Aberdeen

[Jaggernaut]

Yeah it is Jagger, but take the positives, how many on here were predicting us getting relegated with the lowest points total ever, when we hadn't won a game by the end of September? If we had held on last night we would be 5th today.

 

Definitely. And I'd rather be where we are now than where some of those other teams that have taken unexpected points currently are.

[Firhillista]

No matter how hard you try, the opposition will get crosses into your box at some point, even if it's only from a corner. It's how you deal with them that matters. At the first goal, Seaborne got his head on the ball, but only managed to lift it to the back post where Considine headed it in with Booth standing next to him looking lost. At the second, the guy Church was given a free header as his marker - Doolan - completely lost him. As Archibald said before the game, there's nothing much between winning and losing at this level. Switch off for a second and you give away a goal. What's disappointing is that we've looked solid defensively this season and last night's goals were poor by any standards. Still, we're genuinely competing with the best this league has to offer. Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season?

[Dick Dastardly]

Have played worse and won. Good performance generally but goals were avoidable. Probably created more that we have recently and if Pogba's header had gone in then..... Anything from Hearts, Aberdeen or Selek is a bonus and it's more important to get results against the bottom three in the following games.

I would have been delighted to have got 3 points from these 3 games ..... and still would be !

[Vinnyjag]

Great point Firhillista, who would have thought at the end of September that we would be gutted at not getting a point away to Hearts or not beating Aberdeen at home. We have made great progress and I accept the goals we lost last night, particularly the second one, were poor.

 

Take into account our resources v's Hearts or Dons and then think about how we are not that far away in terms of competing at a higher level.

 

Without sounding like a happy clapper, these games are not the important ones, the ones we have been winning recently against teams around us are the big wins, keep progressing the way we are and we will be serious top 6 contenders next season.

[Dick Dastardly]

I happen to think that this season will be our best shot at the top 6. Assuming that Rangers and Hibs get promoted they will be favourites to join the current top 3 leaving just 1 place for the rest of us to battle for. I'm also starting to think that United could pull off a dramatic escape (10 games left and they don't have to play any of the top 3 again) and if they do then they can only be stronger next year.

 

Motherwell have still to play Aberdeen and Celtic

St. Johnstone have no form

Dundee have still to play Hearts, United and Celtic

 

We only have to over take 2 of the above. There is no reason why we can't do it. I BELIEVE !

[Lindau]

According to today's papers that is the first time we have lost a game, after taking the lead, in the last 26 games where we have scored first

[Barney Rubble]

According to today's papers that is the first time we have lost a game, after taking the lead, in the last 26 games where we have scored first

 

Well let's make sure it was a one-off and doesn't become a habit!!

 

We're the only team so far without at least a point against the top three, so Saturday is ideal to rectify both that anomaly and last night's too.

Edited March 9, 2016 by Barney Rubble

[p12tfc]

Am I the only one who thought Pogba had a good game? Caused the two centre backs all sorts of problems. Dont think his chance was as easy as some are making it out to be.

[Lindau]

Am I the only one who thought Pogba had a good game? Caused the two centre backs all sorts of problems. Dont think his chance was as easy as some are making it out to be.

 

I thought he had a great game last night, however he needs to take the chances when they come his way. In saying that I do feel sorry for Kris, who has done nothing wrong all season, but is relegated to the bench again. And in saying all that again, would like to see German get a full game, just to see what he has got. Who would be a bloody manager!!

[King Kenny]

I thought Pogba played well, his link up play with Amoo was excellent.

 

His header was decent enough, not a lot of pace on the cross.

 

He just needs a goal.

 

My only concern with him is that he seems to be burst after an hour. Definitely think he brings something to the team though.

 

One last thing, although Lindsay is a great prospect he could do with sharpening up a bit. At times he's a bit ponderous with his decision making and slow to react.

[ian_mac]

Pogba had a good game last night - it's the usual suspects who are suggesting otherwise and who's opinions most of us have long since ignored.

 

He got his header on target and the keeper made a good save - it's quite telling that more people on the thread are talking about this chance when Doolan probably missed the sitter of his career in the same game.

 

Pogba's link up play with Amoo was excellent and he held the ball up well.

[Lindau]

Highlights a bit further down. Being in the North I didn't realise what a gilt edger that was for Kris near the end!

 

 

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/

Edited March 9, 2016 by Lindau

[falklandal1]

I thought Pogba played well, his link up play with Amoo was excellent.

 

His header was decent enough, not a lot of pace on the cross.

 

He just needs a goal.

 

My only concern with him is that he seems to be burst after an hour. Definitely think he brings something to the team though.

 

One last thing, although Lindsay is a great prospect he could do with sharpening up a bit. At times he's a bit ponderous with his decision making and slow to react.

Yep,thats why Wigan took Jack Henry who is half a yard faster.

[king of spain]

What was Lindsay doing letting the ball bounce out for the corner that lead to the second goal?

[jagman]

I was very disappointed we didn't manage to take something from the game last night. Yes, we were playing one of the clubs near the top of the league but we had our chances and ultimately lost due to slack defending from two crosses.

 

First half was pretty even, both teams had chances and although Aberdeen looked a tad more threatening than us, we held our own well. 2nd half we upped our pressing game to great effect, Lawless scored with a great strike, then Aberdeen increased their intensity. Although we kept playing and had more chances, we never really looked like matching them after they were in front.

 

I didn't think Pogba was great last night. Yes, he had a couple of good passes and link ups but far too often he gave the ball away or failed to win it in the first place. He's in the team to add a bit of height and physical presence to the attack but I felt he lost out on far too many headers, a lot of the headers he did win went straight to Aberdeen and when he did manage to bring the ball down, he'd too often lost possession by his 2nd or 3rd touch. Another problem we have is when he comes close to the halfway line, wins the ball and then plays it forward onto one of the wings, he's too slow at getting into the box. When in the box, he stands behind the defender marking him instead of trying to get infront of his marker where he'd be in a better position to receive the ball. His lack of pace was clear to see when he failed to get onto a great pass through from Fraser in the 1st half (looked that way from near the city end anyway) and the only other chance he really had was the header which was straight at the keeper. He's scored 1 goal in 20 appearances and that was a tap in on the line. Not a striker for me.

 

We also struggled with Christie at RB. He played far too narrow and we relied on Amoo getting back to cover for him a lot. Perhaps he just needs more time in that position as he's not had a lot of experience there but the number of times Aberdeen had a man unmarked out on that side was poor.

 

Our centre backs also need to work on their distribution. Both Seabourne and Lindsay are poor when it comes to playing out from the back. If we don't have the likes of Bannigan or Welsh dropping back into the middle to receive the ball to feet they punt the ball fairly aimlessly up the park and it makes it difficult for us.

 

I won't have a go at Doolan for his miss. You can see in the highlights when the ball breaks to him he initially tries to take a touch but it's just out of reach. By the time he runs onto the ball the keeper's out and Dools misses the target as he tries to play it past him.

 

 

 

 

Onto the positives... there are none. Na, just kidding!

 

Amoo had his best game in a Jags shirt. His confidence in taking players on now is great and he's really improving our attacking options. Well deserved MOTM performance last night.

 

Good to see Gary Fraser back and I thought he had a decent game. Won't be match fit for a few games yet but if we can get him playing 90 minutes and playing to near the best of his ability he'll be a big part of our team.

 

Great strike from Stevie Lawless who is always on the go. His tracking back last night to help Booth deal with Hayes was great too. Always puts in a great shift and I hope we can hold onto him for next season.

 

Welsh looked better than the last time I saw him away to Dundee Utd in the cup and Osman had a decent enough game.

 

 

 

Some of our pressing, passing and movement was terrific last night and if we can keep up that level of performance we'll win more games than we'll lose between now and the end of the season.

Edited March 9, 2016 by jagman

[ChewinGumMacaroonBaaaz]

Well let's make sure it was a one-off and doesn't become a habit!!

 

We're the only team so far without at least a point against the top three, so Saturday is ideal to rectify both that anomaly and last night's too.

 

We got a point at pittodrie!

[Barney Rubble]

We got a point at pittodrie!

 

So we did!!

 

Thanks for pointing that out.

[Armand2]

I thought we were going to break my duck in glorious fashion but shamefully, I'm still to see us win this season!

 

Anyway, it was bitterly disappointing to end the game with nothing to show for it after an impressive performance. We more than matched Aberdeen for long spells and especially given our recent run of fixtures, the fitness levels were quite excellent. Aberdeen were threatening throughout, especially through Hayes and McLean, but I thought we limited them to few clear cut chances. We defended resolutely for 91 minutes and very poorly for 2, and that's what cost us. Doolan won't want to see his chance again because it's firmly in the "sitter" category; I'm not sure if he thought he was offside but he never set himself well and scuffed at it.

 

For me, we lost most of our attacking threat when Lawless and Fraser went off; or rather, when Edwards and German came on. I've not seen enough of Edwards yet to form a solid opinion, and I don't think anyone has seen enough of German to do so either, but I didn't think they contributed anything when they came on and it was no coincidence that we struggled to make anything stick in the final third in the closing stages of the match.

 

I think the problems that others have alluded to regarding Lindsay occur due to the fact he's positioned as our right-sided centre half despite the fact he's all left-foot. There were quite a few times where he hesitated and struggled to adjust his feet to get the ball clear - and ultimately that led to the concession of the corner which resulted in their second goal.

 

I reckon last night put to bed any notion that Christie might make anything more than an emergency full-back at least for the time being. He was drawn inside far too often and Aberdeen really should have capitalised on the vast amounts of space available in his area during the first half. His distribution was relatively poor - as it was for most of the defence - which was disappointing as he actually got himself into some decent positions. What he did do well was match the pace of Hayes which I suppose was the principal reason for deploying him there.

 

Lawless certainly didn't do his burgeoning reputation any harm with an absolute stoater of a strike - quite reminiscent of Ross Forbes' goal against Dunfermline, I thought. He was as tricky and crafty as he always is - was unlucky not to get a foul after somehow bringing the ball out of the air whilst surrounded by Aberdeen players and escaping with a Marseille turn. One would hope that he doesn't pitch up at Tannadice next season especially if they are relegated as he deserves to play at this level.

 

Amoo was deservedly Man of the Match for a stellar second half performance and some really great wing play; it was certainly his most impressive performance in the games I've seen. He was a real threat down our right side and skinned Considine numerous times, putting a few excellent balls into dangerous areas that we really should have made more of. We've not seen that enough from him in his time with us so far in my opinion but if he's capable of that level of performance on a more consistent basis, he'll be a great asset for the remainder of the season and perhaps beyond.

 

Pogba isn't the most refined footballer I've ever seen but he's a big nuisance and he holds the ball up very well. He was unlucky with the back post header that the Aberdeen keeper did well to save and he had another good chance in the first half from an exquisite Fraser pass that he just couldn't get anything on. That said, I think he has to play in a front two in order to see the best of him; most of his good work is outside the box and by the time the ball is being delivered, he's often struggling to get into the sort of position that you'd want your striker to be in. Perhaps that's more to do with fitness than a lack of ability; would like to see him with a proper pre-season behind him.

 

If we can produce a similar standard of performance on Saturday, we've got a chance. And for me, if we were to contribute to the title race in any sense, I'd rather it was by sticking it up Celtic instead of Aberdeen.

[ian_mac]

Spot on as ever Armand2.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

I thought we were going to break my duck in glorious fashion but shamefully, I'm still to see us win this season!

 

Anyway, it was bitterly disappointing to end the game with nothing to show for it after an impressive performance. We more than matched Aberdeen for long spells and especially given our recent run of fixtures, the fitness levels were quite excellent. Aberdeen were threatening throughout, especially through Hayes and McLean, but I thought we limited them to few clear cut chances. We defended resolutely for 91 minutes and very poorly for 2, and that's what cost us. Doolan won't want to see his chance again because it's firmly in the "sitter" category; I'm not sure if he thought he was offside but he never set himself well and scuffed at it.

 

For me, we lost most of our attacking threat when Lawless and Fraser went off; or rather, when Edwards and German came on. I've not seen enough of Edwards yet to form a solid opinion, and I don't think anyone has seen enough of German to do so either, but I didn't think they contributed anything when they came on and it was no coincidence that we struggled to make anything stick in the final third in the closing stages of the match.

 

I think the problems that others have alluded to regarding Lindsay occur due to the fact he's positioned as our right-sided centre half despite the fact he's all left-foot. There were quite a few times where he hesitated and struggled to adjust his feet to get the ball clear - and ultimately that led to the concession of the corner which resulted in their second goal.

 

I reckon last night put to bed any notion that Christie might make anything more than an emergency full-back at least for the time being. He was drawn inside far too often and Aberdeen really should have capitalised on the vast amounts of space available in his area during the first half. His distribution was relatively poor - as it was for most of the defence - which was disappointing as he actually got himself into some decent positions. What he did do well was match the pace of Hayes which I suppose was the principal reason for deploying him there.

 

Lawless certainly didn't do his burgeoning reputation any harm with an absolute stoater of a strike - quite reminiscent of Ross Forbes' goal against Dunfermline, I thought. He was as tricky and crafty as he always is - was unlucky not to get a foul after somehow bringing the ball out of the air whilst surrounded by Aberdeen players and escaping with a Marseille turn. One would hope that he doesn't pitch up at Tannadice next season especially if they are relegated as he deserves to play at this level.

 

Amoo was deservedly Man of the Match for a stellar second half performance and some really great wing play; it was certainly his most impressive performance in the games I've seen. He was a real threat down our right side and skinned Considine numerous times, putting a few excellent balls into dangerous areas that we really should have made more of. We've not seen that enough from him in his time with us so far in my opinion but if he's capable of that level of performance on a more consistent basis, he'll be a great asset for the remainder of the season and perhaps beyond.

 

Pogba isn't the most refined footballer I've ever seen but he's a big nuisance and he holds the ball up very well. He was unlucky with the back post header that the Aberdeen keeper did well to save and he had another good chance in the first half from an exquisite Fraser pass that he just couldn't get anything on. That said, I think he has to play in a front two in order to see the best of him; most of his good work is outside the box and by the time the ball is being delivered, he's often struggling to get into the sort of position that you'd want your striker to be in. Perhaps that's more to do with fitness than a lack of ability; would like to see him with a proper pre-season behind him.

 

If we can produce a similar standard of performance on Saturday, we've got a chance. And for me, if we were to contribute to the title race in any sense, I'd rather it was by sticking it up Celtic instead of Aberdeen.

 

As usual agree with just about all your assessment, Armand. Three players you mention I thought were worth commenting on.

 

Pogba was more isolated last night than on previous games. Wee Stevie in particular was dragged further back (or for longer anyway) than in recent matches. Also Banzo had been getting forward in support almost routinely. Lawless was played centrally at home against St Johnstone and as near to Pogba to call it "two upfront". I think it's Stevie's best position (tho' when paired with Dools can be a bit lightweight against some opposition). So, with Amoo looking good down his orthodox wing, to have Lawless playing on Pogba's shoulder we need someone out left (Nesbitt or Elliott?). One thing for sure Stevie is wasted played out left.

 

Edwards played the last 5 minutes at McDiarmid and did in fact make a most positive impact. He also, mental lunge apart, was decent as a 2nd half sub at Tynecastle. Maybe didn't show much last night but I sense he's creative enough to be an effective sub for an attacking midfielder. He's a bit of pace about him that should be useful against a tiring defence.

 

My take on Elliott as a fullback is he's unlikely to be a first choice (Dumbaya and Booth are obviously well ahead, as is Miller defensively) but he's an adequate replacement. Put another way I don't have any real fear the team will be taken apart with Christie at fullback and he'll usually offer something going forward. I'm maybe alone in thinking he was OK in the 2nd half last night and was teaming up well with Amoo the longer the game went on. The occasional man marking/tracking of Shinnie in the first half to the neglect of Hayes was downright puzzling and I'm not too sure if Christie was playing to plan, improvising or working in tandem with Welsh. Confused the hell out of me.

[Fearchar]

Going by current performances, Pogba is simply too slow to offer enough threat, either in creating opportunities or in scoring. By this time, I would have thought that any fitness problems should have been overcome.

[king of spain]

Just watched the highlights, do we usually not have anyone on either post or in the 6 yard box to defend a corner? Its not something i've overly noticed but the defending of that corner is ridiculous

[Charlie Endell]

I missed Lawless's goal due to a toilet break - thought I'd catch it on Reporting Scotland, but no, they just showed the Aberdeen goals .

[Firhillista]

Going by current performances, Pogba is simply too slow to offer enough threat, either in creating opportunities or in scoring. By this time, I would have thought that any fitness problems should have been overcome.

 

Pogba isn't slow. For a big man, he moves pretty fast. He caused the Aberdeen defence problems all night. If he can get a goal, he'll gain the confidence not to snatch at chances when they arrive.

[Big Col]

How many goals? How many assists?

 

Exactly.

 

A striker? What a joke.