Aberdeen crash to a stunning 5-1 home defeat to Czech side Sigma Olmouc in what was Mark McGhee’s first competitive game in charge at Pittodrie.
Captain Zander Diamond failed a late fitness test, forcing McGhee into picking a makeshift defence that saw Derek Young drafted into right-back position and Stuart Duff joining Andrew Considine in the middle of defence. Richard Foster lined up at left back.
That McGhee was forced into this back line underlines again the need to urgently bring in another experienced central defender, because on last nights showing, Aberdeen will face some serious – and potentially embarrasing – challenges, beginning with Celtic in 2 weeks time.
Aberdeen faced up to more harsh reality in midweek when it emerged that the club faced a £600,000 shortfall in its transfer budget as a result of Setanta’s collapse earlier on this year.
That news will certainly not be welcomed by McGhee who has already expressed his frustrations at not being able to bring new faces in at Pittodrie. His chase for defender Reda Johnson ultimately ended in failure when the Amiens defender signed for Championship side Plymouth. He also failed in his hunt for ex-Motherwell midfielder Stephen Hunt, who signed for League 1 side Norwich (a club able to meet his wage demands).
Aberdeen can safely forget about Europe this season. Unless the team can pull a performance like Motherwell’s (ironically McGhee’s former side) against Flamurtari out of the bag, The Dons must now concentrate on regrouping and preparing for what will be, based on last nights performance at least anyway, a very long, uncomfortable season.
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Tags: Aberdeen, Europa League
