I’M NO FRESHER TO PRESSURE
Bates will thrive on expectations that go with being at the Dons thanks to experiences at Ibrox and Hamburg
DAVID BATES is adamant he’s revelling in the must-win pressure at Aberdeen. The Dons new boy knows there is a genuine expectation for the club to be successful and that the squad have fallen short of late in a run of seven games without a win. That big-club pressure is nothing new for Bates after spells with Rangers and Hamburg, where he battled to help the German giants return to the top flight. Bates said: “I don’t think it is hard to adjust to it being a big club. I’ve played at big clubs before so I know the pressures that go with it. “You have to win every game or it’s not good enough. You have to enjoy that pressure and I do enjoy it. “They were must-win games every week at Hamburg but that is the same mentality for me because I am a winner. “I want to win every game and I want to be the best. So playing where there is that expectation suits me. I don’t like losing games – I want to enjoy games and you only do that when you win.
“It’s the best feeling coming off the pitch knowing you have won. At Hamburg, that was the mentality.
“The fans wouldn’t accept anything less.
“Playing in front of 40,000 fans was a great experience and atmosphere.”
Bates made his first Dons start against St Johnstone last week but had gone off with cramp before Stevie May netted the winner for Saints.
Manager Stephen Glass believes Bates will be fit for Sunday’s trip to Paisley to take on St Mirren.
And the stopper is ready to tighten things up at the back, with Aberdeen having only one clean sheet this season – in the Premiership opener against Dundee United. Bates said: “I want to focus now on getting into the team on a regular basis, playing well and enjoying my game. “My job now is to impress and show why I was brought in. “I have to work to secure a place in the team. “My job, first and foremost, is defending, keeping the ball out of our goal. Clean sheets, I love them! It’s like a goal for me. “I’ve come back from Europe a better player. “I know the game better and it has opened my eyes when I went there to the tactical side, intensity, the attention to detail, these little things that can make a difference.” Glass is still trying to imprint his style on his new team while also continuing to bed in all his summer window signings. Bates knows the Pittodrie gaffer wants his team to boss games and that helped convince him to move to Aberdeen. He said: “Beyond that, we want to try to dominate teams because if you want to get to the top level you need to dominate games. “It’s enjoyable when you’ve got the ball, you want to be enjoying your football rather than chasing after the ball. “It’s a very big season ahead for us, there’s a lot we want to achieve and that’s all we can be looking at.”