TRF Front Page Archive September 2003

These items have appeared on the TRF homepage and we wouldn't want to deprive you of anything that we have posted, so browse away.

29th September 2003 - Normally, when I'm away from Aberdeen for any period of time and unable to get to the matches or even see highlights on TV, the Dons start to play well and score great goals. Worryingly this is not happening now. I think we were all confident that the worst that could happen this weekend was that we would play well and lose to a late winner caused by a slice of bad luck. However, as it was this one was decided in Livingston's favour well before the end. I myself, not able to be in the Granite city was in London for the
weekend and found myself cheering on a team called rangers who were playing against a team in red. Relax. I took in QPR vs. Bristol City(Red away strip) at Loftus Road with a couple of pals in the capitol.

If Dons fans have cause to complain at the prices they are charged for admission to Pitters of a Saturday, spare a thought for QPR fans who have to watch second division football at £21.00 a pop. Nevertheless, the 18,000 capacity Loftus road boasted a 14,400 attendance that day so people are obviously relatively happy. Whilst on our way to the match, one of my pals and I speculated at the
potential for any linkage between the match we were about to take in and the Dons. We couldn't think of anything save the fact that the Dons had tried to sign former QPR striker Andy "I'd rather be at Partick" Thompson. We got to the ground and after re-mortgaging our parents' homes took our seats.

QPR dominated the opening proceedings twice hitting the bar from free kicks outside the area. But the scoring took place in the second half. At half time we tried to assess the quality of catering but found no hot food on offer. It was easier to purchase a bottle or two of Carlsberg. I had forgotten that Beer was still legal at English football grounds. Didn't see any beer related trouble either. Anyway, back to the action. QPR scored straight from a free kick from the right wing in the second half and less than a minute later BC were level. A through ball was played to the tall athletic looking centre forward who chested it down at 15 yards and thundered a volley past the QPR keeper whose streak of dyed white hair led to a chorus of "He's got bird shit on his head" from the away end. The striker in question was one Lee "I'd rather play in the English 2nd" Miller. Inevitably, I thought , he could be doing that for us against Livingston
right now until I remembered that we would need someone to play an accurate through ball as well. The goal went in right in front of the 1500 or so away fans who went mental. We were quite close to them and there were some hard looking west country lads in amongst. Two or three were led away but I'm sure they would have met up with the 20 or so casuals waiting by Shephards Bush high street for the post match brutalities with passing Chelsea fans on the tube. However, justice was done, and Miller was sent packing two minutes later by the Ref who pulled him up for knocking a back-tracking defender to the ground as BC attacked again. 2nd Bookable and away he went. 1-1 it finished.

The moral of this story is, no matter where you go, there is nothing to take your mind off getting beaten 3-0 at home by Livingston. There will always be some connection to remind you of what might have been.

Captain " I'd still rather have watched the Dons" Sweaty.

24th September 2003 - You have to go back to 19th April 1975 to find the last occasion when AFC played a home competitive match in front of less than 4000 fans. That was back near the end of the Bonthrone glory days and we were playing a League game against Clyde. It was a miserable, cold and wet day but the Redz won 4-1 so the few of us who were there went home happy. Step back almost exactly a year from then, to 24th April 1974 and we had a crowd of 3945 for a League Cup tie against Ayr United - that's only one more than last night. Who says it is only lately that the League Cup has failed to pull in the punters?

The difference between then and now is that back then almost everybody paid at the gate for every game, whereas now most people have season tickets to cover most games. Now, if there was a season ticket that could cover every game....

21st September 2003 - Now that one in every 6 strikers in the world has played for the Dons at some stage or another why o'why can none of them hit the net with anything like the regularity of even a constipated bear? I'll tell you my reasoning behind the fact that in recent seasons we have scored so few goals. No one will take a shot at goal unless they are in one hundred square yards of space and have beaten two defenders to get to such a position. For the last five years all but a few of the multitude of strikers that have come, gone and still exist at the club have been obsessed with walking the ball into the net.

Have a dig for pity's sake. If the goalie saves it, fair enough, it could rebound to a colleague with an open goal to aim at although that
is no guarantee of a goal. Time after time over the last five years, the likes of Mackie, Hinds, Zerouali, Dadi, Clark, and Winters have found themselves in goalscoring positions only to insist on trying to play another pass or place the ball or beat another man. I'm not claiming to be a Grade A coach but, surely, with the pace of the ball these days, more players should be having pot shots from the edge of the box. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing players pass up opportunities to have a crack at goal at free kicks around the area only to squander posession by attempting to execute over elaborate free kick routines.

As someone who has walked around the pitch a number of times on official divot business, and paused at the penalty spot for a moment to imagine taking a kick, it seems to me even easier to score from close up. Of course, I am not surrounded by defenders and facing a 6 foot 4 inch keeper but, still. Each Dons striker and midfielder should pre-empt the January rush and make their new year resolutions now and promise to take more shots, even if it means not scoring great individual goals. As recent polls suggest, results are more important than performance. The defenders know to shoot on site, that is why they have scored more than their fair share of goals as a % of the teams' total in the past few seasons. It is up to the strikers to be a bit more direct and decisive. They can start against Dumbarton on Tuesday. The time is now!

Captain Sweaty.

14th September 2003 - Well, the showing might have been pretty unimpressive, but the goals that brought home the points have seldom been more welcome. The Dandies have played much better football in spells during earlier games and lost, so chalking up a win yesterday was mega-important to our season and the shoddy play that they served up can be forgiven to some degree because they delivered what was most needed a win. Received wisdom says that there should now be a bit more confidence in the ranks, although it was hard to see why it should be missing after such a strongly improving finish last season, so let's hope that we can go down to Dense Park and gather in the traditional three point haul that would see us moving a bit further up the league.

This season is crucial for AFC, fans have been endlessly patient with the failings over the past few years but can't be expected to go on that way indefinitely. The team has to start delivering some strong results and the manager and his cohorts know that. It isn't only about doing better in the SPL, it is about bringing in the funds that will start to improve the club's bank balance. The best way of getting out of debt has always got to be by pulling in better crowds though winning football and by having strong cup runs - preferably all the way to the silverware. The west coast press will burble on about us being overambitious to think of such things, but they are not beyond the realms of possibility and just because some of the blivets forecast a poor season for us doesn't mean we have to have one.

Yesterday's performance was shaky, but the result was right - now let's get on with the improvement by beating Duncedee, slaughtering Dumbarton and following up with a spanking for Livingston. If we manage that there is a solid platform for a decent season ahead.

9th September 2003 - So the monotony of the SPL break for international football gets a wee break with the announcement that the Dandies will play Hearts on a Sunday to accommodate the Beeb. It'll be interesting to see how much of an impact the change has on the attendance. Hearts can usually be relied on to bring a moderately decent sized traveling support, but how many of them will come along if they can catch the game on TV? How many Dons fans will hold off from getting to their home ground? Presumably most season ticket holders will go since they've paid for their seats anyway, but going by last season's televised games, AFC could be hit in the pocket because many irregulars just won't bother to turn up.

It might be that the Dons will be firing on all cylinders by November, in which case the fixture will be very attractive and a better sized crowd can be expected, let's hope so, because it is only by getting bigger crowds that they can make realistic inroads into the overdraft that the club is bearing. By all accounts, the deal that the BBC has screwed out of the SPL is of far more benefit to the TV station than it is to the clubs, so it actually suits most teams NOT to be televised because of the adverse impact on gates. Add to that the clear preference for showing games that promote the old farm and it has to be wondered whether the BBC deal is worth it for most SPL clubs. Perhaps crowds would be better all round it there were no live TV and the BBC only showed highlights to whet people's appetites for Saturday games.

From the point of view of players too, it must be better playing in front of the biggest crowd possible and there is an added bonus in a game that isn't televised - the referee won't be so tempted to be the star of the show. Obviously clubs need to gather in revenue from wherever they can, but the pittance that comes form the present excuse for a TV deal makes it questionable whether TV is really helping or hindering the survival of our great and glorious game.

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29th September 2003 - Normally, when I'm away from Aberdeen for any period of time and unable to get to the matches or even see highlights on TV, the Dons start to play well and score great goals. Worryingly this is not happening now. I think we were all confident that the worst that could happen this weekend was that we would play well and lose to a late winner caused by a slice of bad luck. However, as it was this one was decided in Livingston's favour well before the end. I myself, not able to be in the Granite city was in London for the weekend and found myself cheering on a team called rangers who were playing against a team in red. Relax. I took in QPR vs. Bristol City(Red away strip) at Loftus Road with a couple of pals in the capitol. If Dons fans have cause to complain at the prices they are charged for admission to Pitters of a Saturday, spare a thought for QPR fans who have to watch second division football at £21.00 a pop. Nevertheless, the 18,000 capacity Loftus road boasted a 14,400 attendance that day so people are obviously relatively happy. Whilst on our way to the match, one of my pals and I speculated at the potential for any linkage between the match we were about to take in and the Dons. We couldn't think of anything save the fact that the Dons had tried to sign former QPR striker Andy "I'd rather be at Partick" Thompson. We got to the ground and after re-mortgaging our parents' homes took our seats. QPR dominated the opening proceedings twice hitting the bar from free kicks outside the area. But the scoring took place in the second half. At half time we tried to assess the quality of catering but found no hot food on offer. It was easier to purchase a bottle or two of Carlsberg. I had forgotten that Beer was still legal at English football grounds. Didn't see any beer related trouble either. Anyway, back to the action. QPR scored straight from a free kick from the right wing in the second half and less than a minute later BC were level. A through ball was played to the tall athletic looking centre forward who chested it down at 15 yards and thundered a volley past the QPR keeper whose streak of dyed white hair led to a chorus of "He's got bird shit on his head" from the away end. The striker in question was one Lee "I'd rather play in the English 2nd" Miller. Inevitably, I thought , he could be doing that for us against Livingston right now until I remembered that we would need someone to play an accurate through ball as well. The goal went in right in front of the 1500 or so away fans who went mental. We were quite close to them and there were some hard looking west country lads in amongst. Two or three were led away but I'm sure they would have met up with the 20 or so casuals waiting by Shephards Bush high street for the post match brutalities with passing Chelsea fans on the tube. However, justice was done, and Miller was sent packing two minutes later by the Ref who pulled him up for knocking a back-tracking defender to the ground as BC attacked again. 2nd Bookable and away he went. 1-1 it finished. The moral of this story is, no matter where you go, there is nothing to take your mind off getting beaten 3-0 at home by Livingston. There will always be some connection to remind you of what might have been. *Captain " I'd still rather have watched the Dons" Sweaty*.
24th September 2003 - You have to go back to 19th April 1975 to find the last occasion when AFC played a home competitive match in front of less than 4000 fans. That was back near the end of the Bonthrone glory days and we were playing a League game against Clyde. It was a miserable, cold and wet day but the Redz won 4-1 so the few of us who were there went home happy. Step back almost exactly a year from then, to 24th April 1974 and we had a crowd of 3945 for a League Cup tie against Ayr United - that's only one more than last night. Who says it is only lately that the League Cup has failed to pull in the punters? The difference between then and now is that back then almost everybody paid at the gate for every game, whereas now most people have season tickets to cover most games. Now, if there was a season ticket that could cover every game....
21st September 2003 - Now that one in every 6 strikers in the world has played for the Dons at some stage or another why o'why can none of them hit the net with anything like the regularity of even a constipated bear? I'll tell you my reasoning behind the fact that in recent seasons we have scored so few goals. No one will take a shot at goal unless they are in one hundred square yards of space and have beaten two defenders to get to such a position. For the last five years all but a few of the multitude of strikers that have come, gone and still exist at the club have been obsessed with walking the ball into the net. Have a dig for pity's sake. If the goalie saves it, fair enough, it could rebound to a colleague with an open goal to aim at although that is no guarantee of a goal. Time after time over the last five years, the likes of Mackie, Hinds, Zerouali, Dadi, Clark, and Winters have found themselves in goalscoring positions only to insist on trying to play another pass or place the ball or beat another man. I'm not claiming to be a Grade A coach but, surely, with the pace of the ball these days, more players should be having pot shots from the edge of the box. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing players pass up opportunities to have a crack at goal at free kicks around the area only to squander posession by attempting to execute over elaborate free kick routines. As someone who has walked around the pitch a number of times on official divot business, and paused at the penalty spot for a moment to imagine taking a kick, it seems to me even easier to score from close up. Of course, I am not surrounded by defenders and facing a 6 foot 4 inch keeper but, still. Each Dons striker and midfielder should pre-empt the January rush and make their new year resolutions now and promise to take more shots, even if it means not scoring great individual goals. As recent polls suggest, results are more important than performance. The defenders know to shoot on site, that is why they have scored more than their fair share of goals as a % of the teams' total in the past few seasons. It is up to the strikers to be a bit more direct and decisive. They can start against Dumbarton on Tuesday. The time is now! *Captain Sweaty.*
14th September 2003 - Well, the showing might have been pretty unimpressive, but the goals that brought home the points have seldom been more welcome. The Dandies have played much better football in spells during earlier games and lost, so chalking up a win yesterday was mega-important to our season and the shoddy play that they served up can be forgiven to some degree because they delivered what was most needed a win. Received wisdom says that there should now be a bit more confidence in the ranks, although it was hard to see why it should be missing after such a strongly improving finish last season, so let's hope that we can go down to Dense Park and gather in the traditional three point haul that would see us moving a bit further up the league. This season is crucial for AFC, fans have been endlessly patient with the failings over the past few years but can't be expected to go on that way indefinitely. The team has to start delivering some strong results and the manager and his cohorts know that. It isn't only about doing better in the SPL, it is about bringing in the funds that will start to improve the club's bank balance. The best way of getting out of debt has always got to be by pulling in better crowds though winning football and by having strong cup runs - preferably all the way to the silverware. The west coast press will burble on about us being overambitious to think of such things, but they are not beyond the realms of possibility and just because some of the blivets forecast a poor season for us doesn't mean we have to have one. Yesterday's performance was shaky, but the result was right - now let's get on with the improvement by beating Duncedee, slaughtering Dumbarton and following up with a spanking for Livingston. If we manage that there is a solid platform for a decent season ahead.
9th September 2003 - So the monotony of the SPL break for international football gets a wee break with the announcement that the Dandies will play Hearts on a Sunday to accommodate the Beeb. It'll be interesting to see how much of an impact the change has on the attendance. Hearts can usually be relied on to bring a moderately decent sized traveling support, but how many of them will come along if they can catch the game on TV? How many Dons fans will hold off from getting to their home ground? Presumably most season ticket holders will go since they've paid for their seats anyway, but going by last season's televised games, AFC could be hit in the pocket because many irregulars just won't bother to turn up. It might be that the Dons will be firing on all cylinders by November, in which case the fixture will be very attractive and a better sized crowd can be expected, let's hope so, because it is only by getting bigger crowds that they can make realistic inroads into the overdraft that the club is bearing. By all accounts, the deal that the BBC has screwed out of the SPL is of far more benefit to the TV station than it is to the clubs, so it actually suits most teams NOT to be televised because of the adverse impact on gates. Add to that the clear preference for showing games that promote the old farm and it has to be wondered whether the BBC deal is worth it for most SPL clubs. Perhaps crowds would be better all round it there were no live TV and the BBC only showed highlights to whet people's appetites for Saturday games. From the point of view of players too, it must be better playing in front of the biggest crowd possible and there is an added bonus in a game that isn't televised - the referee won't be so tempted to be the star of the show. Obviously clubs need to gather in revenue from wherever they can, but the pittance that comes form the present excuse for a TV deal makes it questionable whether TV is really helping or hindering the survival of our great and glorious game.