SOME Aberdeen fans apparently weren’t happy after their team’s recent goalless draw with St Johnstone which makes we wonder just how high their expectations are.
In my eyes any serious criticism of Derek McInnes for the job he is doing at Pittodrie would be well wide of the mark. Aberdeen have finished second in each of the last two seasons and already reached a cup final this year.
There is every chance they could go on to claim runners-up spot again this season, something that would go down as an even bigger achievement given the size of Aberdeen’s budget in comparison with that enjoyed by Mark Warburton at Rangers.
I met Derek in the summer when we were both on holiday in Dubai. I said to him at the time that I thought this was going to be a difficult season for Aberdeen as I couldn’t see how they could improve on what they had achieved in previous years. With Rangers coming back into the league, I felt Aberdeen could do no better than third place.
Derek, to his credit, did not agree at all. He was adamant he could get more out of his team and that second wouldn’t be beyond them again. He felt there was no reason why they couldn’t prove that they were still the second best team in the country and he would look to strengthen his squad to make them even more competitive.
He wanted a settled first-choice goalkeeper and so far Joe Lewis has been terrific. Anthony O’Connor has been a good signing at centre half, bringing extra physicality, Jayden Stockley has added an extra element to their attack, while James Maddison has given them more creativity. I think he still needs to add a bit of bite to central midfield, an experienced figure who can get a grip of the game, and I’m sure that will be in his thoughts in the next transfer window or two. They tried for Greg Tansey from Inverness before and maybe that’s the kind of player they still need.
There is no shame in drawing at home with St Johnstone, one of the most consistent sides in the country under Tommy Wright. And had Aberdeen won their re-arranged game with Motherwell the other night – instead of it being abandoned – then it would have put them only a point behind Rangers. And that to me is a more than decent return for the first half of the season. It’s not the 1980s any more. You can’t expect Aberdeen to compete with Celtic, and they should also be behind Rangers, too, given the financial gulf. If they go on to take second this year, then that has to go down as a massive achievement.
Derek has reignited Aberdeen in his three and a half years in charge. I remember playing against them prior to his appointment in 2013 and they weren’t really a force any more. It didn’t feel like the Aberdeen of old. Derek has turned that around, lifting a trophy and boasting a terrific overall win record of around 55%. He’s managed a lot in his time in charge.
Of course Derek hasn’t got everything right. Aberdeen were never favourites to beat Celtic in the League Cup final but they should still have performed better. And their away form in general could be improved on. He also perhaps chops and changes his starting line-up too much, something which is frustrating as a player. But that could be balanced by saying he is a proactive manager who is always looking to tailor his side to each occasion. That shows he is conscientious, thorough and methodical. It is hard to really criticise him too much for that.
Those Aberdeen fans calling for a change of manager should be careful of what they wish for. A lot of people at St Mirren – myself included – thought it was probably the right thing when Danny Lennon was replaced as manager and look at where they are now. Aberdeen will similarly miss McInnes whenever he goes.
RANGERS have shown a drastic improvement over their last two games and I think a lot of that stems from the meeting the management team and the players had after their defeat at Tynecastle. The players probably called for an open discussion as there will have been concerns that other teams had worked out how to play against them.
Rangers needed to find a way to mix it up without ditching their principles and we’ve seen that work well in their two victories over Aberdeen and Hearts. They’ve reaped the benefits of sometimes going long to Joe Garner.
The jury is still out on him overall but there is no doubt he works really hard, he’s physical and he makes defenders panic. I had that role at times at St Mirren and it’s not an easy thing to do. Kenny Miller has also been deployed closer to Garner which allows him to pick up the loose balls, and Rangers have used that switch to their benefit.
I thought Warburton was maybe too stubborn to makes these tactical changes so he deserves credit for doing so and also for making it work for Rangers.
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