In yet another variation on our tried and tested formulae, we ask which Aberdeen central attacking midfielder the Terracists prefer.
Craig Fowler (@craigfowler86)
When comparing the two, McLean appears to be the bigger goal threat which, in the minds of most, makes him the better player to have in the team. They are both top talents and separating them is difficult, so easily measurable stats in football, like goals, assists etc, are great to have in discerning one from the other. But are McLean’s goal stats really what they seem? In each of the last two full seasons he’s netted seven times. However, of those 14 goals, exactly half were scored from the penalty spot. Pawlett, meanwhile, scored exactly the same number of goals over the same stretch. This was in a better side, so that gives him an advantage, but none of those were penalties. Of course, McLean has gotten off to the much quicker start this term with four strikes already, but in such a small sample size it’s difficult to predict it will happen over the course of the season, particularly when he didn’t score at all initially after moving to Pittodrie from St Mirren.
I’m going to pick Pawlett for the simple reason that I like watching him play more so than McLean. That’s not to diminish McLean’s talents, far from it. I think he’s an excellent footballer: dynamic with a good range of passing and terrific technique. Pawlett, however, has that burst of excitement which comes from someone who has electric pace and dribbling ability. I also love the fact he plays the attacking midfielder/No 10 role like nobody I’ve ever seen before. Most players with great pace don’t operate in the centre since their defining attributed is limited by the lack of space. But when Pawlett is on his game he really seems to make it work. He may not have had a particularly great 2015/16 season by the standards set the previous term, but that was only because other teams were changing their gameplan to deal with him. And that’s one of the biggest compliments that could be made about it. If he’s given an extended run in the No 10 role again, I have no doubt he’ll make the necessary adjustments to stand out from the crowd once more.
Vote: Pawlett
Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001)
Peter Pawlett spent many years building up a reputation for his ability to hit the deck after so much as a fart’s worth of contact – though was still unfairly singled out by a well-known highlights package – rather than for any football ability. The raw, pacey winger was then sent out for an unsuccessful loan spell with St Johnstone which merely served to further enhance that infamy. Then, Derek McInnes came to club, made Pawlett a better player – their standout performer for a stretch two seasons ago – and converted him into a central attacking midfielder. Queue the cringe-inducing ‘Peter Pawlett baby!…’ chant to the tune of a Human League number ringing around Pittodrie.
Fortunately for my cantankerous self, this song is more of a rarity nowadays and has made way for – if my ears weren’t playing tricks on me – the more complex ‘…Danny Ward…Danny Ward…’. Unfortunately for Pawlett, this is because he failed to maintain that terrific streak of form and has been superseded by the arrival of Kenny McLean. Compared with the more direct Pawlett, McLean lacks pace but makes up for it in goal threat and composure on the ball. While McLean initially found it difficult to settle in his manager’s constantly changing side, he has since been given a run in his favoured role this season and has replied with four goals and several impressive performances. Even though the centre of midfield is an area where McInnes may still be trying to find his best combination, I’ve no doubt that McLean will have more of a part to play, and is a more gifted player, in that position than Pawlett.
Vote: McLean
John Callan (@JohnLCallan)
When he’s on form and charging, head-down towards a penalty area, there are few more exciting players in the Premiership than Peter Pawlett. And, it’s safe to assume, few more difficult to defend against. It’s small wonder he’s so revered by the Aberdeen support.
Getting him into that primed, greyhound-like state though, doesn’t happen as frequently as they’d like though. He’s often dubbed an ‘impact player’ which, while largely complimentary, is a bit of a veiled criticism of his consistency. He only completed a full league match six times last season, and he’s only scored once so far in 2015, so it doesn’t seem unfair to call him a bit streaky.
McLean, on the other hand, is more of a complete package. Although he endured a bit of a slow start to his Dons career last season, and was clearly itching for a goal, it isn’t unsurprising that a player so talented is beginning to hit his stride. It’s reminiscent of the way Barry Nicholson provoked muted ire for some quiet early displays for the Dons following a hefty fee, before he grew in importance, eventually becoming a key and regular source of goals and creativity.
He’s also capable of filling in a number of different roles, which will likely be more suited to McInnes’s increasingly flexible approach. Although he’s starting to flourish in an attacking midfield slot, McLean has also been looked capable deeper or, occasionally, wider midfield berths. Such is his range of attributes, his adaptability will be invaluable.
This isn’t to discount Pawlett, mind – in fact it’s likely part of McInnes’s eagerness to secure McLean was to free up space for him on the park and ease the creative burden on his shoulders. When it comes to the important games this campaign though, McLean will likely be favoured more often. Both will be crucial in a season where Aberdeen will be pushed to break teams down frequently, but McLean seems to have greater variation to do so most often.
Vote: McLean
Tony Anderson (@tonyterrace)
These two players epitomise the depth and options this Aberdeen squad have at the moment and are interesting players to compare and contrast. Despite playing the same position on paper, what they offer individually and tactically to the team are poles apart.
Pawlett, or at least the Pawlett of McInnes’s debut Dons season, was arguably the most explosive player in the league. Most Scottish football fans were aware of Pawlett’s attributes by this time: pace, light on his feet – which gave the impression he was gliding – and the usual inconsistent delivery expected of wingers at this level. Oh and diving. Diving being the entrenched memory of his early career, can’t think why?
While in modern football we are used to seeing ‘inverted’ wingers and pretty much every attacking player wanting to play the ‘number 10’ role, Pawlett’s move inside was somewhat different. Here was a guy who seemed to be the definition of winger, in ability and mentality, being asked to be Aberdeen’s main central attacking and creative cog. It really was a masterstroke at the time from McInnes. Being central meant Pawlett had the space to go either side of oncoming traffic. His pace, and more importantly his acceleration, going directly to the heart of the opposition. Players just did not know how to cope, back-peddling to the point where they would end up in the Richard Donald stand admiring with the rest of us while Pawlett finished off a mazy. Looking back, it really isn’t surprising McInnes spotted something no one else did in a playerstruggling to make the step up. Coverting players has been a feature of McInnes’s reign, with Jonny Hayes being another example.
Kenny Mclean however is a much more traditional central attacking midfielder. Good range of passing, a rocket launcher of a shot, allusive in the box blah, blah, blah. I am a huge McLean fan and I believe as he develops he will really start to control games with his ability to take the ball in tight areas, use his strength and dribbling ability to make space n order to get strikes away or to play incisive passes. His goal output will always be higher than Pawlett due to these attributes but I feel I have seen it all before, which is obviously is a ridiculous criticism of any player but when asked to pick between these two for my ‘favourite’ it’s a variance that I cannot hide from. McLean will no doubt go on to have a more successful career as frankly he is a better player but the uniqueness of Pawlett in the central role and the excitement he brought lives long in the memory. Although teams altered their defensive shape to contend with Pawlett and Aberdeen now have so many options to contend with other teams rebuffing tactics I really hope that we see him used in certain games this season. I really feel teams that only line up with two central midfielders would struggle against Pawlett’s direct central running and dribbling. Furthermore when Aberdeen gain a lead in games and teams begin to commit players forward, he could be the perfect counter attack weapon, and has shown this in the past. Oh! And against Motherwell. Please Derek unleash him on Motherwell! We will see McManus on his arse in no time.
Vote: Pawlett
2-2 forces extra time and this author into making an arbitrary decision about which the Terrace is voting in preference of. While Peter Pawlett may be the quicker, more dynamic player and more exciting on the eye, McLean is more refined and is likely better equipped to serve Aberdeen’s central midfield for this and for future seasons.
Winner: McLean