Bogbrush1903

There doesn't seem to be a lot of appetite for this one judging the number of thread posts.

I saw Stephen Kenny at Dublin Airport last year bedecked from head to foot to man bag in Calvin Klein and thought to myself, "now there goes a man with sparse imagination". On other matters, did the Colonel ever manage the Pars?

I think McInnes achieved what he should've in the league given the circumstances. That's not to criticise, that's actually praise. Perhaps topping Sevco for a second time was overachievement in the League. Where, in my opinion, he underachieved was the domestic cup competitions, and to an extent, Europe, although he achieved a couple of notable results against Rijeka and Groningen. After, one semi-final, there were three teams left in the 2014 Scottish Cup, ourselves, St Johnstone and Dundee United. We're 1-0 up as the second half starts against St Johnstone, this should've been the time we swept into the final and finally lift the Scottish Cup after 24 years. Now, here we are, 10 years later, and aside from misjudged pass from Jonny Hayes in the 2017 final, we've never had as good a chance. I'm not saying we should expect to lift the Cup in those circumstances, but good managers seize the moment and make sure their players do the necessary.

Is that mitigation though or does a strong-minded, confident, experienced manager work with his recruitment team to pinpoint exactly what he needs? I never got the impression Robson had any grand plan of what he wanted to do tactically, or to be flexible enough to adapt to the opposition. Facing teams like St Johnstone, St Mirren and Kilmarnock at home is not like going to venues where we've struggled like Parkhead, Tynecastle or, to a lesser extent, Snake Mountain. I agree that one shouldn't look too hard at our run to the League Cup Final. Indeed, we never had a home tie, but we were absolutely horrible to watch on both Hampden visits, and the Hibs victory was a stroke of good fortune and a moment of magic from our best player.

Over-reactions perhaps but we're managerless and five points above the relegation play-off zone with a double header against the Gruesomes on the horizon, and a squad that's chucked it before when they don't like the manager. Blind optimism can mask things to a point, but we've just got through three poor managers in three years and now the person that appointed them is considering a 75 year old that's only previous experience has all been in England. I'll continue to "pant pish" or whatever the euphemism is for being concerned about the current situation.

We haven't been quick to fire managers when we appoint the right men at the right time. McInnes was here seven years, Calderwood lasted six, however since Cormack arrived in 2019 his appointments have been plain wrong. Robson was the popular choice with the support after the end of last season but the chairman and his board have got to look beyond short term success, or perceived success, and find someone capable and experienced of bringing long term stability. We've seen with Glass and Robson that the Aberdeen job is not a place to cut your managerial teeth. Goodwin was appointed with too much haste and, one can only surmise, blinded Cormack and the board with Irish blarney. Cormack needs someone to guide him but Messers Garner, Milne, Gunn and Burrows have proved nothing more than Yes men....

I agree with regards Alex Neil. With two horrendous appointments (Glass & Goodwin) and one odd managerial contract handed out (did rookie Robson really require a two year deal?), Cormack needs to get this next appointment right, so it requires, as much as one can in appointing a manager, to play it safe. Robson's run at the end of last season warranted his appointment but it was always another major risk especially after what had gone before. He needs to forget this nonsense with Warnock until the end of the season. If we're looking for someone to keep the seat warm for three months then there will be plenty capable that won't cost anywhere near what Warnock does and with a better knowledge of the game up here. However, either now or in the summer (preferably now) he needs to go on the charm offensive and bring in Alex Neil. I would like to see Alex Neil bring his old boss Billy Reid with him. Then he needs to take a serious look at the personnel running the club including himself because he's managed to turn us into a joke over five years.

I can't remember what I read now, either Walter Smith kept it secret from Fergie after receiving the call during the Israeli trip or he told him during the Israeli trip. It might've been a bolt out of the blue for supporters but they must've done groundwork beforehand. I know that Smith first 'managed' Rangers (1872-2012) at Pittodrie on the 26th April 1986 as they waited for Souness to be free from his commitments at Sampdoria.

Paul McStay scored the only goal...the Israeli keeper that day died in a speedboat accident a few months later and the live match coverage was interrupted with news of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster....And I believe it was at this game, played in January 1986, that Alex Ferguson's assistant Walter Smith first discussed with Fergie the possiblity of Smith joining Souness as his assistant at Oldco that summer...

Aberdeen's Dave Johnston (9), Jens Peterson (6), Ally Shewan (3) and Frank Munro (4) prepare for a match in their Washington Whips guise..at least I think that is the recently opened DC Stadium behind them (which became the RFK Stadium although this is 1967 and RFK still has a year to live and Sirhan Sirhan yet to be identified as this year's patsy) and not Pittodrie. As an aside, I was in the RFK Stadium for a DC United match against Sporting Kansas City in 2010, and it was slightly dilapidated (so not completely unlike Pittodrie), and half full of Mexicans eating Mexican food and nobody else which suggested to me that football hadn't really taken hold Stateside.

Is it correct that Ally Shewan has passed? 50 year association with the club, if true that he's passed, then the man deserves a big send off from the club and supporters. Which actually poses a question, does anyone know if the club does anything special when we lose one of our Hall of Famers?

If that isn't the correct answer then it's very close...

Aberdeen, Washington was known as the 'Hellhole of the Pacific' but what, I wonder, would be known at the 'Hellhole of the North Sea'?

I'll relent on this occasion on foisting my opinions on Cormack too deeply; however, I've disliked him ever since he took over from Milne. He should realise that the supporters aren't mugs, and they understand fully when the club is overachieving, underachieving or somewhere in the middle. Trying to pull the wool (pun intended) over our eyes with talk of challenger brands, reaching Europe's Top 100, mythical managerial shortlists and Football Monitoring Boards, and glossing up Robson's managerial stats by including friendlies against Turriff is not going to cut the mustard. I'll give him credit for the training centre to an extent but, as I said last year, he needs to step back and handover the reins to someone that knows how to run a club and appoint the right people in positions they are suited. He doesn't have the experience, know-how, brains , personality or indeed actual physical presence to oversee AFC and he can't be trusted to employ experienced staff that he perceives might undermine him. I truly believe the man's hubris might see as relegated eventually (although not this season)...

We were the Washington Whips back in the 1960s.

I prefer a Dry December and to party hard in January. With regards the result, it's difficult to see anything other than a comfortable home victory so 1-1.

The year was 2024 as word spreads that Robson is considering playing a 4-3-3 formation...

No, it's true, I'm a glory hunter

Haha, yeah because we've been utterly magic since 2003...

And that period of success for Dundee at Pittodrie spanned the time when I was rejecting footballl in general (in my 20s and going out too much) and Aberdeen in particular which covered the tail end of the Aitken era, Alex Miller, Hegarty and the first season and half of Skovdhal where I barely went to a match. I saw one match in 1998 (Motherwell at home) and one match in 1999 (St Pauli away). I've seen Dundee 21 times at Pittodrie: 2 x 1984, 1 x 1985, 2 x 1986, 2 x 1987, 1 x 1988, 1 x 1990, 1 x 1992, 2 x 1993, 1 x 2003, 2 x 2004, 1 x 2005, 1 x 2012, 1 x 2015, 2 x 2018 and 1 x 2022 and that's 13 home wins, 5 no score draws and 3 score draws However, in 2004, I saw Dundee beat Aberdeen at Dens Park, the only time I've witnessed Dundee beat Aberdeen anywhere (Pittodrie, Dens or Hampden). I did see Dundee win away from home at Montrose in 1991 though.

You should stand by your word and principles for the Dundee game if, as expected, we lose on Saturday. Then we have the Ugly Sisters, four defeats on the bounce and then surely common sense will prevail, although Cormack seems lacking in common sense, and Robson will get the boot. I've been going to Pittodrie since 1984, and I've never seen Dundee win at Pittodrie. I expect that to change next week. I wanted to give Robson time to learn from his mistakes, but resorting to the five at the back when 0-1 up highlights yet again, shows the man is unfit for the role. Like everyone at Pittodrie under this amateurish shambolic reign of Cormack, the Peter Principle applies to Robson, promoted to a level of incompetence. Now Aberdeen's version of Donald Trump needs to get his ass back here, turn on the waterworks again, and hand brain dead Barry his P45. Or better still handover the actual running of the club to someone that knows what they're doing, and he can return once in while to take the acclaim when things are going well.

You wouldn't make a good salesman, he had an excellent record with Aalesunds, practically a goal every other game, he has potential that Motherwell could tap into...

As could Lawrence Shankland the useless galoot...

The Even Newer Firm

I'd be stunned if they didn't have cosy tactics chats because Naismith and Robbo are besties and as such, just like the two clubs they manage, they have a very close and harmonious relations.. The Gruesomes should fear the new JV...