Aberdeen fans urged to back team in relegation battle

[Sandaldinho]

The Aberdeen Supporters Trust has joined football legend Denis Law in urging fans to get behind the team in the battle against relegation.

 

The Dons sit ninth in the SPL, six points ahead of St Mirren and Falkirk, who they are due to play, as well as Kilmarnock, Hamilton and St Johnstone.

 

Supporters group the AFC Trust said: "Now is not the time to apportion blame. We ask all fans to give 100%."

 

Denis Law also told the club website that fans had to get behind the team.

 

The AFC Trust said in a statement: "We all know this season has been a disaster and relegation would be a severe blow to AFC as a business. Realistically, it might be a situation very difficult to recover from.

 

"Starting with the game against Falkirk, we ask all fans to forget about their personal issues.

 

"The team needs our support more than ever so let us ensure we, the fans, also do our bit to ensure our place in the Premier League."

 

'Hope they win'

 

Aberdeen-born former Manchester United star Law said: "You've got to realise that teams go through bad spells.

 

"My words to the fans would be 'get behind the and let's hope they win'."

 

Team manager Mark McGhee has already warned his players that they are all on trial until the end of the season.

 

The Dons boss was speaking after his team lost 3-1 to St Johnstone at the weekend, their eighth home league defeat this season.

 

Aberdeen have been on a torrid run, winning only one of their last 15 matches.

from the BBC website

[tsr]

Come on you reds!

[manc_don]

COYR

[wee toon red]

Well said those people. McGhee isn't going anywhere til at least the close season, if he goes at all, so hopefully everyone can get behind the team for the next few games.

[Kowalski]

Could we not get Law in on a short term deal?

[Superstar Tradesman]

I hear what they're saying but I don't see what blind bit of difference our support makes. We've turned up in huge numbers all over the country and further afield to watch them capitulate to a growing number of minnows.

 

In all honesty, I'm past caring.

 

Meh.

[maverick sheep]

After a season of increasing apathy, the chance of the fans responding to a plea to give a rousing performance is slim. The fans have asked the same thing from the players nearly 3 dozen times and generally got fuck all back.

 

We all support AFC but there are almost none of the people officially involved with the club, players, coaches, board, who many of us are satisfied with. It's hard to show encouragement to people you no longer believe in.

 

Having said that, if I could go, I would, but even if I started off with the best, supportive intentions, it's only the performance on the pitch that would make me keep it up, as opposed to just staring on dazed with a sinking feeling in my gut. I do not expect a vast improvement in atmosphere. Without the performance, all the noise will end up being is the Starks Park type of baying mania.

 

In fact, fuck AFC for implying that the fans have anything to do with improving or otherwise the team's spirit, passion and results! I understand Denis Law coming out and urging us to get behind the team but that should be tabloid fodder. The fact that it's on the club website is an insult imo. It's putting the cart before the horse. The team is shit because the team is shit. The fans are quiet because THE TEAM IS SHIT. They had our noisy support before and they were still fucking shit.

[BobbyBiscuit]

Fantastic post Maverick. 

 

Perhaps someone at the club should type up something similar to put on the dressing room wall urging the players to get their collective finger out. 

[scunnered999]

If I could go, I would go; but I can't so I'm not. I always have and always will be a Dons supporter irrespective of whether we get relegated (please No!) or not. However, agree with Maverick Sheep's post above, the team has to do something to improve the football on show before they can expect any sort of uplift in the atmosphere.

 

Trying to be more positive, I'm sure that one win will see us safe as Falkirk & St Mirren have still to play one another - unfortunately, the game we must win is this next one!

[mizer]

I concur with BB, a +1 for that spot on piece of writing.

[tsr]

I hear what they're saying but I don't see what blind bit of difference our support makes. We've turned up in huge numbers all over the country and further afield to watch them capitulate to a growing number of minnows.

 

In all honesty, I'm past caring.

 

Meh.

 

When, 2000? Supports been woeful this season both in terms of numbers and noise.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

When, 2000? Supports been woeful this season both in terms of numbers and noise.

 

Like the numbers and noise has ever really mattered.

 

It won't now either, in fact it's probably less relevant now than ever given that it has never really been more obvious how little real application and effort we get from the players right now and the manager's apparent utter inability to deal with that.

[baggy89]

Like the numbers and noise has ever really mattered.

 

It won't now either, in fact it's probably less relevant now than ever given that it has never really been more obvious how little real application and effort we get from the players right now and the manager's apparent utter inability to deal with that.

 

It strikes me that this has been noted by those at the club and is why we are being presented with articles such as this.

If we lose against Falkirk what's the chances of the club running a "You be the manager" competition for the St Johnstone or Hamilton game?

[mizer]

When, 2000? Supports been woeful this season both in terms of numbers and noise.

 

Sigma home and away, Celtic first game, Dundee cup , Raith away were all great supports this year.

[dave_min]

Big in numbers but I'd dispute the "great support" tag in reference to Raith Away. A baying mob can't be described as "support".

 

And the AFC Supporters Trust? They're asking fans to forget their issues with the club? Bit different from last seasonal when they were shoving their views on the management in our faces.

 

I've still got no idea who these 'AFC Trust' guys are?

 

Why did they write to the club asking for the manager to be removed when he got us into Europe and not when we're heading for the lofty heights of 11th in the league?

 

They're a shower of shite whoever they are. They should fuck off too.

[tsr]

Sigma home and away, Celtic first game, Dundee cup , Raith away were all great supports this year.

I'm with Jager on this one, Sigma home maybe good numbers but no backing, away from home fans turned on team (quite rightly) within about 20 minutes, again numbers were ok over there but nothing special. Raith support was a joke and the replay even worse, fans did not back the team at all as has been the case on a lot of occasions this season.

[tsr]

Like the numbers and noise has ever really mattered.

 

It won't now either, in fact it's probably less relevant now than ever given that it has never really been more obvious how little real application and effort we get from the players right now and the manager's apparent utter inability to deal with that.

 

We'll have to see what Saturday brings, early goal against and we'll see. The reason I mention 2000 is that was a year of true support through football even worse than this. We got rewarded in a sense with two finals but we also got a team bottom of the league. That said the support was tremendous that season.

[Labirinth7]

I've still got no idea who these 'AFC Trust' guys are?

 

Why did they write to the club asking for the manager to be removed when he got us into Europe and not when we're heading for the lofty heights of 11th in the league?[/Theyre a shower of shite whoever they are. They should fuck off too.

 

Hopefully that will open everyones eyes to that "elite" supporters group.  I would happily go if I thought the club had a brighter future however as long as SM is the man in charge it looks pretty bleak! Cant Sir Ian invest in AFC instead of a fucking pavement and art gallery?! We would be much more appreciative 

[El Padre™]

I've still got no idea who these 'AFC Trust' guys are?

 

Why did they write to the club asking for the manager to be removed when he got us into Europe and not when we're heading for the lofty heights of 11th in the league?

 

They're a shower of shite whoever they are. They should fuck off too.

 

Exactly. They're clearly a group who understand fuck all about football and should NOT be representing us.

[manc_don]

Excellent post maverick. Couldn't have put it better myself.

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Exactly. They're clearly a group who understand fuck all about football and should NOT be representing us.

 

I'd like to think they don't though clearly they think they do.

[BobbyBiscuit]

The Trust gathered a head of steam towards the end of Paterson's last (only) full season when Willie was on board with them and another guy who had previously been on the board of AFC and left because of his relationship with Milne (? Jim Cummings I think his name is).  They held a meeting at the Beach Ballroom which me and my mates went to with a couple of hundred others and it was good, they were really up for challenging the board and Milne in particular, they knew that the football side of things was the most important (something I think Milne loses sight of) but of course, their figurehead was then employed by Milne that summer and I thought they had disbanded as I'd heard fuck all from them until relatively recently.

 

This is the thing that annoys me. If the Trust were not happy with Milne's stewardship, and they clearly weren't, why did they stop pressurising Milne and the board?  Why did the former board member disappear from public view?  Do they say "ok, the team's challenging for Europe, we're content with that. That'll do, no need to rock the boat"? I get the feeling that's the case and I think that's fucking tragic.

[tsr]

Exactly. They're clearly a group who understand fuck all about football and should NOT be representing us.

They don't represent you unless your a member 

[redordead]

spot on Maverick, summed up the general feeling beautifully, until they make an effort they can poke it. 

[Reekie_Red]

The Trust gathered a head of steam towards the end of Paterson's last (only) full season when Willie was on board with them and another guy who had previously been on the board of AFC and left because of his relationship with Milne (? Jim Cummings I think his name is).  They held a meeting at the Beach Ballroom which me and my mates went to with a couple of hundred others and it was good, they were really up for challenging the board and Milne in particular, they knew that the football side of things was the most important (something I think Milne loses sight of) but of course, their figurehead was then employed by Milne that summer and I thought they had disbanded as I'd heard fuck all from them until relatively recently.

 

Nae sure it was during Paterson's reign, min. I think the Cummings-Consortium was in 2000 or 2001 when Ebbe was in charge. If I remember rightly, a consortium was built through Cummings (millionnaire owner of Edinburgh-based Pilgrim Software), Willie Miller and Dave Cormack (Scottish-Canadian Chief Executive who had done wonders whilst running Toronto FC). The consorium was being built from within the club to oust Milne and Ian Donald from their positions on the Aberdeen board. Milne found out about the consortium, and promptly bumped Cummings off the board, cut Willie's access to the club, and it wasn't long before Cormack went back to Canada with a prefabricated sob-story of "my kids are homesick" or something like that. At a time when following Aberdeen was slowly becoming something close to mildly exciting (these were the years when we had Stavrum, Jess, Dow, Zero and Belabed entertaining us), being a Dons fan was given a little bit more edge and excitement with the prospect of seeing the Cummings Consortium brought into power at the expense of the Milne regime.

 

I'd like to think Cummings is quietly biding his time, plotting another takeover bid. Please try now, Jim. You might have more luck!