What would I do if Dons sat top like Craig’s Jambos?
Easy does it for Fyvie
DEREK McINNES admits if he was Hearts boss Craig Levein then he’d be looking at the Premiership table every 10 minutes.
The Aberdeen manager has been frustrated by his side’s stuttering start to the season.
And he hasn’t had his troubles to seek since the Dons bowed out of Europa League qualifiers to Burnley and at one time had nine of his first-team squad laid low with injuries.
But McInnes insists he won’t press the panic button, despite sitting eighth in the table with one win, a defeat – at home to Kilmarnock – and three draws from the opening five games.
And he’s looking to on-loan Manchester United starlet James Wilson to start firing in the goals as he returns from a hamstring injury against Motherwell at Pittodrie tomorrow.
McInnes reckons it’s too soon to worry about league places – but accepts his Hearts counter- BY FRANK GILFEATHER part, who has overseen five wins, might have a different outlook.
And he said: “If I was Craig I would be looking at the league table every 10 minutes.
“But most managers are not looking at the table just now. It’s usually around Christmas you can look at it and get a rough idea where you’re likely to be.
“For us it’s important to just knuckle down, stay quiet and get on with the job. In previous seasons that’s what we’ve done and I’m confident we can do it again.”
McInnes aims to lead his DUNDEE UNITED are set to wrap skipper Fraser Fyvie in cotton wool for tomorrow’s Championship clash – due to Falkirk’s artificial pitch.
Fyvie, right, just back from an eight-month injury lay-off, came off the bench troops to a fifth second-place finish in a row and understands how some Dons fans feel worried about his team’s recent form.
He said: “A draw is perceived as a defeat here which is fine.
“Sometimes a point can be a good point but the majority of the time a point is never enough for Aberdeen and there is nothing wrong with that.
“The Kilmarnock defeat was our first in the league for a while and there were reasons for it.
“Nobody knows the importance of winning games here more than me, we have become used to winning. Talking about to net a last-gasp leveller against Morton last week.
But United boss Csaba Laszlo said: “It will be a decision based on protecting the player long term and not just to do with one game.” the situation and worrying about it isn’t what you need.”
McInnes praised Levein’s side for their blistering league start as the Dons face a tough week after tomorrow’s Motherwell clash, with a Betfred Cup quarter-final at Hibs on Tuesday and a league game against Celtic at Parkhead next weekend.
He said: “It’s been a fantastic start for them. They’ve been the one team who have found real consistency.
“They had a huge turnaround of players so credit to them. But Craig will know it’s a long season.” Scott McKenna was back for the 1-1 draw in Perth and will be alongside Mikey Devlin, returning from suspension. McInnes added: “Hopefully now we’re getting players back we’ll get stronger and if everyone plays to form we have a strong group. This is nowhere we haven’t been before.”