Trouble at the double for McGhee
fyvie out for six weeks while mulgrew rejects contract offer as dons sift easter road debris
Published:
Aberdeen midfielder Fraser Fyvie is out for six weeks with an ankle ligament injury and defender Charlie Mulgrew has turned down the contract extension offer which would have made him one of the best-paid players at the club.
Dons manager Mark McGhee is relieved Fyvie has not broken a bone, but is still seething at Hibs defender Ian Murray’s challenge which led to the 16-year-old being stretchered from the field in only his seventh first-team match.
McGhee said: “Fraser has had the X-ray and it appears to be ligament damage rather than any bone break. We are looking at six weeks out.
“Injuries happen and that is a disappointment for him. But for us the real problem is that we have been delighted with the impact young players such as Fraser, Michael Paton and Peter Pawlett have made and we are facing the prospect of having at least two of them out of the team.
“Ian Murray was entitled to win the ball in the challenge which injured Fraser and a more experienced player than Fraser would have jumped six feet in the air when he saw it coming.
“But Fraser showed his inexperience. A lot of players would have protected themselves.
“As for Ian Murray, I think you have to question him. He knew he could win the ball and there would be a danger he could injure the player.
“We hear the PFA all the time talking about the Respect campaign. I am not quite sure there was the need to hurt Fraser and also win the ball.”
McGhee’s problems have been compounded by Mulgrew’s decision to reject Aberdeen’s offer of a long-term contract extension.
The former Celtic defender was given a take-it-or-leave-it offer by director of football Willie Miller.
Free to talk to other clubs on January 1, Mulgrew has opted to leave it and McGhee said: “Charlie has been made an outstanding offer and he has turned it down. I still have to speak to him to find out why that is the case and what his thinking is.”
Mulgrew’s agent Kevin Drinkell said: “Charlie just wants to concentrate on playing his football at the moment.
“He feels he has settled down as a player and is enjoying what he is doing for the first time in several years.
“He knows if he works hard in training he will play every week and that's all he wants to do. He's not thinking about anything else at this stage.”
Dons supporters face the prospect of again losing one of their best players to free agency in the summer, following in the footsteps of former captain Scott Severin, midfielder Barry Nicholson and defender Kevin McNaughton, all of whom moved to the English Championship after rejecting the chance to stay in Aberdeen.
McGhee is also preparing for life without two-thirds of the trio of young players who have strode into the Pittodrie first team with such flair.
Fyvie could be joined on the sidelines for Saturday’s match against St Johnstone by Pawlett, who is still struggling with a back injury.
Injuries may mean another of his young talents, Michael Paton, is brought back into a squad increasingly threadbare given the suspensions for defender Maurice Ross and forward Maguire following their red cards in the 2-0 defeat at Hibs on Saturday.
McGhee added: “It is not back to square one in terms of the injured players at the club, but it is not great.
“Pawlett is suffering with his back injury and it needs time to settle down.
“We have to decide whether to play him against St Johnstone on Saturday. If Chris Maguire was available we would be able to play him but that is not going to happen because of his suspension.
“Sone Aluko was not well on Friday.
“He probably would have played on Saturday, but he is back in training.”
Readers' Comments
We should be selling Mulgrew in January in that case.....
Scott Aberdeen
Report this comment
Scott is right - we have seen this all before - players haggle and still play, then summer comes and they r off. Sell him in January - take the money- there MUST be a left footed player in the reserves or available somewhere. It is time to lay dow the law to those players who intend to keep clubs dangling and then in the end reject them, having picked up wages all the time they r allegedly haggling.
george mackay
Report this comment
Mulgrew = mercenary...."He feels he has settled down as a player and is enjoying what he is doing for the first time in several years." Really, so he's looking to leave then because????
Brian Henderson
Report this comment
Mulgrew should now be dropped from first team and a youngster given the chance I am pretty sure then he will go in january and not hang around till end season if he dropped from first team squad
murray stott
Report this comment
when are these players going to show a bit of loyalty!! will we ever see one again that wants to play for the shirt. we pick these players from obscurity with their careers going nowhere and give them the opportunity to prove themselves, and when they do get a good run in our team they use that as a stepping stone for more cash. About time they realised who puts them in the position they are in
Mark McLean
Report this comment
Just another indication of the sad decline in moral and ethical standards of so called "professional" football players. He is actually doing nothing wrong except taking the mick in the same way that they all do. I guess we are the mugs for continuing to pay their wages via season tickets, sky sports etc... Maybe clubs should place every player who has a year left on his contract on the transfer list,regardless of how good they are, as there will always be the potential they will leave. If they dont get a move or accept a years extension drop them? Realistically what harm is it going to do to Aberdeen anyway. We have waited 14 years for a trophy and there isn't one on the horizon. I would rather watch a team full of guys who want to be here or want to improve and play for a bigger club (and if they are actually good enough they will be bought)...not for bigger wages. None of them are particularly hard up but they all fell in love with the image they see in the mirror!
Russell Brinklow
Report this comment
What's Drinkell on about, does he really think we are that stupid?? Mulgrew isnt concentrating on anything apart from biding his time and waiting for a championship side to come and offer him more to warm a bench. If he say's no then his heart is not at the club and should be dropped from the squaq, and be made to find his own way. I ma so sick and tired of the lack of gratitude that these players have. He's on a good salary, about to get a much better one, playing every week, the fans love him, yet he still holds out for more-It's pathetic!
Andrew Mitchell
Report this comment
Yes andrew you are right the fans do love him but maybe its now the right time for our so called boo boys to give him the bird every time he plays
murray stott
Report this comment
you all dont know what you are talking about,everyone wants more money, if you dont,you already have enough. Loyalty what are you talking about, one time the club were the ones who held the upper hand, now it is the players, and good on them, i would take half a million any year if someone offered it to me. Aberdeen and scottish football is entering or is already in a most uncertain future, dont blame players for moving. What about MM, DR,GS to name a few all moved and that was when Aberdeen had a good team.The people who go to Pittodrie everyweek have a right to complain about loyalty, but it will never be there again in Football
bob seivwright
Report this comment
maybe your right Bob but i do not see why we need to play someone who no longer wants to play for the team. I would be quite happy he warms the bench to give a youngster a chance to play
murray stott
Report this comment
I'd like to see how many people posting above would turn down the opportunity to earn a lot more money by moving to new employers!!! This is just the way it is with Scottish football. No matter how much we would like it, most players have not had the lifelong affiliation with the team they play for like the fans do. So of course they will move on if bigger clubs come calling. Yes he is keeping us dangling, but the best thing to do is to play him as normal. If he bangs in a few more goals from free kicks then it can only put his price up come January, when we should put him up for sale. Leaving one of our biggest goal threats and most experienced players out of the team is hardly going to benefit us!
Dasbo B
Report this comment
Dasbo your losing the point even if Aberdeen put him up for sale he does not have to move he can stay until end season go for nothing, january he is free to negotiate any deal he wants so technically speaking he can refuse to move under Bosman freedom of contract. So drop him give a youngster a chance force him to move by not playing him
murray stott
Report this comment
Nobody wants to turn down the chance of more money - the point here is that AFC have the chance to make some money, so sell ANYONE who is already reneging on a new deal, and hanging on to take OUR money for 6 months, before clearing off in the summertime. Mukgrew may think he is irreplaceable but he is not. Where was he prior to AFC??????
george mackay
Report this comment
Actually it's all about greed and as i have already said we are all stupid enough to pay our HARD earned cash to fuel it. But attendances show that there are fewer and fewer people prepared to do that. These guys have no idea what a credit crunch is! It would just be nice if some of these guys who are saved from the so called scrapheap (never see them shopping in LIDL???)show some kind of respect to the people who picked them up?? You are correct Bob but that doesn't mean people have to like it and they are voting with their feet.
Russell Brinklow
Report this comment