The Famous Aberdeen - Season 2022/23

[coprolite]

6 minutes ago, Illgresi said:

This whole Wright affair absolutely reeks of the agent being an absolute bawbag. Unfortunately that's the way football is these days, and we better get used to it if we want to become one of the fabled #Top100.

Furthermore, the club have often stated they want to have the best youth system in the country. There's absolutely no point in that if we can't keep these players for long enough to make an impact on the first team, and then make money on them. It's probably too late now that the **** are involved, but we really shouldn't be letting prospects have less than a year on their deal.

I agree on the contracts. McInnes did say they'd been trying since summer to get him to re-sign. We'd never have got cash for him before that. What can we do in that situation? 

[AngusTheBull]

1 minute ago, Illgresi said:

Furthermore, the club have often stated they want to have the best youth system in the country. There's absolutely no point in that if we can't keep these players for long enough to make an impact on the first team, and then make money on them. It's probably too late now that the **** are involved, but we really shouldn't be letting prospects have less than a year on their deal.

I do agree with this but don't think it particularly applies in Wright's situation given he is 23 and this season is the first time he has meaningfully contributed. This season has been a last chance saloon for him (and I feel this has been said for several seasons in a row before he inevitably gets injured); and had we given him an extension last summer I don't think many people could have said it was deserved.

I'm much more concerned about McLennan given he also OOC this summer, two years younger and played the same amount of games as Wright.

[CO2000]

1 hour ago, AngusTheBull said:

This is pretty much where I'm at.

Do I think he deserves to be sacked? No

Will I be upset if he leaves this summer/next summer? Also no.

 

There has undoubtedly been a staleness about us for two or three seasons now, along with largely turgid football for much of this time.  This season the quality of football saw a definite improvement initially though has tailed off due to a variety of factors, not all McInnes's fault, and as much as I'm very frustrated we're not pushing Celtic a lot closer than we currently are, we are undeniably operating under very difficult circumstances. As has been noted, given the number of out of contract players this summer, this may be his best chance in several years to freshen the team up. 

While reaching ten semi-finals over his time in charge is very commendable, and he does deserve great credit for this, I also don't think it's unreasonable to say we should have won more than one trophy in these eight years, considering we have been comfortably the second/third best team in the country over this time. 

 I'm not expecting us to be challenging for titles, though I also think that if we're pretty much just going to be meeting expectations each season (i.e. finishing third on the third biggest budget with a good cup run(s)) then it's not unreasonable to ask for a bit more quality or excitement in doing so.

Needs to risk more in the cups, esp latter stages, will bring inconsistncy but hopefully highs as well as lows rather than just year in year out steady runs.

A beaten mentality before we even KO in certain matches doesn't help either.....

 

[Illgresi]

33 minutes ago, coprolite said:

I agree on the contracts. McInnes did say they'd been trying since summer to get him to re-sign. We'd never have got cash for him before that. What can we do in that situation? 

 

32 minutes ago, AngusTheBull said:

I do agree with this but don't think it particularly applies in Wright's situation given he is 23 and this season is the first time he has meaningfully contributed. This season has been a last chance saloon for him (and I feel this has been said for several seasons in a row before he inevitably gets injured); and had we given him an extension last summer I don't think many people could have said it was deserved.

I'm much more concerned about McLennan given he also OOC this summer, two years younger and played the same amount of games as Wright.

Agree it's a bit of a difficult situation with Wright.

One way around it is to limit the factors that get in the way of a player's progression:

1. Improve our ability to progress good prospects into good players (easier said than done)
2. Improve our medical/sports science (we get far too many injuries)
3. Improve our scouting of the youth players around us (we're always reactive not proactive in situations like this)

That way we can have more confidence that if a youth player like Wright takes a career detour (e.g. through injury); that we can get him back on track. That in turn means we can get in there earlier and offer extensions when their stock is still low. Wright would have jumped at a contract extension in the middle of his last injury.

Then if a youth player decides to try their luck, or has a tadger of an agent, we're in a position to call their bluff with a ready-made replacement.

There's far too much power in the hands of players these days, and we need to get a lot smarter as a club frankly.

 

I'm also far more worried about McLennan, and in fact he would have been my priority over Wright for a new contract, along with Ethan Ross.

[Dons_1988]

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I'm not sure Mclennan will ever be much more than a hard working option with a fairly average level of ability. I don't particularly see him becoming a really key player.

[DrewDon]

Just now, Dons_1988 said:

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I'm not sure Mclennan will ever be much more than a hard working option with a fairly average level of ability. I don't particularly see him becoming a really key player.

I really liked how positive and productive he was when he first broke into the team. He seemed to have a real knack of making things happen, which couldn't be said for all our attacking players then (compared to Mackay-Steven, for example, McLennan was less elegant to watch but seemed to actually be more effective in the final third) - or even now. But he is technically quite limited and, when he is bad, he has a habit of being really bad.

I'm not 100% sure where he fits into a 3-4-3; there have been some signs that he could do a decent job at wing-back, utilising his running and ball carrying from deep to get us up the pitch, but also games where he hasn't looked particularly clever there; he might not be quite technical enough, or have enough guile yet, to play as one of the supporting two in the front three.

I do like him and want him to stay, though - but the next season or two feels quite important for him. 

[DukDukGoose]

20 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I'm not sure Mclennan will ever be much more than a hard working option with a fairly average level of ability. I don't particularly see him becoming a really key player.

He's the kick and run type that you just absolutely need in some cases. He's a less talented player player than Hayes but with a similar skillset.

In full agreement with you that he's never going to be one of the top players in a squad.

[lubo_blaha]

1 hour ago, d31 said:

Yea we'd need to hope if we can't win the scottish cup that it's another top 3 team, spit.

It will be standard scottish football that it's gretna or dunfermline kicking about the group stages.

I would not be surprised if the Scottish Cup finishes the season after it is meant to again. The competition is suspended with 5 full rounds to get through as well as 12 outstanding ties that can only be played from the start of February at the earliest. It could well end up with the place being allocated to the 3rd placed league team anyway.

[Illgresi]

I think it's a bit unfair on McLennan actually. No he's not the flair type like Wright or latterly Mackay-Steven, but has better end product, and he's been far more effective than both. He had 8 assists (our best) and 3 goals in 18/19, compared to GMS who had 4 goals and 1 assist, and Wright who had 3 goals (for Dundee) and 6 assists.

Even this season people are creaming themselves over Wright who's scored 2 goals and assisted 1. Looks fancy but does very little. Give me McLennan on form any day.

[Dons_1988]

I don't dislike him, I just don't see him as someone on the cusp of turning into something special. I don't see huge scope for improvement but he's definitely a valuable member of the squad.

[coprolite]

7 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

I don't dislike him, I just don't see him as someone on the cusp of turning into something special. I don't see huge scope for improvement but he's definitely a valuable member of the squad.

I'd rather we played McLennan than any of the sevco cast off list that's been mentioned. 

[Bogbrush1903]

5 hours ago, AJF said:

Those in charge of football clubs learn to put aside any kind of rivalry if they can strike a deal that is beneficial to them (to a certain extent - I don't imagine us ever doing business directly with Celtic).

Even your point about McCrorie highlights that it can be illogical. You seem to be of the opinion that he is a good player and you will make money on him, but you'd happily have missed out on that simply because of the team you got him from.

I'm not saying that opinion is wrong, as I'd certainly feel the same way if Rangers were to do a similar deal with Celtic, but I suppose my main point is that the decision makers will occasionally overlook any perceived rivalry to do what's best for the club.

I think Rangers have made steps towards building more professional relationships with other clubs recently. If we use Hibs as an example. After the whole Scott Allan fiasco, I would never have thought the club would be in any hurry to do business with Hibs, but since then we've loaned them a couple of players and brought in a loan player from them as well.

It's a bit rich talking about building professional relationships and overlooking rivalry for the sake of a good deal when the original club to whom you're referring of didn't knowingly sign a Catholic for the first 120 years. 

However, alls fair, that doesn't apply to the phoenix club.. 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Bogbrush1903

[AJF]

1 minute ago, Bogbrush1903 said:

It's a bit rich talking about building professional relationships and overlooking rivalry for the sake of a good deal when the original club to you're talking of didn't knowingly sign a Catholic for the first 120 years. 

However, alls fair, that doesn't apply to the phoenix club.. 

Jesus Christ, way to ruin a reasonable debate.

[Dons_1988]

[big al]

19 minutes ago, coprolite said:

I'd rather we played McLennan than any of the sevco cast off list that's been mentioned. 

Definitely 

[Bogbrush1903]

27 minutes ago, AJF said:

Jesus Christ, way to ruin a reasonable debate.

Your club ruined a reasonable league with its financial doping aka cheating.

[afc_blockhead]

7 hours ago, Bogbrush1903 said:

So if they were shite old days are these magical ones Blockhead? 

Not all the time.

If i ask you is consistency in the league (worst case finishing 4th place) , a first trophy in 19 years and spells of good football to go with it (no one was complaining in the first months of the season) better than near constant bottom 6 finishes and embarassments in the cup (Mcghee/Calderwood/Paterson etc) what would you say? 

[DukDukGoose]

1 hour ago, Illgresi said:

I think it's a bit unfair on McLennan actually. No he's not the flair type like Wright or latterly Mackay-Steven, but has better end product, and he's been far more effective than both. He had 8 assists (our best) and 3 goals in 18/19, compared to GMS who had 4 goals and 1 assist, and Wright who had 3 goals (for Dundee) and 6 assists.

Even this season people are creaming themselves over Wright who's scored 2 goals and assisted 1. Looks fancy but does very little. Give me McLennan on form any day.

McLennan thrives when someone can play the Wright role and link play. This is why we are 'creaming' ourselves over Wright. If we don't have a player like that then McLennan's first route to the ball is usually a header or winning the second ball.

[d31]

1 hour ago, lubo_blaha said:

I would not be surprised if the Scottish Cup finishes the season after it is meant to again. The competition is suspended with 5 full rounds to get through as well as 12 outstanding ties that can only be played from the start of February at the earliest. It could well end up with the place being allocated to the 3rd placed league team anyway.

I think it's going to be difficult for the part time teams to get back playing without introducing twice weekly testing. Who should foot that bill? It's difficult to see a restart

[Illgresi]

20 minutes ago, Merkland Red said:

McLennan thrives when someone can play the Wright role and link play. This is why we are 'creaming' ourselves over Wright. If we don't have a player like that then McLennan's first route to the ball is usually a header or winning the second ball.

Hedges is significantly better at that than Wright though, but usually gets played out wide because we have limited options. So what we really need is a RWB so that Kennedy can play up off the left where he excelled for St. Johnstone.