MY SAGA HOLIDAY Del’s relieved he can switch off in Dubai and focus on Dons after the constant drama of link to Gers job
DEREK McINNES knows what he wants, he has a clear vision.
Yet for periods in the past six months he’s had to listen to various people telling him what he should be doing.
Some of them don’t even know McInnes, haven’t even met or spoken to him.
Back in the summer the world and his mother were saying he’d be leaving Aberdeen for Sunderland as there was no way he could turn down a return to England.
More recently the now infamous Rangers saga lasted for six long weeks. Ex-players, pundits, fans. Everyone had a say on what he was going to do as the Ibrox outfit hunted a successor to Pedro Caixinha.
Article after article, opinion after opinion. TV and radio shows would start with the name McInnes and finish still talking about him and making judgments on his next move.
For some it wouldn’t just be a hindrance, it would be positively harrowing.
McInnes, however, managed to block it out and steer his own course. He took his time, took his big decisions. Even missed a couple of days training at the Dons before staying as figurehead and leader at Pittodrie.
Where others would have buckled under the stress he has stayed strong.
With the speculation now consigned to the past the 46-year-old is getting a breather and a chance to recharge for the next big push at Pittodrie.
In the calm of the club’s Jebel Ali training base in Dubai, McInnes was able to outline the type of mentality that makes it possible to block out the noise and keep a clear head.
He said: “It’s the job and you must deal with it. You learn what is important. You should switch off from what isn’t important because you are never going to please everybody.
“People think they know you but they don’t really. It’s trying to keep everything real and I was absolutely fine with it.
“In an ideal world any time there is criticism of your team or you as a manager you try to deal with that the same way as when people are praising you.
“We try to deal with all the scrutiny the same whether or not the team is doing well.
“It sounds simple and I don’t want to dismiss it totally but it’s just about trying to be as normal as possible.
“It didn’t sit well, missing training, but it was the right thing to do at the time. I was really keen to get back into it with the players. I felt as though it was just good to get back to the work.
“When the players came in on the Friday morning it was good to see them and to get in about them because we are really close.
“Myself and the players, we have a strong bond. One or two of them were pleased we stayed and one or two not so pleased.
“No, only joking. You expect to be judged on your game and comment on it, good or bad.
“So, when all the scrutiny and the comments are made outwith game time it’s stuff you can’t affect.
“I’m just concentrating on the second half of the season now with Aberdeen.”
McInnes’s next league match is against Rangers at Ibrox but it doesn’t concern him. All he’s bothered about is starting back again with a home Scottish Cup tie against St Mirren.
He spoke of a bond with his players but it’s a bond with the entire club that continues to strengthen and charge him forward towards fresh goals.
He said: “You try to create an environment where you are happy. It has been a good period although we would like to have won more trophies. But people will look back on this as a good time for the club and we are all enjoying it here.”
By here he means Aberdeen. But with palm trees in the background, McInnes was not in his usual surroundings. Last term a winter trip to Dubai was key in the team’s push in the second half of the campaign and it will be the same this time.
And while it’s designed mainly for players, managers can also be refreshed and recharged.
McInnes said: “All managers feel the benefit of the winter break. Look at England and you see a lot of tired managers during that festive period.
“But part of management is trying to be fresh for your players so it benefits all of us.
“We tried to switch off for seven or eight days, although it’s the start of a transfer window so I can’t switch off totally. But in terms of being away from Aberdeen for a week or so it was good to get that freshness.
“Because we had those early starts the last few years we are always grateful for the chance to get a wee bit of downtime with the family for a few days.
“To get the facility we have here and the weather and the kick-back we got from it was really good. It was our strongest finish to a campaign so the break definitely helped.
“I’m realistic enough to know we have a bit of work to do to try to keep ahead of others. Hibs, Hearts and Rangers have clear advantages over us as a team and as a club in terms of facilities and maybe even attendances recently.
“Although we’ve had an upturn in fortunes from our side with attendances in the last few years it’s about doing a lot of good things right on a daily basis. It’s what’s keeping us ahead.”