Aberdeen legend Willie Miller had this to say about Jim Goodwin’s tactics on Saturday on BBC Sportsound. “I think he’s way off the mark saying, if they’d got a point, they’d have been very happy with it. They would have accepted it, the fans wouldn’t have been happy with it. Even if Aberdeen had come out of this game with a point, I still don’t think it’s acceptable. Fans have turned up in their numbers and watched exciting football and got their hopes up.”
On the same radio programme Michael Stewart added: “There’s a balance to be had. Not being as open and expansive as Aberdeen were at Ibrox against Rangers. But you’re at home, you need to be offering more than Aberdeen did. Aberdeen at home against anybody with 19% possession is embarrassing.”
“It was all about containment, it’s not a way I particularly enjoy setting my team up, but we respected the opposition before the game.
And Jim Goodwin tried to justify the tactical plan he put in place afterwards on Sportsound.
“If we had come away with a 0-0 it would’ve been our sixth draw in 46 fixtures against Celtic in the league, so we knew how tough the task was going to be. I’m not going to stand here and say Celtic weren’t the better team, they were. But I thought we did frustrate them for large periods of it. We got lots of plaudits for going to Ibrox and having a go and trying to be aggressive and press high up the pitch and we got beat 4-1, going on 10. Today we set up in the polar opposite effect and tried to frustrate them and grind out a result. Hope to nick a goal on the break and win 1-0 but I would’ve been delighted with 0-0 if we had of held on. That’s always the risk you take. Any criticism coming my way, should come my way because the players did exactly what I asked of them and we got done with a sucker punch at the end.”
What did the Aberdeen fans make of that performance and tactical set-up adopted by Jim Goodwin and what impact will the fall-out from it have on their game at Pittodrie tomorrow night when theRangers are the visitors in the re-arranged Scottish Premiership match from September that was postponed due to the death of the Queen? Let’s take a look at some of the comments on the Aberdeen fans forum afc-chat.co.uk…
“Goodwin said he heard and understood the fans at the end. You have to hope he’s taken note and doesn’t try the same again. He doesn’t need to go gung ho and he doesn’t need to go 8-0-2 to get a result.”
“The tactics employed by Goodwin (on Saturday) would have embarrassed a San Marino supporter. We lay down, hopefully we won’t on Tuesday.”
“Building on our performance in ‘that’ Celtic game, what will Goodwin’s latest masterstroke be? Aberdeen to do an ‘Estonia’ by not even turning up!
“The SFA fine us and automatically award Rangers a 3-0 win. Seems about right. Everyone gets their final Christmas shopping done and “it’s not so bad for our goal difference” or however some of the ghouls on the Celtic thread justified (Saturday).”
“We sacked McInnes because we had a manager who could make us comfortably best of the rest but wasn’t up to having a go at Rangers and Celtic. Two managers down the line and we’re gash all round. That went well.”
“His tactical awareness is a massive concern. Not sure he’s got what it takes. Not wanting him sacked yet, but I think there’s a few things I’ve seen this season that means there’s an inevitability about it.”
“The game was set up the same as the one against (theRangers) last season just after Goodwin took over. Then his excuse was he didn’t have the players to play any other way, which was just lies, now the excuse is we were to attacking against (theRangers) earlier in the season, which again was more lies. (On Saturday) McGregor had more successful passes than our whole team which is an absolute disgrace in its self, but Goodwindidn’t change anything and push anyone closer to him. He seemingly can’t change any tactics during a game.”
“It simply comes down to Goodwin not having enough belief in his own team.”…”This and not enough tactical nous or belief in himself that he can put out this expensively assembled squad to trouble Celtic. (Saturday) was a new low for Aberdeen and I’ve seen more than my fair share follicles the club. That is not what I paid for a nor should it be for any fan of the club. This job is too big for him. He’s not got what it takes to make to succeed.”
“He’ll get himself sacked. However game plans like (Saturday) cannot be repeated. I’m not a fan of chairmen or people above the team manager getting involved in team affairs, but someone needs to have a word with about (Saturday). As a fan base I think 99% of us find that type of game plan unacceptable. I don’t mind getting beat if we have a go.”
“Doesn’t matter what your thoughts are on individual players, the Chairman, the size of our club, the history we have or indeed, how many games Celtic have won at Pittodrie. The bottom line is the TACTICS. Never, have I seen an Aberdeen manager set up to play in that manner at home… not even half way through a game after taking the lead. The white flag was raised from the first whistle and a point was our only intent. Goodwin very much said so in his post match.
“It’s that fact alone we should be debating – solely – in this context. I’m 100% sure that his backroom staff, such as Simmie, Robson, Levey and co, are all aghast at the manner in which he went about that game. I’d go as far as to suggest Goodwin himself is embarrassed to have implemented that plan, an will look back at it as a dark day in his managerial career. It was utterly disrespectful to every single Aberdeen supporter who came along yesterday and to the proud name of our club.
“A single goal defeat on paper isn’t a bad result, but the 19% possession stat tells its own story. I’d have accepted a two or three-goal defeat, if we’d at least tried to have a go. Such a performance would have been understandable at Parkhead (though still frustrating) but at home? Completely unacceptable.”
🔴 "If we win tomorrow night, Saturday will soon be forgotten…"
Jim Goodwin's defending Aberdeen's defensive approach against Celtic as they prepare to take on Rangers, live on @SkyFootball pic.twitter.com/n6ZOlMKOto
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 19, 2022
“I don’t think Goodwin or Cormack can underestimate the damage that performance will have had on the club. That performance is the exact reason I decided against the semi final. Happens all too often.”
“The 8-0-2 formation won’t catch on I don’t think.”
“It simply comes down to Goodwin not having enough belief in his own team.”
How this will all play out tomorrow is very interesting indeed. If Goodwin tries that tactical approach again then it could cost him his job as the Aberdeen fans anger goes through the Pittodrie roof. Will it work in Celtic’s advantage as Aberdeen raise their game, play with more attacking intent and do what Hibs did in the first half at Ibrox on Thursday night. They then tried to park the bus in the second half and paid the price, losing their lead and indeed the game.
All eyes will be on Pittodrie tomorrow night in what is a must win match for the visitors. The problem is it’s now a match Aberdeen need to show up in. Final few thoughts from Aberdeen fans to summarise matters.
“It was the most insipid, yellow bellied, snowflake piece of managerial tomfoolery, ever witnessed at Pittodrie.”
“I’d rather live one day as a lion than a lifetime as a sheep.”
There were more seagulls in Celtic’s half at Pittodrie on Saturday ,than Aberdeen players ….
There are a couple of other things worth reflecting on which Aberdeen’s dire, dismal, anti-football tactics should not distract from. Watching the game, it looked as if nothing has changed from before the World Cup in terms of time wasting at throw-ins, their goalkeeper’s clearances, substitutions (it took a minute to get an Aberdeen substitute on between the 75th and 76th minute). There was less gamesmanship in terms of players diving compared with before the World Cup though it did happen in the first half which gave Aberdeen a free kick which came to nothing. What if that had gone in? And given the time wasting why were only 4 minutes added? Now Celtic (and my heart) benefitted here but what happens when the team might need the actual time lost through time wasting to be added if they are drawing or losing a match? So there is a real issue here given what happened before the World Cup not just with VAR but with blatant time wasting as well which the referees simply ignored. None of this has gone away; it has just been hidden because of Aberdeen’s tactics and the relief at Callum’s brilliant goal.