Aberdeen v Bohemians /
UEFA Cup preview
By Bernard Thompson
10/08/00: Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" was dubbed "A nightmare vision of the not too distant future." That particular horror found its way onto the banned list in Britain but there is a danger of Scotland
In days gone by,
drawing a side from the League of Ireland was a dream come true for
any Scottish team. There would be no uncomfortable journeys into
European backwaters; no need for the club to bring a chef for fear of
being served the head of some domestic mammal; the supporters would
enjoy visiting a country where their native culture was appreciated -
and a win was a foregone conclusion. Aberdeen can expect to
experience most of these pleasures but the latter is not assured.
The Dons go into the
tie under greater pressure than any Scottish team, entertaining an
Irish side, has known. Recent years have seen Celtic and Rangers
tackle St Patrick's Athletic and Shelbourne respectively, and
discover that the gulf between the League of Ireland and the Scottish
Premier League appears narrower than it has ever been. Shelbourne,
especially, caused uncomfortable moments. Such hiccups invariably
furrow the brows of Scottish football's critics.
There are easy
parallels to be drawn between Scotland and its near neighbour. But
that proximity leaves Ireland within pointing distance of those who
see a Scottish game in decline. Unpalatable as it may be for
followers of Irish domestic football; the League of Ireland is held
as an example of the catastrophe that could befall the Scottish
League.
So when the Dons and
the Bohs clash, it will not simply be a friendly inter-Celtic rivalry
that will be at stake but a measure of the health of Scottish
football as a whole. And Aberdeen are in a poor condition to bear the
nation's standard.
Having finished at the
bottom of the League last season, their Chairman, Stewart Milne, was
unable to provide Ebbe Skovdahl with the funds to continue his squad
rebuilding. Their precarious position has been exacerbated by
injuries to Thomas Solberg, Russell Anderson and Derek Whyte,
requiring Skovdahl to recruit ex-Dons defender, John Inglis, on a
temporary contract.
Skovdahl, who endured
continual jibes last season as his team was branded the worst in
Europe, has a thankless task but he meets cheap remarks with dignity
and Confucian wisdom. If Roddy Collins thought that his digs
regarding Skovdahl's age would irritate him, he would have been
better to devote his attentions to the job on the field rather than
target a man who is undeserving of such disrespect.
Bohemians may have a
real chance but the fitness of Aberdeen's Moroccan's Belabed and
Zerouali (who wears a zero on his back), combining with Arild
Stavrum, can give them a potent goal threat.
However, the issues in
this game extend beyond the two protagonists. Despite their poor
league form in recent years and their failure to buy since last
season, Milne continually emphasises that outside of the Old Firm,
Aberdeen spend more than any Scottish club each year.
Potentially, they are
the third most powerful club in Scotland and the success brought to
the North East by Alex Ferguson is not forgotten. So losing to a team
from the League of Ireland would lead to a poor prognosis for the
future wellbeing of Scottish league football.
On their best form,
Aberdeen can win but, if ever a Scottish team was in danger, in such
a tie, it is now. Skovdahl has the nerve - and many still believe,
the knowhow - to repair the damage, even of a defeat by Bohemians.
But has the Scottish game?
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