Harsh Realities

[SAFandthedons1983]

Lets wake up and accept some of the following.

 

1) the players are not good enough. simple.

 

2) the board is incompetent. It subjects managerial decisions to no scrutiny at all, allows them to make daft decisions re;transfer policies etc, then spends an inordinate amount of money sacking them. It chucks money at mediocre players, and ignores the example set by so many rival clubs when it comes to player recruitment and development. They dont need to spend more money- if anything the playing staff should have less spent on it, forcing managers to scout emerging markets and the Scottish leagues for good value players. the money saved can be used to make the club more financially stable, and to improve match day experiences.

 

3) The football is terrible. I cant remember an Aberdeen team that has played good football in the last 12-13 years. Every other team in the SPL just now has had at least one team in that time that entertained the fans. Its no wonder our attendances are dropping.

 

4) the managers have all got to take a certain amount of blame- they all resolutely let the club stagnate in the way it operates. We had nobody to rejuvinate from the managers seat, like Brewster and Levein did at Utd, or the board, like Petrie did at Hibs. The only one in recent memory who really had a sustainable idea was Steve Paterson- look at what he did and what Utd subsequently did. Its just a shame he wasnt very good at implementing his ideas.

 

5) No club in the SPL gets worse value for money at every level than AFC. Expenditure on wages, ticket prices, managerial hiring and firings.... at every level.

 

6) the much vaunted youth system produces very good young players- who consistently fail to make the step up. Not having a go at the youth coaches- they seem to do their job well (about the only ones at the club who do). But recently only Maguire has looked like he could convincingly play for most SPL teams (when he could be bothered). Strangely enough, this happened after he got back from time at Killie- before then he looked out of his depth at AFC.

 

Fyvie, Pawlett, Jack all look like prospects. Paton did as well. But not one of them is really adapting to the senior game.

 

Pawlett- good in bursts, anonymous the rest of the time. like a talented kid playing with his dads mates.

 

Fyvie- anybody honestly think he's better now than he was when he first played for the senior team?

 

Jack- i said i thought he was decent on other threads (feel free to chuck pelters). In truth, i think alot of his fundamentals are fairly sound- hes adequate with the ball, looks up for a pass, and is positionally competent (most of the time). However, gets lost at seas far too easily when pressure comes on, and starts punting the ball away, standing out of position, missing easy tackles etc.

 

Aluko- by way of illustration- when he first came he looked a quality young player. He gradually deteriorated the longer he stayed. Its not just down to him- there is something amiss at the club.

[Dynamo]

You're stating the obvious but should we accept liek you say in the first line?

 

We need to pressure these fuckers into actually doing something which would improve us, as opposed to just accepting it.

[SAFandthedons1983]

fair enough mate, by accept i meant to refer more to the general denial culture amongst dons fans about these things. I always hear and see dons saying how our players are good enough, wait till the young boys come through, Milne should put more money in etc. i dont think these truths, which we hold to be self evident, are universally acknowledged.

 

The entire infrastructure of the club needs to wake and accept the inadequacies which pervade every level of our club. Only then will we truly start to deal with these issues.

[Stoneybloke]

fair enough mate, by accept i meant to refer more to the general denial culture amongst dons fans about these things. I always hear and see dons saying how our players are good enough, wait till the young boys come through, Milne should put more money in etc. i dont think these truths, which we hold to be self evident, are universally acknowledged.

 

The entire infrastructure of the club needs to wake and accept the inadequacies which pervade every level of our club. Only then will we truly start to deal with these issues.

So you are saying it needs a total clear out from top to bottom?

[Stoneybloke]

 

From the top, through the middle and down to the manager and players the way we do things at every level needs looked at.

 

 

Have the backroom staff become too complacent, with too much of a warm, comfortable attitude. Lack of professionalism, and thoroughness in training routines. Players not really as fit as they should be to properly compete?

[wilm1542]

Rangers lost to Falkirk and Hearts lost to bottom division Ayr. I know we lost to an even worse team but to be fair Hearts and Rangers are bigger clubs than we are nowadays.

 

The whole lower league team cup final approach to games pays off sometimes, shit happens.

 

It doesn't disguise the fact that a lot needs to change withing the club, that would have still been the case had we won the game last night.

 

However results talk and if we can't pick up points in the league then we are even more fucked.

 

We need players who give everything for the cause, how many of those types of player are even around anymore?

[zander]

Rangers lost to Falkirk and Hearts lost to bottom division Ayr. I know we lost to an even worse team but to be fair Hearts and Rangers are bigger clubs than we are nowadays.

 

The whole lower league team cup final approach to games pays off sometimes, shit happens.

 

It doesn't disguise the fact that a lot needs to change withing the club, that would have still been the case had we won the game last night.

 

However results talk and if we can't pick up points in the league then we are even more fucked.

 

We need players who give everything for the cause, how many of those types of player are even around anymore?

 

Granted they lost but look at our record its fucking appalling, this wasn't a one off fluke, this was in the making for some time. We are fucked scrape survival at best.

[SAFandthedons1983]

all of the above true. From my point of view, it would be better without Milne as a guarantor of the debt.

 

If we were operating on this basis, with the club being seen by the bank for its actual value, there would be a much more realistic assesment of roles/efficencies. ANy waste would be cut, there would be scrutiny attached to every decision which resulted in outgoing money, and there would be a lot more creativity in fund generation.

 

The club is rank with a laissez faire complacency. I am not privy to the facts, but i suspect there hasnt been a sacking for incompetence in any position outwith the frontline staff for years.

 

I keep mentioning it i know, but i feel its a valid point. We spend more than anyone other than Hearts and the OF on wages. This is on basic wages- and we operate a heavily bonus based wage structure. Yet we have an average size squad, of whom there are, in my opinion:

 

1) 0 who would get into the OF, Dundee Utd, Motherwell or Hearts first 11,

2) 1 or 2 who would get into Kilmarnocks.

3) 3 into St Mirren, Hibs, Dunfermline, and St Johnstone.

4) 3 or 4 into ICT.

 

and im being generous.

[SAFandthedons1983]

Rangers lost to Falkirk and Hearts lost to bottom division Ayr. I know we lost to an even worse team but to be fair Hearts and Rangers are bigger clubs than we are nowadays.

 

The whole lower league team cup final approach to games pays off sometimes, shit happens.

 

It doesn't disguise the fact that a lot needs to change withing the club, that would have still been the case had we won the game last night.

 

However results talk and if we can't pick up points in the league then we are even more fucked.

 

We need players who give everything for the cause, how many of those types of player are even around anymore?

 

 

i take your point, but feel its irrelevant.

 

We are without doubt the worst run club in Scotland. These were truly one off freak results for these clubs. I wasnt even suprised last night, more of a resigned disappointment- its the norm for us.

 

And its not like we dominated and they scraped it with 10 men behind the ball and a lucky goal- they outplayed us in large parts. they got the ball on the deck and passed it about better.

 

Off into the realms of fantasy now- if i was AFC chairman, there is not a player at the club would have his contract renewed at current. Maybe if they convinced me with performances. But theyd have to sit through a interview and justify an extension as well.

 

Any new players have to sit through a job interview, like with any other job. and the managers selections are weighted on a cost benefit analysis.