“I thought we started well” – McGhee’s desperate attempts to save his job after 9-0 defeat

We all know that being a manager is a high pressure job and that it is a position where you are always judged on results. I often feel that manager’s are discarded too quickly and are forced to take too much of the blame when the fault lies more with the players. I really believe that stability in the management role is key to a club being successful in the long term.

Untenable

Having said all that, some managers find themselves in an untenable position and when they do, it is for the best if they do the decent thing and fall on their sword. That is why I was really surprised to see the comments of Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee after his side suffered their heaviest defeat in over one hundred years, losing 9-0 to Celtic on Saturday.

“We can put this behind us. The best thing we can do is win against Inverness on Tuesday. It is three points. That is all it is.”

Kidding

I’m afraid Mark is kidding himself. It was not only three points, it was a total humiliation. Let us not forget that his record as Aberdeen manager shows just seventeen wins in fifty-seven games and that his tenure has been a period of little joy for those at Pittodrie. His side are languishing just two points above the drop zone with just ten points from eleven games.

The game at Celtic on Saturday saw the hosts take the lead from the penalty spot after twenty-six minutes in an incident that saw Aberdeen reduced to ten men. However, Celtic too were reduced to ten men in the forty-first minute, but Aberdeen were 3-0 down by then.

Biased

I know manager’s see games through somewhat biased vision sometimes but McGhee reaction to the game borders on the surreal.

“Down at half-time by four and, even when they went down to ten, I thought that at least that might possibly stabilise things for us and we could see the game out without it becoming embarrassing. But it didn’t and it was ridiculous. The goals were ludicrous. It came as a shock. After half an hour, I thought our strategy was good. We had chances to be ahead of the game, created by good play, good tactics and by a strategy that was working. We made a couple of really good chances, one headed off the line. And then, of course, it all changes. Paul was sent off, they scored from the resulting penalty and we never recovered.”

So it would seem that the strategy and tactics were pretty good and Aberdeen were a bit unlucky!

Humiliation

McGhee accepts that the game will be regarded as a humiliation.

“This is a one-off game. Celtic thoroughly deserved to beat us by a margin. I thought nine was ridiculous and hard on us. We’re all embarrassed, we’re all shocked and we all know we will get slaughtered, particularly me, but I can handle that.”

Aberdeen are back in action tonight at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the SPL. If McGhee is still in the job at kick-off, he knows that this is a must win game. Unfortunately for him, they are playing a team who have yet to be beaten on their travels this season.

Ignoring

Ignoring the calls for him to be sacked and the fact that the board must be considering their options and the fact that many people in his position would be handing in their resignation, McGhee says he is focussing on tonight’s game.

“I don’t really see that it is entirely necessary that there is any hangover on Tuesday night from the Celtic game. Pressures can build, but I am not preparing for that. I am preparing for Inverness on Tuesday night. I know what the board and chairman were thinking before the Celtic game and I have no idea if that result changes their opinion. I think we had ourselves to blame in a lot of areas, but Inverness is a totally different game.”

Respect

I had to chuckle a little, although I have the greatest respect for McGhee and any man who takes on the role of manager, when he also said that he thought that his side’s early play in the Celtic game was an improvement on recent displays against Falkirk and St Mirren!!

At the time of writing Mark McGhee is still the manager at Aberdeen, but I don’t know if he will be by the time you read this. If he is, then the Aberdeen board deserve a medal for their loyalty.