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TheDon99

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    The Famous Aberdeen - Season 2022/23

    in Scottish Premiership General Chatter

    Posted

    Hadn't quite realised how bad we have been coming back after the winter break until I looked at the last few seasons results. Feel free to correct any of this as I've just worked it out by looking at the results on Wikipedia but I'm pretty sure our record is:

    In the 19/20 season, in our first five league games back after the break we picked up 5 points.

    In the 20/21 season, there wasn't an official winter break due to the delays caused by Covid. However in the first five league games of played in Jan 21 we picked up 5 points.

    In the 21/22 season in our first five league games back after the break we picked up 2 points.

    And in the 22/23 season in our first five league games back after World Cup break we picked up 1 point.

    Within the 20 games I've mentioned we played one of the OF 6 times, 5 of those matches were at home. We won none of them, drew 2 and lost 4.

    This obviously doesn't include the cup games we would have played. But if Robson has any chance of keeping this job until the end of the season he's going to have to buck this trend massively. You'd think 7 points is a minimum 

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    Aberdeen v Hearts: A Football Match

    in Scottish Premiership General Chatter

    Posted

    1 hour ago, VincentGuerin said:

    You've misunderstood the post.

    The foot was on the throat in that Aberdeen were second best, we were winning the game, we looked completely comfortable, and that situation had Aberdeen in a hole. The natives were restless and we were heading towards a reasonable post-match discussion of whether Robson keeps his job or not. At 30-35 minutes any other take on the game is a rewriting of history based on what came next. Your assertion that Hearts were never in control of the game is one I can't take seriously. With better final balls we could easily have been further ahead.

    Being in control of a game doesn't have to mean you're peppering the opposition's goal with shots. Hearts had the match under control and were in a comfortable situation against a side that has been struggling. Hearts aren't a side that create a lot of chances. Being ahead with one chance is what the plan was. We'd have been better off scoring about 40 minutes later. We might have held on that way.

    Then two things happened. Aberdeen upper their game, but equally Hearts did what we've seen in multiple away games this season and took a step back, attempting to manage the game rather than proactively push on and win it. And Aberdeen were there to be beaten. They were very poor in the first part of the match, and in th kind of form where a team is there to be finished off. Another Hearts goal and the crowd fully turn on them. Even an extended period of pressure. But Hearts had no interest in that. It's very naive.

    You want to see it your way, so you will. But I think your analysis of the game is very simplistic; I could just as easily say "the only reason Aberdeen were ahead at full-time is that Hearts essentially stopped taking part in the game". That's how matches work. A team does bad things and the other team gets the upper hand. I think your post shows you've not seen a lot of Hearts this season. That's how they play. That's the plan. The plan worked fine until it came time to push on and finish the job, but Naismith never, ever does that. He does what you saw yesterday, believing we can just manage a lead out for an hour.

    You seem to be confusing Heart's having a 'gameplan' with 'Hearts aren't a very good football team but Shankland is an excellent striker and will convert, at least one, of the very few chances his teammates create for him'

    The naivety and arrogance you show by saying (paraphrasing) "If Hearts wanted too we actually could've just played more aggressively and then just score some more goals but Nasty Naismith wouldn't let us" is hilarious. 

    If Aberdeen had been 1-0 up after '30-35 minutes' I wouldn't have said we were in control of the game like you have with Hearts. Because in truth, the game was scrappy and both teams were incredibly sloppy in possession. 

    I actually agree with what Naismith said, Hearts didn't 'take a step back' after that point, Aberdeen just figured out how to play through your press, physically bullied your midfield and as a result, you couldn't get out of your half.

    I think the only thing Naismith should've done at that point was bring on Devlin, because Shankland, Lowry, Vargas, and eventually, Tagawa and Grant were getting nothing out of Gartemann and Jensen and couldn't hold the ball up whatsoever.

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    Aberdeen v Hearts: A Football Match

    in Scottish Premiership General Chatter

    Posted

    3 hours ago, VincentGuerin said:

    An odd experience that. Watching a defeat in slow motion.

    Hearts can have no complaints, having got exactly what they deserved for really poor management of the game. Naismith's comments about being bullied are nonsense. We do that performance all the time, and if it's not coming from him, then where's it coming from?

    Yesterday Hearts were looking absolutely fine after half an hour. A goal up, relatively comfortable, all is well.

    Pause it there and think through the situation. Hearts are on a good run in terms of results, we're leading against an opponent who is under pressure, with the crowd on their back, who have just lost at home to a team that never wins away. That's a time to use the initiative and keep your foot on the throat.

    But Hearts never do that. We saw this at Ibrox when we went far too deep far too early and invited a level of pressure that eventually cost us the game. Even when keeping a high line, we cede the initiative and become passive, allowing the opponent to dictate the game. We did similar at Motherwell, and those who were present at Rugby Park agreed yesterday there had been a similar approach there, in as much as we never looked interesting in scoring another and sought to just managed the game out. At Motherwell and Killie you can sort of excuse it as playing percentages, given how relatively toothless they are.

    However, Aberdeen's best players are their attackers, and they've shown they have weaknesses at the back. It made no sense to give up control of the game as we did. The start to the second half was all wrong in tone, and it was obvious five minutes in that we'd do well to get a point. And once you've given up initiative like that, the momentum means a game is only likely to go one way once you concede. Aberdeen's winner prompted one of my mates to just laugh and shrug his shoulders. What else could you do, we'd all seen it coming for the thick end of an hour.

    Fair play to Aberdeen. They were in a hole and rolled up their sleeves. There's two sides to every game, and they deserve credit for their reaction. But Hearts played a huge part in their own downfall.

    Fundamentally, the issues always come back to Nainsmith. The winning run, as I've mentioned before, was achieved with very fine margins against shite teams. You can't constantly bank on keeping a clean sheet to get you points. And giving teams with good attackers a chance to attack for huge chunks of the game WILL cost you goals. Yesterday is not the first time we've done this. It is strategy, and it is stupid. There are times when you need to finish a game off. I honestly just think Naismith is not quite bright enough to see that. And I think his reading of the psychology of the game yesterday when we were leading was shocking. Aberdeen were a domino waiting to be kicked over, and Hearts were passive and ultimately threw away a good position. A metaphor for the way the club has been run in the last year and a half.

    f**k off, Naismith.

    The idea that hearts were 'in control' of the first half is laughable. Aberdeen were dire in the first half yet still Hearts only created one chance, a corner that should have been collected by Roos. They had less possesion in the first half and the same amount of shots. At no point did they have a chance to 'keep their foot on Aberdeen's throat' because at no point were they in control of the game. Even at their best through 20 mins the game was a scrappy midfield battle. Hearts were only ahead at HT because of Aberdeens woefully slow and innacurate passing. As soon as the second half started we moved it quicker and went more direct to Sokler and Miovski. Should've been 2-1 up much sooner than we were.

    2

    The Famous Aberdeen - Season 2022/23

    in Scottish Premiership General Chatter

    Posted

    Ramadani is a good player and at times last season I thought he was better than Shinnie. His performances against Rangers and Hearts at home were seriously impressive. Selling him wouldn't be the end of the world but I don't agree that he'll be easily replaced. For every Ferguson, McLean and Shinnie that we sign we get a Tansey, Ojo, Forrester, Longstaff and Gleeson type signing that just never get close to being good enough.

    0

    The Famous Aberdeen - Season 2022/23

    in Scottish Premiership General Chatter

    Posted

    31 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

    Anyone shed any light on this supposed ‘farewell’ from ramadani today? 

    Ran up to the fans at the end, gave away shirt and training top then waving and lots of clapping. Other players were all going over to him as well. Would ahve been a weird thing to do if he was staying. Maybe he was just very thankful for the away support....

    2

    The Famous Aberdeen - Season 2022/23

    in Scottish Premiership General Chatter

    Posted

    I thought the Duk sub was bizarre tbh. He's looked raw as f**k in the few game minutes that we had seen previously. Especially strange with Ramirez on the bench who probably would have been a like for like swap for Miovski. But if he was specifically doing it to add Speed alone the surely he would have been just as well going for Watkins who's hold up play is also pretty good.
    Getting the feeling that he might want/ expect both of those players to be out the door, despite what he says publicly.

    0

    Aberdeen's Next Permanent Manager

    in Scottish Premiership General Chatter

    Posted

    Neil Warnock, Sam Allardyce, Nigel Adkins, Tony Pulis and Gary Monk are all Run of the mill English Championship/League One managers that are currently out of a job and have never managed in Scotland...maybe a couple of them would take an interest.
    Also wasn't Steve McLaren heavily linked to Dundee United two years ago?
    For the record none of these are managers I would be particularly excited about but it's just fun to name names.

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