I’m off to the granite city to see if it’s a new ‘Don’ or a false dawn in the revival of Aberdeen.
Fireworks and flames, flags and fans all assembled under the banner of the new red army at Pittodrie.
This is Aberdeen 2024 under Jimmy Thelin going for ten wins in a row against Motherwell.
Full marks to Chairman Dave Cormack and the staff for putting on a show to get the supporters charged up before kick off, but could the team replicate the excitement once the whistle started the game?
Aberdeen set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Kevin Nisbet the figurehead at the top of the attack.
The absence of Graeme Shinnie in the squad caused a surprise pre-match, but for my first view of the Dons in the flesh there is no doubt the heartbeat of this team is Sivert Heltne Nilsen.
The 32 year old Norwegian is integral to everything they do in building from the back, linking midfield to attack and more importantly organising when they have to defend.
Aberdeen’s back four is solid and well organised. Nicky Devlin is an eight out of ten every week. The only worry is Slobodan Rubezic. He always looks one minute away from a mad challenge. He looks like a ‘Bond’ villain, but to his credit he’s part of a back four that with the impressive goalie Dimitar Mitov has only conceded four goals this season.
Papa Gueye is like a new signing and certainly the star of the show on Saturday. He has pace and his opening goal showed speed and a lethal finish to send the young team in the paddock wild with delight. His celebration dance wasn’t quite Michael Jackson but the goal was certainly a thriller!
Once the hour passed, Stuart Kettlewell changed the side and pressed the home team further up the park. Suddenly cracks started to appear. Motherwell created chances and were unlucky not to snatch a point after Ebiye goat a goal back late on.
Hearts, Celtic, Dundee United and Rangers will all pose an even greater threat next month and certainly won’t allow the dominance Motherwell allowed Aberdeen in the first hour of this game.
I’d like to see more attacking menace from Topi Keskinen and there’s no doubt Nisbet will get better with more matches under his belt.
All in all, a worthwhile trip. There’s a buzz around Pittodrie that I haven’t seen in a long time. Thankfully, the manager is not getting carried away, Thelin is level-headed and knows what lies ahead. He’s happy to let the fans get excited.
The red army, tongue-in-cheek, finished off their perfect day with a rendition of their new song, ‘f**k you Celtic, we’re gonna win the league.’ A song with just a chorus and no verses. Simple in its construction, much the same as their win today.
Throughly enjoyed my day at Pittodrie, I’ll be back for more fireworks, singing, dancing and goals next month.
Well done the Dons, ten out of ten!
