THE luxurious surroundings they find themselves in show just what could be for Aberdeen. Thousands of miles away in the desert surrounding Dubai, lush green pitches attached to a state-of-the-art training facility, restaurant and sporting complex offer a haven to the Pittodrie club from the rigours of a cold snap back home.
Out for a five-day training camp in the UAE, they are getting a taste of what hopefully will be coming to them in the next couple of years. Minus the blistering heat, obviously.
A planning application went in this week for a new stadium and £10 million training centre, a vast upgrade on their Balgownie park base. Mark Reynolds was part of the Aberdeen team that pushed Celtic hard in the title race last season, only to fall short in the closing stages.
Asked if a better training facility might have made a difference during the run-in, the centre-half said: “Well, definitely. It’s also a massive draw for players coming here.
“The manager has used the loan market down south very well, but if you’re trying to sign guys like Kenny McLean or Graeme Shinnie with the potential of selling them on again and draw them in, it’s a lot easier to sell it. It’s a big negative having to get a minibus to training when you can go to another club who have their own facilities where you can come and go as you want. It’s one of those little changes that can make a big difference.”
The players have been worked hard since arriving in Dubai on Wednesday, and a few hundred supporters are expected to descend this afternoon when they play Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan.
The players and management, who are staying in a five-star beach-front hotel and Reynolds reckons these are all flavours of a big-time club and sends out a strong message to anyone thinking about joining the squad.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Everything here seems to be the best of the best; the best in the world.In the past we’ve gone to Tenerife but while its warm you can get cloud and rain and mist. Here it’s been sunny every day
“When you look at the calibre of teams out here it makes you feel good. Celtic are up the road and we have a few European teams in our hotel. It costs a lot of money and we have to thank Saltire for sponsoring us on this trip.
“There’s no excuses. We’ve come to one of the best locations in the world and hopefully we’ll make the most of it.”
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