Sir, – Jim Goodwin clearly didn’t listen to his keeper Kelle Roos who stated Aberdeen “need to put them (Celtic) under pressure” in Saturday’s game at Pittodrie (P&J, December 17). No such “pressure” proved forthcoming, merely a sitting back approach, allowing Callum McGregor to dominate midfield totally unchallenged. He fully deserved his winning goal.
A statistic of 19% possession in the biggest home game of the year with zero shots on target is completely unacceptable, and made for dismal viewing for loyal Dons fans.
None of us, of course, has overambitious expectations in games against the Old Firm these days, but I, for one, would be less disappointed if the Dons at least have a go yet lose by a higher margin.
Ian A Gillanders. Queens Road, Aberdeen.
Busy A9 on a road to nowhere without urgent dualling work
Sir, – I see that another couple of bits of sticking plaster are to be applied to the A9 while the required dualling did not even get a mention in Holyrood last Thursday.
The section between Perth and Inverness is a total muddle of two-lane, dual-lane, some totally useless bits of three-lane, slip roads, crossovers (to get over one carriageway to the opposite side), agricultural access and egress, laybys – both with and without a protective verge – and average speed cameras that appear to have achieved nothing. Now we are to get more signs and warnings to add to the confusion.
There is little wonder that disorientation occurs to those not totally familiar with this significant main route into the Highlands.
Recently a junction near Munlochy on the A835 had restrictions incorporated due to previous accidents and poor initial design, so why not close some of the access points on to the A9 where confusion has resulted in fatal and serious collisions.
The simple answer is a 40mph limit and a double white line from Perth to Inverness – the net increase in time taken to travel the 100 miles or so would be less than that wasted currently every time there are closures and investigations following collisions.
Alastair Armitstead. Achiltibuie, Ross-shire.
Wind energy seems to be a lot of hot air
Sir, – I’m sure I’ve read over the years that Peter Macari is a keen supporter of independence and therefore the SNP, whose policies include shutting down our oil and gas industry, littering the country with far more windmills than we can ever use or, indeed, as I looked out my car window this windless morning, actually rotate, and promising, with huge fanfare at their annual conference in 2017, a national energy company to produce cheap bills that never saw the light of day.
Surely they should be included in his list of national energy “disgraces”?
Allan Sutherland. Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Celtic winning goal not a ‘sucker punch’
Sir, – The abject manner of the loss to Celtic was shocking. The stats do not lie.
AFC fans know that the Old Firm are miles ahead of all other teams in Scotland but we do not expect, or accept, parking the bus at home, two shots at goal – neither on target – and a post-match quote that the winning goal was a sucker punch. It was the least Celtic deserved.
Mr Goodwin is beginning to sound like Mr Glass and we all know how that ended.
Bob Mackay. Silverburn Road, Aberdeen.
Eco-warriors were nowhere in Qatar
Sir, – The spectacular Fifa World Cup in Qatar is over and hundreds of thousands of fans and footballers have gone home.
Tens of thousands of additional greenhouse gases were created. Qatar has the world’s third-largest proven natural gas reserves and oil and gas account for more than 70% cent of total government revenue. It is therefore surprising that not one single demonstrator from Extinction Rebellion, Tyre Extinguishers, Affordable Energy, Insulate Britain, Just stop Oil, Animal Rebellion, The Fridays for Future Movement, Last Generation, Scientist Rebellion and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland glued or chained themselves to the stadium or threw paint on buildings.
Eco-warriors? No, they are all eco-cowards.
Clark Cross. Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Lack of true grit to treat frozen streets
Sir, – The city council should be held responsible for their total and abject failure to ensure that Aberdeen’s roads and pavements have been kept clear of snow and ice. Its not as if the north-east doesn’t have the climate which means we never see wintry conditions as we regularly experience Arctic, Siberian and Atlantic blasts of weather which has made our mountains famous for their part in mountaineering history.
Traversing the city over this last week has been a matter of taking your life in your own hands, and all because some lazy bureaucrats cannot be bothered to do their job. Not one single person I’ve met has had anything complimentary to say about the entire situation. It’s been so bad that if the council don’t get a firmer grip on their duties and obligations not only might people consider purchasing crampons, but some may even decide paying their council tax is optional in the same way as gritting is.
Is this really the way the council thinks it should perform? But then with its own history of adverse influences draining precious fiscal resources, it should be defunding them to ensuring vital public services remain and real priorities come first.
Ian Beattie. Baker Street, Rosemount, Aberdeen.
Seeking answers over constitution
Sir, – Every time an English commentator reminds us that England won the Fifa World Cup in 1966 should we remind them that, like Qatar today, homosexuality was illegal until 1967 in England and 1980 in Scotland? Do you think it would shut them up on the subject? Probably not.
Some things never change and on Saturday evening my first order was in Princes Street in Aberdeen which is not far from Constitution Street, something – the constitutional question that is – that has dominated Scottish and UK politics and newspaper letters pages for a very long time.
The other thing that has not changed is that while Aberdeen FC supporters can stop vehicles from moving on King Street at the end of a football match, whether their team sets up defensively – as was the case on Saturday – or more offensively they still seem to lose to Celtic. One of my Aberdeen customers was happy on Saturday but she happened to be Croatian.
They tried the offensive approach at Ibrox and still lost the match. My customer was delayed getting back home by football traffic from Bridge of Don to their home not far from Pittodrie Stadium.
I was listening to Your Requests With Gary Innes on Sunday night during the Fifa World Cup final and maybe someone from Aberdeenshire Council can explain why, for 200 yards of roadworks between the Ardoe House Hotel and Blairs and certainly Riverside of Blairs, there’s a long diversion via North Deeside Road? Is the hospitality industry not supposed to be at breaking point – this is surely one you cannot blame on the Scottish Government?
As we move to 2023 is there any chance Scottish politicians, like Fifa, can actually do as they say they are going to do and – like Your Requests With Gary Innes – be a welcome addition to Scottish life and stop making health, education and the constitutional question political footballs?
I know this may be hard to take for many on the unionist side of the argument but those of us that voted for Scottish independence in 2014 are as much a part of union as they are. Unfortunately, they seem to want to turn a victory in 2014 into a defeat sometime in the future by refusing to reform the union in any meaningful way.
Like football, you are only as good as the last result.
Peter Ovenstone. Orchard Grove, Peterhead.
Dons got what they deserved
Sir, – Aberdeen got exactly what they deserved against Celtic – nothing.
Willie Miller during the Glass era questioned what they practised in their swanky new training facility but still we see every corner louped hopefully into the box, every free kick blootered into the wall (or row Z) and only one person deemed able to take throw-ins.
Where’s the inventiveness and fast and exciting attacking football we were promised, the only threat they appear to have is DUK duping the ref into awarding a penalty.
Somebody should remind Goodwin they’re in the entertainment industry.
Ian Craig, Aberdeen.
Time for dialogue on Ukraine is now
Sir, – Do the leaders of the Western democracies really believe that Ukraine can achieve military victory over Russia and force the troops of the aggressor from their land?
That is the impression as more and more armaments are promised to the defenders, who should be applauded for the heroic defence of their country, but isn’t now the time for dialogue between the warring parties in an attempt to broker a deal to prevent further loss of innocent lives and destruction of infrastructure that may never be rebuilt?
Concessions will have to be made. Putin is already a loser, his primary objective lies in tatters along with the bodies of so many young Russians giving their lives in an attempt to bring reality to the dreams of a despot, while Ukraine must realise it will not reclaim its Eastern territories as the inhabitants’ desire is to be part of Russia. War always ends with all combatants as losers. I feel pain at the daily diet of news where citizens without power in the freezing depths of winter, those entering the final chapter of lives that probably began when Ukraine was part of the Soviet empire, which Putin in his folly strives to recreate, and babies still in their mother’s arms, live underground like rats in fear of enemy missiles on their journey to bring destruction and death.
Western financial support should go to rebuilding Ukraine, not prolonging a conflict that will produce no winners.
Putin is not Methuselah. Russia on his departure will hopefully cease to become the world’s pariah, as a family member who has worked in the country found the people not with thoughts of conquest but just lives like you and I.
Ivan W Reid. Kirkburn, Laurencekirk.
Load of rubbish
Sir, – How can you defend manager Goodwin for being so defensive against Celtic? Dons – 2 shots, 0 on target, 19% possession, 209 passes, 0 corners. Celtic – 33 shots, 10 on target, 81% possession, 853 passes and 7 corners.
Goodwin not only frustrated Celtic but all of the Dons fans who turned up on a very cold day.
T Shirron, Aberdeen.
Daylight robbery
Sir, – I’ve always been prompt in paying any bills. With my recent electricity bill on the internet I was informed that I could save £96 a year by paying with direct debit – how can they justify charging me £96 more if I don’t choose this option? No paperwork or postage costs, everything should be instantly costed by computer.
Norrie Brand.
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