Late double spares blushes for lacklustre Aberdeen

By Paul Third

Published: 12/11/2008

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Andrew Considine and Sone Aluko spared Aberdeen from an embarrassing draw with St Mirren last night as the Dons finally took one of their chances to move into the SPL top six with a late flourish to see off stubborn opponents.

In what was a dire 90 minutes at Pittodrie, the Dons defender struck 10 minutes from time before Aluko secured the points. The victory lifted Jimmy Calderwood's side to fourth in the SPL, but the Aberdeen manager will know his players have to do much better than this if they want to stay there.

Following the first half debacle at Tannadice on Saturday, Calderwood made two changes to his side, with Considine and Charlie Mulgrew returning to the starting 11 in place of Jared Hodgkiss and Jeffrey de Visscher. The Dons manager also made a tactical switch with his side starting with a 3-4-1-2 formation; Aluko given the free role behind Lee Miller and Darren Mackie.

The emphasis was on stretching a St Mirren defence which has been one of the meanest in the SPL this season and while the Dons pushed forward at will, they left gaping holes down the flanks which St Mirren had willing runners willing to exploit.

Sadly, the quality was lacking in the final third for both teams in a frustrating opening 20 minutes with the only chance of note coming from a Mulgrew corner which caused havoc in the Saints box. Scott Severin saw his shot blocked on the line before Zander Diamond swung a leg at the ball, only for it to be deflected wide.

On a dismal, rainy night, set-pieces were the only occasions in the first half where the Dons threatened, and Lee Miller went close with a 20-yard free kick which was blocked by Saints keeper Mark Howard, who had been booked for handling the ball outside his box. The rebound fell the wrong side of the on-rushing Mark Kerr, who looked destined to net his first goal for the club.

If there was one piece of consolation for the home side, St Mirren were no better as an attacking force. As strong as the Buddies have been at the back, they looked woefully inadequate in the final third, but that would not have mattered to Saints manager Gus MacPherson at what has historically been a difficult venue for his side.

The terrible play of the home side proved too much for the supporters by the midway mark of the second half and the boos started. With no cohesion, no invention and no shots on goal, it was difficult to argue with the reaction of the fans as this was easily the worst performance of the season.

If there was one player who had shown drive and determination for Calderwood's team it was Kerr, and it was fitting the former Dundee United player had a hand in the goal which changed the mood. Collecting a punch out from the Saints keeper on the edge of the box, Kerr exchanged passes down the right with Severin before working his way into the box and laying the ball back to Considine, who beat Howard with an excellent rising shot from 14 yards.

The goal caused Saints manager MacPherson to go for broke in the hope of salvaging a point, but his side were caught when Miller sent Aluko clear on the counter attack and the winger advanced on Howard before beating him with a low shot into the bottom corner.

ABERDEEN – Langfield, Mulgrew (Hodgkiss 80), Foster, Diamond, Considine, Young (Maguire 75), Severin, Kerr, Aluko, Miller, Mackie.

ST MIRREN – Howard, Ross, Miranda (Robb 83), Mason (McGinn 81), Haining, Potter, Murray, Dorman, Mehmet, Hamilton (Wyness 75), Cuthbert.

Reader's Comments

Sorry, not good enough! Listening to the game on redweb last night and it was a disaster from start to finish. Tactically we were atrocious, football wise we were amateurs and we were extremely lucky not to end up 1-1 instead of 2-0 with the way we sat back and stuck everyone on the line as soon as we scored. Most worryingly the commentators were speaking about the way JC was lambasting the players all game and how he would tell Langfield to boot it up the park and then tell him how useless he is for giving the ball away. Seve was meant to look like it was his first ever game of football and Considine had to put up with abuse for the full 45 he was at the same side of the pitch as JC. Add that to a back 3 with a 5'5" RB in the centre of it and instructions to play nothing but route 1 football for the whole game then for JC to turn round at the end of it and say we can play better is just ridiculous. OK we won (and that is pleasing) but we won ugly as usual with no real direction and no real tactics behind the game. It was also noted by the commentators that the crowd started to leave 40 minutes into the game!!!!!!!!! Come on, how is that not slowly killing the club????? Get him out before there is no one left in Pittodrie to bore, sorry entertain!
Brian Henderson
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Was another poor home performance and again Seve at the back?!? GRRRRRRRRR. However, watching the play there is certainly still a nervousness about the team and within the stands; this does not help and make for a good game. At the end of the day, we won, another 3 points on the boards and maybe just maybe 2 home wins in a row might just give the team a little more comfort. JC, I think over the time u have been at AFC u have done a good job. This season though is your weakest so far and in stead of making so many changes in personnel and formation; I think you need to pick a team and formation and stick to it for a few games....might help the morale and confidence!
Scott Gemmell
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Brian, it wasn't route 1 football, not in the first half at least, the second half was woeful though right enough. Seve didnt have all that much to do and he cleared his lines well, (hopefully learnt after Saturday's palava!) Foster, Kerr, Langfield and Young were dire though, Foster shouldn't be in that team I'm afraid. Miller and Mackie's link-up was good and they both had a decent game but the trouble like you said Brian is that it is all far too deep, if you have two strikers who link-up well together fine but when its only 10-yards into the opposition half then what use is it, no wonder the pair of them don't score much! The last two home games they have sat so deep and Calderwood tells us how he is going to go all out attack at home, would hate to see him adopt a defensive approach, they would never leave their own box
Steve Brockie
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Sorry guys, but how can you take any comments on a game seriously when the guy making them wasn't even there!!! Down at Dundee on Saturday, the last 10 mins of the first half and the whole 2nd was the best footie I've seen from Aberdeen for a long time - against the form team in the SPL. OK we lost, but what a spectacle. The second half last night was dire - admittedly -and the longer things didn't come off, the more the nerves crept in and the less inventive the team became. But we were always light years ahead of St Mirren. I don't know why the guys sat back after the first goal went in - and what a classy bit of play from Kerr - but it certainly wasn't JC telling them to. Lambast the manager all you want, but we won the game last night. We could have easily put 5 past united at the weekend and we'd have been secure today in 3rd place. What other management team over the last 20 years has got us anywhere near that point. Another good season in Europe, another 2 million profit and the investment in the footballing side will just go up and up. For goodness sake, let the manager do his job, get behind the players and in a few years time we have a chance of truly becoming Scotland's 3rd biggest and most successful team - consistently. Andy J
Andy Johnston
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Andy, the first line of my comment tells you where I got my opinion of the game from. Redweb isnt the beeb, its 2 die hard AFC supporters who also do media work. Their comments are alway AFC bias and before they are sitting with their heads in their hands.
L
If it wasnt JC who told them to sit back then who exactly was it that changed the formation, players positions and general play as soon as we scored? We went from 3-5-2 with Hogkiss playing centre bak!!! to 5-3-2 with foster and hogkiss playing WB's are you suggesting it was the players that made that choice Andy??????

But before people are leaving 40 minutes into a game and before AFC employees (that who the 2 commentators work for) are saying its the worst display of football they have seen in 5 years it must be awful, truly awful. As for the rest of the comments you make defending JC they can be turned round to suit either side. DU - we played good football, yes but we lost and that is more down to inept tactics in the first half than anything else. Europe, OK but we won ONE game, people seam to forget that little bit. The manager has been doing his job for 5 years and that is the best he can come up with!!!!! get him out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian Henderson
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