Saints V Aberdeen 23/8/14. K-O 3Pm.

[RandomGuy]

Pretty easy stuff in the end, Aberdeen play exactly the same way as last season, and we've pretty much got them sussed tbh.

 

We looked poor early doors I thought, the midfield struggled to get near MacLean and our momentum was killed by that. We picked up the pace a bit though, and were by far the more dangerous side overall. MacLean deserved his goal, but should have scored before then anyway, poor poor miss after Hayes' error. Impressed by Scobbie who utterly dominated Rooney, Millar who was by far the best player on the pitch, and of course MacLean who is easily one of the best strikers in the country at holding the ball up and linking with the midfield. We still lack a real goal threat from elsewhere, as we could easily have scored four or five today. Signs are promising we're finding our feet though, and Lappin looks like he'll be a very good addition.

 

Aberdeen looked devoid of any ideas, and are just a carbon copy of themselves from last season, and a few clubs had them figured out by the end. Amazed they only brought in Goodwillie on the attacking front, especially because he's been so poor over the past few years, today emphasised the feeling we made the right choice not making him an offer and trying to keep May instead, as Goodwillie doesn't offer anything. 

 

Nice to see Pawlett booked for diving though, he's a wee rat for throwing himself down and trailing his legs so hopefully the referees are catching on to it. Aberdeen fans should be furious tbh, it was building to their best chance as all he seemed to have to do was hit the target or cut the ball back and there would've been a goal, but he throws himself down instead  

[Aitchy]

Big 3 points for us.

Our back four were absolutely outstanding today, Scobbie and Ando inpaticular. Felt that Macca was far too isolated at times today and that is a concern going forward for me, but things started to click into play a bit more when O'Halloran and Lappin came on. Scott Brown and Chris Millar were solid in midfield and put in a fine shift. Still not Wotherspoons biggest fan, far too wasteful in possession at times for my liking.

Will be interesting to see how we get on against a Motherwell side next week who seem to be on the slide.

[Widge]

We were excellent. Full of energy, commitment and drive from midfield, which was exactly what Aberdeen lacked. I'll start from the back, superb, although Dave Mackay still isn't the same player. I'll even admit Scobbie played well, although he was lucky not to have been sent off for a second yellow, just before we scored, but I'll get to Thompson later. Easton if he had taken a bit off his passing today could have had 2 or 3 killer passes, it was incredible the space he got at times.

Brown was great in midfield, he does the simple things so well. McDonald was brilliant today, many will moan he didn't get on the ball enough, but he was industrious and near enough neutralised the metronome of Flood. He was great too. Millar was by far and away the best player on the pitch, crunching into tackles, driving forward, turning in tight spaces, shame he cannae shoot.

The two wingers were good too, Croft was going great guns first half, dropped out in the second though, Considine couldn't handle him and how we didn't get several fouls for him trying to steal Crofts shirt was bizarre. Spoony was the opposite, he was better second half, we always works hard and offers a threat, he should have hit the target early on and his willingness to shoot is gonna be key, he'll hit the net eventually and then I've no doubt goals will flow.

Now Mr Maclean. What a guy, ran his heart out, missed a sitter, whilst he technically did the right thing, he's got to score that. I said to my dad he'd do his damnedest to make amends and he did. Great sweeping finish and it showed in his celebration how much it meant to him to score after the miss. ****ing idiotic booking.

Aberdeen were poor, although Russell Anderson is still some player, his reading of the game is second to none. But what's happened to McGinn?, he's awful now. Hayes was poor and same old Pawlett throwing himself down constantly. Rooney was so isolated at times too. Still I'm not gonna talk about them, cause I don't actually care that much.

Now Mr Craig Thompson. Not a difficult game to referee and for the most part he did ok, but it's his inconsistency and I reckon he made 2 wrong calls. Firstly I've mentioned Scobbie was very lucky not to get a second yellow, indeed not even to give a foul. Secondly I reckon we should have had a penalty, not the first shout, but the second, it was certainly an unnatural position and it was heading towards goal for sure.

But still we won, what a difference a week makes and if we add a striker I'll be a whole lot more confidant. Ohh and Lappin looked good, maybe a bit off the pace, but to be expected. He's got a great left peg for sure and some of his passing was great late on, accurate and weighted perfectly.

[rik2304]

Pleasing afternoon out.

Like beating "The Famous"

[XxLeahSaintxX]

I felt it took us a wee while to get into the game at the start and felt at the end of the first half a draw would have been a fair result.

We came out in the second half fighting and was so chuffed for MacLean when he got the goal. It fair shut the Aberdeen fans up!

Also very impressed with Midge again in this game! It's like things have clicked with him in close season so long may it continue.

No surprises about Pawlett getting booked for diving.

A great game with a great atmosphere and result.

[Gordon Drummonds Perm]

Thought we were great.What a difference when we play the ball om the ground.Aberdeen,you get nothing for your diving and blatant cheating.Not a happy hunting ground Motherwell recently,so hoping we can turn that around.

[templeofsaints]

Brilliant performance - no real weak links on the park and Tommy got the tactics spot on. Macca, Midge, Scobbie and Croft were excellent and even MacDonald put in a good performance. Thought Lappin looked hungry and composed at the same time when he came on - think he could be a good signing. We tired a bit near the end but the players all put in a great shift and the Sheep's "fire" turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib. Pawlett should be ashamed of the dive and Considine was lucky to escape punishment for some of his challenges on Croft.

 

Only downsides were only scoring one goal and another excellent penalty claim being turned down.

[Benjo]

I thought on the whole it was a really good performance with Chris Miller the standout. I'm a bit confused by some of the posts praising Crofts performance. I thought he offered little going forward on the right wing and failed to mark his man when Aberdeen hit the bar. If we are only going to play one up front we need him to be more threatening. He works hard but his lack of goals/assists is a concern for me and if it was a straight choice I would be starting with O'Halloran. Spoony on the other wing offers a lot of assists over a season but his lack of shooting prowess absolutely baffles me. It's like he has absolutely no composure when he gets a chance to shoot.

[Cagey]

Brilliant performance - no real weak links on the park and Tommy got the tactics spot on. Macca, Midge, Scobbie and Croft were excellent and even MacDonald put in a good performance. Thought Lappin looked hungry and composed at the same time when he came on - think he could be a good signing. We tired a bit near the end but the players all put in a great shift and the Sheep's "fire" turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib. Pawlett should be ashamed of the dive and Considine was lucky to escape punishment for some of his challenges on Croft.

 

Only downsides were only scoring one goal and another excellent penalty claim being turned down.

I saw two hand balls in the second half that probably would have been harsh but guy on Beeb said there was a stonewall when Dave was taken down. Must have been at loo at time. It seems this season we only get pens against but fair dues to Thomson for not giving Pawlettt one.

[templeofsaints]

Re Spoony, I think the problem is that he sometimes goes into fan-mode and lets his heart rule his head - some of his challenges seem to be echoing the feelings from the stands rather than thinking like a pro (not necessarily a bad thing sometimes!!)

[Cagey]

I thought on the whole it was a really good performance with Chris Miller the standout. I'm a bit confused by some of the posts praising Crofts performance. I thought he offered little going forward on the right wing and failed to mark his man when Aberdeen hit the bar. If we are only going to play one up front we need him to be more threatening. He works hard but his lack of goals/assists is a concern for me and if it was a straight choice I would be starting with O'Halloran. Spoony on the other wing offers a lot of assists over a season but his lack of shooting prowess absolutely baffles me. It's like he has absolutely no composure when he gets a chance to shoot.

Thought Croft had a good 1st half . I think Tommy wants his wide men to protect his full backs & that is what Croft does. Final ball could be better & the players did have a go for not covering Consadine.O`Halloran does trouble defences when he runs at them but the head is down & doesn`t see a pass. He was also the freshest man on the park but he didn`t close down or track back. Croft before him anytime. Mikey is this seasons Nige, can help turn a game but not a team player.

[auld reekie saint]

That will teach them to get games postphoned

Haha. I think I know what you mean

[The ghost of Jim Morton]

Night and Day

 

What a difference a week makes. Thought we thoroughly bossed that game. Was a bit concerned that it might end up 0-0 but Steven Mac did us proud eventually. Great celebration. Really enjoyed the game as well. Great crowd and fair play to the sheep. Thanks for yer wedge of cash folks. Great team performance. Chris Millar was ****ing top class and the rest of the team were. pretty much to a man, excellent.

 

Delighted tonight. Well done Saints.

[full steam ahead]

Midge was outstanding again , good team performance just need that striker to play right up top ,and let macca sit in behind where he is at his best . Poor start to the season from Well so positive for next sat.

[Havana Saint]

Thomson has been a shadow of what he was as a referee after a shocker of a "Homer" performance in the champions league when Dortmund beat Malaga 3-2, with 3 goals offside.

 

However today, he was OK, he warned Diver Pawlett initially and got the penalty box dive and booking spot on.

 

TW got his tactics spot on today, no room for them to breathe in midfield and the Greenock Iniesta is having an immense start to the season.

 

In light of the fact that we are very one dimensional at the moment, a fantastic result and great perormance from the team. Simon Lappin looks a really composed player.

 

COYS

[lethamsaintee]

No failures really though Spoony could have done with making better choices now and again.

Thought defensively we were solid, the middle of the park won their battles and Macca was tireless up front.

Thought we might be made to pay for those two first half misses but thankfully we got the goal our overall play deserved.

Croft had a very decent first half, got a couple of decent balls into the box and generally gave Considine a tought time.

Scobbie was immense, Ando not far behind.

Thought Millar was excellent and McDonald had another very decent game.

Pawlett is a ****ing disgrace of a player. For a split second I thought he was going to get a penalty for his dive. Given our luck so far it wouldn't have surprised me.

Aberdeen? What's all the fuss about?

[south inch]

Thomson has been a shadow of what he was as a referee after a shocker of a "Homer" performance in the champions league when Dortmund beat Malaga 3-2, with 3 goals offside.

 

However today, he was OK, he warned Diver Pawlett initially and got the penalty box dive and booking spot on.

 

TW got his tactics spot on today, no room for them to breathe in midfield and the Greenock Iniesta is having an immense start to the season.

 

In light of the fact that we are very one dimensional at the moment, a fantastic result and great perormance from the team. Simon Lappin looks a really composed player.

 

COYS

 

Great result.  I agree I thought Thomson had an OK game.  Liked his wry smile and pat on the backside to Stevie when he booked him for taking his shirt off, they could become a double act!  Mind you might change my mind when I see the game on Alba tomorrow, but for the moment he's my favorite ref.

[HOODLUM65]

Someone once said "football's a funny old game" (think it was Jimmy Greaves) and today this is how I saw the game.

 

Start with Aberdeen, they were a shadow of the team we defeated in the Scottish Cup semi.

 

Got to give the credit for this to Tommy for his team selection and the players involved who nullified any threat the sheep looked to offer.

EVEN mazda heid in their midfield didn't get the space or time that he has had in the past to influence the game.

 

Anyway that's enough of praising the Dons.

 

Thought we were unlucky not to be leading 2-0 at halftime, but if "you don't take your chances".

 

Two shouts for a penalty within the space of 5/10 minutes refused by ref. Craig Thomson, no surprise there then.

Seems that so far this season and it's only just started,  refs are reluctant to give awards in our favour.

 

Scobbie dominated Rooney in the air all afternoon with the exception of Rooney striking the bar with a header, when Scobbie was not his marker.

 

Macca was immense up front,  on his own for the most part.

 

How Considine was allowed to manhandle  Croft every time he received the ball , without receiving a booking is beyond me.

 

At least when Croft was on the park it restricted the fullbacks forward runs.  You might even say he had his hands full.

 

Garry McDonald performed admirably,  but still tends to shirk tackles. 

 

Which brings me to my man of the match.

 

Need a new banner for this "Midge by a mile "

 

Even tried a shot from outside the box,  which had it been at Muirton,  would have landed on the ice rink roof.

 

Although the scoreline reads 1-0 thought this was a lot more comfortable than the CUP semi victory.

[Edstar101]

It was Considine hit the bar with the header

[dunblanemike]

I thought it was Reynolds trying to swap shirts early with Croft?

[PauloPerth]

Working today but brilliant result Saints.

What a group of players, they just keep bouncing back all the time. Let's get a bit of momentum going here...

[HOODLUM65]

It was Considine hit the bar with the header

Really, he must have had a nose bleed.

[Pelosi]

Hard working team performance from Saints today, but special mention to Millar who worked tirelessly all over the pitch, Croft's first half graft, putting in a few good crosses and tracking back to tackle when required, Scobbie who mopped everything up at the back including keeping Rooney in his back pocket! Rooney eventually having to be subbed. MacLean who never let his first half miss when through on goal affect him and he got his reward for putting up with the punishment dished out by Aberdeen defenders to score a cracking goal once again! An inconsistent ref...let at least two penalty shouts for Saints go unpunished along with ignoring the fact that Willo Flood mouthed off and Barry Robson for a ridiculous challenge on Lappin, which may have resulted in a red rather than the yellow shown. Still got to be happy beating the Famous Aberdeen once again...and without Stevie May.

[Cagey]

Great result & another good team performance. No failures but wish we could get a midfielder backing up Macca & could do with Spoony having a wee bit more bite.

Aberdeen will miss Anderson if he is out for a while as he held their defence together. I think they played the ball about too much thinking it was just a matter of time before they scored. Rooney is not the player he was last season or was it just Tam that controlled him.

Funny old game as they say. McGinn spent a couple of seasons where everything he hit went in the net . Today he couldn`t hit a barn door.

Finally just a wee moan. Why the **** did Mannus punt the ball up the park to nowhere near a Saints player within 50 yards with 1 min to go.

[Cagey]

Hard working team performance from Saints today, but special mention to Millar who worked tirelessly all over the pitch, Croft's first half graft, putting in a few good crosses and tracking back to tackle when required, Scobbie who mopped everything up at the back including keeping Rooney in his back pocket! Rooney eventually having to be subbed. MacLean who never let his first half miss when through on goal affect him and he got his reward for putting up with the punishment dished out by Aberdeen defenders to score a cracking goal once again! An inconsistent ref...let at least two penalty shouts for Saints go unpunished along with ignoring the fact that Willo Flood mouthed off and Barry Robson for a ridiculous challenge on Lappin, which may have resulted in a red rather than the yellow shown. Still got to be happy beating the Famous Aberdeen once again...and without Stevie May.

Yeah I had just looked away so that challange on Lappin must have been a day late.