ABERDEEN’s long-term future planning is predicated largely on hope. Firstly, that their manager Derek McInnes is not spirited away in the coming days or weeks. Sunderland’s interest has been established and the recently-relegated Championship club will now look to take that further by inviting McInnes for an interview for the post vacated last week by Davie Moyes.
Sunderland has not been a place where managerial reputations have flourished in recent seasons but it would be understandable were McInnes to be tempted. It is a bigger club than Aberdeen and the challenge of taking them straight back into the Premier League will likely be enticing.
He may feel there is an element of unfinished business given the way things ended for him previously at Bristol City, while the Rangers old boy network could also be a factor. McInnes was a player at Ibrox when Martin Bain, now Sunderland chief executive, joined the club in a commercial role, and the pair’s mutual friend, Walter Smith, is thought to have made the case for McInnes’ inclusion on the shortlist.
His decision – should a job offer materialise – will hugely shape how Aberdeen move forward into the new campaign. His influence over the past four seasons can’t be underplayed, winning the club’s first trophy in 19 years and lifting them from perennial underachievers to the second-best team in the country.
Were McInnes to leave he would need to be succeeded by a similarly persuasive and prominent personality to carry that work forward. The foundations are there for Aberdeen to remain as the country’s second force but anyone thinking that will happen automatically need only consider the three successive ninth-place finishes the club endured from 2010 to 2012 to realise there are never any guarantees of success.
The second hope will be that the lure of playing for Aberdeen continues to be greater than the appeal of going elsewhere. McInnes will be a substantial factor in any recruitment but, even if he departs, the wish will be that the reputation and potential at the club will still prove appealing to those looking to better themselves.
Niall McGinn, Ryan Jack, Peter Pawlett and Ash Taylor will all likely move on this summer, while Jonny Hayes has emerged as a target for Celtic. Some will be missed more than others, although Greg Tansey is a like-for-like replacement for Jack midfield. Retaining Ryan Christie would be a boon, while Shaun Maloney has also been linked to his hometown club.
Having worked so hard to manoeuvre the club into a strong position where promising or established talents want to sign there, the Aberdeen board must hope that they can continue to provide an environment that is appealing to potential signings, regardless of the manager.
The third hope will be for a kind European draw. The early start to the season ultimately caught up with Aberdeen this year but they have been handed a lucky break this time with an unexpected place in the second qualifying round courtesy of Manchester United’s victory in the Europa League. Making it through four rounds to the group phase is a huge ask given some of the sides they could meet on the way – including Milan, Athletic Bilbao, Everton or Marseille – but an extended run could prove a huge fillip going into the domestic season.
The fourth and final hope will be that Celtic finally prove beatable. It was perhaps Aberdeen’s misfortune to come up against a side so rejuvenated under Brendan Rodgers that they were able to get through 47 domestic matches without losing even one of them. If Aberdeen still harbour regrets at not running Celtic closer during Ronny Deila’s two years in charge – and they perhaps ought to – then there surely ought to be no similar self-flagellation about finishing second in all three domestic competitions to a side that took efficiency and relentlessness to new levels.
Rodgers, though, said himself in the aftermath of Saturday’s Scottish Cup final that it would be unlikely that Celtic could remain “invincible” again next season, and that is something Aberdeen must cling to as they look to the future.
If they are unlikely to push Celtic much closer in the pursuit of the title, then the hope must be that either they or someone else can inflict a telling defeat in one of the cup competitions. Had Aberdeen faced any other side in the two cup finals they reached this season, then at least one piece of silverware would likely now be residing in the Pittodrie trophy room. And for a club like Aberdeen that would constitute a successful season just about every year. That is what they must hope for now.
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