Summer of Love

Soak it in

There is then, literally, nothing to describe it. I have exhausted all the available options. I can recall nothing else that I have coveted for two decades (what else is there that can reasonably be coveted for that long?), nor can I recall anything else that I have desired as both man and boy. So please, be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected delirium.

Hornby, Nick. Fever Pitch

It’s been a few days now. After the dizzying emotional highs, I’ve now entered a contented holding state of joy. The season is over, the next few months should only bring more excitement. The smiles cannot be wiped off our faces for a few months, and even then, when that time eventually comes, you’re only a YouTube search away from bringing them back.

The win in and of itself was magnificent, and if there was no additional reward other than the trophy, it would not matter a jot. However, there is. It took me about an hour post-game to realise the Dons would be playing group stage football next season. This will have major implications.

The 5-3-2

My tactical game recap is available on the P&J website here and in Wednesday’s print edition. I questioned whether a previous Aberdeen manager had made a more impactful tactical decision in any of the previous eight wins. Shout out to P&J reader Charlie Craig who noted:

In 1970 SC Final Turnbull deployed Jim Hermiston to man mark Bobby Murdoch and he used the pace of Jim Forrest against Billy McNeill and John Clark to create space for Joe Harper.

I don’t have a way of comparing the two, but there were echoes of that match, pre-game. Celtic 1970 are clearly, relatively a better side than Celtic 2025 but the financial gap is much bigger now. The task for both finalists was massive. It made the win even sweeter.

The idea of Jimmy Thelin changing shape was certainly considered, but very briefly. I was certain he would try and do Plan A better with maybe an extra hint of conservatism. I wasn’t the only one.

When the lineups came out, though, the first reaction was surprise, the second was one of excitement. This was the gameplan all along. I fell short of dropping in an Einstein ‘defintion of insanity’ graphic in last week’s post. I’m glad I didn’t need to pull it out for the recap.

Principles? What principles?

This blog has covered a lot of Aberdeen’s adjustments in approach over the season. Long balls vs. building out of the back. Inside forwards and wingers. Inverting versus overlapping full backs. More recently, midfielders have been dropping in between the centre-backs. But as we all know, this was done within the 4-2-3-1/4-4-2 (out of possession) structure.

Thelin’s playing style, for me, at least, and for many of the reasons listed above been tricky to nail down completely. Suggestions, however, that he had ‘abandoned his principles’ seem to completely ignore the Jimmy Thelin of Elfsborg, a man capable of winning football matches with very little possession. Indeed, this appeared to be his calling card.

It was not a complex tactical battle. Aberdeen sat in and offered little until Gueye gave them a bigger outlet in the second half. Celtic struggled to create and got weaker personnel-wise as the game progressed. Aberdeen’s job was to stay in the game. They kept the match in the margins and their keeper came up big whilst Celtic’s did the opposite. I

It could have gone wrong. I could be sitting here writing about the lack of ambition as the Dons tamely surrendered to a 3-0 defeat. But that’s the gamble Thelin took, and for my money, regardless of how the game panned out (easy to say this with the benefit of hindsight), it was the smartest move.

Adapdtability

My view is that this win will only increase the likelihood of Thelin playing 4-2-3-1. With the guaranteed revenue of at minimum the Conference League, he’ll be in a better position to get the players he wants to fulfill his vision. I’ll save summer transfer speculation for others but I would be very surprised if we don’t see a box-to-box midfielder join the ranks.

It does show however, that the manager is not stubborn and is willing to adapt things to win specific games. Thelin has spent the majority of the year working on his longer-term plan. Saturday was about the short-term. We have struggled away from home against the top sides in the league, and maybe as we continue to refine the 4-2-3-1, on the back of a gruelling European trip, the Cup Final ‘gameplan’ might be worth dusting off. But we’ll get to all that in due course.

The Summer Ahead

Yes, just like you, this summer I too will be refreshing the 21st-century version of Teletext to see which superstar we’re bringing in. You can read my preview of every summer signing right now which is “we’ll just have to wait and see” and even then, a lot of the time, “we’ll just have to wait and see a bit longer.” Let’s be honest, who saw who would have had Pape Gueye and Shayden Morris as the Scottish Cup heroes at the start of the campaign? A long way to say, maybe there’s some hope for Peter Ambrose?

Ergo, AFC 1903 will be entering a summer hiatus after this post. A year ago, after messing about on Wordpress and getting fed up of formatting things, I jumped on Substack and started writing to an audience of zero. I’d like to think I’d still be doing it if it were the case, but I’m not sure. Every subscriber email is a wee boost and keeps me going. So thank you all for taking an interest.

It’s been an enjoyable ride and has opened a few doors for me. A particular highlight was seeing Jimmy asked a question, inspired by my Pape article. Thanks to Chris Harvey for the nod.

This blog started and (apologies for the self-indulgence and venturing into LinkedIn terrain) remains a vehicle for my own learning. I am no longer young enough to know everything, and the nuances of the game continue to fascinate me. In Jimmy, we have a wonderful topic of study. I can comfortably say that if I watched every game four or five times, I would pick up on more details.

So this summer is a time for me to do some more studying. There have been some topics feebly neglected on these pages and there are skills related to visualization and data scraping that would enhance this publication, so getting off the hamster wheel of weekly games will provide an opportunity to work on some of that. I’ll be closed for business for most of the summer, but hopefully be back for the start of the season with a fresh lick of paint and some new additions to the menu.

Final Thoughts

To close, and I hope you’ll forgive me, something personal. After Saturday’s match, I’m sure many of you were thinking of those who could not be at the game to share in the happiness. I was no different.

My mam had never been to a game at Pittodrie but spent many pre-Christmas and birthday hours in the club shop. Through her husband and sons, she became a keen football follower and would have been able to converse with young and old about the game.

So much so that when the Scottish Cup visited our local team Rothes FC a few years back, she walked down to MacKessack Park and got her photo taken with the grand old trophy.

In late January, my mam collapsed with a brain aneurysm and, despite the efforts of those around her and the medical staff in Elgin and Edinburgh, sadly passed away at 69.

A few weeks later, in February, I got that picture put in a frame. It sits next to my desk where I write these posts. My mam and the same trophy that Greame Shinnie lifted on Saturday night. I’m not a spiritual or religious person, but sometimes, well, you know.

The joy for her on Saturday would have been in seeing the joy in others. It was wonderful to see the scenes at the weekend, and my brothers, sister-in-law and two nephews were able to partake on the streets on Sunday. The collective power of football is unmatched and, of course, I’m biased, but there’s no club I’d rather be a fan of. This weekend has been a wonderful reminder but so has this whole season.

COYR and wishing you all a great summer. See you in August as we begin our assault for star number three.