#aberdeenfc

The next couple of days were hugely positive, with social media buzzing over the fight back from the Aberdeen team, plaudits given to Barry Robson for finally utilising his bench, the home leg at Pittodrie swiftly becoming a sell out and the Aberdeen support largely glued to their phones, watching and rewatching the clip of aforementioned shithousery in the wake of Devlin’s equaliser. Excitement levels were building for this coming Thursday but there was unfortunately a trip to perhaps one of the least exciting places possible, Paisley, to come before the Hacken home leg.

Again, not many predicted an easy afternoon for Aberdeen on Sunday, with the home team in good form with two wins in the league and impressive performances noted as they continue to build under Stephen Robinson. It was hoped that with a good performance that the dandies could overcome the spirited home side and build on the excellent momentum from midweek. This was not what followed.

After grabbing an undeserved lead through a Jonny Hayes cross, it seemed that if Aberdeen could be revitalised at half time and replicate the level set in the second half performance in Gothenburg, they might just get out of Paisley with three points. Whilst the second half mirrored the one against Hacken in terms of controversy, the quality was severely lacking and the substitutions this time failed to make the same impact, instead looking like what they were, players which had very recently been added to the squad. In the 99th minute, Aberdeen were presented with the opportunity to rescue, or perhaps, rob a point from the game when a second hand ball incident, this time committed by the hosts, led to a penalty. Even in the closing moments, as Miovski fired home from the spot, the drama wasn’t over as the ominous letters of VAR flashed up on the screen and we were presented with the Scottish football equivalent of the white and gold or blue and black dress conundrum from a few years ago, as the penalty was checked for a double touch. The goal, rightly in my opinion, stood and Aberdeen escaped with a point that they possibly didn’t deserve and which at times looked highly unlikely but which they will very much take.

Firstly, the game away to Hacken looks like a preferable tie compared to some of the sides that we could have faced at this stage of Europa league qualification and means a romantic return to Gothenburg for Dons fans. Courtesy of my friends at the ABZ Podcast, their lo-fi counterparts at Red Tinted Glasses and their respective guests on this week’s instalments, I’ve learned that it looks like the Swedish side will be hoping we go there to try and play expansive, free flowing football, with the home team very much fancying their chances in a fast-paced shootout. The supporters of the Gothenburg team seem almost content knowing that their side are likely to concede, such is their confidence in their sides ability to score goals. Barry Robson has talked extensively about results being his main area of concern for his Aberdeen team and I think the majority of Aberdeen fans expect that he will take a pragmatic approach to the tie, particularly the away leg and that tomorrow night we will see a side set up to frustrate and try to grab a goal if the opportunity presents itself. It might not make for the most exhilarating night of RedTV, it might not be what I was dreaming of when urinating in a lay-by on the way back from Stirling last Friday but if this approach can get the tie back to Pittodrie on level terms, with a lead or even a small deficit, it sets up what promises to be a brilliant occasion on home turf next week and it might just be our best chance of reaching the coveted Europa league group stages.

Paisley hasn’t been the happiest hunting ground for Aberdeen, in recent years, or ever as the records show but with the way the fixtures have lined up for this opening period of the season a result here could be invaluable in ensuring we don’t start to drift in the league. St. Mirren have themselves had a great start to the campaign and after their record at home last season, will fancy their chances on Sunday afternoon, as they will against most, if not all, opponents in the league. This will be another opportunity to try and override some of our struggles away from home and a first chance to prove that a European hangover won’t distill our league efforts. Hearts and particularly Hibs, have already shown so far this season that the additional midweek games can stretch a squad, which makes this week’s timely additions even more welcome.

What to say on Jamie McGrath! For someone it feels like we should know plenty about, the jury still seems to be very much out on how to view our newest midfield acquisition. Well regarded during his time at St. Mirren, completely overlooked at Wigan and relegated with Dundee United, albeit seen as relatively well performing within a struggling side, it feels like we could be getting a player with good experience in the Scottish game who offers another good attacking option from midfield or someone slightly out in the wilderness, who has eventually made his way to Aberdeen after much speculation of our interest in him over the past few years. Either way, this looks like one that will need to be proven on the pitch but with our fixtures mounting up and given that Jamie has signed on a permanent contract, this to me looks like a sturdy, if not scintillating, addition to the squad.

I won’t pretend to have an extensive knowledge of Dutch or Polish football, or of Richard Jensen as a player, but considering that we have been crying out for left sided defenders in more windows than this one, I’m delighted to see this deal get done. At 27 and with around 150 senior appearances, he looks to be the kind of experienced of defender we will need this season. It will also come as a relief to some I’m sure, that this deal finally puts to bed the rumours of Liam Scales return, with this now looking highly unlikely. Whilst I rated Scales during his time at Aberdeen last season and will always feel indebted to him for that goal he totally meant, it didn’t sit well with most Aberdeen fans that we’d either be taking him on loan again or being held to ransom by Celtic for a permanent move and with their mounting defensive injuries, it seems for the best that this move can finally be dismissed.

Now we switch from wondering what could have been to what might be possible as we enter our first cup match of the season. The League Cup is generally, for whatever reason, viewed as the lesser of the two domestic cups available however given it’s the last silverware that Aberdeen lifted, there is a sentimental element to the competition for Dons fans and let’s be honest, it’s never the lesser cup if it’s the one you end up taking home. Given our recent history in cup competitions against lower league opposition (don’t say the D word) it will have been a relief to all dandies that Barry Robson has made it very clear that he doesn’t intend to rest anyone for the Friday night fixture and that they are taking the game very seriously. Like myself you might have been buoyed by images of Angus MacDonald on the training pitch, the news that Rhys Williams played a reserve game against Peterhead this week and that it appears James McGarry has fought off jet-lag to immediately start integrating with the squad but it seems from what Robson has said that we may have to wait a little longer until we see the sidelined lads come into the team to make up what you would imagine will be our strongest defence. Whilst it’s disappointing that we won’t get our first looks at Rhys or Jimmy or a chance to reacquaint ourselves with the strapping Angus Mac, I am much more confident after Sunday’s showing that the current stand ins playing slightly out of position, will have enough about them to deal with Friday’s challenge. Moreover, and I’d have spat my pint all over The Bobbin had you informed me ahead of Sunday’s game that I’d be saying this, I’m quite looking forward to seeing Ryan Duncan at left wing back again.

Stirling Albion seem to very much be a club on the up and don’t seem expected to struggle in their own league, despite being freshly promoted. Darren Young’s side have won their opening two league fixtures and already seen off top flight side St. Johnstone in the cup group stages but have lost their last match, a 3-0 defeat to East Kilbride on Tuesday evening. Despite this blip, their form still indicates they will be a threat and I personally always find it makes me a little nervy facing a team who are used to winning ways, regardless of what league they compete in.

Let’s look at some positives - a point on the board and a look at some of the new recruits with Slobodan Rubezic looking like the no-nonsense, albeit slightly rash, solid centre back we had hoped for and Nicky Devlin with a committed performance on his return to his old stomping ground, with a little bit of shit-housery thrown in to boot. Had this result come at a different point in the season and without this weekend’s fixture ahead of it, it might well be viewed as a good point on the road but with the first match at Pittodrie as tough as they come in the SPFL, it looks like an opportunity missed. Today’s announcement of the incoming left back James McGarry and Alan Burrows assurances that more deals are being worked on provide some hope but for many may only paper over the notion that the current squad isn’t strong enough to match the aspirations that have been set out, on several different fronts, for the season ahead. For now, we will have to wait and see how the recruitment goes and hope that Angus MacDonald and Rhys Williams make their way back from injury sooner rather than later but it leaves a lot of questions ahead of a huge test this Sunday.

So, let’s look at the Celtic game. There are probably few Dons fans who can attest to this, but it was actually matches against Celtic that first fully sparked my interest in becoming a fully fledged supporter and in fact two of my first ever three Dons matches were victories against Celtic. The first came at Celtic park in the 2014 Scottish Cup with Pawlett and Anderson scoring to give the Dons a 2-1 victory and then the following Tuesday evening I saw Aberdeen, at home this time, again trump Neil Lennon’s Celtic side 2-1 with a blistering Jonny Hayes strike and an Adam Rooney header giving me the belief that everything was going to be totally great forever. In fact, I even got to relive the glory immediately after in Archibald Simpsons where the whole game was shown on a projector courtesy of BBC Alba, with goal celebrations in the bar to rival the ones in the stadium. Needless to say that since then I have shared the frustrations of the Aberdeen support with many difficult games against the Glasgow side, with a stream of Cup semi-finals and finals being particularly agonising.

Much like the season itself, the summer break has been a bit of a rollercoaster with its ups and downs. It can be quite easy for clubs to open themselves up to criticism during a transfer window - sign a bulk of players early in the window and risk being accused of carelessly making up the numbers and bloating the squad instead of looking for quality but tread quietly in the market and more than likely fans will become restless and quite vocally wonder why there’s no news of additions. The dons have somehow managed to find a strange middle-ground but not necessarily to their detriment. The early confirmations that Angus MacDonald, Graeme Shinnie and what I consider to be an incredible signing, Leighton Clarkson would all be returning set the bench mark high and perhaps a little hard to follow. Nicky Devlin had already been confirmed to be coming North, with most agreeing this was a sturdy enough acquisition, the loan deal of Rhys Williams added some youthful promise to the backline and the relatively unknown Ester Sokler showed early in pre-season that he could be capable of what we’re all hoping for. Then it all went quiet. Aside from a back up goalkeeper in the shape of Ross Doohan, there were a few weeks of relatively little transfer action for the Aberdeen support and coupled with murmurings that Rhys Williams and Angus MacDonald had sustained injuries, an anxiety began to grow that we may be leaving ourselves short in numbers ahead of the start of the league campaign. We’ve not seen a great deal of of the defensive reinforcements which have come in over the past 10 days or so, but it shows the good favour that the AFC recruitment team have curried in the previous windows that the arrivals of Or Dadia and Slobodan Rubezic have been met with enthusiasm, with most of us unfamiliar with both players but optimistic at what they can do in Barry Robson’s new look side.

The drama hadn’t ended though and only a few hours ago as I write this, the news many of us had been dreading was confirmed with ‘sweet prince’ and ‘brate’ Ylber Ramadani departing for Lecce. There were few amongst the dons support who were unconvinced by the badge pounding and hard tackling Albanian and he will be sorely missed but it must be considered great business by the club. It leaves us with an intriguing narrative, whilst I personally don’t think either of these players fit the mould of a Ramadani in terms of defensive attributes, there are two young central midfielders who look to be staking a claim to place in the midfield three, in the shape of Dante Polvara and Connor Barron. After a successful loan spell back in the states and a rousing RedTV interview, freshly mulletted Dante seems to be eager to prove himself in the dons midfield and it seems like he may have Barry’s backing given the minutes he has received in pre-season. There was much talk of Connor Barron’s wavering commitment to the dons amongst rumours of deals with other clubs and perhaps an issue with attitude, but given his social media posts and the fact he has not moved on, he also looks ready to take back a position in midfield this season and given the number of games we’re looking at, there will no doubt be room for both of them to prove what they can do and give Barry Robson selection headaches.

There are possibly more redemption arcs to be had with Shayden Morris looking as if he will have a part to play, Jack Mackenzie having a big role in pre season, Vincente Besuijen claiming he’s back with his focus fully on Aberdeen and of course Anthony Stewart still in the squad, there is much intrigue in how the squad could evolve over the season.

“I don’t know how but he looks very Aberdonian”.

This is the reply from my girlfriend when I had sent her, without explanation, a screenshot of the Instagram announcement of Barry Robson continuing in the managers role at Aberdeen until the end of the season. She has little interest in football and but was polite enough to humour me and not mention that I’d interrupted the conversation about what was for dinner. I tend to agree, with his light ginger hair, discerning grin (or impossible to read stare) and general look of a man who’s spent some time in the hail and a few nights on the ale, Barry Robson definitely looks unmistakably Scottish, if not exclusively Aberdonian.

The support of possibly every football club across the world, loves a hometown hero, whether it’s a player on the pitch or someone working off it, there’s always an added sweetness to someone performing their role well and bringing success when they hail from the area the club is based in and it could certainly be argued that it often curries them extra favour when things aren’t going so well - Graeme Shinnie being a prime example.

Despite being a Dons supporter for most of my life through familial allegiances, I didn’t become a fully fledged fan (of either Aberdeen or football in general) until the 2013/14 season, coinciding with Barry Robson’s arrival as a player and it became clear even to me, that he was a footballer who was willing to give it all on the pitch and it took him no time to endear himself to me or the majority of the Aberdeen support. For his relatively short spell as a player at Aberdeen, there were some great moments, not just of quality and fight but of an unassuming charisma, from a shrug of the shoulders and cheeky smile after scoring directly from a corner to deciding to leave the pitch without explanation at Tynecastle to be greeted upon his return to chants of ‘he shits when wants, he shits when he wants, Barry Robson he shits when he wants’ , with Barry donning a grin afterwards that did nothing to deny these claims. Another moment that can’t go without mention, is after being sent off for an elbow against Dundee United, Barry appeared on the episode of Sportscene showing highlights of this game and tried a meek explanation of not realising how short the opposition player was, which meant he accidentally caught him in the face.

There’s something about his recent management role that really reaffirms Barry’s connection with the North East. Whether it’s the talk in the media of reinforcing to the players what it means to play for a club like Aberdeen, handing Graeme Shinnie the captaincy or maybe his claims after every win that it was ‘a real Aberdeen performance’, something is really connecting Barry to the Dons support.

However, being an Inverurie man is only a small part of the picture. With 4 wins out of 6 and pushing Aberdeen right back up the table,shockingly back into contention for 3rd place and European football, is the real plaudit and one that is certainly being given. Additions to the squad have certainly helped (does anyone not love Mattie Pollock yet?) but it’s hard to know much of this was really Robson’s doing, but what we do know is that he’s got them gelling, off the pitch and more importantly on it.

I remember before the divisive sacking of Derek McInnes, some fans complaining that the steady, reliable management that they’d seen over the years prior was no longer enough, that football was about ‘moments’ and that these were no longer being delivered. Again, on this, Barry Robson and this current Aberdeen team are succeeding and I’d argue that I’ve enjoyed more great moments in Barry Robson’s six games than I did under the previous tenure’s of Stephen Glass and Jim Goodwin (I think I enjoyed the Dundee United video of Jim prancing about the golf course more than I enjoyed the bulk of his time in charge) combined. Perhaps it’s worth arguing that this is all relative, that Stephen Glass followed a manager who’d certainly left a legacy and similarly Goodwin walked in with a great deal of expectation (some of his own making) which came with much more pressure than Barry was faced with, especially given where the team was when he arrived. However, it’s Barry Robson’s Aberdeen that have had me almost hanging off the stands at Tannadice and shredding my vocal chords in the Red Shed against Hearts and this is what I and the majority of fans, will remember. Moments.