2008/2009 Season Thread

[Hugh_Jazz]

Darren Ferguson has been catching many an eye of late - not just because of two successive promotions, but also some of his innovative methods and approaches to the game.

But there's no way he'll leave Peterborough - a club that, in my opinion, will be in the Premiership within four years.

These days, Aberdeen are a nothing club with very little to look forward to in the future (not their fault - top flight Scottish football is just totally fucked generally). I think Jim Jeffires is probably a good shout for the job, purely because he has a pretty good track record with working at clubs with a shoe-string budget. This suits Aberdeen's requirements. Plus, he'll be relatively inexpensive to employ.

Agreed....if Ferguson has just got promoted to the Ch'ship, I don't see why he would choose to miss out on that challenge to come to Aberdeen.

Re. Jim Jefferies, in some ways he would be a good match for Aberdeen. He's a demanding coach who wouldn't take any shite from Mackie, Foster et al, and is used to working on a shoestring. Overall, I'd say his career managerial record is significantly better than Black, McGhee....but crucially, his dour character won't instill any enthusiasm in the fans, and the boo-boys would tear him to shreds at the first sign of trouble.

Avoid.

[Guest idol_wild]

Agreed....if Ferguson has just got promoted to the Ch'ship, I don't see why he would choose to miss out on that challenge to come to Aberdeen.

Re. Jim Jefferies, in some ways he would be a good match for Aberdeen. He's a demanding coach who wouldn't take any shite from Mackie, Foster et al, and is used to working on a shoestring. Overall, I'd say his career managerial record is significantly better than Black, McGhee....but crucially, his dour character won't instill any enthusiasm in the fans, and the boo-boys would tear him to shreds at the first sign of trouble.

Avoid.

Agreed completely. Some of the negativity that is directed from the "supporters" towards the management teams over the years is really quite embarrassing. Especially towards Calderwood.

It's taken me until this season to properly realise it, but many Aberdeen fans are completely deluded. I had my problems with Calderwood, like anyone, but they were minor and I still felt he was the best manager Aberdeen has had for a very long time. To achieve what he did with some of the most average players in the SPL was quite impressive in retrospect. Aberdeen have no divine right to finish fourth or fifth, let alone third. Just because they are reputedly the fourth highest paying club in the country means absolutely fucking nothing in my book. I don't think that should be used as any sort of gauge for anything. The club's expectations should be based on the quality of the players currently at the club. And frankly, I think Aberdeen over achieved in the league this season.

If Jim Jeffries is appointed, he'll receive stick immediately.

There are now rumours circling that Willie Miller may take up the job himself.

[The Milner]

Agreed completely. Some of the negativity that is directed from the "supporters" towards the management teams over the years is really quite embarrassing. Especially towards Calderwood.

It's taken me until this season to properly realise it, but many Aberdeen fans are completely deluded. I had my problems with Calderwood, like anyone, but they were minor and I still felt he was the best manager Aberdeen has had for a very long time. To achieve what he did with some of the most average players in the SPL was quite impressive in retrospect. Aberdeen have no divine right to finish fourth or fifth, let alone third. Just because they are reputedly the fourth highest paying club in the country means absolutely fucking nothing in my book. I don't think that should be used as any sort of gauge for anything. The club's expectations should be based on the quality of the players currently at the club. And frankly, I think Aberdeen over achieved in the league this season.

If Jim Jeffries is appointed, he'll receive stick immediately.

There are now rumours circling that Willie Miller may take up the job himself.

i think i said almost exactly this in the calderwood thread and got torn appart for it, i complete agree with everything there, the sad fact is the majority of dons fans actually think we deserve to be the third team in scotland due to reputation alone, its a sad day that a succesful manager has been hounded out by the morons, again. I can see us going backwards for the next season or so.

[Soda Jerk]

Have to say I do feel for Newcastle today and Duff in particular, it just doesn't seem right not having them in the Premiership.

I find it extremely difficult to sympathise with Newcastle. They simply didn't deserve to stay up. They've got a squad of players who are obviously capable of playing in the division, but were never motivated enough to fight for it. Out of the bottom three, I really do think they deserve it the most. West Brom busted a gut every week, but they just don't have the quality. Newcastle have Premier League veterans on daft money who just don't even care.

I can't see them coming straight back. They might strike the same luck as Shef Wed and be condemned to Championship mediocrity for all eternity, where a score-draw is a win, a loss is expected, and times when we happen to score more goals than the other team... well that's just a bloody miracle!

[Dave-IRL]

we are skint. still about 6 million in debt and until that's cleared we won't be in a position to pay ransom money to ageing spl journeymen when they request it. cash wouldn't have kept anderson as he wanted a new challenge and had every right to go for it. severin's past his best though has done better in the last few games. clark was shit. nicholson was a loss but was made a fair offer which he turned down. we got a decent transfer fee for hart so not all bad.

also although we can't pay out big transfer fees our wage budget is the fourth biggest in the spl despite our debt and this is what should attract decent management. alongside a potentially great youth setup we should certainly be able to have better seasons in the future with the right manager. that was probably not calderwood.

Skint is having to sell your stadium to Tesco or face going out of business for good.

Skint is knowing that if Hugh Murray hadnt scored in the last minute against Stirling Albion to save you from Div 2 in 97, you wouldnt have a club anymore.

Where did the million quid from Anderson's sale go? Where did all the UEFA cup money go? Aberdeen claim poverty all the time, but still have as you say the 4th biggest wgae budget in the league. You also paid heavily to bring Calderwood and NIcholl to the club. Why spend all that moeny to bring a guy in and then not give him ther esources he needs to progress the club?

I feel for JC - he's done a cracking job at a club who have struggled to get any consistency since Alex Smith left, and yet he gets nothing in return for it. Fans calling for his head constantly despite him clearly being a fantastic manager.

And before any starts with regards to my earlier post, I realise this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black after my rant about Gus McPherson.

But you'd say the same if Gus was your manager. No really. We dont score goals. We dont play nice football. John Potter is our captain. We stayed up on goal difference. We rely on 1 man to win games. its dire.

[Lemonade]

Is anyone else watching MOTD, and am I hearing things or did John Motson really call Anichebe "Anchovy"? I'd be taking an Insomnia-style rant at that and refusing to let MOTD show me ever again if he'd done that to me.

(Possibly because my name is nothing like "Anchovy")

I did think he said Anchovy as well but it's more likely he said "Anchibe" and missed out the "I".

I'm kinda glad to see Jimmy leave, he certainly turned us around and steadied the ship, but some of his decisions were just infuriating, and playing as many as 5 guys out of position per match was baffling. Hopefully the new guy will get shot of some of the Jimmy favourites, like Foster and Mackie.

I don't think McGhee is the guy to take us forward, he's done a good enough job at Well but without really setting the heather on fire, and I'm sure he did an interview recently laying into the Dons fans for their treatment of JC, so he may not be interested anyway. Collins did well at Hibs but he lost the dressing room, pissed a load of people off and (correct me if I'm wrong) quit because they wouldn't give him any money to spend, and he'd be in exactly the same boat here. Jim Jeffries is a good manager but I don't think appointing him would be a step forward for us and the fans wouldn't take to him because he's old and dour, and I think most of the fans would prefer to see an exciting young manager. There seems to be a lack of good available managers at the moment, and if the story that we've just paid the Jimmys of to the tune of a million quid is true, there's no way we can afford to pay another club compensation for nicking their manager.

I'd like John Hughes personally, he gets his teams playing good football, and mixes up Scottish grit with a bit of flair, which I think is something we've been missing. I know Falkirk struggled this season but more cash up here for wages than he has at Falkirk, I think he could do a job.

I wouldn't be against a foreign manager but it would have to be somebody with a bit of a track record, not a first time manager cutting his teeth.

Just as long as we don't end up with Craig Brewster. Or Bobby Williamson.

Calderwood for Chelsea.

[Soda Jerk]

Ruud Gullit!

[stuartmaxwell]

Watch out for Davie Hannah

[framheim]

Skint is having to sell your stadium to Tesco or face going out of business for good.

Skint is knowing that if Hugh Murray hadnt scored in the last minute against Stirling Albion to save you from Div 2 in 97, you wouldnt have a club anymore.

Where did the million quid from Anderson's sale go? Where did all the UEFA cup money go? Aberdeen claim poverty all the time, but still have as you say the 4th biggest wgae budget in the league. You also paid heavily to bring Calderwood and NIcholl to the club. Why spend all that moeny to bring a guy in and then not give him ther esources he needs to progress the club?

I feel for JC - he's done a cracking job at a club who have struggled to get any consistency since Alex Smith left, and yet he gets nothing in return for it. Fans calling for his head constantly despite him clearly being a fantastic manager.

And before any starts with regards to my earlier post, I realise this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black after my rant about Gus McPherson.

But you'd say the same if Gus was your manager. No really. We dont score goals. We dont play nice football. John Potter is our captain. We stayed up on goal difference. We rely on 1 man to win games. its dire.

just cause we're not close to administration doesn't mean we're not skint though. we're slowly but surely getting into the black and there's no point overspending and increasing the debt just because the bank will let us.

i get why people are feeling sorry for jimmy but while he was fairly successful he was also one of the most infuriating managers we've had in recent times. some genuinely baffling footballing decisions and an almost complete inability to accept responsibility for his mistakes did little to endear him to the fans. i'm on the fence though. i can see us making a total arse of this but also we could really move forward now. new stadium, new manager, new start and european football ahead. should make for an interesting year!

[The Milner]

Skint is having to sell your stadium to Tesco or face going out of business for good.

Skint is knowing that if Hugh Murray hadnt scored in the last minute against Stirling Albion to save you from Div 2 in 97, you wouldnt have a club anymore.

Where did the million quid from Anderson's sale go? Where did all the UEFA cup money go? Aberdeen claim poverty all the time, but still have as you say the 4th biggest wgae budget in the league. You also paid heavily to bring Calderwood and NIcholl to the club. Why spend all that moeny to bring a guy in and then not give him ther esources he needs to progress the club?

I feel for JC - he's done a cracking job at a club who have struggled to get any consistency since Alex Smith left, and yet he gets nothing in return for it. Fans calling for his head constantly despite him clearly being a fantastic manager.

And before any starts with regards to my earlier post, I realise this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black after my rant about Gus McPherson.

But you'd say the same if Gus was your manager. No really. We dont score goals. We dont play nice football. John Potter is our captain. We stayed up on goal difference. We rely on 1 man to win games. its dire.

You do realise the only reason we have not ended up in administration is because stewart milne is chairman and the bank gave him personally some leway because they knew he could cover the debt if shit hit the fan?

[Lemonade]

I'll bet 100 that:

A) When we move into the new stadium, Pittodrie is sold to the Stewart Milne group for development into flats.

B) Within 12 months of the sale going through, Stewart Milne steps down as chairman.

[Dave-IRL]

I'll bet 100 that:

A) When we move into the new stadium, Pittodrie is sold to the Stewart Milne group for development into flats.

B) Within 12 months of the sale going through, Stewart Milne steps down as chairman.

And in other news, the Titanic has hit an iceberg...

of course thats going to happen. Its the main reason why Milne has stayed for so long.

Aberdeen really need some stupid oil billionaire to take leave of his senses and plough all his readies into the club. The potential is there, just needs someone to be daft enough to do it.

[Dave-IRL]

You do realise the only reason we have not ended up in administration is because stewart milne is chairman and the bank gave him personally some leway because they knew he could cover the debt if shit hit the fan?

Of course Mr Milne could wipe the debt out with a wave of his hand, but until he gets his planning permission it will never happen.

Calderwood for Saints!

[The Milner]

Of course Mr Milne could wipe the debt out with a wave of his hand, but until he gets his planning permission it will never happen.

Calderwood for Saints!

he will never ever clear the debt on his own, that wasnt the point i was trying to make.

The point was if not for his fiancial situation aberdeen as a club would have gone into administration a few years back, we are very skint as a club.

[stuartmaxwell]

don't have much money going? DAVIE HANNAH is the answer...

[Sam 45]

Lee Richardson has got to be pretty high on the list. Calderwood for Newcastle?

[Guest Exposure @ Lemon Tree]

Calderwood for Newcastle?

Hadn't even thought of that, not a bad shout actually.

[Dave-IRL]

he will never ever clear the debt on his own, that wasnt the point i was trying to make.

The point was if not for his fiancial situation aberdeen as a club would have gone into administration a few years back, we are very skint as a club.

The point I tried to make earlier tho is that Aberdeen have been pleading poverty for years yet still manage to find the money to service the 4th highest wage bill in the league, stumped up the cash to get Calderwood in the first place, have reputedly paid around 900k to get rid of him, paid 6 figure sums for at least 3 members of their current squad not to mention all the money that has been spunked in previous seasons.

Lets face it - if St Mirren made a reported 250k this season by getting to the Scottish Semis, how much did Aberdeen rake in last year by making the semis in both cups plus the UEFA cup run and the sale of Russell Anderson?

You certainly are not skint. Yes you might have a large debt, but as you said yourself, this debt is being allowed to you by the bank, by virtue of Mr Milne. They are not calling it in or by the sounds of it demanding that you reduce it greatly any time soon. You have a large support which will generate income, you have finished 4th 3rd 5th 4th and 4th in the last 5 seasons IIRC - again bringing in vast sums of money from the performacne related TV deal. But for some reason, Calderwood has his hands tied when trying to negotiate new contracts for the players he wants to keep, and in the end they leave due to the club not giving them what they want.

If you listen to Jimmys interview on Radio Scotland yesterday you can almost hear the annoyance in his voice when he says "What a team we could have had here"

I think my point here is that the board and the people running the club are holding it back and firing the manager is an absolute shocking decision.

[The Milner]

The point I tried to make earlier tho is that Aberdeen have been pleading poverty for years yet still manage to find the money to service the 4th highest wage bill in the league, stumped up the cash to get Calderwood in the first place, have reputedly paid around 900k to get rid of him, paid 6 figure sums for at least 3 members of their current squad not to mention all the money that has been spunked in previous seasons.

Lets face it - if St Mirren made a reported 250k this season by getting to the Scottish Semis, how much did Aberdeen rake in last year by making the semis in both cups plus the UEFA cup run and the sale of Russell Anderson?

You certainly are not skint. Yes you might have a large debt, but as you said yourself, this debt is being allowed to you by the bank, by virtue of Mr Milne. They are not calling it in or by the sounds of it demanding that you reduce it greatly any time soon. You have a large support which will generate income, you have finished 4th 3rd 5th 4th and 4th in the last 5 seasons IIRC - again bringing in vast sums of money from the performacne related TV deal. But for some reason, Calderwood has his hands tied when trying to negotiate new contracts for the players he wants to keep, and in the end they leave due to the club not giving them what they want.

If you listen to Jimmys interview on Radio Scotland yesterday you can almost hear the annoyance in his voice when he says "What a team we could have had here"

I think my point here is that the board and the people running the club are holding it back and firing the manager is an absolute shocking decision.

but the debt has to be paid, and i would imagine that would be the top priortiy of the club, get rid of the debt so we can be sure the club will be around in the long run, not spend to try and bring a tiny bit of cup sucess. The bank, from what i know, only allows the debt because of milne, doesnt mean they dont want it paid off or that aberdeen are not constantly paying back money to the bank, yes we made a good bit of money from anderson and co and the europe, but we also lost a hell of a lot more money a few years back trying to buy sucess and failing big time which we now have to pay for as a club.

I dont agree with the sacking of jimmy at all but at the same time aberdeen as a club has to live well withiin our limits or risk a motherwell situation, again.

[Dave-IRL]

but the debt has to be paid, and i would imagine that would be the top priortiy of the club, get rid of the debt so we can be sure the club will be around in the long run, not spend to try and bring a tiny bit of cup sucess. The bank, from what i know, only allows the debt because of milne, doesnt mean they dont want it paid off or that aberdeen are not constantly paying back money to the bank, yes we made a good bit of money from anderson and co and the europe, but we also lost a hell of a lot more money a few years back trying to buy sucess and failing big time which we now have to pay for as a club.

I dont agree with the sacking of jimmy at all but at the same time aberdeen as a club has to live well withiin our limits or risk a motherwell situation, again.

You've knida half grasped my meaning there Dave. Obviously with any debt ( big footy club or wee guy with an overdraft ) there is a minimum payment required periodically - presumably monthly in the case. But I think as we've covered thanks to Milne the bank are allowing Aberdeen to tick over by servicing that monthly payment, with perhaps a wee bit more to cover the interest on the debt. What I dont see happening is the bank or creditors putting pressure on the club to reduce the debt significantly, as the debt mentioned in the papers is always around the 6 million mark from memory. Look at the situation with Clyde - where the owners of the stadium tried to evict them due to unpaid arrears on their debt. Clyde are skint and they have no obvious way out of it. Aberdeen on the other hand are operating quite comfortably, turning over a nice wee profit last season. When the players who earned that profit wanted a wee bit more for themselves, the club basically told them to beat it. Now the manager has got them another 4th place finish, Euopean football (albeit it may only be one trip to Latvia 8-) ) and they've told him to do one as well. But we agree that its a shocking decision.

I just think Dons fans have targeted the wrong people in this issue - Calderwood should've been hailed as a hero. Yes he had his faults and made some baffling decisions (Severin could've played CM for another 10 years before moving to sweeper!) but ultimately he's better than anything you've had since Alex Smith!

[Dave-IRL]

And by the way - Dons best managers in recent times are Alex Ferguson and Alex Smith... both came from Saints.

Fancying going for the hat trick?

Gus McPherson & Andy Millen.

2 for a pound!

[Lemonade]

And by the way - Dons best managers in recent times are Alex Ferguson and Alex Smith... both came from Saints.

Fancying going for the hat trick?

Gus McPherson & Andy Millen.

2 for a pound!

Maybe it's cos they're both called Alex.

Alex Rae anyone?

[Bigsby]

must say this came as a huge shock, everyone in our box on sunday

Ponce.

[The Milner]

You've knida half grasped my meaning there Dave. Obviously with any debt ( big footy club or wee guy with an overdraft ) there is a minimum payment required periodically - presumably monthly in the case. But I think as we've covered thanks to Milne the bank are allowing Aberdeen to tick over by servicing that monthly payment, with perhaps a wee bit more to cover the interest on the debt. What I dont see happening is the bank or creditors putting pressure on the club to reduce the debt significantly, as the debt mentioned in the papers is always around the 6 million mark from memory. Look at the situation with Clyde - where the owners of the stadium tried to evict them due to unpaid arrears on their debt. Clyde are skint and they have no obvious way out of it. Aberdeen on the other hand are operating quite comfortably, turning over a nice wee profit last season. When the players who earned that profit wanted a wee bit more for themselves, the club basically told them to beat it. Now the manager has got them another 4th place finish, Euopean football (albeit it may only be one trip to Latvia 8-) ) and they've told him to do one as well. But we agree that its a shocking decision.

I just think Dons fans have targeted the wrong people in this issue - Calderwood should've been hailed as a hero. Yes he had his faults and made some baffling decisions (Severin could've played CM for another 10 years before moving to sweeper!) but ultimately he's better than anything you've had since Alex Smith!

i think i may have worded what i ment wrongly, the only reason the bank havent asked for the debt to be repaid in full is due to milne, because of his financial backing, if he had not been in charge of the club we would have most likely ended up in adminsistration and god knows where in footballing terms, i do agree that he could put a bit more money into the club, but he is a buisnessman and i see his reasoning, why pay over the odds for players when the club couldnt support them off of the money it makes. This was the point he made at the AGM i think last time, yes he could afford to pump 30 million into the dons, but as a club we couldnt support the wages these players would require, lets not forget that as a home support the dons are lacking, even during the sucessful times they never sold out todders regularly.

[The Milner]

Ponce.

hey free booze, free pens, life was good on sunday