a trip to Tynecastle coming up, and we've got a guy playing up front who has managed 5 or six goals a year for the last decade and a goalkeeper on the wing.

 

We've had time to get at least some balance to the squad and for whatever reason we haven't done so and are happy enough to write off the first half dozen games, rather than spend the money on capable replacements.

 

Short term financial gain isn't going to help us if we can't get out of the bottom few spaces.

 

But the happy clappers told us repeatedly "There's PLENTY time before the season starts"... well, apparently two months is nothing like plenty time.

 

Where's our creative midfield?

 

Where's our goalscorer?

 

"Maybe we'll get them at the end of the month" is a pretty sorry state of affairs for Aberdeen Football club.

Correct.

 

Quality has been available since the 1st of January.

This also.

[ollie1903]

OK, provide me some names, projected wage, strengths/weaknesses and willingness to sign for the Dons without biding their time and we can have a proper discussion about it.

 

Or perhaps since only the likes of Brown and some others at the club would have an in depth knowledge of the above criteria, we should just maybe let him get on with it and at least try and understand the balance he's attempting to strike between getting players in quickly and getting the very best quality available within his budget.

 

It's a judgement call the manager has to make, it's what he's paid to do and it's the easiest thing in the world to criticise from afar when it's not your neck on the line. If it wasn't then we'd all be Jose Mourinho's right now.

 

Let the man do his job.

Bri, there are literally thousands and thousands of players out there who would be willing to sign for the Dons given an attractive enough package. What that package is I have no idea and their strengths and weaknesses is hypothetical. If you are happy with the squad as it is then that

[Dynamo]

Out of interest and asking without prejudice, is any other SPL club who hadn't finished their shopping before 23rd of July just as criminal and scandalous?

 

 

Whoc ares?

 

We're far from finished, or if we are we're f**ked. Simple as.

 

We had a great chance to get 6 points on the board, or at least 4, and we have 1, no goals. We started the season well short. There are players on the go, good players, qulaity wouln't have to be comrpomised.

 

Penny pinching at AFC.

[K-9]

Let the man do his job.

Wish he would.

[K-9]

For me, a short term loan from England doesn't constitute a replacement, but rather a stop gap.

Absolutely - short term possible solution to long term problem. I said possible solution as going round English clubs at end of window when the clubs have put in their 25 man squads and have players left out (although home grown players don't count in the 25 so would have to be completely out of picture at that point in career to be loaned out), we will be signing a "solution" blindly without having seen the player in action. Risky one.

[ollie1903]

And who says he's doing that?

 

Who's to say he hasn't scouted and identified targets and is waiting for the go ahead from the English clubs and biding his time to get in the best quality possible?

 

I suspect when we do get these young guys in the knives will be out for them and Brown from the first ball they kick.

 

Far from being beyond the realms of possibility, because Brown isn't blabbing to the press folk are making up theories as to what he is or isn't doing. Everyone wants things done by the start of pre season however it just doesn't work like that.

 

And Ollie I've said already I'm not happy with the squad as it is, do me the courtesy of reading what I actually post rather than what you think I post.

Including yourself

[StandFree1982]

I'm unsure about whether I like the idea of loan players.

 

Pros:

If they are pish, at least they aren't on a 2/3 year contract so we can just get rid of them without costing us a penny

We can pick up an absolute gem of a player (i.e. Aluko whenever he was willing to try)

We could find a decent play and be first choice to sign him come the end of the loan

 

Cons:

Stop gap solution to a bigger issue (can be addressed by having another loan player mind you)

If the player is good, we will likely lose him after a 6/12 months.

Loan player might not be as committed as a player who has signed for the club for 2/3 years.

If the player is sh*te, we might still end up having to play him due to a clause in the loan contract.

 

I'm veering towards the positives though, at the end of the day results and trophies is the goal in football so it doesn't matter if the players aren't contracted to us or not. History will see only results!

[Dandyesque]

We could have had a wonder striked in for the last 3 games, in which he scored in 2 matches and we'd still only have 3 points.

 

[StandFree1982]

We could have had a wonder striked in for the last 3 games, in which he scored in 2 matches and we'd still only have 3 points.

 

Thats the spirit!

[Stoney]

Biding his time or not the gamble has failed.

 

Our team is a f**king shambles.

 

Brown has f**ked up big time. On a much grander scale than Mcghee.

 

Our lack of width and disregard for any creative players is unbelievably stupid for a man of his experiance.

[Dandyesque]

Biding his time or not the gamble has failed.

 

Our team is a f**king shambles.

 

Brown has f**ked up big time. On a much grander scale than Mcghee.

 

Our lack of width and disregard for any creative players is unbelievably stupid for a man of his experiance.

 

The scorelines in the matches played so far this season do not bear this out.

 

We have both sufficient cover at Centre-back (+1 on McGhee) and have at least one recognised, experienced full back (+1).

 

The players he has signed also look far more impressive than McGhee managed (Arneson v Ifil?)

 

We are down on the attacking players, but maybe one of these players would have signed extended contracts if they hadn't been f**ked around by the previous manager (in their eyes at least).

[StandFree1982]

Biding his time or not the gamble has failed.

 

Our team is a f**king shambles.

 

Brown has f**ked up big time. On a much grander scale than Mcghee.

 

Our lack of width and disregard for any creative players is unbelievably stupid for a man of his experiance.

Seriously?

 

A 1-0 defeat to Celtic compared with a 9-0 defeat to Celtic the previous season means that Brown is has f**ked up on a grander scale than McGhee?

 

Under McGhee we were leaking goals like a f**king tap, even with a creative midfielder and strikers we were always going to concede more than we score.

 

Your agenda against Brown is clear for all to see

[ollie1903]

Well no, because that's what he's said he's doing.

So why are they not here yet?

[Dynamo]

Well no, because that's what he's said he's doing.

 

 

1 new signing is it not?