At long last there are signs of publicity about the mooted new stadium. The AFC website has a new section with assorted bits of gen that will help to inform people of what is going on and it’ll be exciting watching developments as they get rolled out.
Amazingly there seems to be a somewhat pointless rumbling amongst the chattering classes that the idea of relocating is a bad thing. How can this be? Only a few years ago there was a lot of effort put in by the club over the possibility of building a new stadium out at Bellfield near Kingswells and hardly a peep came from supporters against the idea. Now, long after the council sponsored (but did not pay for) a feasibility study into the proposed site and Kings Links, we have a minor spate of negativity - did any of these people submit comments to the study?
Could it be that these same naysayers are the ones who seek to find a contrary point of view over anything that Aberdeen FC tries to do? You bet!
Given the choice, nobody, not fans, not the board, not the club’s staff or anyone else would want to move from the traditional home of football. But look at the location of Pittodrie; there just isn’t room. It sits right on the street at two sides and close to another street on a third. The council has had the area zoned for housing for years and has wanted the club out of there for just as long. No planners would allow reconstruction where the crowd would have to pour out onto the highway like happens now. UEFA demands for stadium standards would force things into the design that just couldn't fit into the land available and modern day spectator expectations would not accept it if a reconstruction left them with cramped concourses and a low capacity ground.
Reading between the lines, it seems pretty clear that the Club would have preferred a better site than what has been tabled, but what choice was there? How many pieces of land are available anywhere in the city that would be big enough to house a modern stadium with car parks and training ground nearby? Answer: precious few, if any.
A new place is a huge opportunity, it isn't one that comes around in most supporters’ lifetime but we are getting it. Why not embrace the idea and get excited about it? Sure there will doubtless be problems along the way, but if the planning process goes well, we will end up with something wonderful. A place with atmosphere that is capable of generating more income beyond match days and that won’t cost a fortune to maintain for years to come. And let’s not forget that we can take some of Pittodrie with us - the granite façade from the Merkland end for starters, not to mention the thousands of memories and stories that go with the old place.
Nostalgia and history belong to the supporter and to the players from the past; the club has to continually look forward. The people who run it have to make sure that there is still something there to run in ten, twenty, fifty years time. That’s where the revamping of the youth development system was so important (something we are beginning to see coming to fruition). A brand new stadium with a team built largely on our own home-developed players will be a fantastic thing, a chance for a rebirth of the club we love. It is almost like regeneration on Doctor Who, only better. Embrace it and let’s get the thing done by everybody working together - the sooner the better.
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Monday 26 April 2010
Shepherd Spying
An insider at the underground headquarters of sleazy fanzine The Red Final informs us that the 94th edition of the well known scandal rag and outrage outlet will be on sale at Saturday's game against Kilmarnock. It is amazing that in this electronic age that TRF manages to keep going, especially as they seem incapable of maintaining their website. All a bit arse about face, really.The same spy has gleaned a fact of minor interest to statos and Dons' fans alike: two of the clubs being relegated form the English League Division Two this season have a player in common. Darlington were the club who conned Jimmy Calderwood into signing Tommy Wright for Aberdeen and Grimsby are the club that took the same player off our hands this season. Hard to believe that Calderwood paid out £100k from a tight budget to secure such a disruptive dumpling so no surprise that there are mutterings in the corridors of TRF Towers and Pittdodrie that it is a shame he didn't move to Kilmarnock to join his old boss. Shame for Grimsby, like.
Saturday 24 April 2010
Sunshine Football
A warm April's day was just the job for viewing a game of football at Perth's tidy wee stadium. Given the option, I'd switch to a summer schedule right now and banish the worst days of sitting freezing on the terraces to somewhere over the rainbow.
Today's game may not have meant too much but the players of both teams dug in and made it worth the watching, with the Dandies completely dominating the first half and St Johnstone having the better of the second.
But for our season long failing in finding the net often enough, we would have won this game. There were some seriously good chances in that first forty-five and some clinical finishing would have done the job. Even a two goal lead at half-time would have done it for us because the defence was standing up well to whatever Saints threw at them and a tad more alertness at the equalising free kick would have kept them out at the death as well.
The officials weren't too bad, although the standside linesman must have basketball in his soul as he didn't seem to think that there was anything wrong with players handling the ball. This Blog will seldom pick out players for special praise, but the much maligned Ifil was a standout for us today with Grassi doing a good job too. The Italian may be a bit too laid back for the tates of many Scottish fans, but he is strong in the air and in the tackle and seldom wastes a forward pass. Will he be with us next season though?
Just a wee rant, while you are here, on the attainment of safety in the league (or indeed other key stages of the competition where some team can’t be caught); the expression commonly used is that so and so is “mathematically safe” or until it is “mathematically impossible” to catch somebody. This is bollocks - the key word needed is “arithmetically” - if you add or subtract points you are using simple arithmetic, there is no “mathematics” involved - no algebra, no geometry nor even quantum mechanics. It is simple arithmetic! But hey, what can we expect from a sport where people use expressions such as “it’s a gimme” when they mean “given”? Footballers don’t need to conform to type and portray themselves as semi-literate; some of them are actually quite bright.
Today's game may not have meant too much but the players of both teams dug in and made it worth the watching, with the Dandies completely dominating the first half and St Johnstone having the better of the second.
But for our season long failing in finding the net often enough, we would have won this game. There were some seriously good chances in that first forty-five and some clinical finishing would have done the job. Even a two goal lead at half-time would have done it for us because the defence was standing up well to whatever Saints threw at them and a tad more alertness at the equalising free kick would have kept them out at the death as well.
The officials weren't too bad, although the standside linesman must have basketball in his soul as he didn't seem to think that there was anything wrong with players handling the ball. This Blog will seldom pick out players for special praise, but the much maligned Ifil was a standout for us today with Grassi doing a good job too. The Italian may be a bit too laid back for the tates of many Scottish fans, but he is strong in the air and in the tackle and seldom wastes a forward pass. Will he be with us next season though?
Just a wee rant, while you are here, on the attainment of safety in the league (or indeed other key stages of the competition where some team can’t be caught); the expression commonly used is that so and so is “mathematically safe” or until it is “mathematically impossible” to catch somebody. This is bollocks - the key word needed is “arithmetically” - if you add or subtract points you are using simple arithmetic, there is no “mathematics” involved - no algebra, no geometry nor even quantum mechanics. It is simple arithmetic! But hey, what can we expect from a sport where people use expressions such as “it’s a gimme” when they mean “given”? Footballers don’t need to conform to type and portray themselves as semi-literate; some of them are actually quite bright.
Friday 23 April 2010
Rebuild the Bridge a Step at a Time
Even in a season where we have had to put up with seeing weakened sides taking the field, tomorrow’s game at St Johnstone will see the Dandies squad down to the bone. The positive side of this is that a good few home grown youngsters will be involved on the bench and maybe in the team. The downside is that the Saints have been having a decent season and will be slavering at the target of 7th place in the SPL.
The Dons will have to face up to the challenge and battle to get us the three points, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have a go. With nothing much to lose but plenty to gain in terms of repairing a bit of the damage done this season, they should be all out to do their best to give the travelling support something to shout about.
The pelters that the players and the Club have taken this season is understandable because nobody wants to see their team losing as often as has happened, but it is weird to have witnessed a much worse season in 1999/2000 under Skovdahl and recall that a significant chunk of the crowd were happily chanting the manager’s name and forgiving the fact that we were actually relegated. Only Falkirk’s slum-like ground saved Aberdeen from facing the drop into Division 1 - a division notoriously hard to get out of. Who knows where we might have been now if we had gone down. Did anybody think that dear old uncle Ebbe would have guided us back to the top league anytime soon?
This season we have had a miserable time, but the majority of defeats were by the odd goal and quite often they could have ended with an odd goal victory. A lot of the games were actually quite good to watch but results are everything and now we need to see the side recreating itself for a much better performance next season. With the financial state of Scottish football in general, that improvement is going to have to come in part from the youngsters that have featured this season and a few who might yet. When the manager is looking to sign new, more experienced players, let’s hope that he’ll be seeking to bring in men who will do a job for us not only in strengthening the team but in bringing on the younger players who will play such an important part of our future.
The Dons will have to face up to the challenge and battle to get us the three points, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have a go. With nothing much to lose but plenty to gain in terms of repairing a bit of the damage done this season, they should be all out to do their best to give the travelling support something to shout about.
The pelters that the players and the Club have taken this season is understandable because nobody wants to see their team losing as often as has happened, but it is weird to have witnessed a much worse season in 1999/2000 under Skovdahl and recall that a significant chunk of the crowd were happily chanting the manager’s name and forgiving the fact that we were actually relegated. Only Falkirk’s slum-like ground saved Aberdeen from facing the drop into Division 1 - a division notoriously hard to get out of. Who knows where we might have been now if we had gone down. Did anybody think that dear old uncle Ebbe would have guided us back to the top league anytime soon?
This season we have had a miserable time, but the majority of defeats were by the odd goal and quite often they could have ended with an odd goal victory. A lot of the games were actually quite good to watch but results are everything and now we need to see the side recreating itself for a much better performance next season. With the financial state of Scottish football in general, that improvement is going to have to come in part from the youngsters that have featured this season and a few who might yet. When the manager is looking to sign new, more experienced players, let’s hope that he’ll be seeking to bring in men who will do a job for us not only in strengthening the team but in bringing on the younger players who will play such an important part of our future.
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Ever Gutted a Whale?
Guys from the AFC Heritage Trust were tidying a cupboard at Pittodrie today, making space for storage, when they came across a mean looking Faroese knife in a splendid wooden scabbard. It had a small brass plate on it inscribed "KI Klaksvik 1957". Presumably it was a souvenir of a friendly match played by the Dons against this Faroe Islands team. A team, co-incidentally that has never suffered relegation from their top league.
There is no immediately available record of Aberdeen playing Klaksvik, although they have from time to time sent a side up there for a summer visit, so some dedicated soul will have to get into the library and check through papers form the time.
Meanwhile the knife is tucked away safely under lock and key at an unknown location. All in a day's work for volunteers at AFC. On Friday they are going to seek out evidence of Tiddles the fabled Pittodrie cat, a creature rumoured to have gone for more than one spin with the first team kit in the laundry.
There is no immediately available record of Aberdeen playing Klaksvik, although they have from time to time sent a side up there for a summer visit, so some dedicated soul will have to get into the library and check through papers form the time.
Meanwhile the knife is tucked away safely under lock and key at an unknown location. All in a day's work for volunteers at AFC. On Friday they are going to seek out evidence of Tiddles the fabled Pittodrie cat, a creature rumoured to have gone for more than one spin with the first team kit in the laundry.
Saturday 17 April 2010
Phew
Today's game was all about the result and little else. Had the Dandies failed to win, or worse, lost, they would have slithered closer to the relegation battle. Thankfully they scored early and their goal was barely troubled by Falkirk. We would all have liked to see them push up and attack more towards the end of the game, but they were probably right to focus on clearing their lines and letting the clock run down.
Interestingly, Mark chose to use old heads today and it worked. We saw the kind of sleeves up, grafting performance that we should have seen much earlier in the season. Players like Duff and Young had a very good shift with Duff in particular showing a lot of strength, both physically and mentally, especially in dealing with the massive Showunmi.
The other big factor today was that the crowd was right behind the team and didn't descend into booing mistakes, of which there were a few. The players recognised this and responded accordingly. That relationship needs to continue and to get stronger.
Even though most of the younger players didn't get a chance to come on, it was a great experience for them to be on the bench and to see what can be done with sheer hard graft. There are a lot of talented kids at Pittodrie now and they need to be helped by more experienced players. Hopefully they will start to be used a bit more in the last four games so that they can gain a flavour of SPL football ready to put to better use next season. The future is Red and it is youthful.
Technically the Dons are just about safe now, the arithmetic is complicated but it is hard to imagine any of the other bottom six clubs putting together a big enough winning streak to overhaul us and certainly not three of them. The Dons though need to work for more wins, they have bridges to build with the supporters and the sooner they start, the better for Aberdeen and all of us.
Interestingly, Mark chose to use old heads today and it worked. We saw the kind of sleeves up, grafting performance that we should have seen much earlier in the season. Players like Duff and Young had a very good shift with Duff in particular showing a lot of strength, both physically and mentally, especially in dealing with the massive Showunmi.
The other big factor today was that the crowd was right behind the team and didn't descend into booing mistakes, of which there were a few. The players recognised this and responded accordingly. That relationship needs to continue and to get stronger.
Even though most of the younger players didn't get a chance to come on, it was a great experience for them to be on the bench and to see what can be done with sheer hard graft. There are a lot of talented kids at Pittodrie now and they need to be helped by more experienced players. Hopefully they will start to be used a bit more in the last four games so that they can gain a flavour of SPL football ready to put to better use next season. The future is Red and it is youthful.
Technically the Dons are just about safe now, the arithmetic is complicated but it is hard to imagine any of the other bottom six clubs putting together a big enough winning streak to overhaul us and certainly not three of them. The Dons though need to work for more wins, they have bridges to build with the supporters and the sooner they start, the better for Aberdeen and all of us.
Friday 16 April 2010
“Tear down the walls - Storm through the barricades”
With rallying cries coming from all quarters of the Red Army, including one of Aberdeen’s most famous sons - Denis Law - ahead of Saturday’s match against Falkirk, the players should already be taking a tremendous morale boost.
There’s no doubt that come the day Aberdeen’s supporters will be there in numbers and ready to play their part in the way that only the Red Army can. We have so often seen a Pittodrie crowd raising the roof when the chips have been down. Just think back to that night against FC Copenhagen a couple of years ago. We all knew we needed a win and the crowd poured a wall of sound onto the pitch from start to finish. It didn’t need to be orchestrated, it was completely spontaneous and the Dons’ fans demonstrated that they knew what it was all about and look how it turned out.
There is no better example of a wonderful turn around in fortunes that in 1995 when we were actually in a worse position than we are now. From the beginning of April when they suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Kilmarnock - a game where the team was cheered off the park because they had given the kind of effort that Aberdeen fans look for - the Dons started to put together the results they needed to at least get to a play-off position. This they did with victories over Celtic, Hearts, Dundee United and Saturday’s opponents Falkirk. Then it was on to the play-off matches against Dunfermline which turned into fantastic occasions. The teams that we have to face this time are far from being of the calibre that we were up against back then, so if we up our game we can definitely win through.
To keep that strength boosting atmosphere going when they come out on Saturday, the players need to respond in style. They need to be practically tearing down the dressing room door to get out onto the park and in about the opposition. It doesn’t matter who we are playing, we need to come out and dictate the game and batter down whatever resistance that may be put in front of us. Our players can rediscover their strongest qualities and take us to a win, we all know that they are better than they have shown this season and we all know that with our backing they will get us away from the dark spectre of relegation. This won’t be about silky football; this will be all about desire and a willingness to get stuck in. It’s high time that the love affair between the players and the crowd was reignited.
To put it simply: COME ON YOU REDS
There’s no doubt that come the day Aberdeen’s supporters will be there in numbers and ready to play their part in the way that only the Red Army can. We have so often seen a Pittodrie crowd raising the roof when the chips have been down. Just think back to that night against FC Copenhagen a couple of years ago. We all knew we needed a win and the crowd poured a wall of sound onto the pitch from start to finish. It didn’t need to be orchestrated, it was completely spontaneous and the Dons’ fans demonstrated that they knew what it was all about and look how it turned out.
There is no better example of a wonderful turn around in fortunes that in 1995 when we were actually in a worse position than we are now. From the beginning of April when they suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Kilmarnock - a game where the team was cheered off the park because they had given the kind of effort that Aberdeen fans look for - the Dons started to put together the results they needed to at least get to a play-off position. This they did with victories over Celtic, Hearts, Dundee United and Saturday’s opponents Falkirk. Then it was on to the play-off matches against Dunfermline which turned into fantastic occasions. The teams that we have to face this time are far from being of the calibre that we were up against back then, so if we up our game we can definitely win through.
To keep that strength boosting atmosphere going when they come out on Saturday, the players need to respond in style. They need to be practically tearing down the dressing room door to get out onto the park and in about the opposition. It doesn’t matter who we are playing, we need to come out and dictate the game and batter down whatever resistance that may be put in front of us. Our players can rediscover their strongest qualities and take us to a win, we all know that they are better than they have shown this season and we all know that with our backing they will get us away from the dark spectre of relegation. This won’t be about silky football; this will be all about desire and a willingness to get stuck in. It’s high time that the love affair between the players and the crowd was reignited.
To put it simply: COME ON YOU REDS
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