There’s no mistake, I smell that smell, it’s that time of year again, I can taste the air. It is the start of a new season. I love the start of a new football season.
This close season has had a nasty cloud over it. Scottish football has had one of its biggest upheavals to date, and it was not of its own doing, its hand was forced. We have seen a lot of the bad aspects of our game; back-tracking, indecisiveness, incompetence, spitefulness, spinelessness, to name but a few.
Through a summer without club football the match routine disappears and between the hours of three p.m. and five p.m. there are is no sudden peaking and troughing of emotions.
Kenny Shiels pretending he is chocolate and attempting to eat himself, Craig Brown suggesting the keeper did not have a save to make despite losing the game, Jimmy Calderwood stating in an interview that he does not understand why he is out of a job and that he once signed Jaap Stam, Sportscene picking out its guests from the random Scottish football personality tombola, the day-to-day exploits of our game go into hibernation, and you do not realise that you miss them until they are gone.
As the new season approaches, it just feels nice that we are going to get the opportunity to focus on the (allegedly) beautiful game once again.
The close season gives an opportunity to forget all that went wrong with the last. Strips change, players come and go, and as that table is produced where all teams sit level on zero points, there is the lingering thought that the next season could be one where expectations are not only met, but also maybe even exceeded. Welcome back Hope, you cruel mistress.
Now we can stop debating and speculating and get back to what matters in the day-to-day living of Scottish football. And that, for me, is Aberdeen FC.
So what of the Dons’ chances next season?
Last season was pretty poor. Aberdeen only scored 36 goals from 38 league games. However their defensive record was similar to that of a top six side. It is strange then that as the season approaches, defence seem to be the worry position. Hayes and McGinn on paper and according to pre-season reports, look to be good acquisitions, and how well they perform will shape how well Aberdeen perform over the season. As well as the two new signings, of course there is the return from injury of Milsom and Osbourne, they are like players returning from lengthy injuries. They are not like new signings.
The defence still seems short. It looks likely that Naysmith will sign to help cover for the currently injured Clark Robertson, this would seem to be a good move using nothing more than the logic that Callum Davidson was decent last year. Andrew Considine and Russell Anderson should be a fine central defensive pairing, but the worry is that one of them (Anderson) doesn’t make the full season.
As with most teams in Scotland, Aberdeen will have to rely on some of the products from their youth set-up. Ryan Fraser showed some promising glimpses towards the end of last season, and Craig Brown is making positive noises about Nicky Low and Joe Shaugnessy after their loan spell at Forfar. If the young players can do well, it would be a big boost, and could hopefully avoid the January six month panic last-minute January squad fillers (see Chalali, Uchechi, Bus, Griffin, MacFarlane and Daal for some previous examples).
Half the fun of pre-season build up is speculating, the other half is predicting. Sometimes you predict with your head, sometimes your heart. And there is the worst case scenario, what you dread to think might happen, predictions straight from your backside.
Head
An injury or two to some of the more experienced players in the squad will leave the side quite exposed. A lack of cover in defence will show with Josh Magennis having to fill the old Ricky Foster roll of ‘you might make a mistake but you’re quick, so should be able to run back and cover’. Gary Naysmith will be effective in defence while he is there, but unlikely to last the entire season (see also Anderson, Russel). Issues at full back will mean Andrew Considine has to cover there, and once again is not given a full season to develop at centre-half.
Can see neither Langfield nor Jason Brown shine in the number one slot, with both getting a semi-prolonged spell in the team, but neither making their mark enough to become stand-out first choice.
McGinn and Hayes will provide some more creativity to the side, allowing Gavin Rae, Stephern Hughes and Isaac Osbourne to play their deeper lying midfield rolls and occasionally venture forward to attempt a through ball or two. The worry is that there will be an over-reliance on the two new signings and when things are going well the plan B resorted to will just be ‘pass it to them, wait for them to provide creativity’. Ryan Jack will continue to develop, the only worry is that Craig Brown does not know where to play him.
Scott Vernon should do more than feed off scraps this term, and could score 15-20 goals for the season. Rory Fallon will do well to hit double figures, and likely will pick up a about as many yellow cards as goals. Expect him to give 110% as his contract draws towards an end, with a couple of goals in the springtime being enough, he thinks, to earn himself a new deal.
My head says that Aberdeen will gain a top half finish, probably only just. As far as the cups are concerned, Aberdeen have got a nice routine going: Either go out or nervously limp past lower league opposition, and at best get just far enough to get hopes up before tamely bowing out.
Heart
Aberdeen’s defence was their strongest asset last season, so why should this not continue? Russell Anderson, with a full pre-season under his belt can finally get the chance to start regular football again. His experience, along with Gary Naysmith’s will prove invaluable, and help Clark Robertson and Joe Shaughnessy develop as defenders. Josh Magennis’ pace at the back will prove a real asset.
One of Jamie Langfield or Jason Brown will emerge from the hot competition for the number one jersey to go on to have a solid season, possibly gaining international recognition.
The introduction of some flair into Aberdeen’s midfield will prove to be a revelation. Gavin Rae, Isaac Osbourne, Stephen Hughes and Rob Milsom will be all be more settled in the team and allow Nial McGinn and Johnny Hayes to tear the other SPL defences apart, with Ryan Fraser providing cameos of the same. Ryan Jack will win Young Player of the Year.
Up front Vernon, once he gets over the initial shock, will thrive with the new service, and have the most prominent season a Dons striker has had since Duncan Shearer. Rory Fallon might even prove me wrong and start to become a decent footballer if he gets the opportunity to do more than just hold the ball up.
Top three finish. A long overdue cup final appearance, maybe even winning one of them, with only one strong half of the Old Firm in the knock-out competition, success has to be seen as a more viable option. And Aberdeen are overdue an appearance at a cup final
Backside
Injuries to defenders will see young players thrown in too early or Gavin Rae/Isaac Osbourne having to resort to an unfamiliar sweeper roll. Josh Magennis, after an unsuccessful conversion to defender, will resort back to trying to be a keeper. He will fail at this.
For the other goalkeepers Jason Brown will not make as many mistakes, but he also will do the goalkeeping basics worse than Langfield. Langfield himself, as only he can, commit a Clanger just when you start to think he might be okay.
The midfield will be a mish-mash with Brown never sure who to start in the middle. McGinn and Hayes struggle to settle in and the longer that takes the more frustration grows and the lingering fear that long ball football’s prominence becomes a reality. Ryan Jack will suffer too much from playing right-back/right-midfield/centre midfield.
Vernon and Fallon will get the odd decent cross but most of their goals will come from feeding off scraps and all too often their match be ‘put in a shift’.
Bottom 6, round about ninth, embarrassing cup exits.
Whatever happens, it can’t happen soon enough. I love the start of a new season, and cannot wait.
Other miscellaneous predictions:
− Jim Jefferies will considering wearing an expression other than ‘scowl’, but opt against it.
− Neil Lennon will defy all expectations and still find something to moan about.
− Hibs managers rarely seem to last over 18 months, Pat Fenlon will not be an exception.
− Vladimir Romanov loves to sack managers, John McGlynn will not be an exception.
− St. Mirren, despite the loss of Nigel Floyd Hasselbaink, will continue to dazzle fans with their exciting and innovative brand of football.
− Gregory Tade will continue to defy expectations and make a living playing football.
− Canteen ladies of Dundee United will continue to swoon over Peter Houston’s (alleged) rogue charms.
− TV broadcasters will offer an awful and borderline racist ‘Highland montage’ to accompany the first Highland derby of the SPL.
simpson_1903
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