Jim McIntyre Post Aberdeen

30/09/11: JM - "We got a doing, it is as simple as that, there is no hiding place. I am responsible and I will take it on the chin."

MATCH PICTURES
For the second game running Dunfermline Manager Jim McIntyre described his team's performance as abysmal. He commented to the post match press conference:

"Aberdeen played with a far higher tempo from start to finish. They looked hungrier than us and obviously the first goal is crucial in every game. It came from another free header in the box and no matter who we play at the back we seem to be gifting goals. That is just not acceptable.

"The players were well warned that Aberdeen would be right up for it. We saw some of their comments that their futures were at stake. They had been left in no uncertain terms that they had to get their fingers out and so we expected Aberdeen to be right up for the game. We told our players the exact same thing, that they would have to be up for it or it could be a long night.

"They have good players and they passed it better than us. They showed more speed in their play, more options on the ball and obviously getting the early goal helps that.

"We have got to look at it from our own point of view and it is just not good enough. The last couple of performances have been unacceptable.

"We didn't do all facets of the game well tonight. We never closed the ball down quick enough and never stopped crosses coming in to the box. When they did come in we had people getting free headers. When you do that you struggle to win games.

"We just never performed to the standards we had set in the early part of the season. We need to get back to that and to do that you need to do the dirty side of the game better. We are not doing that at the minute and are giving away opportunities to the opposition, we are killing ourselves and not giving ourselves an opportunity to get in the game. Thats the most disappointing thing. We had done that very well in the opening four or five fixtures."

Macca agreed that Aberdeen Manager Craig Brown was "spot on" when he claimed that Paul Gallacher should have been named Man of the Match rather than his own hat-trick hero Scott Vernon.

"Paul saved us from an even bigger doing than we got. He is the only one who can escape criticism tonight. Apart from Paul Gallachers performance there is nothing positive to take out of tonights game."

Dunfermline were without Joe Cardle and Ryan Thomson for the match at Pittodrie, Craig Easton and John Potter starting in their places. The Manager explained his thinking behind the way he set his side up.

"We set the team up that way because we had lost a lot of goals recently. That was the biggest disappointment because we started with quite a defensive formation, 4-2-3-1 set up. We had a couple of sitting midfielders with two wide players to get back in with Easton and Burns, that is the reason we put them there - energy on the outside plus more disciplined players than what Cardle and David Graham are.

"It clearly didn't work and when you are two nil down you have got to make changes to try and get yourself back into the game. You have got to be proactive and not reactive so we tried to do that. It didn't matter because Aberdeen were in the ascendancy at that stage and we never showed enough either in our defensive duties nor going forward."

Asked whether recent results have made the Manager doubt whether or not his squad is good enough for the SPL, Jim McIntyre replied:

"No, they can compete at this level. There are other games we have drawn and lost like Killie away and Hibs at home when we should have won, where they have proved that they are good enough. They need to get back to it quick because if you keep losing the amount of goals we are losing it can drain the confidence. It is important that we arrest this and make sure that in the next game we are solid and do the ugly side of the game making sure that we are not giving away presents, that we are in peoples faces and getting angry with each other. There was just not enough of that."

Asked what he thought of the Friday night football experiment the Dunfermline Manager added.

"It was a good crowd, the players love playing at night but as I have said before, I didn't think this was the best game logistically for the first Friday night game. I can understand why they are doing it and don't think that it is a bad idea at all."

It is a fortnight until Dunfermline Athletic are back in competitive action when they face Hearts on Sat 15 October but the Manager hoped that the break enforced by the International weekend might work in his teams favour.

"You always want to go into an International break with a result under your belt because otherwise it makes it another long two weeks. On the other hand it could be just what we need given the last couple of results!

In concluding Jim McIntyre said:-

"You have got to praise Aberdeen first and foremost, they played excellent tonight but we were equally as poor. I look at it from a Dunfermline point of view, Craig Brown will look at it from an Aberdeen point of view, there was lots of really good play from them. We got a doing, it is as simple as that, there is no hiding place. I am responsible and I will take it on the chin."

Aberdeen Manager Craig Brown started his post match conference questioning the Man of the Match award:-

"The Man of the Match award was given to Scott Vernon which I wouldn't dispute but I would have given the Mam of the Match Award to Paul Gallacher. But for Paul and the woodwork we could have had more goals. I know the Dunfermline keeper from my work with the Scottish team when he was a young keeper with us.  Paul had a fantasic game and could have cost us a point.

"We got the breaks and the goals at the right time.  I was astonished with the size and attitude of the support; they were very voluble.  We have got to prove in the forthcoming games that was not a one off performance."