Aberdeen 0 - 3 St. Mirren

Buy Or Experiment Now Before It Is Too Late

By NORMAN MACDONALD
THE SIGNS AT PITTODRIE ON SATURDAY WERE OMINOUS. THEY SHOULD PROVIDE A WARNING TO THE ABERDEEN MANAGEMENT.
With the Dons down 0-3, the crowd was streaming from the ground before the finish, and many of those who remained in stand and ground broke into the slow handclap.
It was the Dons’ second inept display on their own ground in successive weeks and while I have no wish to condone the slow handclap, there can be no denying the supporters have reason to be perturbed.
There wasn’t a single consoling factor from the Aberdeen viewpoint, unless it was the fact that the rear trio played gallantly.
The team which lost the chance of League Cup honours was given an opportunity to make amends against St Mirren. They failed completely, and against a team which had only ten fit men for most of the match. D
The East Fife defeat was by no means vital, but Saturday was the start in the league campaign and nobody wants see the club involved in the relegation struggle again this season.

Series Of Problems

In their last three games Aberdeen have conceded eleven goals and scored six. Recent form can lead nowhere but towards trouble.
When they come to select the team to tackle Stirling Albion at Annfieid this week the officials will be confronted with a series of problems.
The eleven which went down to East Fife and St Mirren is not good enough. Unless there is a complete and sudden transformation only a starry-eyed optimist would expect them to make a bid for the League championship.
The side needs strengthening, and this applies to the attack as well as the half-back line. There was not an outstanding personality in either department against the Paisley Saints.

Time For Change

The season is still in its infancy, and now is the time seriously to review the situation. The management can take a chance with some of their reserve players or they must go into the market for the ready-made article.
Aberdeen’s half-backs did not stand comparison with the St Mirren trio on Saturday. Neilson, Telfer and Johnston were the backbone of the Paisley side. Smith struggled hard at centre-half, but Harris and Allister are still groping for their best form.
And what excuse have the Pittodrie forwards to offer? St Mirren’s four active attackers threatened more danger than Aberdeen’s five. The most effective play in the Dons’ side came from Morrison, Mitchell and Caldwell.

Highly Competitive

If you look at Saturday’s game objectively just how many members of the Aberdeen team deserved to retain their place? No player is entitled to be condemned on one bad game, but in the highly competitive atmosphere of Scottish League football you can’t afford to be either over-tolerant or overoptimistic.
How the Aberdeen management will deal with the situation remains to be seen, but if better results are to be obtained, do something they surely must.

Source: Evening Express, 7th September 1953