The new season is now only a week away for the big SPL teams and a good first game to have and another chance to get the Aberdeen monkey of our backs. I expect the papers to be full of the fact that we have never beaten Aberdeen in a competitive match and also how Aberdeen will be going through another injury crisis before they play us.
Aberdeen have been busy in the transfer market as Calderwood continues his revolving door transfer system. Out have gone McNamara, Nicholson, Touzani and Steve Lovell while Bertrand Bossu, Sammy Stewart, Gary MacDonald Mark Kerr, Charlie Mulgrew have arrived with others likely to come in the next week. With Lovell and Nicholson gone at least Aberdeen won't be able to score a penalty or any last minute winners against us :018:
Overall, I would believe that Aberdeen are slightly weaker than last season but then again so are we. It will be interesting to see how our new look strike force, whatever it might be, fares against the Reds back line. The chances of the abysmal Richie Byrne starting are lessened by Mulgrews arrival. ICT fans will remember him from the famous 4 - 2 victory at Tannadice and while he poses a threat going forward he is rotten when it comes to defending so I think we should seek to exploit this. Considine at the back is, by all accounts, still poor and Diamond will partner him to try and get him through the game. We should look at trying to play up against Considine if we are to lump long balls up to the forwards and we have a tall player to win these aerial duels. I reckon that Mackie and Miller will start for Aberdeen up front provided both are fit (Mackie is meant to be battling to win his fitness battle to start) and we will need to watch both. Miller has caused us problems in the past and won a few penalties for being complete fairy while Mackie seems to despise us and tries his hardest to get a goal against us. He doesn't seem afraid to leave the boot in on some challenges and should be booed from the start of the game :thumb04:
While I don't think Aberdeen are any great shakes they seem to hold a voodoo sign over us and it seems that no matter how badly they play they grind out the result If we keep it tight and simple then the Dons fans will get on the backs of the Aberdeen players as they will not find us easy to break down. If we can play on the counter attack with a bit of pace I honestly feel that we can get our first victory over Aberdeen. However, realistically I am going to go for a 0 - 0 or 1 - 1 finish.
The new season is now only a week away for the big SPL teams and a good first game to have and another chance to get the Aberdeen monkey of our backs. I expect the papers to be full of the fact that we have never beaten Aberdeen in a competitive match and also how Aberdeen will be going through another injury crisis before they play us.
Aberdeen have been busy in the transfer market as Calderwood continues his revolving door transfer system. Out have gone McNamara, Nicholson, Touzani and Steve Lovell while Bertrand Bossu, Sammy Stewart, Gary MacDonald Mark Kerr, Charlie Mulgrew have arrived with others likely to come in the next week. With Lovell and Nicholson gone at least Aberdeen won't be able to score a penalty or any last minute winners against us :018:
Overall, I would believe that Aberdeen are slightly weaker than last season but then again so are we. It will be interesting to see how our new look strike force, whatever it might be, fares against the Reds back line. The chances of the abysmal Richie Byrne starting are lessened by Mulgrews arrival. ICT fans will remember him from the famous 4 - 2 victory at Tannadice and while he poses a threat going forward he is rotten when it comes to defending so I think we should seek to exploit this. Considine at the back is, by all accounts, still poor and Diamond will partner him to try and get him through the game. We should look at trying to play up against Considine if we are to lump long balls up to the forwards and we have a tall player to win these aerial duels. I reckon that Mackie and Miller will start for Aberdeen up front provided both are fit (Mackie is meant to be battling to win his fitness battle to start) and we will need to watch both. Miller has caused us problems in the past and won a few penalties for being complete fairy while Mackie seems to despise us and tries his hardest to get a goal against us. He doesn't seem afraid to leave the boot in on some challenges and should be booed from the start of the game :thumb04:
While I don't think Aberdeen are any great shakes they seem to hold a voodoo sign over us and it seems that no matter how badly they play they grind out the result
If we keep it tight and simple then the Dons fans will get on the backs of the Aberdeen players as they will not find us easy to break down. If we can play on the counter attack with a bit of pace I honestly feel that we can get our first victory over Aberdeen. However, realistically I am going to go for a 0 - 0 or 1 - 1 finish.