Aberdeen v Motherwell

[Psychosomatic]

Good news: Russell Anderson has had his red card against Inverness CT rescinded, following a successful appeal, which allows him to maintain his pretty impressive record of never having received a red card in his career. He'll be available for the visit of Motherwell today.

Must. Win. Game.

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall: "I certainly think Aberdeen's performances have been excellent, they have probably not got the results they have merited, especially at home. They have had three nil-nils, which is quite unusual, but they are certainly creating chances. They are strong defensively and have added well to the squad. I'm sure Craig (Brown) and Archie (Knox), without wanting to put pressure on their own squad, will be hoping and expecting to push for that second place. They have a really strong squad and it would be no surprise to me if they finish in second or third spot."

Quite right.

Prediction: Aberdeen 1 Motherwell 0

Attendance prediction: 10,341


Here is the (Aberdeen home game) Attendance Prediction League as it currently stands, with the number after each name representing the closest each person has come to predicting an attendance:

1) Surreal Dance...........383
2) Pud…………………………….505
3) MD 20/20..................571
4) Psychosomatic...........783
5) Bhoy From Brum………..800
6) MalteseMick...............854
7) Johnny Rep...............1321
8) UserName................2815

Feel free to take a guess, whether you've already done so before or not. (Although it's a bloody 12.45 kick-off today, which came as a surprise, and may find me being the only person making a prediction - for which I really ought to be grateful.)


Teams to follow.....

 

[Psychosomatic]

The teams:

Aberdeen: Langfield, Jack, Anderson, Considine, Reynolds, Rae, Hayes, Hughes, Fraser, Vernon, Magennis. (McGinn starts on the bench again, following his recovery from injury.)

Motherwell: Randolph, Hammell, Hutchinson, Kerr, Cummins, Law, Hateley, Humphrey, Lasley, Ojamaa, Higdon.


I can't see any way that we won't win this game.

(I'm off to the beach with my dogs and wife, unfortunately, so will likely miss the whole thing.)

 

[Mick]

Attendance 9,801.

You better win the game after Hearts done Dundee Utd yesterday, I need a bit of a thrill for my money at least.

 

[Go G YellowScreen]

9,368

 

[Null]

9965

 

[Rubber Johnny]

Off to the pub to watch the game today, as the Liverpool v Man U game is on at the same time i don't think the attendance will be great, also it is a holiday weekend here in Aberdeen.

Att prediction ----- 8300.

Score ------- 2 - 1 Aberdeen, Vernon first goal.

 

[Mick]

1-0, go on the Dons.

 

[Mick]

Bad sheep, bad

 

[eric cartman]

shocking defending

 

[eric cartman]

another set piece. Nobody even near 5 yards near him.

 

[eric cartman]

Thank you aberdeen what a game

 

[Null]

Att: 8,577

 

[Psychosomatic]

Att: 8,577

Thank you, Pud.

But that’s a really disappointing attendance. If we’re being kind, I suppose we could look at the reasons Johnny Rep put forward and combine them with three 0-0 home games on the bounce. I’d still say that it’s fairly poor, though.

I see an ominous trend emerging. Aberdeen home attendances this season:

v Ross County 14010
v Hearts 11971
v St Mirren 9288
v Motherwell 8577

So we’re presently going downhill attendance-wise, no two ways about it, although I’d still be very surprised if this trend isn’t bucked with the coming visits of Hibernian and then (not until the end of October, though) Dundee – and thereafter Celtic.

Average home league attendance to date: 10,961

If we finish the season with an average above 10,000 (as I so boldly predicted from the outset), I’ll be happy enough with that as it will represent tangible improvement on recent history.

I’ve been working out the average prediction made by the punters. Here are the top three, with the numbers in brackets representing how close their average guess has been to the current average attendance:

Psychosomatic – 11079 (118)
MalteseMick – 11281 (320)
SurrealDance – 10576 (385)

I could look at this table for hours. And it does presently make me wonder if it might be a good idea to have a league of averages periodically referenced.

(Your average prediction has been 9879, Pud, an embarrassing – some might say disgusting, shocking, hopeless and overtly homosexual - 1082 off the pace. Just so you know. I mean no disrespect.)

Off to the pub to watch the game today, as the Liverpool v Man U game is on at the same time i don't think the attendance will be great, also it is a holiday weekend here in Aberdeen.

Att prediction ----- 8300.

Score ------- 2 - 1 Aberdeen, Vernon first goal.

Aberdeen are invincible, that’s the message we all need to take from this game, J-Rep. They can’t finish us off. We’re like cockroaches, only good-looking and well-dressed and with impeccable oral hygiene and furniture. We have forgotten how to lose, which is fantastic, and we’ve done so whilst holding on to our enviably consistent avoidance of victory.

The goal drought is banished, already a thing of the past – we can laugh about it now – and our defence is almighty, having only conceded three goals at home all season.

A nice wee cup win over Dunfermline in midweek, followed by the dismantling of Hibs at Pittodrie next weekend, and we’re all set for the October to end all Octobers. I see the face of God, Rep, and he is smiling upon us – for truly, we are the chosen people and this is our time. Cancel your appointments and mark October down as the start of The Great Age of Bliss.

Thank you aberdeen what a game

Hello, Eric. How are you doing?

I didn’t get to see the game, unfortunately, as I got dragged to the beach (raining, windy, cold), and I’ve only read the BBC match report to date.

It sounds like you enjoyed it well enough, though, and it’s generally fairly hard to complain (as a neutral) about a game with six goals. You’ll have been impressed, no doubt, with Aberdeen’s icily unforgiving defence and with a crowd packed tight to the rafters.


Surreal Dance, MalteseMick, hello!

Prediction League Table to follow.....soon(ish).

 

[Tina_old]

I only saw from when McGinn scored onwards. What a game.

Aye sure, there's nae competition left in the league pfffft.

Brilliant comeback by the Dandies

 

[Psychosomatic]

Tina.


It seems like ages since you’ve been on the Aberdeen board. What’s that all about? You should really aim to be visiting here at least once a week, you know? We need some women around the place, if for no other reason than to alleviate the sexual tensions between the men. It’s out of control.

McGinn shares a bloodline with baby Jesus. Fact. I’m delighted he joined us. And in a roundabout way, his arrival on the golden shores of Aberdeen partially makes up for the theft of Mulgrew.

I really wish I’d seen the game now, although I daresay I would have been coming out with stuff like “oh no, heaven help us all, this is vexing my heart and there is simply no way back for our brave and broken boys” and “Brown must be euthanised, the doddery old ****” with seven or eight minutes to go – which may have made me look quite stupid, to be fair.

A narrow escape, Tina, and I’m telling myself I feel better for it.

 

[Null]

(Your average prediction has been 9879, Pud, an embarrassing – some might say disgusting, shocking, hopeless and overtly homosexual - 1082 off the pace. Just so you know. I mean no disrespect.

A fully deserved gay jibe!

After a great 1st try my second attempt was woefull!

I'll up my game for the next time to get that aveage down!

 

[Tina_old]

Tina.


It seems like ages since you’ve been on the Aberdeen board. What’s that all about? You should really aim to be visiting here at least once a week, you know? We need some women around the place, if for no other reason than to alleviate the sexual tensions between the men. It’s out of control.

McGinn shares a bloodline with baby Jesus. Fact. I’m delighted he joined us. And in a roundabout way, his arrival on the golden shores of Aberdeen partially makes up for the theft of Mulgrew.

I really wish I’d seen the game now, although I daresay I would have been coming out with stuff like “oh no, heaven help us all, this is vexing my heart and there is simply no way back for our brave and broken boys” and “Brown must be euthanised, the doddery old ****” with seven or eight minutes to go – which may have made me look quite stupid, to be fair.

A narrow escape, Tina, and I’m telling myself I feel better for it.

Can't really respond to that other than to say brilliant top class stuff lol xx

 

[Psychosomatic]

A fully deserved gay jibe!

After a great 1st try my second attempt was woefull!

I'll up my game for the next time to get that aveage down!

Good man, that’s the spirit. It takes real skill and no little practice to get good at stab-in-the-dark random guesswork. Before making my own predictions, for example, I like to warm up with a spot of yoga and maybe throw down a few moves of Krabi Krabong with the charmingly impoverished Thai boy from the village who comes up the hill to polish my shoes – and I’ll be sure not to drink any coffee until after I’ve made my guess. Amateur mistake, that. I like to feel physically spent, centred and focused, but I certainly don’t want my mind buzzing with caffeine. Ha ha. As if.

I don’t want to give away all of my secrets, obviously, but there’ll maybe be something in there to help you. Good luck.

Can't really respond to that other than to say brilliant top class stuff lol xx

Yes, yes, it’s all very well coming in after the event and saying nice things, but nothing will ever disguise the fact that you’ve failed to support my stutteringly awful attendance competition by not once offering up a prediction of your own.

I mark these (in)actions of yours down in The Giant Black Book of Unreasonable Grievance Against Both Individuals and the World, Tina, whilst whisper-wheezing sex threats into my Albuterol inhaler.

Just so long as we’re clear about that.


League Prediction Table:

1) Johnny Rep...............277
2) Surreal Dance...........383
3) Pud…………………………….505
4) MD 20/20..................571
5) Psychosomatic...........783
6) Bhoy From Brum………..800
7) MalteseMick...............854
8) UserName................2815

Johnny Rep comes from absolutely nowhere to snatch top spot from Surreal Dance (who will be gutted). Further evidence that things are on the up for Aberdeen.

I'm happy for you, J-Rep, and respect your skills.

 

[Rubber Johnny]

Predicting Aberdeens lowest attendance of the season does'nt exactly fill me with pride, but i cant say to much as i was'nt there either.
As i said earlier i watched the game in my local with Aberdeen v Motherwell on one screen and Liverpool v Man U on the other.

Must say i was more engrossed with the Liverpool v Man U game until Craig Brown finally made a decent decision and took Vernon
off and replaced him with McGinn which changed the game.

We are absolutely murder at defending set pieces and corners which all three of their goals came from, and langfields distribution
is terrible. So hopefully Langfield gets hooked and Jason Brown gets the no1 jersey with McGinn replacing Scott Vernon against
Dunfermline on wednesday night.

Unfortunately i wont be here to see the next couple of games as i am off to the states on wednesday morning for a weeks (pissup)
training with my work, but with an away win at Dunfermline ( 0 - 2 ) the Dons we may see a slightly better crowd for our home
game against Hibs on Saturday.

Score ----- Aberdeen 2 - 1 Hibs
Crowd prediction --- 9100

 

[Psychosomatic]

Unfortunately i wont be here to see the next couple of games as i am off to the states on wednesday morning for a weeks (pissup)
training with my work, but with an away win at Dunfermline ( 0 - 2 ) the Dons we may see a slightly better crowd for our home
game against Hibs on Saturday.

Score ----- Aberdeen 2 - 1 Hibs
Crowd prediction --- 9100

You’ll be drunk in America by now, J-Rep, probably involved in a shoot-out, yo, but it was one to zero Aberdon against the Dunfermlines, Wednesday, with Vernon breaching the end zone to achieve touchdown as the game clock showed 90+2, sending Craig Brewster’s Pitlochry Stadium outfit straight into the group stages of the FA Cup final. Ewe essay. Ewe essay. Ewe essay.

Dunfermline manager Jim Jefferies: "We're down and we're disappointed. That was a magnificent performance. Sometimes in football you need a wee rub of the ground and we didn't get it.”

Raging.

But is that even a saying? A wee rub of the ground? I’ve not heard that before. It sounds strange. A quick Google search for “[a wee] rub of the ground” merely brings me back to the BBC report from which I originally took it, suggesting that Jefferies has invented something quite new. If I were manager of a losing team, I think I might very well find this sufficiently consoling.

Anyway, good one for thinking to get your attendance prediction in early, Repunzel. Duly noted and logged, thanks.