The Afc museum, shop, cafe – a better explanation

So the last article upset a good few people. https://thedandydons.com/the-aurora-video-seriously/ Never my intention, happy to admit I worded things wrongly, albeit not intentionally. I believe the core part of my point is worth explaining a bit deeper. With my own mock-up. And changing the scenario a bit.

It’s all about business. Currently Pittodrie is a one day in fourteen business. A game every second week, that brings in lots of people and money, the bulk of which is the 15 million per year turnover of the club. The core Aberdeen FC business.

Included in Pittodrie is the Aberdeen FC shop, and the ticket office. Both of which contribute to the business, but their real busy days are match day. When the shop in particular is incredibly busy. Due to lack of space, there is no Aberdeen FC museum or cafe.

A fair walk up the road from Pittodrie, is a very busy street called Union Street. Where there are countless bus stops, a train station, a harbour, and a bus station nearby, as well as hundreds and hundreds of shops. Some on Union Street, some in shopping centres, all of which contribute to a very busy section of the city of Aberdeen, and the North East of Scotland. Thousands of people are in the vicinity every day, some of whom will have travelled quite a distance to get there.

So the point of my ‘Aurora seriously’ article regarding the museum, the cafe, and the shop, is whether Aberdeen FC play football at Pittodrie or Kingsford or somewhere else, why on earth isn’t the cafe, the museum, the shop, and the ticket office in the centre of town? If situated there, they could become a seven day a week business earning far more money for the club, as well as advertising games, and leaving a footprint on the city it shares a name with.

Aurora could still have a museum, I’m sure there will be plenty stuff, and a cafe and a ticket office, and they could use their staff from the seven day business for the one day in fourteen business.

My real point of irritation though, is they could be open now, open five years ago. The kids getting a photo with Angus the Bull, players dropping past for guest appearances. Buy a coffee in the cafe and help the club. They could even open a bar. That there aren’t Afc strips available near Union street is shameful. The strips are adverts for the club. Tourists are not finding their way to Pittodrie.

For anyone wishing to point out there was a shop before that didn’t work. It was shut under Patterson. When we were failing on the pitch. There wasn’t a museum, a cafe, or the ticket office there either. And rentals in town are much, much cheaper than back then.

Also the museum would be run by the Heritage Trust. Which has charitable status. So no business rates for that part of the operation.

It’s not a clever idea. It’s an obvious idea. But it’s not happening as Aberdeen Football Club is run by someone only interested in new building projects.

The follow up. Inside the shop.

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The Aurora video – seriously?

Phase 1

We-ll aint that great. We will sleep easier knowing about that Groundsman’s Compound. The Teddy Scott Pavilion looks nice too. The training pitches, finally! And well done on that achievement.

Set blaster to Phase 2

The museum? That will be so busy on matchdays. So busy you’ll need to book six months in advance. How will it be the other thirteen days a fortnight when there’s no game during the season? Will it be closed? Maybe not initially, but just how long after the opening will that museum be shut on not match days due to, nobody being there.

A ticket office, really? Will that be the only ticket office by any chance? All the way to Westhill for a ticket. And the shop? So Westhill will be the only place in the world, you can physically purchase an Aberdeen Football top?

That cafe, be busy on match days I’d imagine. How will it be for the other thirteen days a fortnight? Will it be closed? Staffing. Has anyone considered how you are going to get staff out there in the quantity that will be required for one day per fortnight? Is that cafe going to be staffed by highly trained and skilled employees? Or underpaid temps getting dogs abuse from irate Dandies paying top dollar for very poor service?

So why are all those elements at the new stadium, when clearly they ALL ought to be in central Aberdeen where there are now much cheaper rents to be had, and could function as an all year round fifty two weeks a year business? There could of course be temporary versions of all those elements in the new stadium. You could even use your own FULL TIME staff from the 52 weeks a year business in central Aberdeen to staff them.

Is it incompetence, is it disinterest, or is it very deliberate to make the absolute turkey that is that truly awful stadium that’s way too far away from the city centre, look like it’s worth waiting for. ‘Look at the shiny shiny you’ll get with the new stadium’. In the same way the training facilities were used to manipulate the agreement for the new stadium. They have no reason to be connected to each other. Unlike the Aberdeen stadium, and Aberdonians.

Enjoy Pittodrie while it lasts.

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Game day at Pittodrie

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A 3pm kick off on a Saturday at Pittodrie.

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As the SPFL head closer towards facial recognition cameras

With the SPFL looking to bring facial recognition cameras into Scottish football, I put together some meme/cartoons on this site’s Facebook page.

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What would you name the stands in a new Aberdeen F.C stadium?

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The Guggenheim Gallery in Bilbao. Just the sort of modern, out there design Aberdeen F.C’s new stadium should have, except with floodlights, big towering floodlights. A stadium so imposing, no seagull would dare shit on it.

Let’s say for the sake of argument, Aberdeen F.C. will eventually get a new stadium. That stadium will need a name, and the stands will need names. Since we are probably not going to be asked, and decisions may already have been made, what would be your preferred names?

We also have a proposed new training complex, but hopefully Ally Begg’s Twitter campaign to get it named after Teddy Scott will do the business. This article is open for comments, or use the Facebook comments, it would be great to gather lots of ideas. It’s imaginary land, you can do what you want. Part of my reason for wanting decisions like this to be made or at least discussed, is we are all getting older, and some people might not get to see a new stadium. Arguably the way things are going, none of us will…

We’ve got four stands (even if it’s oval) two of which are slightly more important than the other two, due to their size. I will use the current Pittodrie stand names as a guide to where I mean.

The current South Stand in a new stadium. ‘The Miller and McLeish Stand’.

The Richard Donald Stand in a new stadium. ‘The Donald, Anderson, Milne, Family Stand’. Named after the three sets of directors’ families. We could shorten it to the DAM stand, or change the name order, it becomes the MAD Stand. (I’ve thought this through).

The current Merkland Stand in a new stadium.  ‘The Gothenburg Greats’ Stand’

The Main Stand in a new Stadium. ‘The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand’.

Which leaves the name of the stadium. It has previously been said sponsorship of the stadium name would be important. Well whenever I hear of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, it makes me want to puke. So my favoured name for a new stadium is. Pittodrie. Not New Pittodrie, just Pittodrie. Again, who says you can’t take your own name with you? And I’m pretty sure the postman will eventually work out the new address…

I’d also like a ‘Stewart Kennedy Corner area’, a ‘Doug Rougvie Corner Area’, and a ‘Peter Weir Corner Area’. Leaving us one corner area to be named later. But the way things are going, Jonny Hayes may have first dibs on it.

And the Donald Coleman dugouts.

And also, three of the stands in Pittodrie currently have no names. What is stopping the club naming the South Stand, “The Miller and McLeish Stand” now, if that were the name chosen. And saying, the name will follow to the new stadium.  Miller is sixty, Sir Alex Ferguson mid seventies. It’s um squeeky bum time…

So over to you, what would you name the stands, and the stadium.

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Stewart Milne is he magic or what?

So Stewart Milne eh?! He’s taken a fair bit of stick down the years. You’d have to be pathologically nasty to not be pleased for him on The Dons winning the League Cup. Adding to his popularity with the now immortal “19 years, 120 minutes and now fucking penalties” line, live on BBC Radio Glasgow to Chic Young.

To be honest, the only way he could have become more popular with The Dons’ support is if he’d ended it by kneeing him in the nadgers and pushing him down the Celtic Park steps. Still, there will be more post final interviews Stewartie…

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Artists impression.

So is his new found popularity deserved. Were we, me anyway, wrong to be so critical of him? Is it ok to change your mind? Are we all neither good or bad, but somewhere in between?

No this is about the fitba, so it’s right or wrong.

Blame it on the bogie

Well down the years I’ve been involved in a few ‘where did it all go wrong’ discussions on The Dons. From “sacking Alex Smith”, to “there’s too many suits working at Pittodrie” have been suggestions I’ve heard. But ultimately, in my opinion, a football director’s job is just one thing. Appoint the correct manager, and everything else will fall into place.

When Fergie was manager, all our directors were geniuses. Visionaries they were. And maybe that’s true. And while sadly Chris Anderson passed away, way too young, and Dick Donald was very advanced in years, we didn’t really get to see what they would have done post Fergie. Clearly the decision making skills of Ian Donald were atrocious. Porterfield, co-managers, Willie Miller, Aitken the stand to commemorate his own Father which bears no relation to the rest of the stadium? Built by a builder who…

Aye, here we go…

Oh yes. Stewart Milne. But we can all make mistakes, and Milne’s managerial mistakes were all human mistakes. The most recent, the appointment of Craigie Broon.  What a surprise for anyone with even half an eye on Broon’s highly dubious CV of non-achievement. McGhee, unlucky. Skovdahl, did kind of work. Calderwood, was the person we all wanted. The extended contract, was Willie Miller, who paid for it with his job. Steve Patterson, holy shit! Who knew? And why didn’t they say?! Alex Miller, after extending Roy Aitken’s contract, ouch!!

But he spotted in McInness what we all know now! He got one right. Really really right! And we can all sit back and enjoy this, until we all hold our breath when Stewart has to make his next big decision. Hopefully not for a few years.

The unforgiven

So Stewart Milne, is he forgiven? No. He is not. He ruined Pittodrie, and that very dull animated projection of our future stadium (wherever it may be!) filled me with dread. No floodlights. No imagination. No vision. Three years down the line, weathered by all the North East can throw at it, and covered in seagull shit, that will be a dull mother fucking stadium. It won’t cost much more to look stunning. Just the cost of a talented architect. And floodlights, it must have floodlights, like the spire on a cathedral to draw in the congregation. That’s where the midweek European atmosphere came from. That’s what made Pittodrie so very, very special.

Then Stewart Milne. Then you are forgiven.