The Dons v The Hibees

[DukDukGoose]

2 minutes ago, DrewDon said:

I said on here post-Bonnyrigg that this game and Motherwell would tell us a lot about this team; whether they are actually a good team that was chronically underperforming in the league, or whether they are a typical 'there's a good team in there' team. I fear we now have our answer.

I don't think good teams concede the types of goals we are shipping with alarmingly regularity, either as a result of individual errors or collective flaws. I don't think good teams are as frantic and untidy as we are when a game is there for the taking, like today at 2-2 and Wednesday at 3-3.

It definitely wasn't all bad. Some of the passing and movement was showing improvements from where it has been, there was more evidence of coherent patterns of play, and the quality of chances we created in the first hour of the game seemed to be much better than it has been for most of the season. I know it is frowned upon on here and does not paint a full picture when used in isolation before anybody starts, but 2.38 non-penalty xG does at least suggest that we created a better quality of scoring chance than we typically have been this season, although Hibs are a bit more adventurous than some opponents. I am thinking about Clarkson hitting the bar in the first half and Gartenmann's header late on as particularly good chances spurned, and also Phillips failing to gamble on Mackenzie's excellent cross at the end. 

But it is not enough. I haven't seen them back, but the goals we lose are really rubbish ones to concede - a poor kick from Roos compounded by presumably at least one player being too slow out and playing Maolida onside for the opener, and then Devlin with a blunder at the equaliser. I can accept the odd mistake from an Aberdeen team at this level, but these have happened far too often this season, pretty much right across the team. Again, genuinely good teams don't do that. 

If these two teams were up in third and fourth respectively and just played out a draw like that, I would be frustrated that we didn't win the game but would kind of focus on the positives and accept it, but the failings are just too familiar now.

As a side note, and leaving VAR to one side, refereeing standards in this league are in the toilet. I haven't seen either penalty shout back so will not comment on those, but Munro missed two very obvious bookings in the first half, and then failed to book a Hibs player in stoppage-time for a pretty much identical challenge that he had booked Shinnie for about twenty minutes earlier. Clancy was dreadful on Wednesday, and Munro was just as bad today. We can talk about improvements to VAR all we like, but just having competent and consistent referees would be a fine start. 

Great post.

I still think we'll get top six, though.

[BucksburnDandy]

1 hour ago, DukDukGoose said:

Not sure what you're expecting? He can't go on the pitch and do it for them.

I'd want him to come in and sort the defensive side of the team. Harsh as that sounds, 5 goals lost in 2 home league games is pretty pish.

1 hour ago, Dons_1988 said:

That was actually a much more coherent and useful performance than the majority of the season. I suppose it’s progress that we looked an ok team that just can’t defend.

The hibs equaliser took all the energy out of us. 

Thankfully we are beginning to score goals so credit where it is due to Warnock.

 

This group of players are continually letting us down. Bar perhaps Barron, Devlin generally and the odd streak McGrath game, only Bojan Miovski can come out of this season with any real credit. Potentially 4 players performing at any decent level says a lot about the squad.

[MikeAFC94]

7 minutes ago, VincentGuerin said:

Siri, what's the most idiotic thing someone can post on a multi-club forum?

If you don't have a clue, you don't need to type out long-form posts.

It's been said since the start of the season that the squad is horrifically unbalanced, nobody was pretending otherwise.

[Dons_1988]

2 minutes ago, VincentGuerin said:

Beneath you, imo.

The point is quite fair. I'm not saying Warnock's a disaster, he's only in the door.

Please see the posts I was replying to.

I think the wider issue is that this Aberdeen team isn't as good as people say. Robson suffered for this, and I don't think it's a massive shock they haven't kicked on since he's left. I should perhaps have worded my post better, but I think the disappointment in not picking up since is based on this inflated view of the Aberdeen team.

They're mince.

The list of excuses you’ve reeled off was used either by Barry robson himself or used in the context of not judging robson too harshly for the league position. I think if you read the main Aberdeen thread around autumn time you’ll see the prediction was that the excuses would run dry and robson would be exposed. Your post came across similar to the st Mirren fans who keep bringing up the fact we had games in hand.

There’s absolutely no doubt this squad is under achieving, that’s not to say it’s amazing. We had this discussion before and I said defensively we were poor and this would undermine us unless we addressed it January. Today underlined that as we were pretty good for large parts but shot ourselves in the foot. But if we’d seen today’s levels across the past 24 games we’d have won more than 6. I’m fairly certain of that. 

If we’d rebalanced the squad with some pace and some defensive solidity in January and relaxed the manager earlier we could still be thinking about Europe and not drifting to bottom 6 shite again. 

[DukDukGoose]

4 minutes ago, BucksburnDandy said:

I'd want him to come in and sort the defensive side of the team. Harsh as that sounds, 5 goals lost in 2 home league games is pretty pish.

Thankfully we are beginning to score goals so credit where it is due to Warnock.

 

This group of players are continually letting us down. Bar perhaps Barron, Devlin generally and the odd streak McGrath game, only Bojan Miovski can come out of this season with any real credit. Potentially 4 players performing at any decent level says a lot about the squad.

To be fair, he's had a run of game after game. He's needing some training ground time to get his point across IMO.

I don't think there's anything he could do coaching wise to prevent those goals today.

[BucksburnDandy]

1 minute ago, DukDukGoose said:

To be fair, he's had a run of game after game. He's needing some training ground time to get his point across IMO.

I don't think there's anything he could do coaching wise to prevent those goals today.

Perhaps I'm being harsh but I'm just thoroughly pissed off this season, as we all are. It's been shite stuff generally. Sooner it is over the better.

[Don exotic]

10 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

There’s absolutely no doubt this squad is under achieving, that’s not to say it’s amazing. We had this discussion before and I said defensively we were poor and this would undermine us unless we addressed it in January. 

This is true, but I can’t understand why we don’t play Macdonald regularly. I know he lacks pace, but his positioning and reading of the game is much better than our other centre backs. I think this also helps the players around him make less of the errors that have killed us in the last few games. He can be one of the leaders in a team which badly lacks them.

Edited February 17 by Don exotic
Typo

[MikeAFC94]

4 minutes ago, Don exotic said:

This is true, but I can’t understand why we don’t play Macdonald regularly. I know he lacks pace, but his positioning and reading of the game is much better than our other centre backs. I think this also helps the players around him make less of the errors that have killed us in the last few games. He can be one of the leaders in a team which badly lacks them.

First goal doesn't happen if he's in for Jensen.

Unforgivable to switch off and play their striker onside there 

[Dons_1988]

5 minutes ago, Don exotic said:

This is true, but I can’t understand why we don’t play Macdonald regularly. I know he lacks pace, but his positioning and reading of the game is much better than our other centre backs. I think this also helps the players around him make less of the errors that have killed us in the last few games. He can be one of the leaders in a team which badly lacks this. 

Don’t disagree too much. Jensen and gartenman do good things like tackles and blocks throughout games but I often find myself wondering why they are constantly having to do it. That may be the team as a whole rather then their fault but gartenman especially has a habit of being very rash positionally. Sometimes macdonalds abilities get over stated but it is bizarre he’s basically not been given any chance all season.  

[DrewDon]

I don't think there's a huge amount between any of our centre-backs, to be honest. I might think that Gartenmann is the best of the four by a very slight margin, but it's not something I would feel strongly enough to argue about. 

Some of them are better in certain areas than others, but the bigger picture is the four of them pretty much being a group of bang average Scottish Premiership centre-backs, and that definitely includes MacDonald. 

Edited February 17 by DrewDon

[DukDukGoose]

MacDonalds use of the ball us what probably keeps him out.

[Don exotic]

12 minutes ago, DukDukGoose said:

MacDonalds use of the ball us what probably keeps him out.

Given that Jensen seems to always go backwards to Roos I’m not convinced of this.

Basically I’m not saying Macdonald is technically the best player, but his positioning and directing of the players around him mean we play better with him in the team.

[Leith Green]

59 minutes ago, MikeAFC94 said:

Desperate for something to cry about

I'm not crying about anything. My team is pish........but that doesn't alter the fact that Warnock is a knob.

[Moorie]

I can see the rest of the season games having lots of goals in them for sure.

issue with the back is we don’t have a leader. A Russell Anderson type who shore things up and make the player next to him look good.

both Garteman and Jensen missing this next to them 

[VincentGuerin]

Just watching Sportscene now. Amazed the tramps didn't get a penalty for the handball by Devlin.

Doesn't look all that high up his arm, arm out from the body, loads of time to get out the way.

The goals conceded in this game show why these sides are in the bottom six. Quite funny, really.

[STFU_Donny]

I thought both incidents were penalties at the game and after seeing them again, my opinion is unchanged. 

[Lionel Logue]

3 hours ago, Leith Green said:

I think we all knew Warnock was a knob end, but jesus how does anyone take this fud seriously?

Have to say I love that he says it as it is, and in particular said what we are all thinking about Hibs and their squad from  

[kingjoey]

If the Miovski/Marshall incident happens with a tackle in the box where the defender gets a slight touch on the ball and wipes the attacker out with the follow through, it's always going to be a penalty. Why should it be different with a goalkeeping challenge?

[1GregStewart]

4 hours ago, Don exotic said:

This is true, but I can’t understand why we don’t play Macdonald regularly. I know he lacks pace, but his positioning and reading of the game is much better than our other centre backs. I think this also helps the players around him make less of the errors that have killed us in the last few games. He can be one of the leaders in a team which badly lacks them.

Been saying this all season. Just can’t understand why MacDonald has been shafted for playing time this season? 
The best centre half on the books for me. 

[Stylish Kid]

16 hours ago, bennett said:

Hibees have mastered levitation. 

 

If I was the player in Scotland most regularly booked for diving, I would simply... Not draw further attention to it, lest I start losing out on legitimate claims of fouls?