There has always been a business case for someone to transform Aberdeen into a bigger club. The town is a prosperous city, with a substantial corporate entertainment budget. Aberdeen is a long way from the supporter magnet of Glasgow. Dundee is 25% smaller and splits support between two clubs.
The takeover of the club, announced yesterday, will see Stuart Milne depart the scene after a 22-year reign which saw one trophy and one bottom of the league finish (they avoided relegation due to reconstruction). Milne leaves the club in better shape than he found it, but his tenure shows a trophy count no better than eight other clubs during that period, and worse than four.
New chairman, Dave Cormack, will invest around £5m straight away, £2m of which comes from AMB Sports & Entertainment, a US company which owns MLS club Atlanta United. Atlanta’s president, Darren Eales, will become a director of Aberdeen. Details of a “strategic partnership” between Atlanta and Aberdeen will be announced today.
If you go into partnership, pick your partner well, and Aberdeen had picked spectacularly well. AMB owner, Arthur M Blank, co-founded The Home Depot and as well as Atlanta United, AMB own NFL side, Atlanta Falcons. They also operate the most spectacular stadium in the world, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
My expectation is that Aberdeen will learn simply by being in the same room as the people who recently took the sports spectator experience to a new level. AMB are not in Aberdeen for the weather, their objective will be to win in Scotland and compete in European group stages.
We might just get that rarest of treats, a sustainable and genuine domestic challenge. This could be the most significant strategic development in Scottish football for years. And if anyone suggests we move an Aberdeen-Celtic league game to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, bite their hand off. I’ve wanted to go since I first saw the design plans.
I see lots of people having a go at Sam Allardyce for saying “We can all go to Celtic and win trophies.” The last man to break this rule, John Barnes, left Scotland 19 years and 9 months ago, so let’s not quibble with Sam.
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Hail hail
Frimpong
Ajer
Brown
BIG JIMMY on 25TH NOVEMBER 2019 12:11 PM
Does anyone have ANY ADVICE on how I can get a “Home Help”, as I am finding it almost impossible to cope with the “Basics” such as cleaning etc being on my own at home ?
I am not viewed at this time as being “Strictly Housebound”, but I am struggling quite badly.
Thanks.
HH
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I don’t know but contacting your doctor could be a first step.
Take care!
I welcome all and any Scottish competition .
Except the unclean.
If they go to Fir Park, Easter Road and Pittodrie and get maximum points, we’ve got ourselves a sustained challenge this season.
Big Jimmy see below for a start
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Alternatively you can contact Social Work Services to see if they can provide help. If you do not have a Social Worker then you, or someone on your behalf, can call Social Care Direct, on 0141 287 0555, for advice and information or to arrange for your needs to be assessed.
Big Jimmy, or if you want the full details click/follow on link below.
https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/17280/Arrange-Home-Care
MMHOME
Good mhan!!
Philboy
I have been through the system over in fife and it was painful !!
As far as i am aware all councils in Scotland have a statutory obligation to assess / provide care where needed,
HH
MMHOME
Sorry to hear that!
Hope you are fine now and thanks again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQWQC5RJsLg&feature=youtu.be&g4id=2
First?
Nae housework today PHILBHOY?
🍀⚽️
BIG JIMMY
Thanks for the Birthday wishes the other day. I hope ye get some help.
🍀⚽️
HUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE
All done!
You?
Hopefully the bit of feel good factor is there next Wednesday when the evil mob visit Pittodrie.
Philboy
It was for my elderly dad, in the end i decided to quit work and take on the carer role myself. It has worked out very well as i get to spend lots of time with my dad.
I hope big jimmy can get the help he needs
HH
MMHOME
A brave decision !
Best wishes to your Dad and you!
Take care.
We could do with at least 4 goals at County on Sunday,as ,watching the highlights of Hearts,they could get murdered at Ibrox.A shambles.
Philboy
We both discussed what he wanted at length and came to a decision.
We are both doing very well thank you….he is 87 so some of his football related stories are magic.
Best regards
MMHOME
Enjoy your time with your Dad and his football stories!
Take care and keep posting!
Todays article, it’s been a while since I’ve read such drivel.
David17,
cant agree with you at all.
There is absolutely a business case for a club like Aberdeen to be the 2nd force in scotland , and challenging for honours along the way.
Its interesting that the Strategic Partnership chooses Aberdeen.
I wonder why they did not go for 2nd Rangers ?
Aye right.
Good afternoon, friends.
I’ve looked at the remaining league fixtures of 2019 and December really is shaping up to be the defining month of the league season. On paper we have by far the easier schedule. But then again, I didn’t see Sevco remaining unscathed after their 3-game tour to Ross County, Livingston and Hamilton. Here’s the December schedule –
Sunday 1st – we visit Ross County at noon, Sevco entertain Hearts at 3pm.
Wednesday 4th – whilst we are at home to Hamilton, Sevco travel to Aberdeen
Sunday 15th – following their defeat in the previous week’s cup final, coupled with their failure to qualify for the Europa League knockout stages, Sevco have to pick themselves up with a tricky noon kick off away to Motherwell. At 3.00 we have Hibs at home.
Wednesday 18th – we have the stage to ourselves with a visit to Tynecastle.
Friday 20th – Sevco, desperately trying to stay clear in second place are away to Hibs. The following afternoon we have Aberdeen at home.
Thursday 26th – we both have 3pm kick offs, we visit St Mirren and Sevco are at home to rejuvenated Kilmarnock
Sunday 29th – we bring the curtain down on a very successful 2019 with a win against Sevco.
So, assuming that both Glasgow clubs continue to win at home, our trickiest ties are trips to Ross County (7th), Hearts (9th) and St Mirren (10th) with Sevco travelling to Aberdeen (3rd), Motherwell (4th), Hibs (6th) and us.
Our ‘worst case’ target should be to be at least 6 points clear – we will have played 1 game more and will be expected to win on the 29th.
In the Right Here Right Now jibber jabber, I only expect Hìbs under JR to take points from the new Rangers.
CELTIC
Hard
Core
1st foul against Livi stoppage Time.
Corinthian Celtic always under Neil.
Big Jimmy
Contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
I’ve found them very helpful in the past year or so
In reference to the article, I disagree that Stuart Milne has been good for Aberdeen. As you rightly say, they have been unsuccessful in the period and have less success than 4 other clubs. Aberdeen should have been more successful in this period and particularly when Rangers went bust in 2012.
In fact, it has been suggested that Milne was involved in Aberdeen solely for the benefits that Stuart Milne Homes would achieve in terms of Planning consents. Scurilous maybe
What the new guy wants out of being involved is anyone’s guess but making a fortune out of investing in Aberdeen just won’t happen. Average attendance is only 5th highest in Scotland at 15,000. Turnover is £15million.
I suspect that this is just a rich man having a plaything that his wealth can afford him. A Vanity project or as Dermond Desmond says, a hobby.
To be successful, they need to get past Celtic. Not likely in the near future
A Big thank you to all who have posted advice this morning.
I did phone the Social Work a couple of weeks ago but ( if I remember correctly ), in my case I appear to fall between 2 stools , and they werent very helpful.
For the last year or so ( BEFORE My recent infection and heart attack), my health/mobility had been getting worse, so I have been having my shopping and medications delivered Online to my home, but I was still able to Clean my home, and cook etc….and head out to my VERY Local pub a few yards away.
I am struggling to get from A to B in my home, with pain and being very breathless and exhausted. I do live one Floor up, and its a VERY REAL struggle to even go down one flight and put my rubbish out. The thought of trying to get back up the stairs is obviously very worrying also.
So I dont need a Home help to go Shopping for me etc, its my struggle with Home cleaning that is the priority just now, added to being too frightened to even try and get to my Local Pub for an Hour etc.
I did go to my local pub and had Two Pints of Guinness last week, which took me over TWO Hours to drink ! It was a nightmare trying to get back up those stairs with the pain and dizzyness.
I dont think my Life is ever going to be the way it was since THAT Infection and heart trouble back in October….and it may be some time before I can put away a FEW Beers and indulge in Disco Dancing again ?
LOL.
I will try and get some outside help as I have no family to speak of these days, and again thanks to all who offered advice.
HH
Jobo
One game at a time – who predicted us dropping 5 points to Hibs and Livi
glasshalfemptyCSC
No matter what anyone says, Sevco have a team that is decent.
Paul67 et al
Wow. Great news! Now that is a big surprise I got to admit. And a potential game changer. Since the 1970s Aberdeen has been the major UK city of the petrochemicals industry, and yet to the best of my knowledge that $Billion business never invested, or at least not substantially in its’ football club or the city itself come to that. The finance sector certainly did in the shape of Aberdeen Asset but even then that investment paled against the 20 year sponsorship of Rangers FC (“No questions asked”) by the Bank of Scotland. Another added bonus could be the reduction of the influence of Scottish freemasonry in football. Oh and the Atlantic Falcons are back on the way back, don’t count on a win against them, en route to the play-offs, not now.
BIG JIMMY .
My father is 99 and lives (alone ) in Glasgow . He cooks for himself and buys food etc online and gets it delivered . He gets 2 services — Home Care and Personal Care . He pays for the Home Care ( cleaning /housework/ unpacking the stuff bought online / putting the bin out etc. ) ) but doesn’t pay for the Personal Care ( washing /dressing / shaving / help getting in and out of bed etc .) Think it was arranged /organised etc @-Glasgow City Council Home Care . He didn’t bother going via Social Work ( he’d calculated his income was greater than the quoted figures )
Dallas as referèe 2.
Why?
Coĺlina
Why.
4 minutes Saturday Neil called it out.
Big Jimmy,
I would call social work back and give details of your current health / mobility issues and insist you need an assessment to see what is available.
If you still get no joy i would contact Citizens Advice and get advice from them or get then to talk to social work on your behalf.
Take care
Good article Paul 67 but have you forgotten all about the disaster that was Tony Mowbray?
Paul 67,
Aberdoom will never realise their full potential as long as Derek McInnes is the manager.
Put frankly, he is a very poor manager. Watch out for change.
HH.