Plan B

[barassie_afc]

You need to find it Del

[super_al]

Problem is you need sufficient back up players to change the game or play a different way.

[ChookterDon]

He needs to wise up and realise he can't tactically keep the same formation with one up front EVERY SINGLE GAME! The one up front is far to isolated in a game where St Johnstone were always going to try and control the midfield which McInnes wants us to do therefore rendering Rooney useless. Even when he makes subs it's always like for like. As for McGinn, he's been completely off the pace. A little bit of a tactical change would freshen up the midfield and give us a different dimension when it is clearly evident that teams know the formation we play and how to play against it.

[Guest]

This is predictable. Insufficient activity in the transfer market and some glaring holes in our squad.

 

No left back and a keeper who had his best season ever last year and deceived to even look competent at times.

 

Thanks chairman. You didn't invest enough in the squad again and we weren't that good last year.

 

We were the best we had been for years but still not good enough for the top two and played shite and still won a cup.

 

The semi-final of the SC was very shite, a game that winner mentality professionals would have at least competed in.

 

Thanks also chairman for removing shareholder rights to buy tickets. You thought you had cracked it eh? You've been dying to punish us for an overwhelming show of hands against you 15+ years ago, although you and your sychopants had the majority of shares. You thought AFC with the easiest trophy to win, our first cup for 19 years was the licence for you to keep on doing fuck all for us and the club and continuing to pursue your own greedy little rat-like agenda.

 

One swallow does not a gobble make. You fucked this up Stewrat. I see a typical bad season ahead.

[minijc]

We really need to make atleast 2 more signings, left back is a MUST, the platform was there to have a really good solid team this year but lack of investment has fucked us once again.

[barassie_afc]

Wrong investment also , i was never a fan of goodwillie, the lad on loan looks a lost cause already, and did we really need taylor v a decent lb ?

[Guest]

The lack of investment is obvious to everyone. The reasons for it, less so.

 

Because we took 43,000 to the final and got massively-increased gates at Pittodrie since including the bonus of the European games, the chairman didn't think he needed to do anything. He thought he had bought time so he could pursue his new stadium, the one that he wasted two thirds of a million of our money on for a feasibility study.

 

The balance sheet is fucked anyway until financial restructuring. He could have at least built on last year's promise by supporting the new manager, who at least bought really well. Whether he is tactically intelligent or not, this is the season we'll find out but how the fuck can we expect to compete with zero left backs and a clown in goals?

[minijc]

Think Goodwillie is a good signing but we need to play a different, better system to help get the best out of him and ROoney.

[Guest]

Wrong investment also , i was never a fan of goodwillie, the lad on loan looks a lost cause already, and did we really need taylor v a decent lb ?

 

You obviously weren't at the Real Sociedad game then although I concede that a striker wasn't as big a priority.

 

The basics are the goalkeeper, then central defence and then the full backs. Logan is a great addition, Anderson used sparingly will give us one more half season allowing us to develop Considine to fit in with Reynolds. But no left back and a perennial liability in goals is madness.

[super_al]

This is predictable. Insufficient activity in the transfer market and some glaring holes in our squad.

 

No left back and a keeper who had his best season ever last year and deceived to even look competent at times.

 

Thanks chairman. You didn't invest enough in the squad again and we weren't that good last year.

 

We were the best we had been for years but still not good enough for the top two and played shite and still won a cup.

 

The semi-final of the SC was very shite, a game that winner mentality professionals would have at least competed in.

 

Thanks also chairman for removing shareholder rights to buy tickets. You thought you had cracked it eh? You've been dying to punish us for an overwhelming show of hands against you 15+ years ago, although you and your sychopants had the majority of shares. You thought AFC with the easiest trophy to win, our first cup for 19 years was the licence for you to keep on doing fuck all for us and the club and continuing to pursue your own greedy little rat-like agenda.

 

One swallow does not a gobble make. You fucked this up Stewrat. I see a typical bad season ahead.

 

 

Where have you been rocket? Finally some sense being spoken on here.

[Dandyesque]

 

You obviously weren't at the Real Sociedad game then although I concede that a striker wasn't as big a priority.

 

Starting a season with only 1 striker would be the first reason to crucify the manager - more so than not getting a new left back when we have a few players who can do a competent job there even if not ideal.

 

If Rooney was to get injured, we'd have no-one

[Dynamo]

This was apparent last season. Let's not panic yet tho.

[super_al]

This was apparent last season. Let's not panic yet tho.

 

Whilst I like your faith in the team, 2 defeats out of three is not good enough. People forget we have been on this downward spiral since the league cup final. We have not strengthen and there is only one week left until the transfer window closes until January. Therefore we will have gone nearly a year (10 months or so) with the same issues. none of which have been addressed.

[sooth_stander]

Problem being, unless some decent wage earner departs, I doubt there is any cash left in the biscuit tin to bring that midfield general or left back that we badly crave.

 

Brown and Taylor look mental signings to me, in terms of the glaring holes elsewhere in the team.

 

McInnes is one stubborn hoor, no plan B, still flogging the same horses week in week out. Was obvious Mclean would rag doll Anderson today and that's phit happened. Why not play Andy v McLean, Anderson as the spare man and Reynolds at left back?

[chaos_defrost]

There seemed to be this belief that we were by far the 2nd best team in Scotland last year when we finished 3rd in the league and there wasn't much between us and United, with United arguably being better to watch. Yes we won the league cup but we were well beaten in the semi of the Scottish Cup by St Johnstone. Last season was the best season we had in years but that should be the norm for us to have seasons like that. It seems like whilst the rest of the league looked at their squads and thought how can they improve, we thought to ourselves we're better than the rest and we don't need to improve when it's obvious to everyone that we need a good full back and a competent goal keeper. I reckon we'll have a similar season to last but why didn't we use this summer as a chance to really build on the success we had last season?

[super_al]

There seemed to be this belief that we were by far the 2nd best team in Scotland last year when we finished 3rd in the league and there wasn't much between us and United, with United arguably being better to watch. Yes we won the league cup but we were well beaten in the semi of the Scottish Cup by St Johnstone. Last season was the best season we had in years but that should be the norm for us to have seasons like that. It seems like whilst the rest of the league looked at their squads and thought how can they improve, we thought to ourselves we're better than the rest and we don't need to improve when it's obvious to everyone that we need a good full back and a competent goal keeper. I reckon we'll have a similar season to last but why didn't we use this summer as a chance to really build on the success we had last season?

 

Good post. the only reason I can give is that its down to finances.

[rossafc92]

So long as we rely on forward players who use pace rather than skill to beat a man/get in behind, then we will see no Plan B, Block off space in the final third and McGinn, Hayes and Pawlett really struggle, especially on the left hand side when they've the added obstacle of an extra man in their way since there isn't a competent left back overlapping to draw him away.

 

We should be looking at a two-pronged strike force as a way of combating this (unless Monakana can beat a man with the ball at his feet). We do not give the opposition enough to think about in the final third. I cannot fathom why McInnes is so against the idea. The 4-2-3-1 is boring, predictable and stale if a team sits in against it. It could make this a very frustrating season.

[Guest]

 

 

Where have you been rocket? Finally some sense being spoken on here.

 

I didn't want to air my concerns.

 

After the huge optimism from the Sociedad game, I tried to believe that we could compete despite the obvious.

 

We didn't have to wait long. The DUFC game was fucking dire.

 

Then we got a good result at Killie and it sounded like a solid performance by all accounts.

 

Losing today, and sounding like we deserved to from the commentary, is just completely unacceptable.

 

It sounds like not only was our formation and tactics consistent and predictable today, our lack of investment again in key areas means that we can't expect much more so our struggling to take advantage of Celtic's fuck-up today is also hugely predictable.

 

What the fuck do we expect? Do we think this team is good enough to seriously compete?

 

Without major strengthening in goals and in defence, I don't care how hard Flood works nor how good Hayes is nor how penetrative Pawlett can be (sometimes) nor how effective Rooney and Goodwillie might be. You can't build a team without a rock at the back. We've not even identified what needs to happen let alone invested in it. Given the past two decades, I reckon it will be the chairman and his money-obessessed personality rather than the manager and his patent inexperience.

[super_al]

 

I didn't want to air my concerns.

 

After the huge optimism from the Sociedad game, I tried to believe that we could compete despite the obvious.

 

We didn't have to wait long. The DUFC game was fucking dire.

 

Then we got a good result at Killie and it sounded like a solid performance by all accounts.

 

Losing today, and sounding like we deserved to from the commentary, is just completely unacceptable.

 

It sounds like not only was our formation and tactics consistent and predictable today, our lack of investment again in key areas means that we can't expect much more so our struggling to take advantage of Celtic's fuck-up today is also hugely predictable.

 

What the fuck do we expect? Do we think this team is good enough to seriously compete?

 

Without major strengthening in goals and in defence, I don't care how hard Flood works nor how good Hayes is nor how penetrative Pawlett can be (sometimes) nor how effective Rooney and Goodwillie might be. You can't build a team without a rock at the back. We've not even identified what needs to happen let alone invested in it. Given the past two decades, I reckon it will be the chairman and his money-obessessed personality rather than the manager and his patent inexperience.

 

Sums up the situation perfectly. What are your views on the new signings?

[Guest]

 

Sums up the situation perfectly. What are your views on the new signings?

Until we have a basic foundation, nothing else matters.

 

We still have two huge gaps at the back.

 

I rate Goodwillie. Highly. Too early to say on the others but given that year one contained some freaky good and inspired recruiting, I think it would be unreasonable to expect to match that let alone exceed it.

 

McGinn is one who needs leathered, the shit kicked out of him. Far too much loyalty and not enough effective managing going down.

[dj_bollocks]

League Cup win aside we were shit in the League from Feb/March onward and perhaps flattered to deceive, hence Wiggy not getting the cheque book out. Still 8 days left of the wind, but I suspect not very much activity will be forthcoming… Plan B is definitely needed. Why aren't Rooney and Badcock playing together… And why aren't Shankland and Wright on the bench ?

[Bamber]

We are seeing it more and more from the opposition defend between their half way line and the 18 yard box with every player they have

 

so stops us exploiting the pace we have in the team and stops our midfield getting to grips with the ball we cant get any width into our play and we cant pick a ball so go sideways across our back line from one side to the other. Other teams know that logan has a deal to get forward so you stop him going forward and exploit to that side when he does.

 

We then are just getting hit on the break or forced into errors all the time - Dundee united hit on the break/error x 3 St Johnstone lucky not to be two down in the first half

 

we need to think about knocking balls over the top on a diagonal we need to support the front man better and we need to think more cleverly around the 18 yard box

 

A lot of success for teams in the world cup just running at a static back line we really need to think about doing that this running with the ball from one side of the pitch to the other in front of mass ranks of defenders means that we aint get a shot away - instead of bending the run keep going forward

 

Basically And I know this is weird to say about a positive Aberdeen team - we need to be MORE positive in the final third.

 

 

Edit and too add and this is Really annoying

 

Tommy wright picked this up from the Caley league cup final where Caley did this to great success, after a poor first half he introduced it at the cup semi final and packed his midfield - even dropping stevie May back into it and did us in the second half a first half we were well in control of. He then came to pittodrie and stuffed us again using the same tactics (yes it was a 1-1 but we didn't play at all well 2 errors sealed it). and here we are playing the same team with only ONE change (considine for Robertson) and we are sat here surprised they did the same thing to us again????????)

[tup]

Playing Considine at left back is laughable.

 

It disna work ffs.

[Bamber]

That wasn't the problem yesterday - the problem yesterday was being stifled completely in midfield and not having a solution to deal with something that was pretty damn obvious from the starting whistle

 

Remember also Considine was responsible for our single attempt on target

[Guest]

Interesting. I took it off topic. Whereas I do believe that McInnes has failed to even try to recruit in certain areas, this is more about his flexibility, his adaptability and his tactical imagination. This is the season where he either gets found out or stands still because with the limitations of this squad, it can't possibly fly.

 

On recruitment which has been his best suit for me, we don't forget that he's made the biggest howler of all, howler Zola being the worst technical footballer ever in an AFC shirt. His lunge at Falkirk stadium was the best thing he ever did, showing that at least his desire wasn't dormant before making way for the Scott Vernon Revivalist Show.

 

McInnes talks sense. He has recruited well at the start. He seems to have the full support of the players. The ingredients are present.

 

Results are all that matters though. This is the season where we'll see how good or otherwise he is. Poor start.

[TwoStars]

We really need to make atleast 2 more signings, left back is a MUST, the platform was there to have a really good solid team this year but lack of investment has fucked us once again.

Think Goodwillie is a good signing but we need to play a different, better system to help get the best out of him and ROoney.

All correct. The only alternative I can see is to drop Pawlett or McGinn to allow the two of them (Rooney and Goodwillie) up front together.

[Bamber]

Pawlett is the one suffering the most with the two defensive mids that are usually put against us being played to stifle him

 

but Mcginn has totally lost his shooting boots at the moment and cant hit the target - extremely depressing as the position he is in if he hit the target it would be to work the keeper very hard

 

So who do you drop Pawlett a player being taken out of the game or Mcginn a player not in the best of form?

 

To me playing two forwards might give pawlett more room so I would drop Mcginn to the bench

[northernlights]

All fair comment. But by and large there is a gulf between our first team and our fringe players which means that wholesale personnel changes could be ineffective/controversial and even damaging to confidence. However, one or two personnel changes combined with a different tactical approach proved beneficial in the second game against Real Sociedad. At the very least, such changes could be introduced at half-time or around the hour mark if our game is stifled. Its clear that we are being beaten tactically at times.

 

There are perhaps not many obvious changes for Derek to make. Switching Rooney and Goodwillie is one, but its the midfield-play and the final ball which has been the problem lately, not the performance of our striker(s). I think it would make sense to try McGinn or Goodwillie in Pawletts position, moving Peter to the right wing or using him as an impact sub. I am not convinced he is our most effective player at linking midfield and attack. I have seen McGinn do well in that role, and Goodwillie has the right attributes to play there too. One change like that could make a big difference.

 

There are other weaknesses in the side but I'm not sure there are many obvious alternatives for structuring our defence/midfield. We should at least make changes early though, and give Low a chance at LB if we are behind for example. Or, play Murray/Jack on the right and move Logan over there, giving Low his chance in midfield instead. If a change like that works in a couple of games then it could become permanent. I also agree that giving Smith/Shankland/Wright the chance as substitutes might help energise our game and up our tempo. Switching to a simple, direct 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 is also worth a gamble if we are behind or not looking likely to win.

 

Changing our pattern of play and personnel does not need to be from the outset, or signify a permanent change to our system. Its obvious we need an alternative approach at times though. Moreover, genuine competition in the squad is really important and it questionable if we really have that at the moment?

 

COYR!

[Guest]

I've long thought that McGinn was overdue to be benched, even well before the game at St Mirren when Clangers was screaming at him from the other end of the pitch. He needs the motivational kick up the arse but McInnes obviously doesn't think so. This could be inspired man-mananagement or unintelligent stubbornness. I fear the latter.

[TwoStars]

All fair comment. But by and large there is a gulf between our first team and our fringe players which means that wholesale personnel changes could be ineffective/controversial and even damaging to confidence.

 

COYR!

So very true. That as far as I can tell is why he doesn't make substitutes.