The Famous Aberdeen - Season 2022/23

[Don exotic]

7 hours ago, Irrational Behaviour said:

Anyone concerned about our finances? 

Our wage bill must be higher than last season! 

Is it not the case that loan deals can still be made outwith the transfer window? If so, then presumably some of our extra midfielders will go on loan. That or we can try and play with Joe Lewis and 10 midfielders as an experiment at some point?

[big al]

9 hours ago, Dons_1988 said:

Wouldn’t say I was concerned but I’d be surprised if we weren’t operating at a higher cost base than we really should be. I fully expected Ferguson to leave to fund the additional late in the window signings so we’ve definitely pushed the boat out. 

for all that I think the squad looks unbalanced in many ways so I have a slight nervousness that this team won’t justify the outlay. 

Slight nervousness?

I wouldn’t put much money on finishing 3rd and/or winning the cup, which is obviously the minimum required considering the spending.  
 

Far, far too much dross has remained at the club. Devlin, McGinn(sadly now), Kennedy, McGeouch, McClennan and McCrorie all need to go in reality. 
By the end of true season Brown and Considine will be virtually finished as well although Brown is already out his depth in the top games (see Qarabag already).

[glasgow-sheep]

As we are out of Europe and the League Cup it's 18 men squads and only 3 subs from here on in.
Senior squad is 26
 
Lewis, Woods (2)
Ramsay, Gurr (2)
Bates, Gallagher, McCrorie, Devlin, Considine (5)
Mackenzie, Hayes (2)
Brown, Ferguson, Campbell, Ojo, McGeouch, Jenks, Longstaff (7)
McLennan, Kennedy, Hedges, McGinn, Watkins (5)
Ramirez, JET, Samuels (3)
Not including Ruth, Ngwenya and Hancock etc.
So you've got 6 of them not stripped every week and 12 of them not playing every week.
Should be well covered to absorb 3-4 injuries every game.

That may be the case but Devlin will never play again, McGinn better not, Kennedy won't for us, Consi won't this year if ever sadly.

[DrewDon]

12 minutes ago, big al said:

Slight nervousness?

I wouldn’t put much money on finishing 3rd and/or winning the cup, which is obviously the minimum required considering the spending.  
 

Far, far too much dross has remained at the club. Devlin, McGinn(sadly now), Kennedy, McGeouch, McClennan and McCrorie all need to go in reality. 
By the end of true season Brown and Considine will be virtually finished as well although Brown is already out his depth in the top games (see Qarabag already).

Come on, now. 

McCrorie, although flawed, would start for any non-Old Firm team in the league in one position or another. Saying he "needs to go" is a wee bit mad, for me. McLennan is limited and hasn't developed as I hoped when he first broke through, but has already shown that he can be useful in certain situations under Glass, even if just as a blunt instrument. McGeouch is a capable midfielder at Scottish Premiership level and is a useful squad option, and would probably still start for most teams in the league. 

Brown has, in my opinion, been our best player so far this season (maybe with the exception of Ramsay). He struggled a bit against Qarabag, but pretty much everyone did. He has been a big asset to us in most games that he has played.

[SamuraiJock]

Giving up on McCrorie would be idiotic and I’m not sure we’ll ever develop any youngsters if that is how quickly some can give up on someone like him. His first proper run of games as a CB in years and we haven’t even lost a league game and he should be binned!? How many bad games in a row will it take for us to give up on Ramsay - will one bad month do it do we think?

[Dons_1988]

1 hour ago, big al said:

Slight nervousness?

Well I tend to save my major nerves for things like the drive home from work, when I ponder what state my wife will be in after a day alone with our daughter. 

[tarapoa]

By the end of true season Brown and Considine will be virtually finished as well although Brown is already out his depth in the top games (see Qarabag already).

Brown struggled in that game - but the key thing is he didn’t hide.

Most of the players looked so shellshocked at 2-0 that they reverted to taking the anonymous option of safe passes or not quite making themselves available to receive the ball.

I made a point of watching Brown - and he never once took that rather easy choice of just disappearing - so unfair to single him out.

[kingjoey]

2 hours ago, big al said:

Slight nervousness?

I wouldn’t put much money on finishing 3rd and/or winning the cup, which is obviously the minimum required considering the spending.  
 

Far, far too much dross has remained at the club. Devlin, McGinn(sadly now), Kennedy, McGeouch, McClennan and McCrorie all need to go in reality. 
By the end of true season Brown and Considine will be virtually finished as well although Brown is already out his depth in the top games (see Qarabag already).

That’s one of the strangest posts I’ve read recently. Devlin and Kennedy are surplus to requirements, but McGeouch, McLennan and McCrorie? Really? 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

McCrorie needs to go but Gallacher can stay?

Fucking hell.

[Arnie]

Mcrorie is new jack he splits opinion for Mcrorie is a good player 

[big al]

Not going to reply to each post, and several good points made. I personally don’t think McCrorie is good enough to start for Aberdeen. Not good enough to play in midfield and has looked very uncomfortable at centre half. The pass to give the ball away for the 2nd goal v Qarabag is ridiculous and his positioning and strength for a centre half has a long way to go. 

Likeable and honest and attitude looks decent but need more than that. Maybe I’m being too harsh and he’s a work in progress, let’s hope so.

Mcgeouch- only use for him I can see is if 2-0 up and want to keep the ball and run the game down. Has he ever had a shot, created a chance? Someone said he was best player v Raith, the performance was absolutely awful. Barely got near their goals in 90 mins, which is a description of Mcgeouchs game.

McClennan- pacy and again honest but falls over the ball as often as he doesn’t.

Devlin- no idea, never fit. 
Kennedy- plays with his head down, enough said. 

Mcginn- been brilliant but has looked like he’s had his time for a wee while now sadly.

Someone mentioned Ramsay- easily the best player in the team so far. Can’t praise him enough, fantastic.

 

Just saying it how I see it. I have no beef with any players, unlike many fans, if they are playing I support them as don’t see anything productive out of shouting abuse or negatives. The squad is too bloated and these are the players I would lose, especially if it allowed 1 or 2 really good players to come.

 

 

 

[the tungston weasel]

Mcrorie when he first came in I said he looks like a shinnie replacement.

He still has these qualities and would think if brown should be mentoring anybody it is him

[Leith Green]

7 hours ago, the tungston weasel said:

Mcrorie when he first came in I said he looks like a shinnie replacement.

He still has these qualities and would think if brown should be mentoring anybody it is him

McRorie is not being played in his best position - happened with Magennis at Hibs last season - carrying an injury and occasional cameos in all sorts of positions..........."hes crap, why did we pay money for him, Ross hasnae got a clue" etc etc.

This season - fit and in the middle "great player, future captain, scoring for fun" etc 

All this tells you is that football fans are fannies and fickle - and coaches and managers know a good player when they see them.

Mcrorie is an excellent player.

Aberdeens issue is simply which of your midfielders to play alongside Brown (if he is the lynchpin) and how to keep the others happy.

[DukDukGoose]

Funny how we all see the game differently. I think McCrorie has easily been the best CB this season. That's taking his 2 mistakes that cost goals in Europe into account.

[big al]

2 hours ago, Merkland Red said:

Funny how we all see the game differently. I think McCrorie has easily been the best CB this season. That's taking his 2 mistakes that cost goals in Europe into account.

He was so bad against Qarabag that half the crown were screaming to get him off. Even some morons started shouting ‘***, ***’ behind the goal after some of his mistakes. 
Obviously I think that’s out of order but also shows how poor he was.

He was a bit better against Hearts away to be fair to him.

[big al]

3 hours ago, Leith Green said:

McRorie is not being played in his best position - happened with Magennis at Hibs last season - carrying an injury and occasional cameos in all sorts of positions..........."hes crap, why did we pay money for him, Ross hasnae got a clue" etc etc.

This season - fit and in the middle "great player, future captain, scoring for fun" etc 

All this tells you is that football fans are fannies and fickle - and coaches and managers know a good player when they see them.

Mcrorie is an excellent player.

Aberdeens issue is simply which of your midfielders to play alongside Brown (if he is the lynchpin) and how to keep the others happy.

Out of interest, where is his best position then? 

[RussellAnderson]

McCrorie has been hot and cold this season at CB but that’s acceptable for two reasons:

1) it’s his first full season in the position and he’s going to have to make mistakes and learn fro them

2) when he’s looked good, he’s looked really fucking good eg v Hearts at Tynecastle

I wonder if Glass has spoken to him and talked about the likelyhood of him making it to a high level in the game. More likely to get into the Scotland team as a ball playing centre half than another centre mid imo. If he can keep developing he’ll be in contention for sure. 

[Illgresi]

Folk that can't see McCrorie's potential as a ball playing CB really need to give up watching football.

[Game of throw-ins]

2 hours ago, RussellAnderson said:

McCrorie has been hot and cold this season at CB but that’s acceptable for two reasons:

1) it’s his first full season in the position and he’s going to have to make mistakes and learn fro them

2) when he’s looked good, he’s looked really fucking good eg v Hearts at Tynecastle

I wonder if Glass has spoken to him and talked about the likelyhood of him making it to a high level in the game. More likely to get into the Scotland team as a ball playing centre half than another centre mid imo. If he can keep developing he’ll be in contention for sure. 

All true I think.  My worries are:

1.  He's looked like he could make the transition but there are no guarantees.  Sometimes guys look like they have the qualities for a different position but they give it a proper go and it doesn't work.   (Just one off the top of my head, a lot of people, myself included, thought Pa Broon was on to something turning Josh Magennis into a full back.  But he wasn't.)

2.  Even if he can make the transition, he's liable to cost us goals in the meantime.  A few badly timed goals conceded could make a big difference to our season.

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

I still believe that McCrorie will turn back into a midfielder once Bates starts playing. He'll be used as defensive cover, but I see him playing alongside Brown.