Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Aberdeen's performances in the cup are completely beyond belief. Having nicked a lifeline at Stark's Park, most top flight teams would have made absolutely sure of no slip-ups in the replay at home. Oh no, not the Dons.

I've long thought there is some strange mentality in Pittodrie that infects anyone who plays there, a mentality that dictates that when the team starts playing too well or strings a few good results together, suddenly everyone has to go "woah, wait a minute - we're Aberdeen! We're not supposed to be doing this well!" This generally happens before a match at home to the bottom-placed club, or in a cup tie against lower-league opposition. I'm really starting to think that if the Barcelona squad played for Aberdeen for a season, they'd somehow end up in 4th place at best and get knocked out of both cups to lower league teams. Forget Messi's skills - the second he pulled on the red jersey, he'd be struck by whatever curse it is that surrounds Pittodrie.

The fact is the last game should have been a wake-up call, and for most teams it would have been. Forget the manager, anyone with the temerity to call themselves a professional footballer would have made damned sure of the result in the replay. It's reached the point where when the cup draw is being made, I'm delighted if we get Celtic or Rangers, because for some deranged reason we stand far more chance of beating them than non-SPL teams.

It would be complete arrogance to expect Aberdeen to win every game against lower teams (and I'm certainly no Old Firm fan), but these losses should be the exception, rather than the norm. These players really need to get themselves sorted out, and if McGhee can get them to do that, then he's a miracle worker. Rediscover the killer instinct? Nae likely.

Aberdeen, a club who have struggled with the expectations of their fans since Fergie left all those years ago. And the treatment they have dished out to some of their former managers over the years because the 'glory' days can't be sustained has just been incredible to watch at times. It can't be an attractive job for managers managing the expecations of Dons fans. JC got pelters because he confessed to be a Gers fan, and MM got the same because he is a Celtic fan. Seriously, grow up.

Easier to play against the OF when there is little to lose than to battle it out against supposedly smaller teams.

MM should have rested some of his squad on Saturday. As ever the Dons are going nowhere in the league. Playing on a Tuesday after a game against one of the OF was always going to be tiring and Raith are a tidy busy side. MM's mistake was hinting at resting players for the SCup game before the visit of Celtic.

Rob, speaking as a Dons fan I have to correct you on a number of points. These days nobody expects Aberdeen to replicate the success they had under Fergie. Given the wage bill and the size of the support (in Scottish terms anyway), it's not unreasonable to expect the club to challenge for the European spots every season and have some success in the cups once in a while. I would say that these expectations are no higher than they are at Hibs or Hearts, the other clubs of comparable size to Aberdeen in Scotland.

While it would be foolish to deny that some people disliked JC because of his fondness for Rangers, it's fair to say that the majority of grief that he received was down to team selection (picking his favourites when they blatantly weren't performing), tactics (surely you've heard about the tactical tombola?) and his far too frequent and outspoken press remarks.

MM is not getting pelters for being a Celtic fan; Zander Diamond is well-known as being one as well but the fans love him for his effort and professionalism. While the treatment of MM on Tuesday night was nothing short of disgraceful, it has to be looked at in the bigger picture of a support that has been frequently been humiliated by so-called lesser teams in recent years.

Like other Scottish clubs, they can no longer hold their best players as the English Championship outbids them on wages

Have to say this is a worry even for Rangers and Celtic. Many players that have featured in the first team regularly move on to the championship eg charlie Adam, Alan Gow, Chris Burke and Celtic's mass exodus was mainly to Boro in the championship.

If the Old firms rotation players can only make the championship then what does it say about scottish football?? - declining, perhaps more quickly than we think.

Its worrying.....

As for Aberdeen, they should be challenging for third / fourth but the money just isnt there i dont think. Dundee United are playing very well this season through solid tactical play, maybe the aberdeen coaching team isnt up to it.

Jim - many Aberdeen fans could see this one coming especially after Saturdays great escape against a poor Celtic team as the Dons are consistently inconsistent. Even calderwoods best season which included trips to Athens, Madrid and Munich was muddled with inconsistency, eventually finishing with defeat to Queen of the South (which still hurts).

The ghost of Ferguson will always hang throughout Pittodrie - and rightly so - but in all honesty I don't believe any Aberdeen fans can seriously speak about returning to those days as the finances these days are completely different.

As you say a cup final and/or a run in the league, potentially splitting the OF could be achievable, but most of all we want to see attacking football played by 11 committed players who put in an honest 90 minutes - this will bring up attendances and create more funds.

We do not have that at present so MM must stay and clear the dead wood including Kerr and MacDonald - Zander should be made captain immediately. I don't know what went on in the transfer windown, but surely players such as Jim O'Brien are within the reaches of Aberdeen, even without the Miller transfer fee!

Willie Miller and Stuart Milne must also seriously consider what they are bringing to the club - we are after all "one city - one team" and more must be done to attract additional finances, especially from the oil firms that dominate the city.

Still contemplating going to Falkirk on Saturday - fortunately I live within 10 mins of their stadium but after Tuesday I really do not know how much more I can take so will be reading the papers and web in the run up to the game.

I don't think aberdeens cause is helped by some of the comments McGhee has come out with this season.

Perhaps one thoguht would be to prevent him talking to the press before games, that way the motivation for the opposition he seems to make a point of providing won't be avialable. He does seem to lack the internal censor that stops most managers saying things that are gifts to oppositon managers

I think its unfair to say aberdeen fans are unreasonable in their expectations, having worked in aberdeen for two years and still having friends up there most of them accept a return to the fergie years isn't on. But a cup run isn't much to ask for.

As an Arab I prefer aberdeen not challenging us for the european spot but as Fergie said to Jim McClean in the 80's we need each other if we're going to challenge the old firm.

Jim, I will alway follow the team and although I could only make it to one European away game in 2008 (Munich) I'll remember both games for a long time.

I'll very likely go on Saturday as the players will have to make up for Tuesday and the previous game Vs Falkirk. I do agree with the youngsters coming through, but remember McLean and Paterson are only on loan...

As a football fan who recently moved to the north east one of the things that strikes me about this part of the world is the belief that Aberdeen are expected to be the 3rd force in Scottish football, why? As a one team city there are many parrallels with Newcastle United, the fans expect to be a force but simply have to be more realistic.
We have this thing in Scotland where we always get fed up with the english harping on about 66'. But yet how often do we get Aberdeen fans referring back to the good old days of Fergie and the Gothenberg greats. The other thing that needs to be layed to rest is this obsession with the old firm. Wazzamattaz comments that JC was disliked because of his fondness for Rangers but looking at his record he had some very good results including one season where Rangers never even recorded a win, some fondness.
The problem not just for the players but also the fans seems to be they look to far forward. Chaps who I work with decided not to go the the Raith game because they were going to go to the next round against Dundee. You can only play one game at a time. Hence the reason Queen of the South was a problem for the players 2 years ago. Its well documented up here that when the players were asked by the club how many tickets were required by them for friends and families a lot of the players declined them saying they were going to wait until the final against Rangers, cue major upset.

Maybe if MM was less obsessed with the old firm as well. Does every Premiership manager come out and tell us which team they supported as a boy?

Newcastle United have paid a heavy price for fans expecting too much. Maybe the time is right for the Aberdeen fans to realise Aberdeen are no longer the 3rd bg club in Scotland. Just finishing in the top 6 would be an achievemnet this season.

Its not all doom and gloom for the fans. The recent crop of young players coming through certainly seem to be ones to watch. If MM could install into these young players that every 90 mins is the same regardless of who they play then the future could be a lot brighter, and if the fans took the same view maybe nights like Tuesday might be a thing of the past.

As every Dons fan, Tuesday night was probably the hardest result and most predicatable result from that team in red. Excellent fighting spirit when Rangers and Celtic come home but every time we play the smaller clubs the players can not be bothered.

I say we have the players apologise and every single one of them at the Falkirk game. Can the players PAY US to go and watch them play for a change? rather than us paying them to under perform and dont bother.

I am one of the lucky dons fans, i was 10 years old when we won in Europe, i was spoiled when i grew up watching Aberdeen. Now all these years later our team is run by the board with no passion, commitment and enthusiasm.

It starts at the top and seeps down into the players then onto the terraces. At the appoitment of MM, we were given our pledge the cup was the most important game this season for the club and yet again the players CHOSE not to turn up.

Ditch the lot of them and rebuild. If MM could be given 2mil -3mil to invest in a team to compete and even challenge it will bring the fans back and give us all hope.

Tuesday night was the nail in the coffin for a lot of fed up fans. wait for the sub 8,000 turning up on a saturday afternoon.

Think Aberdeen highlight the ills of Scottish Football rather well- when there was a little bit of money for the clubs outside the old firm, they spent most of it on duds-now there's no money and the standard of player in most of the non-of teams is pretty poor (as a St.Mirren man, I am hopeful that Mo Camara will never be anywhere st.mirren park as a player anytime soon), which in turn leads to the poor performances of teams on the park-ussually kick and rush garbage.

So as fans turn off the poor product the dons, along with the others have no money to invest into either a) the team or b) the youth system. Which in turn leads to a vicious cycle that doesn't show any signs of ending anytime soon.

Unfortunatley, we as a nation are light-years behind other nations in terms of youth football, so until the Dons et al, can end the turgid nonsense, that they and nearly all the clubs in the spl and sfl pass as football, will never really have a chance of winning any silver-ware in the next ten to fifteen years.

Personally I think the problem is with the managers. The SPL needs a new generation of managers, and not just Scottish ones. There haven't been many foreigners who have came here and succeded, but I think it could help shake things up a bit. Currently the EPL have (not counting Scots, Welsh or North or South Irish) have 8 of the 20 teams, including 3 or the 'top 4', managed by foreigners. The SPL currently has 0. Now I'm not saying a foreigner manager would improve Aberdeens fortunes, but the SPL clubs have to look harder for a new direction, instead of employing managers from other teams. Is it any wonder that Scottish football hasn't progressed when its the same people job swapping for 15 years?