THE RECENT loan acquisition of Nick Blackman by the Dons got me thinking: what exactly is the point of this signing?
On the face of it, getting a loan player from the much bummed-up EPL is a great move for a team of AFC's current calibre, isn't it? That's what we're lead to believe anyway. In fact, it could be described as a "no brainer". Indeed, i'm sure it will be described as a "no brainer", that in itself is a "no brainer"...
Anyway... chuck some actual brainwork into the mix and you might just start to question the benefits of this loan to AFC.
Firstly, who benefits from this deal long-term? Blackburn and Nick Blackman, that's who (or Nick Blackburn, if you like). He'll be saying cheerio to the Dons in the summer no matter what happens in the next four months.
The Dons will benefit in the short term if he scores 15 goals and wins us the Scottish Cup, but this is where things start to take a strange twist (and I'm not just talking about my face).
If, let's say, he scores the goal that wins us the cup final - he will immediately become a minor club 'legend', alongside the likes of 'Cup Tie' Mckay, Stephen 'Lance Armstrong' Glass and 'UEFA Qualifying Tie (Second Leg)' Mackie.
Yes, that's right folks, Nick Blackman, a player who was at the Dons for four months on loan, would be a minor club legend. Bit weird that, don't you think?
I suppose the real question here is whether it would have been more worthwhile for the Dons to try and sign, on a longer-term deal, a young player with potential from the lower leagues, a player from Eastern Europe or Scandinavia, or even another misunderstood genius like Scott Vernon as opposed to a guy who will be heading back to Blackburn quicker than you can say "Jason Wilcox".
Let's face it, we're not going to get relegated, Blackman or not. Therefore, I'd prefer us to try out the likes of Megginson, Paton and Magennis for the rest of the season, or take a chance on a young lad from down the divisions.
Maybe I'm just old fashioned. Come to think of it, I might be old fashioned when it comes to football too, and maybe I'm alone in failing to see the benefit of this type of signing.
Maybe I'll change my mind come 16:45 on cup final day, dressed in a Nick Blackman t-shirt, doing the conga on a Coca-Cola bike behind a guy draped in a trademark Dons Union Flag.
But then, not long after the ticker-tape has turned to dust and the open-top bus has crashed into the Castlegate, my new hero Nick Blackman will be gone.
I might follow him down to Blackburn and start a new life there. Either way, it will be a confusing time for all of us.
Pitch Mick
Aberdeen-Mad - written by the fans for the fans. Together we can make a difference.
