Welcome Craig Brown! Hibs 1 - 2 Dons

Now this is a result the Dons absolutely needed, not only when looking at the SPL table but also in terms of the squad's confidence in their new boss. And, while this is not the post for a discussion of McGhee's faults, I do not think that this positive result is completely a coincidence.

This time Scott Vernon decided he'd like to get to watch a Dons goal from the third-person perspective, assisting on Folley's opener ten minutes from the break, before returning to regular form by securing the points by chesting in Hardley's skidding strike from distance. Subsequent opportunities were missed by both clubs, with Wotherspoon wasting an open chance directly to Langfield, and Magennis similarly directing a header from McArdle straight on to Brown's waiting arms. The Dons were admittedly fortunate to avoid a crushing penalty with just a few minutes remaining, and goal-line clearances by Ian Murray were required not once but twice to secure the full points.

I can't bring myself to type the final score

All I can say is that at least that didn't happen at Pittodrie. While we cannot simply ignore the result, at the same time I don't know what we can take away from the match in terms of looking forward, whether McGhee is able to stay in charge or not. At this point MM needs to forget about his own skin and somehow get the lads ready for Tuesday night's hosting of Caley Thistle.

Match Summary: St Mirren 2 - 1 Aberdeen

The Buddies stole the points with a Fergie-time goal from Travner. To be fair the Dons had their opportunities and failed to capitalize, but Paton continues to disappoint, and mental lapses seem to occur at the worst possible moment.

St Mirren    2 - 1    Aberdeen
               (HT 1-0)
McAusland 28     McArdle 57
Travner 90+

Match Summary: Aberdeen 4 - 2 Hibernian

Now, that's more like it. Scott Vernon continued his goal-scoring prowess and Maguire and Mackie each did their part to secure the points and ruin Colin Calderwood's opener as Hibs' manager. Sone Aluko showed why I tipped him in the preseason to surprise for the Dons.

The points merely held Aberdeen at eighth in the table, but in this case the match was honestly worth much more than three points (the first gained since 21 August) as hopefully the lads can continue forward with increased confidence.  As long as health concerns do not manifest themselves, I still see this as a top-six side, able to surprise when motivated and certainly produce football that is worth watching. Consistency is what matters now, and for that McGhee must keep his charges on the right foot.

Match Summary: Aberdeen 0 - 1 Hearts

In this case I blame not Howard but McGhee, or at least his physio staff. Having suffered a significant knock to the head just before half-time, Howard handed the points to Hearts after denying the visitors in the first half with several sparkling saves.

Eh, that's all I can muster for now. Disappointing result after and inconsistent effort... and one pointfrom the previous six matches.

Chris Maguire's half-field equalizer.

In case you've been under a rock for the past day or two, here is young Maguire's brilliantly cheeky goal in the Scotland-Iceland U21 match.

Week 7 Recap: Caley Thistle 2 - 0 Aberdeen

What an ugly match. More later, if I can be bothered. Paton given a straight red, Megginson stretchered off, and the Dons drop to seventh in the SPL as they give ICT their first home points of the season.