Aberdeen v Hearts

[Psychosomatic]

Premier League, Pittodrie.

Perfectly poised in the much-favoured 9th place – a position we get to keep for good if we finish there for a fourth consecutive season – Aberdeen will strut to the top of the league today once Hearts have been beaten by three clear goals and Motherwell and St Mirren grind to a draw at Fir Park. It could happen. And it will.

(If this kind of positive thinking irritates you as much as it irritates me, then I can fully recommend a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich - Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World. A minor classic and an absolute relief for those of us who may find the banality of a perpetually upbeat and can-do mindset grating, offensive, wearily uninspiring and potentially very dangerous.)

But this could be tense.

Hearts were unlucky to lose to Liverpool, apparently, and so long as they remain relatively untouched by injuries they should be able to field a pretty good/strong team (in SPL terms). As soon as injuries kick in, however – as they will - the seriously depleted nature of their squad should become instantly apparent, unfortunately. I’m not saying we should aim to brutally injure four or five of their players from the outset, of course, but it’s hardly the worst idea in the world. (David Templeton is suspended, so that’s a bonus.)

According to the BBC, however: Stephen Hughes has a hamstring problem and may join Russell Anderson, Rory Fallon and Niall McGinn on the sidelines while Rob Milsom is also doubtful.

Barely three to four weeks into the season and we’re already potentially five players down? How’s that fair, exactly? This has a depressingly familiar feel to it.

Having successfully negotiated the tricky away trip to Morton in midweek, however, and on the back of our first league win of the season last weekend, and with a defence that seems to have tightened up considerably (to the point where it almost looks competent), Aberdeen are still looking good – the most improved team in the league this year – and honest to God should be winning matches like this if they aspire to anything beyond relentless mediocrity.

Today’s primary objective: don’t lose
Today’s other objective: win


Prediction: Aberdeen 1 Hearts 0

……and the attendance will be 12,754.


(If you'd like to take a guess at Aberdeen's home league attendances this season, feel free. The person who comes closest with a prediction over the course of the season will win an astonishing CASH prize or Amazon voucher from the depths of my padlocked pockets. Competition starts today and all previous predictions are null and void. Terms and conditions to follow at an unspecified date if they are seen to follow at all.)

 

[Mick]

And the attendance will be 13,900...

That voucher will be mine.

 

[Go G YellowScreen]

12,354

 

[Psychosomatic]

Well, so far we are the only two people to make predictions, Adminstrator, and I’d have to say – based on the look of your prediction – that it seems certain I’ll be winning this competition, to be fair. Which is great, as I could do with the money or voucher.

Your prediction is noted as a valid entrant into the competition, however, having been declared in good time (ten minutes before kick-off is the closing point – please get your site clock fixed, by the way, it drives me demented) and in anticipation of the fact that your comment (and thus prediction) shall remain un-edited.

You are clearly out of your depth, though, and I'll win this round of the battle quite comfortably and will ultimately, of course, at the end of the season, claim the voucher (or cash) as my own. Fact.


Or fiction. Just to be clear.


Edit: There has been a further prediction. Duly noted.

 

[Mick]

Yeah I'm on the high end but I have faith the sheep will turn out for this one

 

[Rubber Johnny]

I'll put my attendance in before i leave for the match [ another disappointment i think] 10650.

Let my heart rule my head & say ---- 3 - 1 the dons.

 

[Psychosomatic]

Yeah I'm on the high end but I have faith the sheep will turn out for this one

Good for you, that's the spirit. Putting one's faith in anything to do with Aberdeen FC never - under any circumstances - leads towards disappointment, despair and depression. You're backing a winner, Malteser, an absolute winner.

I'll put my attendance in before i leave for the match [ another disappointment i think] 10650.

Let my heart rule my head & say ---- 3 - 1 the dons.

That's a bit brutal, Rep. I really hope the crowd is bigger than that. (I like the look of your 3-1 prediction, however. That's what I was going to go for until I became distressed at my own positivity.)

So....

Attendance predictions:

MalteseMick: 13,900
Psychosomatic: 12,754
Surreal Dance: 12,354
Johnny Rep: 10,650

Further predictions welcome, either now (up until somewhere around about ten to three) or at any point throughout the course of the current season.....

 

[ManDingo 20"/20"]

11,400.

 

[Fabulous Fabio]

9,156

 

[Rubber Johnny]

Put my prediction in thinking it was on live tv, but guy sitting next to me says it's not, looks around 12,000 ,12,500 mark.

 

[Psychosomatic]

11,400.

I quite like the look of that, MD.

9,156

Oh FFS, come on. Surely we'll have to wait for a few more weeks before falling below the 10,000 barrier? You've got me nervous now.

Teams:

Aberdeen: Langfield, Anderson, Considine (oh God), Naysmith, Reynolds, Jack, Rae, Hayes, Osbourne, Fraser, Vernon.

Hearts: MacDonald, Grainger, McGowan, Barr, Webster, Zallukas, Paterson, Taouill, Driver, Sutton, Novikovas.

Fifteen minutes gone, no scoring.....


Edit:

Put my prediction in thinking it was on live tv, but guy sitting next to me says it's not, looks around 12,000 ,12,500 mark.

Here's hoping.....

 

[Go G YellowScreen]

Any news on the attendance figure yet? I'm on tenterhooks here!

I've got my eye on that new book fae Phil Macsomethingorother about the downfall of Rangers. Downfall or something it's called.

 

[Psychosomatic]

Any news on the attendance figure yet? I'm on tenterhooks here!

I've got my eye on that new book fae Phil Macsomethingorother about the downfall of Rangers. Downfall or something it's called.

No news on the attendance yet, apart from the wild estimations of our bravely embedded reporter, Rep. I think the BBC normally give the figures sometime during the second-half.

What? What book’s this? Is it good? Should we all read it to become better informed citizens?

Post excerpts. It’s the right thing to do.

(Edit: I don't believe it. I need to go out with my wife. Bitter blow.)

 

[Go G YellowScreen]

No news on the attendance yet, apart from the wild estimations of our bravely embedded reporter, Rep. I think the BBC normally give the figures sometime during the second-half.

What? What book’s this? Is it good? Should we all read it to become better informed citizens?

Post excerpts. It’s the right thing to do.

(Edit: I don't believe it. I need to go out with my wife. Bitter blow.)

Downfall by Phil Phil Mac Giolla Bhain. I'm sure you can guess what it's about.

And I can't post excerpts I'm afraid. When it comes to technology I'm pretty old-fashioned and prefer the feel of rough paper between my fingers rather than the glare off a small, hand-held piece of electronic wizardry.

 

[AP: Password Mong]

(If you'd like to take a guess at Aberdeen's home league attendances this season, feel free. The person who comes closest with a prediction over the course of the season will win an astonishing CASH prize or Amazon voucher from the depths of my padlocked pockets. Competition starts today and all previous predictions are null and void. Terms and conditions to follow at an unspecified date if they are seen to follow at all.)

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Edit: attendance today was 11,971. You're all crap predictors.

 

[Psychosomatic]

Downfall by Phil Phil Mac Giolla Bhain. I'm sure you can guess what it's about.

And I can't post excerpts I'm afraid. When it comes to technology I'm pretty old-fashioned and prefer the feel of rough paper between my fingers rather than the glare off a small, hand-held piece of electronic wizardry.

And quite right, too. Anyone who uses a Kindle, for example - like Mick, say - should be hounded from these boards.

I think I may wait for the person behind the Rangerstaxcase blog to release his or her book, however, as I'm not entirely impressed by that Phil chap, even if he sometimes (quite often) gets things right. Something about him gives me the creeps.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Edit: attendance today was 11,971. You're all crap predictors.

Relax, AP. It will never be forgotten round these parts that you predicted the Aberdeen v Ross County attendance to within 28 - and there will surely be a plaque erected somewhere on the Aberdeen forum to commemorate your momentous achievement - but, as the competition had not officially got underway when you made your guess, it seems only appropriate to strike your attempt from the records, erase your name from the leaderboard and dismiss your formidable guess as being entirely irrelevant to proceedings, to be fair. I feel sure your best work lies ahead of you, though.



Right so.

Surreal Dance goes straight to the top of the leaderboard with a commendably sly first effort (just copying my prediction and lopping off 400, as far as I can tell), coming to within 383 of the official attendance. At the other end of the table, however, Username has brought shame upon his family, his teachers from school, his former scoutmaster, his neighbours, his friends and all of those people he has ever known by making a prediction that was a disastrous 2815 shy of reality. And MalteseMick has lost a bit of credibility as an Administrator (and as a human being), to be honest, and should think long and hard about his performance here today.

Everyone is stuck with these predictions until they come up with something better, at which point their new (and more accurate) score will take precedence over these initial offerings. There is no obligation to predict every Aberdeen home attendance and anyone (new) can make a prediction at any point throughout the season.

The lower the number against your name (in the following table), the better you’re doing, obviously, as this reflects how many you were out in your prediction.

1) Surreal Dance..........383
2) MD 20/20.................571
3) Psychosomatic..........783
4) Johnny Rep..............1321
5) MalteseMick.............1929
6) UserName................2815



And the game appears to have finished 0-0, for what it's worth, although we'll need to wait for a match report from Johnny Rep before this might properly be confirmed.

 

[Rubber Johnny]

Put my prediction in thinking it was on live tv, but guy sitting next to me says it's not, looks around 12,000 ,12,500 mark.

No news on the attendance yet, apart from the wild estimations of our bravely embedded reporter, Rep.





.)

Once i had sat down and counted all the heads i was'nt that far out with my estimation.

But seriously i think i shall start doing what most of the posters on the celtic board do
and become an armchair fan, untill we sign a provan goal scorer we are ultimatly always
going to be hovering around 9th place in the league table.

There is definitely a better buzz about the place with the likes of jonny hayes and the
wonder kid Ryan Fraser working well down the wings and puting some great balls into
the box, but as per no-one to finish it off although Vernon did hit the woodwork on a
couple of occasions.

Seriously, if we had a decent striker we could've had the league sewn up by xmas.

PS was'nt going to mention we should've had a pen. [it's a celtic thing].

 

[Psychosomatic]

Once i had sat down and counted all the heads i was'nt that far out with my estimation.

But seriously i think i shall start doing what most of the posters on the celtic board do
and become an armchair fan, untill we sign a provan goal scorer we are ultimatly always
going to be hovering around 9th place in the league table.

There is definitely a better buzz about the place with the likes of jonny hayes and the
wonder kid Ryan Fraser working well down the wings and puting some great balls into
the box, but as per no-one to finish it off although Vernon did hit the woodwork on a
couple of occasions.

Seriously, if we had a decent striker we could've had the league sewn up by xmas.

PS was'nt going to mention we should've had a pen. [it's a celtic thing].

I have some sympathy, J-Rep. (I like to think that by calling you "J-Rep" a much needed layer of glamour is added to these fiercely puritanical boards. I could be wrong.) Becoming an armchair fan is a perfectly legitimate response to being asked to pay money to watch continual servings of frustrating and/or abject ****e, though, and whilst loyalty is a commendable trait in most walks of life, it can maybe sometimes lead to a certain masochistic, self-defeating stupidity in football (sports) fans. It's a purely academic point, however, as we need you to file reports from the games and so you'll just have to keep on attending until further notice, I'm afraid. Sorry.

Having said all that, I was pretty impressed when I went to the Ross County game (the only game I've been to this season) and still feel that a slight shift in luck/procedure/accuracy would see Aberdeen shoot up the league in a trice. You're quite right about the need for an out and out goalscorer, of course, but with some of the (many) chances created against Ross County, for example, it felt abidingly apparent that an ailing dolphin should have been able to tuck these things away - let alone a minorly competent football player, whether he happens to be a striker or not.

I'm not too despondent. Yet.

I've only read the BBC (online) report of the game and now your sturdy report on these pages. I can sense a growing frustration amidst this growing sense of hope (if these two feelings are compatible) - and imagine the team will be booed off the park if they fail to beat St Mirren next week - and yet still feel pretty confident that, for once, at very long last, we're actually going to be okay. I still see us finishing third. Hardly ideal, but good enough to be getting on with. If Celtic suddenly start dropping points left, right and centre - I pray for such a thing - we'll doubtless be in a terrific position to capitalise and sew up our first title since 1742 or thereabouts. This will all come to pass, for sure.

Anyway, I'll be at two more games before the year is out (practically unheard of these past few years) and feel happy enough at the prospect.

If we fail to beat St Mirren next Saturday, however, I look forward to finding momentary refuge in the familiar comfort of sullen despair.