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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Once again our board punish our own fans.
The Huns (and others) bring their filthy chants to our ground, but not a word from our board.
All about money I suppose.
The general impression I get is that for all the great atmosphere and support they bring.The green brigade are a law unto themselves.
I am very pleased to see the club stand up to them today.
The continued nonsense and disgraceful acts need to be stamped out before ALL celtic fans suffer.
Why should our club have to pay these fines because of their actions.
These fines from UEFA will become stadium closures or points deductions very soon.
Had enough warnings,and paid enough fines……
Evening all.
On first reading Paul’s leader didn’t necessarily grip me but interesting nonetheless to broaden awareness of attempts by other clubs to improve their lot.
Good luck Aberdeen.
In other “news” ……
Sevco are stable and expanding. Good times just around the corner (YAWN)
Celtic close part of stadium (again) where pyrotechnics are discharged (YAWN plus £2 on each of our season tickets)
1.3 points-per-game, out-of-work coach reminds those EPL clubs – whose fashionable managers’ jaikets are on shoogly pegs – that he is still alive (YAWN).
PS – great time to be a Celt.
Hail hail
I’m in a bit of a dilemma on this one, I love The Green Brigade but now almost every European game we are copping a fine. The amount of the fines are relatively peanuts in the grand scheme of things but the obvious danger is that we could be hit with a stand closure for a big game for repeated violations., if that happens all hell would break loose.
I’m with the board on this one. Rules apply to all football clubs and all football fans. You place yourself above those rules then accept the consequences.
Anybody know the dates of the north American csc gig in Las Vegas in 2021?
corkcelt on 25th November 2019 8:49 pm
No club to date has had a stand closed for the ‘offences’ committed. There are clubs had more fines than us who have never had even a partial stand closure.
LAZYDYNAMITE
Totally agree.
A statement said: “It is disappointing that behaviour which is unsafe and which we all know will breach UEFA and Club regulations has continued”
‘Breach UEFA and Club Regulations’
The Board have become a parody honestly it would not surprise me if their attitude towards us is so contempable that they are actively trolling us.
Poppy debate over, AGM coming up, time for a Green Brigade debate.
They’ve been very naughty boys.
Can somebody remind us all of the last time UEFA closed a section of a stadium because of pyro.
The club is also regularly fined for having passageways blocked, a far more hazardous issue than pyros.
I also agree that if the rules and regulations are so important why are they voting against res12?
When the financial implications cost a lot more than a few measly fines from UEFA for pyro, in fact the blocked passage ways cost more than pyros, why are the security mob no being penalized for failing to keep the passageways clear or why are those who block the passageways not being treated like the GB, surely a visit from the polis at five in the morning is as justified as it was for the GB?
Looking at forthcoming tv fixtures in the new year I thought there was a typo or mistake in the website i visited.
It had us down for three live tv AWAY games in less than a week from the end of january.
ST jOHNSTON[wed 29th jan],HAMILTON [sunday 2nd feb]and MOTHERWELL.[wed 5th feb]
all live on BT SPORT.
Never have i ever seen a team play 3 league away games in a week as a matter of planning.
This is surely payback for the perceived ‘easy run’ of home games we got after last seasons winter break when our rivals dropped many points.
Every trick in the book to stop the 10
Gorbal
Correct. Moreover UEFA can see a gravy train and although not condoning the flares they would fine you for farting in the park
I expect because the blocked passageways are usually in the corporate areas so nothing said by the Pls just ignore those fines because we can afford them eh
Talk about double standards
I, too, am with the board on this one.
Nice and simple – don’t bring pyros to the game.
It’s not a major infringement of civil liberties.
I genuinely like the GB but these are the best of times so struggle to understand why some feel the need to continually rail against “the man”.
Just enjoy !
Hail hail
How hard is it for the stewards/police to go in and lift the actual fans that hold the flares up? Not like they’re invisible.
And those that block passageways
We are through with games to spare.
Green Brigade not needed to crank up the atmosphere to help us get through.
Very brave dealing with our own. Not so brave when the Huns are trashing our stadium.
We were meant to be playing St Johnstone on 7 or 8/12 , the weekend of the a league cup final. It’s been rearranged to the end of January.
I, too, am with the Board on this. It is simply wrong to be letting of flares. The Green Brigade, or those porporting to be them, need to stop such nonsense.
DALLAS DALLAS WHERE THE HECK IS DALLAS on 25TH NOVEMBER 2019 9:56 PM
I accept that.
Who would have thought when the season was planned out that Celtic would have been involved in the league cup final?
Nobody could have seen that coming therefore three away games in a week early post winter break is just a mere ‘one of those things’.
I stand by my theory.
Oh and Deniabhoy, I agree with you on this, while I really give a toss for anyone who thinks its ok to choke everyone around the with fumes and pollution, I simple see double standards when it comes to how the GB are treated on any issue, compared to the rest of the support, I maintain blocking exit passageways is far more dangerous and commonplace than a smoke bomb. I notice even in the UEFA study they admit to cool burn low emission smokes but make no allowance and lump them in with the rest.
Stop setting off flares. That’s all.
Doesn’t make you an Uber supporter, and it damages the club more and more.
Please stop it.
Big Jimmy
Please phone your council or HSCP (social work), Despite 10 years of Westminster and Scottish Government cuts care for the elderly and the vulnerable is generally of a decent standard. Most councils also have advice services or even advocacy services. Some cities and towns have a Citizens’ Advice Bureau. If you contact one of these you should get help.
It doesn’t damage the club at all what a load of tosh.
In your opinion. H H Hebcelt
Canamalar
How many times have we been done for pyro by UEFA? Who pays the fines every time?
Now there’s a pre-emptive partial stadium ban, which we did before UEFA hit us with something worse, imo.
So next time a flare goes off, it’ll be losing a stand next game, and it won’t be up to us; UEFA will just do it.
Is that not damaging the club?
Yes IMO there are far more damaging issues the Plc could be addressing than the odd smoke bomb, I’ve referred to two in this discussion and note the deafening silence regarding the Plcs failure to comply with rules and regulations they deem less important.
The odd one ,I’ve obviously been going to different games than you. H H Hebcelt
Greeninb…,
I asked earlier, when is the last time any part of a stadium was closed for pyro infraction, ever, still waiting for an answer but it is a very serious threat because the Plc are doing it and they will punish supporters who have nothing to do with it because that’s their MO. UEFA will not do it not in a month of Sunday’s but a bit of scaremongering and victimizing innocent supporters always works when trying to cause division, I wonder if something important is happening in the next few days that can be doing with a wee squirrel being lobbed in to create division oh wait there is something.
You obviously couldn’t care less that exit escape passageways are blocked or that it is a more dangerous, frequent and costly offence than the odd smoke, because that would mean turning your attention and ire against the Plc for failing to keep supporters safe. Or that they are very selective about which rules and regulations they deem important.
You are very useful to them, carry on.
Canamalar
I am 100% behind the Res12 push for the truth to be laid bare.
I think our board have been supine if not complicit in the lies, twists and poison of the past 6 years.
Scottish football, and Scotland, is a sick joke thanks to the SFA and the establishment ensuring the rebirth of The Establishment Team.
But that’s one thing
The other is that we stop letting off flares when we know the club is going to get absolutely hammered for doing so.
Not standing up for the club when we were diddledout of a CL place,by corruption cost us lot more that whatever the G B could cost us for the next 100 years.We were also fined for an offensive banner ?????.Offensive to who ?. Fascists ?.
No club ever had a closure for Pyros Every game night there is list as long as your arm,clubs being fined.
A smokescreen to take a load of the anger away from Res12 on Wednesday.
The GB have done their job,providing the atmosphere at the previous games.Qualified,don’t need them now.
Shameful,two faced behaviour.Never a word mentioned about the scum visits,when we are subjected to their filth for a couple of hours.
Never had any time for any Board ever.
LazyDynamite
After the break we play 8 away games and 5 at home up to the split.
Sevco play 9 home games and 5 away up to the split.
If Sevco pick up wins in their December away games at Aberdeen, Motherwell and Hibs then we’re definitely in a title race regardless of beating them twice as I expect us to do next month. The second half of the league season is set up for them.
Cana
I posted before I read your last post.
What I’m saying isn’t a veiled dig at the GB, and I’m not a board lickspittle either.
I just hate pyros at football.
My wife was at Bradford City v Lincoln in 1985.
Doubt very much that any of them will seek out alternative tickets for Thursday night and actually go along to watch a game of football
And while the board or whoever are imposing Section closures why not consider relocating the standing section to the opposite corner of the stadium out of the full glare of the main television cameras and the beady eyes of UEFA officials sitting in the main stand Ohh and consideration might even be given to splitting up their block allocation of tickets which they seem to command for directly behind the goals at most away games
In Neil, the Lord Almighty, is well pleased with his work I’d Imagine.
C E L T I C
LOVE IS the olde Law.
Doubt very much that any of them will seek out alternative tickets for Thursday night and actually go along to watch a game of football.
Agreed, I wish they’d sit down, watch the game and chat amongst themselves, with the odd groan or even outburst aimed at our own players. They contribute nothing to Celtic Park’s European Nights. I felt the same about The Jungle and some pockets of the Celtic End. I often wonder what the regulars of those places are up to now.