Dundee 0
Aberdeen 5
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

On the evidence of this game, Dundee wouldn't survive in the First Division,Nlet alone the Premier League. Yes, they were that bad.

They showed no appetite for the game. It was hard to believe they were playing for their livelihood.

No wonder their fans started streaming out of Dens with 40 minutes remaining. Perhaps the worst aspect of Dundee's display is I've seen Aberdeen play far better this season. However, they didn't have to be the class side we all know they are to triumph here.

It simply required application and effort to steamroller the poorest Dundee side I've seen in years.

Dundee's tactics don't bear too close examination either. They won the toss and elected to play with the strong wind and slope. But they kept four men back to mark two Dons and didn't push anyone forward to help their strikers. Their midfield never got to grips and they ended in co plete disarray.

Leighton didn't have a worthwhile shot to deal with when Dundee had every first-half advantage.

Instead, it was Aberdeen who scored twice, and had another couple of very close things.

Bobby Geddes, who had a nightmare in the home goal, could be blamed for both goals.

He dropped a Weir corner at the feet of Alec McLeish and that was 1-0.

Six minutes later he elected not to be tempted off his line for another Weir corner. It left McLeish a free header which Geddes could not hold and Andy Harrow knocked in the rebound.

The second half was only five minutes old when Aberdeen doubled their score.

Geddes failed to hold yet another Weir corner. It struck his skipper Bobby Glennie and slipped over the line. Then a Weir try was charged down and Dougie Bell fired in the rebound low and true.

The Dons looked as if they could score at will.

Walker McCall, three minutes on in place of Simpson, gleefully snapped up No. 5 following a careless pass from Barr. With the Cup Final getting closer by the day, Aberdeen's morale is sky high.

Manager Alex Ferguson could afford the luxury of playing a couple of fringe players, giving both subs a lengthy run and makingna few positional changes late on.

Kennedy, McLeish, Miller, Bell and Weir were a class ahead of anything Dundee had to offer. I'm not going to mention a Dundee player. That's how bad they were.

The closest they came to scoring was two minutes from the end when a wild McLeish pass-back meant Leighton had to barge into the post to stop it. From the resultant corner Glennie hit the bar.

Dundee look like they are going to win our Crime Count easily.

Without wishing to advocate foul play, it's obvious a little more devilment wouldn't go amiss in their play.

Match report written by The Sunday Post