DONS CAN'T MATCH BARNSLEY - McGHEE

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/scottishpremier/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/10/04/30/SOCCER_Aberdeen_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=scotspremiers

Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee admits he simply cannot afford to compete with clubs like Barnsley as he attempts to build for the new season.

The Dons boss was keen to sign out-of-contract Motherwell winger Jim O'Brien, who has also been linked with other Clydesdale Bank Premier League clubs including Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian and St Johnstone.

But, according to reports, the 21-year-old is set to turn his back on Scotland and sign a three-year deal with Barnsley instead.

"I think there are two things going on there," said McGhee. "One is that they can outbid us, they have the finances even in the Championship to make it difficult for us.

"But I think the boys themselves feel if they get the opportunity to go to the English league that they should take it.

"There are a lot more clubs bigger and better than Barnsley who will see Jim O'Brien if he's playing for Barnsley who may take him onto the next level.

"When players make a move like that they're considering the sort of thing that someone like Charlie Adam has done, a player who was in and out of the team at Rangers and in the reserves and who has gone there (Blackpool) and done brilliantly and has now been linked with all sorts of bigger moves.

"So that's what Jim O'Brien will be trying to do. It certainly frustrates me that we can't afford players like Jim O'Brien, that we lose out to Barnsley.

"We imagine, and the fans imagine, that there is no comparison between Aberdeen and Barnsley but, these days, I'm afraid there is.

"And it's for financial reasons as much as anything."

Asked what sort of sales pitch he can offer to players like O'Brien, McGhee admitted: "Nothing. If the starting point is 50%, 60%, 70% or, in a lot of cases 100% or even 200% more than we are able to offer, then it's a non-starter.

"There is no player regardless of sentiment who is going to come here for less than half the money he can get at Barnsley or anywhere else."

Meanwhile, Aberdeen face Hamilton on Saturday hoping a win will boost their chances of finishing above Accies this term, but McGhee feels their final position is irrelevant after missing out on the coveted spots in the top half of the table.

He added: "I'm looking at individual games. I want to beat Hamilton and that's all that's at stake. Seventh, eighth, ninth, for me that's an irrelevance.

"If you're not first, second or third, then the rest doesn't matter.

"I know some people want to be in the top six, of course they do, and we do. But the reality is you can be in the top six and be sixth and it means nothing.

"Really, it's that top four that you want to be in. If we are seventh, eighth or ninth, it's irrelevant.

"But it's not irrelevant in the sense tomorrow that we are trying to win a football match which may eventually take us to seventh or eighth or whatever, but it's only about the game on Saturday."

I'll wait for it to appear on the Official Website before I believe it, but it's looking very promising that we have indeed signed him.

RedNinja wrote:I'll wait for it to appear on the Official Website before I believe it, but it's looking very promising that we have indeed signed him.

Huge signing potentially
The Dingles now are bigger than Aberdeen.

hoolahoop wrote:

Huge signing potentially
The Dingles now are bigger than Aberdeen.