The appointment of Mark McGhee as Gordon Strachan's assistant for the national team will have stirred some unhappy memories in plenty of Aberdeen fans.
It's a month over two years since the man with the second most broken nose in football (after Steve Bruce, of course) saw his tenure at Pittodrie come to an end, after 18 months, 62 matches and just 17 wins. At that point, the club were above bottom spot only because of goal difference. To refer to his team as a rabble is insulting to disorderly crowds.
Given the shambles that McGhee left behind, it was no surprise that Stewart Milne, the Aberdeen chairman, turned to Craig Brown. The former Scotland manager was 70 when he left Motherwell to move to the North-East; he clearly doesn't do quiet retirement. The Dons needed stability, a safe pair of hands.
It's now just over two years since that appointment. In his first half-season, Brown duly steered the team away from the drop, to an acceptable ninth place in the league. Last season, his first full campaign in charge, they finished....ninth. Again. But, to most members of the Red Army, things still seemed better than under McGhee - if only in the same way that Tennent's Lager is just about more palatable than cat's urine.
The Dons' start to this season seemed to reward their patience. After a late blunder by keeper Jamie 'Clangers' Langfield cost them a surprise point at Celtic Park on opening day, Aberdeen went unbeaten in the next ten league matches. There were plenty of draws in there, but it looked like Brown had found the formula for success. His teams have always been set up to be difficult to beat, but often at the expense of flair and creativity at the other end. But the arrival of Niall McGinn from Celtic, and his conversion from midfielder to a striker, paid dividends with goals aplenty, helped by another new signing, Inverness winger Jonny Hayes, and the emergence of teenage wide player Ryan Fraser.
At some point in October, I confidently announced on The SPL Podcast that "Aberdeen will finish second in the SPL this season".
That prediction seemed a bit reckless at the time; now it seems downright moronic. A surprise loss in Dingwall at the beginning of November heralded an abysmal period where they were beaten in 5 out of 7 matches; in fact, including that defeat to Ross County, Aberdeen have only 13 points from their last 12 games.
Might the winter break refresh tired legs and see them get back on track. No chance. The Dons have an excellent record at Inverness, but after a fairly even first half, Aberdeen were utterly steamrollered in the second, losing 3-0. What was particularly surprising was that a side with an experienced backbone - Jamie Langfield, Russell Anderson, Gavin Rae, Stephen Hughes and Scott Vernon are all twenty-nine or over - seemed to go to pieces as soon as they conceded a goal.
I'd have paid more than a penny for the thoughts of Jonny Hayes after that game; he turned down a new contract that would have made him Caley Thistle's highest paid player to move along the A96 last summer. He's subsequently claimed that his Aberdeen contract didn't give him a higher wage than the Inverness offer, but that he thought they were a bigger club.
However, Caley Thistle are, touch wood, now second in the SPL. You don't have to tell me how incredible that is. Aberdeen lie fifth, six points worse off despite having played a game more. The four teams below them are within five points, and all of them have games in hand. Having looked the business a few months ago, the possibility of a third consecutive bottom six finish is increasing.
And the fans are beginning to lose their rag. Broonie's assertion post-match on Saturday - that there was nothing between the teams but the goals - was met with derision. Previously so solid, the back line looks more fragile than a ming vase during an earthquake. Up front, the game proved that, if Niall McGinn has an off-day, goals are exponentially harder to come by. Craig Brown, along with his long-suffering lieutenant Archie Knox, looked less like football coaches and more like characters from Still Game.
So, two years on, have Aberdeen made any progress? Or are they, ultimately still in the hole that they dug themselves when they sacked Jimmy 'Tangoman' Calderwood in May 2009?
It's only fair to point out that there are mitigating circumstances - namely, injuries. At times, the number of players unavailable has been close to double figures. The defence has never been quite so assured since left-back Gary Naysmith, Scotland's answer to Darren 'sicknote' Anderton, wrecked his calf. Brown would probably prefer to deploy youngster Ryan Jack on the opposite side, but he's been out for ages too. To cap it all, central defender Andrew Considine broke his leg and won't play again until next season. Midfield veteran Chris Clark's campaign is over as well. Hayes, Stephen Hughes and Isaac Osbourne have all had their spells on the treatment table, to the point that centre forward Vernon played several games in the middle of the park, where he struggled mightily.
And, in Brown's defence, he seems cursed to lose his best players. Since he took over, the likes of Paul Hartley, Chris Maguire, Steven Smith, Zander Diamond, Sone Aluko, Ricky Foster and Kari Arnason have left. So too have his three most promising youth players - Fraser Fyvie, Jack Grimmer and the aforementioned Ryan Fraser, who signed for Bournemouth last week. But every other SPL club loses their best players nowadays. The Dons are no worse off than their peers in this respect. And, on paper, they should undoubtedly be considered as genuine candidates for second spot.
Whilst claims by The Sun today that the Aberdeen board are looking at the possibility of bringing in Derek Adams from Ross County as manager are likely to be frivolous - if only because any football story in a Scottish red-top should automatically be distrusted - there are certainly more than a few Aberdeen fans who feel that the team won't improve any further under the current manager. Whilst it would seem ridiculous to consider a change at this point - after all, a win in the Highlands would have actually moved the Dons level on points with Inverness - the early season optimism has fizzled out. They say at Rangers or Celtic you are only three bad results from the sack. At Aberdeen, you are probably only five or six, at least in the eyes of the supporters.
And don't forget, Craig Brown turns 73 in July. He has displayed remarkable longevity and stamina, but for how much longer will he have the strength and will to try and turn this club around?
L.
No comments:
Post a Comment