willie-miller-aberdeen

The thing about Dave Cormack…

Dave Cormack has been at the club for a while now. Time for a closer look.

I should probably start with I have no doubt Dave Cormack is a good bloke, a passionate Dandy, exceptionally intelligent, exceptionally hard working, he will have some incredible talents that got him where he is today. He also, much like the rest of us, won’t like being criticised. Albeit, as with Stewart Milne, if he is a bit thin skinned, he can afford to go out and buy a thicker one.

The thing about Dave though, well at the time of writing it’s been an interesting few days regarding the naming of the training hub thang. I have no particular opinion on it, but it was interesting to observe the reactions. In retrospect, maybe it could have been announced with a little more subtlety. Perhaps a big old reminder of what he had financially contributed could have been gently dropped into a story 48 hours before the announcement. Everything is easy in retrospect.

You pay for it, you can paint it pink and call it Ermentrude if you want. Looking at the supporter reaction, it was more how long he had been associated with the club, that was an issue for those who had a problem, plus those associated with the club not appearing to have been honoured via a naming.

The following day was the pitch naming competition. Ouch. I wonder if that was planned, or at least rushed forward due to concerns at some of the backlash towards Cormack. I personally found this part, unbelievably insensitive. As I put into the meme on WIllie Miller’s achievements with the club. Let me just take that apart.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s name is not on the list, so we can deduct something bigger, one should hope, stand sized is planned there. Then nothing is planned for Willie Miller. Nothing. This deeply concerns me as to just who is in charge of our club.

Presumably there will be a Gothenburg Greats’ Stand. I’d imagine Dick Donald, or Donald Family stand will come too. Leaving one stand for? Who knows… There will of course be corners, bars, hot dog stands, walkways, and enormous bus queues to name after former players and managers. And hopefully a Teddy Scott pavilion at the training centre shouldn’t be beyond someone to come up with.

The number 6 should be retired from our club, and should already have happened. I personally think there ought to be a Miller and McLeish Stand. The central defensive partnership locked together forever. No disrespect to all the greats who left to go to better things, those two gave their entire careers to Aberdeen FC, and could have left a number of times. What they won together is phenomenal. There ought to be a statue of Willie with the trophy outside the stadium, and when Scotland gains independence from an openly corrupt Westminster, Union Street to become Willie Miller Avenue. It’s good having your own blog.

There is a serious point there though. Also Pittodrie has three stands, with no names. Nothing since the Dick Donald monstrosity was put up. Nothing to commemorate Chris Anderson, or anyone else associated with the club. They could have named the stands, and taken the names with them. We’ve already lost a Gothenburg Great. Sir Alex Ferguson has suffered a stroke and is 77 years old. Peter Weir only went into the Hall of Fame last year. Eric Black isn’t in yet. If anything happens to these people without them seeing what is being done in their honour, then fucking shame on you. Naming stuff after people, isn’t for us, it’s for them, and their families, to honour their achievements.

It all goes back to the uncanny feeling that Aberdeen Football Club has been in mothballs the last 25 years. Because Milne really isn’t interested in football, or Aberdeen FC. I also don’t think he is interested in money. That’s why Milne is so successful in business. He loves the deal, he loves building. I watched Willie Miller being inducted to the Hall of Fame, the body language between Milne and Miller was fascinating. A huge hug from Milne to Miller. Willie’s eyebrows almost went off the top of his head in surprise. Is the Willie Miller oversight, really an oversight?

This is revealing so much about those in charge of our club. Because it is our club. Milne has put X amount in, Cormack has put X amount in, but the biggest benefactor of all to Aberdeen FC is the supporters, who put in, what is it on a 15 million plus turnover per year, every year? Is it, all of it? It’s our club. Yet no fans’ representative on the board. No liaison officer, on big picture decisions. And while I’ve no doubt a lot of very good people work at Pittodrie, thay are hardly going to risk their jobs stating their opinions on the governance of our club. They can only be surrounded by yes men and women that they have appointed.

So when Cormack announced we could sell out half of Hampden for a semi-final a year back, a number of Afc employees would have known that wasn’t the case off the top of their heads. As it’s their job to know it. But they presumably weren’t consulted…

So a stadium eight miles from the city centre with a highly flawed transport infrastructure. We trust these people why? Oh no, mustn’t criticise the rich men, they may stop funding our club, they may walk away, and we are destroyed like that club that died? That’s the same man who ran up the debt. The same man who destroyed Pittodrie. His company has received an enormous amount of publicity through his association with the club. Like Richard Branson, every time he is in the media, is a free advert. He is the brand. His name on the company, he dresses in all black, the logo on the adverts is black. That’s not coincidental.

And talk of the investment from the US that Cormack has brought in. Investment? So they are investing money with a view to getting all that money back, and a whole lot more. What are they being promised? These people are not local, they are not Afc supporters, they have no emotional connection to our club. So they will want that money back, and then some. What on earth of the club’s future is being mortgaged?

I want to like them, I want to trust them, a training pitch named after Willie Miller, only if he wins the vote, jumps through the hoop, and what of those who lose? They have insulted some legends, just another bad decision, that’s you respecting our legends is it? It points to any scepticism on their suitability to lead our club forward to be bang on the fucking nose.

mcinnes-aberdeen-fc

McInnes – where now?

This was written after Rijeka and before the Dundee game. A few updates in it.

I’ve always backed McInnes, really appreciated what he has done, where we came from. The club’s current finances, compared to under Brown, the training facilities, that let’s face it, no disrespect to Bobby Clark*, but those are, and always will be, The Derek McInnes training facilities. He pushed, he bullied, he demanded, his work paid for, and after a shameful six year wait, he is about to get the training facilities Ebbe Skovdahl was begging for twenty years ago.

*Late update it’s now the Cormack training facilities hub thing. Did I dream a video on Red TV of Cormack telling Bobby Clark it would be named after him?

But right now, that team is rank, rotten awful. Albeit all of two weeks earlier we were deliriously happy against Hearts. This was gently pointed out by Dek in a post match interview, which was declared a dig at the support by the tabloid element in our support.

But the sheer fucking awfulness of those two Rijeka performances and the St Mirren one, on top off last season being ugly. We could have had a down year, if there was a better one around the corner. We need improvement, and we need to see it quickish.

In his defence, we had an exceptionally bad transfer window. Not of his own making. The Ryan Fraser money, that we’d all spent in our fantasy made up teams, never appeared. Getting Stevie May off the books, freeing up a salary for another player, fell apart because an agent did something stupid to someone who is ridiculously stubborn. McKenna not being made captain implies they expected an offer. No proper offer came in, but I suspect a rank, vile neoliberal, arsehole of a club tapped up the agent with a view to a cheap sale before the Scottish window closes.

That is a lot of bad luck. But we should be better. Curtis Main is the new Jim Bêtte noire of the Aberdeen support. This bit, fucking infuriates me. We just did this with Cosgrove. Have you, with the greatest disrespect, fucking cretinous goldfish, learned nothing from Cosgrove. You all thought he was shit. He is now probably a 2 million Championship centre forward*. You thought he was shit, because you made your fucking minds up after about two games. And then you tried to destroy him. And you are doing it again with Curtis Main. You’ve learned nothing. Main will be a cult player before Xmas. There is definitely something there as a squad player, and as McKenna learned from Árnason, it may well be he is part of Cosgrove’s development.

*Update in the three days since I wrote this, Big Sam is now a 50 million Serie A legend to be.

So the point I was going to make, after all he’s done for Aberdeen FC, surely he deserves three months to put together this season’s team. Can we not at least give him that. And if it doesn’t come together, fair enough, it’s time for a change.

I keep hearing the argument ‘he has taken us as far as he can’. Well maybe he has taken us as far as anyone can. And maybe the next manager, or the next five managers judging by Aberdeen’s previous appointments, won’t get close to that.

If you could exit via the gift shop. 27 Dandy t-shirts. 25 Dandy posters. The shop is on fire!

gothenburg-83-book

A bit about Gothenburg 83 The fans’ stories book

At best I thought a few blog articles of stories of Gothenburg, it became a 112 page eBook. As I didn’t write it, only compiled and designed it, I think I can say, it’s a great book. I kept it free as they aren’t my stories, and even if I’d charged with a view to a charity donation to the Supporters’ Trust (which was a strong consideration) those who contributed would need to pay to see their stories. I didn’t think that was fair.

It began just after my father died. I was stranded in central Aberdeen, staying in a hotel, waiting to find out when the funeral would be. We’ve all got to deal with these things. It was the long, hot summer of 2018, the World Cup was on. I went out one evening to a pub to watch a game, to try and get rid of the white noise from my head. Got chatting with this bloke about fitba, he’d been on the St Clair. So happy to hear about something, other than death and grief and having to deal with the sociopathic step mother from hell, I just wanted to know everything. I also realised I didn’t know the other ways, (what became the Harwich way), that supporters had taken.

I became aware quite quickly as the stories were coming in, that it would work. I was loving reading the stories, so others would too. I had considered putting a call out for an editor on social media. As I am neither an editor or writer. (You know, you’re on my blog!). But held off. I began to realise the stories worked in the words/voices of those telling it. And if I almost fell off my chair laughing at a story, or was just about moved to tears on another, so would others.

The memorabilia, the St Clair itinerary, the Heaven ticket, the programmes, match tickets, the newspapers, all of it so important to the history of Aberdeen Football Club. There was an element of historical document to it. I avoided doing any ‘clever’ design with them. They went in, as is, and as readable as possible. With none of us getting any younger, this needed documenting.

Every part of it was like a piece in a jigsaw coming together, to tell The supporters stories of Gothenburg. There are some beautiful patterns in the stories, that interweave. The rain, the alcohol, the price of alcohol, the fountain outside the Ullevi, the positivity, the sense of disbelief, the sheer awesomeness of The St Clair… I think we now know where Dandies go when they pass away. A nightclub called Heaven in Gothenburg in 1983 after that game. A nightclub where they are all deliriously happy, and they can moan about prices to their heart’s content. Dandy Heaven.

The illustrations, I wasn’t sure to put them in. It wasn’t about me. As the first stories came in, I began a few drawings. The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine artwork by Heinz Edelmann inspired me. The joy that is a big part of the art, and the song, this led to the rainbow appearing. (After all the rain, and what’s at the end of the rainbow). Visually it breaks up all the red, with the AFC colour palette being limited . I dropped in a few Beatles’ references in the artwork. A red submarine, The Fab 4, Magical History tour, and contrived a clunky connection after the event. Didn’t they say the Liverpool game began the whole journey towards Gothenburg.

Here’s to Gothenburg 83. Thanks abidy for your help.

If you haven’t read the book, it’s here, and it’s free. https://thedandydons.com/gothenburg-83-the-fans-stories/

aberdeen fc sheep

Aberdeen FC social media watching and McKenna

If you spend way too much time as a page admin on social media, you start to study behaviour patterns and get a feel for the mood of the Aberdeen FC support. The Dandy Dons has about 16000 followers between platforms.

Something to remember in the current unhappy Afc support mood. If we had won yesterday, there would have been about 6 posts on the main Facebook page, a few of which would have 600 plus likes, and hundreds of comments and shares. There would have been perhaps 20 posts in The Dandy Dons Group. There would have been hundreds, if not thousands of comments.

Both pages are currently as dead as that team that died, forget their name.

The Dandy support isn’t happy. The Dandy support goes very quiet on social media when the Dandy support isn’t happy. Those out there criticising everything, and they are absolutely right to be, still don’t represent the entire support. Only because the quiet majority, are keeping their cards close to their chest. No-one knows what the Afc support really feels collectively, other than they are not happy.  The Dandy support are currently sulking. The silence is deafening. It’s a bit like waiting for a new Pope to be announced. Will it be red smoke, or black smoke? Pies burnt again.

How the support will react, collectively and individually, won’t really be apparent until after Dundee. Even if there is a good performance, which appears very unlikely, they won’t be out of the woods. There needs to be at least five decent performances, a clear style change, some variety, and the defence needs to stop behaving like it has just met.

And McKenna. If he goes to Celtic for under 10 million, should lead to one very empty Pittodrie. If Celtic tapped him up, and if they make an offer, it was them, on the back of our subsequent crash, that team doesn’t get him cheap. Ideally not at all. That god-awful neoliberal monstrosity shouldn’t get to benefit from this situation.

The team’s positive spirit got broken by his transfer request. The agent knew that would happen, as did the team that tapped him up. The power of team spirit, the power of positivity, is incredibly important in sport. A big negative curve ball got dropped in just as relationships were being formed for the new season. That’s not the only reason for the last three appalling performances, but it’s part of it.

No matter what happens, at the very least, the manager, his players, and the directors, are on a written warning. Whether it’s the final one, who knows.

Cheer yourself up with 112 pages of Gothenburg Magic. The free eBook. https://thedandydons.com/gothenburg-83-the-fans-stories/

mckenna-aberdeen

McKenna, what might be going on…

Scott McKenna may be gone by the time you read this, but as it stands he is currently still an Aberdeen player. Lots of rumours, lots of theories.

Important things to remember. It’s a sellers’ market. Aberdeen hold all the cards. McKenna is young, fast, strong, brave, skillful, left footed, still learning, a Scottish International and has four years of his contract remaining. Jim McLean would be proud of us on this one.

All of which add up to him being a potential captain for whoever signs him, for the best part of a decade, or with a potentially massive sell on value. In the current market, a snip at 12 to 15 million quid. A drop in the ocean for a considerable number of English clubs.

In addition thanks to the genius of Jurgen Klopp, the concept of a Scottish international footballer being a very good addition to your team has become a reality again. I wouldn’t underestimate the Andy Robertson effect.

I don’t think there are any facts out their other than, he has asked for a transfer, Aston Villa and others, including Celtic have had bids turned down in the last 12 months.

There are odd inconsistencies in the media reporting. That is the Glasgow media reporting. While they are happy to aid their Old Firm masters by lying about the value of their players, Morelos 30 million deal to China amazingly fell through. No shit. And the pushing of the value of the Celtic fullback to Arsenal would lead one to believe enormous sections of the media are in fact on commission for the deal, McKenna’s value is being kept suspiciously low. It’s almost like the media and the Old Firm work together…

Seven million is the particular inconsistency that keeps coming up. Aberdeen apparently turning down 7 million last year from Villa, but now want 7 million for McKenna. Last year McInnes stated he had a figure he believed was the player’s value, he never stated publicly (why would he) what that was. My guess it’s 10 million plus.

Others have said the issue relates to installments. I think installments would probably be ideal for Aberdeen. If they were to receive, let’s say 12 million, they will receive a hell of a tax bill in twelve months time, if they haven’t re-invested it. Over four years would probably be perfect.

As others have stated, it appears Aberdeen have been ready for this. No disrespect to Joe as captain, but an outfield player is the more standard captain position. If Devlin could stay fit, or McKenna was going to be around much longer, it would be one of them.

I hope the club stay strong on this. I’m sure McInnes knows exactly what he is doing here, the directors, despite their enormous personal wealth… well we’ll see. His value will be just as high in twelve months (subject to Brexit, which is probably what is spooking the agent), and we’ll have a brilliant centre half for the season if he stays. He’ll get over his sulk.

And if you could just exit through the Dandy Dons gift shop.

big-sam

Sam Cosgrove – we need to be better

There’s a lot of flack aimed at Sam Cosgrove on social media at the moment for missing some chances against RoPS. Worth just looking back at last season for an overview on Big Sam.

Last season we started poorly, and never really dug our way out of it. We were not in, or near relegation, or even missing a top six place, as in many of the seasons pre-McInnes, but we were largely not playing as well as we had been under McInnes.

The lack of goals exacerbated the problem, our forwards Cosgrove, May and Wilson all wilted under the pressure. Our midfield, led by the left back who wouldn’t play left back, were creating nothing. Chances weren’t being missed, they weren’t even created during the early part of the season.

Cosgrove’s link up play was always good. He could hold and lay off the ball well. There was a player there. With the pressure building and considerable negativity and pressure hitting the team from the terraces and social media, Big Sam started to find the back of the net. This would lead to 21 goals for the season. We had a proper number nine. Rough at the edges, but young, learning and improving.

He started scoring as the Ballon d’Or nickname was taking off. The nickname that was designed to ridicule and destroy him (an act of cuntery) then became fun. We are laughing at him for being shit by giving him an ironic nickname, and it turns out he’s actually quite good… wait a minute, who’s the idiot in this scenario?

So let’s remember what the 21 year old Sam Cosgrove achieved last year. While Wilson and May caved under the pressure – and I like them both – it was Cosgrove who shouldered the responsibility took all the flack, and delivered.

He missed a few chances against RoPS, but with the penalty kick, he again took the responsibility. Cosgrove is the real deal. He has earned that chance to lead the line, and re-sharpen the killer touch for a while yet. We need to be better at backing our players.

And if you could just leave via the gift shop…

european-song

A song for Europe, the European song on red vinyl

As I have been putting together the book of your stories of Gothenburg 83, this has triggered some of my own long forgotten memories of that time – by the way George RR Martin has been in touch regarding the book, asking me why it’s not done yet.

The European song, the white vinyl, I had the single. But that wasn’t my European song. Fifteen year old me, living in the home of the stepmother from hell (Buckie), had introverted completely into myself, and only football and music mattered. My world was locked in.

My version was a little more European than The European Song, and begins just as couthie (if that’s the word), and also significantly for how my brain made the switch, I had it on the album, in red vinyl. This was my European song. The song I will forever link with Gothenburg. The one piece of light, in a dark, abusive world.

Thanks Sir Alex. Crank it up.

james-wilson-aberdeen-fc

James Wilson, a risk worth taking

Imagine just one day of being a blond, blue-eyed 21 year old multi-millionaire Manchester Utd player. To walk into the colosseum of Old Trafford knowing 70000 people are coming to watch you, with a worldwide audience of hundreds of millions. The pressure, the excitement, the adrenalin. Plus all the perks. All the perks.

Just to experience one day of that.

If you look into James Wilson’s face, you can almost see it. The face is young, but the eyes, the eyes have seen stuff. Experienced stuff that you and I…

Carry on Buckie

I will now share a story I shouldn’t. In the late seventies my father managed a hotel in Buckie. Staying in the hotel as their base during pre-season training and friendlies for a week, was Motherwell. Then managed by Jim McLean’s brother Willie. There were a fair few ‘shenanigans’.

Between double training sessions, the players were to rest in their rooms. Willie McLean did a room check at midday one day. There was a woman in every room. Prompted by me, my dear old Dad recalled the story to me from his care home not long before he died. ‘I could still bribe half the women in Buckie to this day…’ with a wicked lopsided smile. Easy ladies, the gentleman that he was never told. Despite my attempts. My mother said ‘they were virtually queuing for it on the back fire escape’. Then adding with a look of exasperation ‘For Motherwell players!’ Aye, my Mum knew her fitba.

Anyways the point being, I forget. Oh yeah, to have been a young Manchester Utd footballer.

Carry on James

Last season must have been incredibly hard for Wilson. Psychologically, that contract running down, fears of another long term injury, desperate to prove his worth, and carrying the ‘Manchester Utd player’ tag around all the time. A long slow slide from the peaks of playing for Man Utd, the next big thing to almost being out of football. There’s a very nice bank account by way of compensation, but not easy to deal with.

Now those negative pressures are off. He’s an Aberdeen player, he’s familiar with the people, he knows he’s wanted, he can get on with playing football. And he may well become a very large fish in a small to medium sized pond. Here’s hoping.

p.s. If you know any women from Buckie, late fifties, early sixties, ask them about Motherwell. And see if their eyes light up.

My stories of Gothenburg

Gothenburg map

I wasn’t in Gothenburg, I don’t have any good anecdotes, but just a few silly memories I’ll share here.

I was 15 at the time.

Number 1.

Involves my dear old Dad, who passed away last year. Me and my Dad were maybe going. I really didn’t think we could, times were exceptionally difficult, it was the worst time in my life. He had a business that was struggling and I was psychologically, barely surviving as an exceptionally unwelcome guest in the home of the step mother from hell.

But out of all that, there was the fitba! So as the day is getting closer, in the kitchen of his restaurant, he took me to one side. We aren’t going. And then he said the most brilliant thing. ‘We will try and go to next year’s final’.

That was all I needed. And what is so lovely about that, not just a great Dad, being a great Dad, but our team was so flipping good, we could make plans for the following year’s Cup Winners Cup final!

And if you know the history(!) only a bribed referee stopped that final happening.

Number 2.

The ten year anniversary. I lived in London in 1993. The Cup Winners Cup final was at Wembley. I went along as our unofficial representative. Serie A team Parma with Sweden’s Thomas Brolin beat Royal Antwerp. I thought a lot of Aberdeen during the game. Trying to put them into that spectacle. It was already a world away. Wondering at the achievement from a decade previous.

Number 3.

Gothenburg. I did the pilgrimage.  In the nineties. Interrailing in February alone, like a madman. It was fab. Travelling between Stockholm and Hamburg. Quite the train journey, with a planned hour and a half break in Gothenburg to see the Ullevi. 

Tourist information at Gothenburg train station, the most beautiful blond Scandinavian stereotype I’ve seen in my life is at the desk.

How do I get to the Ullevi Stadium?

No you can’t go. There is no game, it is closed.

No you don’t understand. And, I don’t have long, my train is leaving shortly. I want to go to the Ullevi.

No there is no game today. No Ullevi today.

In a hurry, just want to see the stadium.

Not today. Bored blond goddess, keeps explaining, there is nothing happening there.

Eventually I explain the whole Aberdeen, Real Madrid, by far the greatest team, Johnny Hewitt and my next train is soon. I just want to see the empty stadium.

Not for the first or last time in my life, an attractive blond woman’s eyes glaze over as I explain something important.

With a cold dead stare, she points in the direction of the Ullevi. (within walking distance of the train station!!)

At the stadium. Oh yes. Just wow!

Would you believe, but it was closed. But the floodlights were on, the electric green pitch was in view.

High on, I don’t know, Gothenburg fever, Ullevi magic dust, Fergie’s pre-match talk still lingering in the Swedish air, I come up with a cunning plan.

If I get stopped by security, then explain the whole Johnny Hewitt thing, they’ll take pity on me, before ye know it I’ll be at the centre circle. May even get to kick a fitba on the turf.

I am prepared to act like a nuts loner, to get inside the Ullevi. I’m not even sure myself at this point if I’m acting.

So in an effort to alert security to me being there, I attempt to climb a very large gate. Very unconvincingly. Again and again I try to get in, and again and again I slip down after getting about a third of the way up. 

Where’s the effin’ security?! (By the way, Swedish police carry guns – didn’t know that then).

Nothing. After close to an hour of this fuckwittery ’shenanigans’ I head for my train. 

I reached the Ullevi. I saw the hallowed stadium, the beautiful Swedish curves. I touched the walls. I could see inside through the gate. I saw the pitch lit up. I slid down the gate loads of times. There’s probably an amusing CCTV video somewhere. I beamed a huge smile passing the tourist information desk at the station. She blanked me.

So that’s me and Gothenburg. Without me even delving into my Zlatan anecdote which is kind of, almost related.

The free Gothenburg 83 book of fans’ anecdotes (an awful lot better than mine) is available here.

gothenburg

The fans’ stories of Gothenburg 83 – updated

The finished book is here and free. https://thedandydons.com/gothenburg-83-the-fans-stories/

As those who were in Gothenburg and experienced the glory of 1983 are not getting any younger, this is to collect as many stories, anecdotes, good, bad, funny, serious whatever as possible. Those that were there, the journey, the day after, those that were on an oil rig, back in Aberdeen watching on telly, at the day they came back with the trophy, everything Gothenburg. Stories from Munich, Sion, all that led to and became The Glory of Gothenburg documented permanently. Not match reports, not about the games or players, about the supporters, by the supporters.

Stories can be shared publicly in the comments, or can be messaged, or emailed to The Dandy Dons. They could be in as anonymous, or by name.

The collected stories will be released as a free to download PDF. I have had a brief look at other places for free content, perhaps ISSUU, Amazon and iBooks appear a bit tricky with free content.

Originally I’d thought about making it for sale with all proceeds going to the Afc Community Trust, but don’t think you should have to pay to read your own stories.

If a company is interested in sponsoring it. Logo on the front, a full page advert inside, obviously you’d get to read it first to check it was okay, in return for a donation to the community trust. Then get in touch if interested. You would be paying directly to the Community Trust.

There is still time to get your stories in. It could be just a couple of sentences, a whole page or a chapter if you have something to say. Middle of July is when I’d like it in. As deadlines concentrate the mind!

If you want to get in touch directly, do it here iain@thedandydons.com.

It’s just a book for supporters, nothing else. No one will make money out of your stories.

The finished book is here and free. https://thedandydons.com/gothenburg-83-the-fans-stories/

ash taylor aberdeen

Ash Taylor a fascinating bit of people watching

I don’t have a strong Ash Taylor opinion. We’ve signed a squad player, probably Reynolds replacement. It makes sense if you are a football manager, if you have worked with someone, you know what they are like. There are always unknowns with a new person, however much research you do.

One observation on Ash Taylor, that may be complete nonsense, that relates to McInnes and looking to understand his methods, is Ash Taylor’s physique. He isn’t just big, he’s an athlete. Look at Shay, the fun guy, the joker, look at his physique when he takes his shirt off. Considine, Stevie May is another one, none of them in my exceptionally ignorant opinion, enjoy a pint or six after training. Nor do they enjoy the occasional mock chop supper. They are athletes who take their profession incredibly seriously. All day, every day, to be in peak physical condition.

I guess wherever you are in terms of talent, if you are as dedicated to your job as to always eat correctly and train at 100%, that GPS that’s on their backs means they can never shirk in training, never hide, never quietly nurse a hangover while going through the motions, you bring a certain amount of professionalism to a team than an exceptionally talented but less dedicated person may bring.

What sort of team while performing badly as they did last season would still get to a cup final and a semi-final? A very, very fit, very disciplined one.

Social media watching

But fascinating, to me in the signing of Ash Taylor, has been watching the Aberdeen FC’s support reaction. Football is about opinions, how boring it would be if we all agreed.

There is a fair bit of negativity about Ash Taylor on social media. Where there is negativity it is incredibly strong. There is an element who truly do not rate him, and are very vociferous in their pronouncements. They are as entitled to their opinions as anyone else. As I remember it was the same when he played. A very significant element didn’t rate him.

When I posted this pretty insignificant meme, when he left, it picked up over 500 likes on the Facebook page. That surprised me at the time. The longer working with social media, you get a feel for reactions. What is, and isn’t expected. He was considerably more popular than I thought.

I posted it again when he re-signed, and said ‘this got 500 likes when he left, no pressure’. At time of writing it’s sitting on about 430 likes. Two years on and Facebook’s algorithm has dramatically changed, it’s harder and harder to reach the page’s audience without paying for the privilege, (thanks Zuckerberg, just how many billions do you need?). This makes the new post, much bigger, much more popular than the one of two years ago.

What does that show in this very unscientific study? What I have learned from social media is the Aberdeen support like positivity. A positive post will always be a far more successful post.

I’d say the much more silent majority of the Aberdeen support, either quite like Big Ash the footballer, or will always back an Aberdeen player when they sign.

I also think this is a pretty good general rule on the Aberdeen FC support. Not a group of moaners, but in general a positive and supportive group of people who back their football team. Albeit they don’t shout about it on social media.

Of those criticising Taylor, as I said they are perfectly entitled to that opinion, but some, a minority within that group, I stress again, a minority within the ones criticising Taylor, who are hoping he fails, hoping McInnes fails, who bandy about the phrase ‘happy clappers’ to go after elements in the Aberdeen support, are people who in my opinion, badly need to feel superior to the people around them. This oozing sense of superiority they so need, as they are, as any psychologist would say, just fucking arseholes.

You might like this https://thedandydons.com/the-cup-winners-cup-1983-important-facts/

cup winners cup 1983

The Cup Winners Cup 1983 important facts

Some facts about the 1983 Cup Winners Cup. Maybe you know them all, maybe you don’t.

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question

Location, location, location – Questioning the narrative

I appreciate people don’t like negativity. Everyone loves the club, and wants everything to go well, including me. This is arguably the biggest decision in Aberdeen FC’s history. Surely it’s worth looking at. I think we are all aware in a Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson, Theresa May world, there are no journalists anymore, at any rate responsible ones. There are none who would ever question a super rich member of society who has a large advertising account for his company. Doesn’t mean he’s bad, but if he were, don’t expect the press, local or national to point it out.

Not only do I not know if my concerns are correct, I genuinely hope they are wrong. I’d love to love Stewart Milne. I want the new stadium to be a huge success, something we are all proud of and the match day experience to be so amazing we make plans to enlarge inside five years.

The comments on Facebook. Also interesting. Not one disagreeing with my calculations (on part 2). Some insults. Some blind hope, some, let’s wait and see (aye cause we can put it back like an M&S jumper if we don’t like it), some beautifully trusting faith in Aberdeen Council and Aberdeen directors to have ‘sorted it all out’. Would you be interested in this snakeskin oil by any chance? And a brilliant, ‘it’s just part of being a real supporter’, as if getting to, or out of a game ought to be like an SAS survival course. Or you’re not a ‘real supporter’.

All I’ve done is tried to point out something that has concerned me all along in this process. I have watched and listened to the Aberdeen FC directors with keen interest. Whereby we got to see the other directors (pre Cormack) as spokespeople for the move for a while, (justifying changing a bulb in a floodlight as reason to move) as I guess it appeared they thought Stewartie fronting it may raise concerns? Then, Stewartie was back to front it…

During communications the training facilities kept being interchanged with the stadium as if they were one and the same. Very few football clubs have their training facilities next to their stadium. The word ‘landlocked’ got dished out again and again. As I said in the first article, why weren’t we moving because we were ‘landlocked’ last time? Why has this word only come out of Pittodrie in the last eighteen months? Do a Google search on ‘Pittodrie landlocked’. See how far that phrase goes back. Aberdeen FC under Stewart Milne have been ‘moving’ for twenty odd years.

We’ve all in life spotted a liar when they change their story.

Doesn’t mean it’s a lie, but it could do with explaining. There were other odd comments. ‘Well it’s not the ideal place, but we’ll just have to get on with it’.

From the person who applied for planning permission!? Seriously, is no one else questioning that?!

There was another one along the lines of, in this area we need to be quiet and the building needs to be discreet to respect the neighbours.

Why in the mother of fuck would you put a fucking football stadium there then?! It’s not a new patio. It’s a football stadium. A focal point and place of pride for a city, a region, the whole north east of Scotland.

An awful lot of the duplicity and manipulation that is clear in the selling of this project, ought to have far more people questioning it. Aberdeen Journals aren’t going to do it.

I suspect quite a few of the larger social media presences have their eyes on the Chris Gavin Afc career strategy. There may be a job somewhere later on down the line. Or it may be they are concerned at losing an element of their audience. My audience definitely falls on any criticism of Milne.

Why is everyone so trusting of a multi-millionaire? Who’s track record at Pittodrie doesn’t stand up to analysis? This is the biggest decision in Aberdeen FC’s history. The biggest decision, and we are being led off a cliff, like sheep.

If you’re all happy great. If you live in Huntly, Inverness, Westhill, Arbroath or wherever and not only does it not affect you, but the journey will be better, brilliant. Fill yer boots. But it appears to me a very loyal, very important section of the Aberdeen FC support, that could be considerably bigger than the 3000 I guesstimated in my calculations are being thrown away. Also if you think you’ll get out of that stadium in your car inside an hour and a half, well you might be in for a shock. Because none of this is being planned from any sort of transport perspective.

The biggest decision in the history of Aberdeen Football Club. Location, location, location.

I will not mention the new stadium or the decision making behind the new stadium, in any negative context ever again, forever and ever, so help me Willie Miller. Amen. Because I don’t like upsetting people.

Part1: Cove Rangers and the end of being a one city team

Part 2: Parking the bus – The new stadium, how many, how long a wait?

bus-stop-sign

Parking the bus – The new stadium, how many, how long a wait?

bus stop

Following the article on Cove Rangers and the new stadium, a good question appeared in the comments. ‘Just how many buses will be required?’

Let’s presume the same people are going to the new stadium. Let’s say a game against Hearts, Saturday 3pm. Fifteen thousand Aberdeen supporters. How many of those would not have their own transport, and would need to get back to Union Street, either to get to where they live in the city, or get to the train/bus station, or to begin Saturday night. How many might that be of the 15000 Aberdeen supporters?

Might it be 3000? I’d say that’s a conservative guess. It may well be more than double that.

How many people can you get in a double decker bus? I did a bit of Googling, and let’s say 100 people. That’s going to be one very uncomfortable journey for all concerned, but transport is transport, and a handy number for arithmetic.

That would be 30 buses needed immediately after a game, to move that section of the support quickly and efficiently. Are 30 buses going to be waiting outside the stadium after the game? Or more likely in my opinion, ten buses, planning to make three journeys shuttling the support back. How long after the final whistle will that third journey begin?

Google puts a car journey between Westhill and Union street at about 17 minutes. So enough time after the full time whistle to get to the buses, the first shuttle buses leave at 5pm. Let’s presume, rather optimistically, this bus doesn’t stop between the stadium and Union Street. Call it 20 minutes. A 5 minute turnaround, twenty more minutes, back to the stadium. Fifteen minutes to fill up that bus, 6pm the second shuttle buses leave, 75 minutes after the full time whistle. Same journey, back they come for the third shuttle journey. Leaving Kingswells at 7pm arriving on Union Street at 7.20pm. After you’ve waited in line (or you’ll lose your place) for how long after the match?

Now take all those figures, drop them into a midweek twenty thousand capacity game finishing at 9.15pm, in the dark, below freezing, and someone underestimated the crowd. How many buses will be there?

They gonna go back to the shiny new stadium? Would you ever run that risk again? As I said here, this element of the support is being thrown away, under the bus. A new stadium will have shiny new object syndrome for a bit, geographically it will be easier for others to get there, and get out. But the solid block from the city will be difficult to replicate. As will their loyalty. One nasty downturn in league form, a poor managerial choice, those new supporters going to hang around?

Only a fool would trust a multi-millionaire. There is a reason these people got so wealthy.

Part one here: Cove Rangers and the end of being a one city team

Part three: Questioning the narrative.