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In the bizarre way these things work, the least important is the game wi' the Govan Onanists on the Sunday. A victory of course would be excellent and exceptionally satisfying but once the euphoria subsides it will only be another three SPL points.
Of more importance is the sell out game wi the Danes on Thursday. Leaving aside the obvious boost to our self esteem and its restorative effects on our tattered if illustrious European pedigree, the financial implications are huge.
The club has already pocketed the best part of £1M in extra revenue from the campaign so far and a suitable draw could bring in the same again in TV revenue and gate receipts. The majority of which will presumably be added to the playing budget over the next three years.
Using 1.0.1 Arithmetic, a £2.4M kitty over three years equates to approximately £15,000 per week to play with. Okay, so nae enough to bring Ronaldinho tae Todders but certainly more than enough to recruit a squad capable of keeping us ahead of the Reekie Twins and the rest of the pack. It should also be the foundations of what should always be the long term aim of Aberdeen FC, that of challenging and beating (and, failing that, tormentin' the bloody hell out of) Bigot Bros Inc.
But by far an away the most important 'fixture' won't involve the use of Tango's Tactical Tombola (thankfully) but in the planning committee rooms of Aberdeen City Council, as the long mooted almost glacial progress of the new stadium should (hopefully) get the green light.
I say 'hopefully' for, as recent events have shown, prejudging any decisions by the City and the Shire's Planning Departments is a mug's game. Now I'm nae suggesting the cooncillors in question renege on the democratic duty and due diligence to the good people of Aberdonia but far too often the planners have been conservative (wi small 'c') c*nts (wi' a feckin large 'C').
We live in one of Britain's most beautiful cities with one of the most dynamic and high-tech local economies genuinely trading on the global stage, yet, for example, we have a road system that would shame a small English market town. Okay, so central government and the Scottish Office have to take some of the rap for that, but so do oor locally appointed leaders who at times make STONEY-bridge Toon Cooncil look dynamic and forward thinking.
To pass on this opportunity (as outlined by the Arena group last week…see RedWeb) would be criminally negligent. The club (currently) has its fans on board, there is overwhelming support for the project within the City and Shire and the NIMBYism that pockmarked the Bellfield/Kingswell plan is virtually non-existent…indeed the locals around the Kings Links site actually want the club to remain in their part of the city!
So it would seem any councillor voting against would be commiting electoral suicide, so surely they have to vote it through .don't they?
With regards the two identified sites, well personally I'd prefer Kings Links. For a start it's just across the road fae the Auld Lady o Pittodrie Street, and secondly, while I don't doubt Loriston has (or will have - WPR permitting) a better infrastructure, in terms of fitba fans the 'infrastructure' has to have a suitable number of nearby boozers. A small but important aspect I somehow doubt was on the Arena Group's otherwise excellent and detailed plans.
Speak to any set of fans about any of the new out of town stadia and the major complaint, whether it be McDiarmid in Perth or the Riverside in Middlesbrough, is the lack of nearby watering holes.
It's a misconception that going to the fitba is just about the 90 minutes - it's nae. It's the entire day and the socialising and drinking that goes with it. We could have the most beautiful state of the art ground in the world but without the supporting network of howffs, bars and lounges, then the match day experience becomes cold and impersonal.
But whether it be Kings Links or Loriston, the club has done a good job making its case for leaving Pittodrie. Like any set of fitba fans we defend and adore our traditions and quirks, so for the club to decide to end over a century of history and carry virtually the entire support is a backhanded compliment to the oft-criticised board and shows they've learned their lessons from the bungled Bellfield plans.
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Assuming the okay is given on Wednesday, the next stage is obviously Arena's design.
No doubt the club will have a 'consultation period', cynics will suggest this will just be a powder puff PR exercise with the fans having little if any input into the ground's design, which is of course very true!
And damn right, for if we did have genuine input...well have ye ever seen that Simpsons episode when Homer designs a car? Well if we were allowed to design the stadium, that's what we'd end up with - a hotpotch retractable roof, heated seats fer the loons, vibrating ones fer the quines and so on.
So I'm quite happy (provided they don't give us a 'McDiarmid on steroids') to leave the design of the ground to the experts, though no doubt a new variant of Dons Pub Bores will emerge…
If having hunners o Terrace Accountants wisnae bad enough, you'll find yer ears being bent over the next few years by Terrace Civil Engineers, who despite spending their working hours as, say, a scaffie, will be able to give ye an 'expert' opinion on why the club's got it all wrong and how they would do it quicker and cheaper.
As for me, well I'm nae naive - this won't be a walk in the park or without hitches, this is a construction project involving public funds a la Holyrood and Wembley/Olympics after all, so the initial budgets are probably gonna be way oot, then there the blatant conflict of interest with Stewartie being involved in both sides of the sale of Pittodrie to be resolved, and there will probably be at least one monumental f*ck up, up to and including installing 22,000 seats the wrong way round, but as long as it finally gets built then I'm really nae that fussed what or how they do it.
having said that, there are three things I would like to see incorporated into the design process [Not that you are a Terrace Civil Engineer or anything eh TRA... - Ed]
1. Let them stand
There is a campaign currently trying to get Westminister to revoke the UK ban on terracing and bring in German style 'Safe Standing Areas'. It is of course absurd to suggest German fans are 'safer' than their UK counterparts unless of course it's something to do a higher mullet/square yard ratio.
Alas, even if the Government is willing there just ain't the profit margin on yer terracing punter to convince the business types who run fitba clubs anymore, and no doubt the Police would object on 'safety' grounds…ie 'If they're not in orderly rows then we might actually have to do some work instead of claiming double/treble time for hee haw'.
But literally billions of punters stood and watched games for over a century and the tragedies of Hillsbrough and Heysel were due to horrific Police incompetence and the fact Heysel was a derelict shithole not fit to host the Belgian Tiddlywinks finals let alone Europe's biggest fitba match. As tragic as the events that lead to the death of terracing were, to ban ALL terracing in their aftermath was akin to banning all flights because one jumbo crashed.
So whilst there little chance of success on this one I'd like to see us discuss it if only to show how ridiculous the ban is.
2. Let them bevvy
Bevvyin (binge) is imprinted on the DNA of fitba in this country. In terms of the national team, it's a source of national pride that oor fans can consume vast quantities o the stuff and still make a positive impression on their hosts. Yet get the same punters at home and in the eyes of politicians of all hues and they become the outdated stereotype of the fitba fan being member of some uncontrollable tribe who require additional legislation from the rest of soicety.
Look I'm nae daft, introduce a bar to the 'Y' and you'd be just asking for trouble at a Buns game etc, but how is it the English (who have a far far worse record of bevvy-related antics) can have a pint in their grounds and I can't in Scotland? Well actually I can but I needed to be suited and booted in the Corpie Seats, and God forbid any of the proles actually see me drinking.
Now as I've already mentioned, if we move to Loriston, there are very few boozers for us to go to and given the 'Arena' will have bars to cater for concerts etc and even more absurdly that you could have a drink at the proposed Pro Rugger Club for their games on a Friday night yet not have one at a fitba game on a Saturday it's about time someone (ie Aberdeen FC) stood up and highlighted this outdated and discriminatory law.
Leaving aside the economic benefit for ALL Scottish Clubs of having bar in their grounds, I mean do the maths. If I have 3-4 pints before or after the game at £3/pint, over a season that's a helluva revenue stream the Government is denying clubs at a time when Scottish fitba is wringing every penny it can out of the game.
The other advantage is that the legal extortion practised by Police would come to an end. After all, if you have thousands of punters at the ground hours before kick off drinking and eating etc then you wouldn't need to pay for Marias full of coppers playing cards on double time driving round town or muppets videoing every able bodied male in the City and Shire.
To be fair the SNP did say they would look at it but perhaps given that he once spent a night in the Wembley cells for ahem...'bein' too close to John Barleycorn' that Justice Minister, Kenny MacAskill didnae change the law this time avoid accusations of being poacher turned gamekeeper.
Politicians of all hues kiss our hairy arses when they want oor votes, it's about time we started callin in the favours. There's many injustices against fitba fans incorporated intae Scots Law, so repealing this piece of discrimination would be a nice start - and the club did actually moot this along wi the Huns a few years back so it's obviously in their thinking too.
3. Gies us oor end min!
Simple enough really, the club has one opportunity to get this right, but when it's built can we have a section for …ahem…'the Hardcore', perhaps with laxer regulations where the best vocal elements of Curva Sud and Beach End can congregate and make a bit of atmosphere.
I'm no asking for a free-fer-all mosh pit wi RPG's n stuff (well maybe for Huns games) but somewhere this type o punter can go without somebody telling them tae 'siddoon min' etc. A brief disclaimer on the back of season tickets should satisfy the HSE regs surely.
Bar a handful of occasions Pittodrie is/was hardly known as a cauldron o noise - yet paradoxically we have one of the more vocal and numerous away supports. A bit of forward thinking by the club and this asset could be deployed at home games and the New Todders may well become the intimidating fortress it's predecessor, alas, never really was.
But, like I said, as long as the new Stadium is built I'll be happy.
As for ma wish list?
Well being an indolent Generation X'er wi punk/hippy sensibilities (nae flooers in ma hair though Sandi…in fact nae hair come tae think of it) actually daein ony thing ….well that just sounds like too much hassle… but there are various bodies such as the AASC who claim to speak on my/our behalf….well now more than ever we need them to start doing what they claim they do and making sure the club is aware and listens to our opinions.
After all this is to be a community stadium and we're the 'community' that will be using it most often. Making sure the majority of us are comfortable with the move should be of as much importance to the club in this whole process as acquiring the materials to build the place.
The Red Avenger