MARKS OUT OF 10: 4
LEAGUE: 8th, 48 points (2011-12 - 9th, 41 points)
SCOTTISH CUP: Fifth roundLEAGUE CUP: Quarter finals
MOST USED FIRST XI: Jamie Langfield, Joe Shaughnessy, Russell Anderson, Mark Reynolds, Clark Robertson, Gavin Rae, Isaac Osbourne, Stephen Hughes, Jonny Hayes, Scott Vernon, Niall McGinn
OVERVIEW: The Dons started the season really well, which makes it all the more unacceptable that they managed to miss out on the top six for the fourth consecutive season. Craig Brown's side looked functional and hard to beat initially, even if they were heavily reliant on Niall McGinn for goals, but their form dipped drastically after November, not helped by a dreadful home record on a joke of a playing surface, or a distinct lack of menace in attack after Ryan Fraser left for Bournemouth. Yet another season of underachievement.
HIGH POINTS: A narrow opening day defeat at Parkhead was followed by a ten match unbeaten run which seemed to bode well for the season ahead...to the point that this writer confidently predicted in October that "Aberdeen will finish second in the SPL". Oops...
LOW POINTS: Failing to score in nine of their home league games is unforgivable, while thrashings at Motherwell and Inverness during the winter saw performances as abject as any during the Mark McGhee era, and were part of a run between New Year and the split where they picked up only 11 points out of a possible 36, costing them a top six place that looked a certainty at the end of 2012.
STAR MAN: I shudder to think where this team might have been without Niall McGinn, who has scored as many SPL goals as the rest of his teammates put together, and who won them a few games pretty much on his own.
ONE FOR THE FUTURE: Ryan Jack, if he can stay fit, will surely be the next to follow in the footsteps of Ryan Fraser and Fraser Fyvie. The under-21 international is equally adept at right-back and in midfield, but it is in the latter position that he's likely to shine in next season.
WASTE OF SPACE: New Zealand international Rory Fallon has shown that being able to say you've played at a World Cup is no guarantee of quality. He didn't really do enough last season to justify being kept on, and his injury-hit campaign has produced only one goal (admittedly a stonker of a strike against Motherwell). And when Derek McInnes gave him a chance to prove himself, Fallon got sent off at Dens Park.
THE BOSS: It was no surprise at all that Craig Brown chose to 'retire' before he was pushed, as results simply did not back up his claims of progress. The supporters have reached new levels of disillusionment. Ex-St. Johnstone man Derek McInnes is the latest person to take on the accursed challenge of being Aberdeen manager and took charge of the post-split matches. McInnes previously showed he could get the Perth Saints punching above their weight, and given that he won't be given a lot of money to spend, he'll need to repeat that feat with the Dons.
PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON: There's going to be plenty of ins and outs at Pittodrie this summer...the trouble is, we say that every year. Several senior players have already been told they aren't needed for next season. It will be interesting to see if McInnes trusts the club's youngsters to push on and form the backbone of this side, or if he brings in more experienced players and looks for a quick improvement. But yet another finish in the bottom half of the table would be a catastrophe.
NOT IN THE MANAGER'S PLANS: Jordon Brown, Stephen Hughes
UNLIKELY TO SIGN NEW DEALS: none
L.
1 comment:
Good summary, only criticism is Fallon actually scored two stonkers this season! One against Motherwell in the cup and one against Killie in the league.
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