BLAME OVER
Glass insists no finger-pointing and team spirit pulled Dons through slump
STEPHEN GLASS reckons a refusal to play the blame game and the best dressing room he has ever experienced have put Aberdeen back on track.
The Dons boss and his side are on the best run of their Premiership season having racked up three straight wins.
Heading into the festive fixtures, Glass’ men are just a point from fourth spot having been near the foot of the table during a turbulent autumn.
The Pittodrie boss insists togetherness and acceptance of responsibility in darker times were key to recovery.
Glass said: “I’ve been in dressing rooms where managers want to start blaming players. There was never any doubt in the players, not for a second.
“The spirit I talk about is the best I’ve ever seen at any club, whether I’ve played or just been involved in. Things like that make you believe it’s going to change.
“It can be easy to start blaming the players but it was through no fault of theirs. There were individual mistakes, which they accepted when it was them, but they’ve stopped it so it’s been brilliant.
“They’re a great group. The players have reacted to the coaching staff showing that belief in them. I’m just delighted for the players because they’ve shown a lot of perseverance. They’ve been working ever so hard and they’ve believed.
“The fans against St Johnstone [last weekend], you can see they believed in what the players are giving them.
“Everybody was taking points off us, that was the problem. Even in a couple of those games, in that five-game run where we got beat, there were a lot more points we should have taken.
“If we took anything like five or six points out of that 15, we’d be sitting third in the table.
“It shows the quality in the group and I don’t think we’re being naive ever saying that. It was there throughout.”
Just as Aberdeen are getting into the stride, their momentum has been halted by a gap in the schedule.
Aberdeen will face Hibs in Shaun Maloney’s first game as Easter Road boss next Wednesday, with the Dons idle for 10 days after their win at McDiarmid Park.
Glass is trying to take the positives and said: “It’s almost like an international break for us but there’s a
game quicker at the end part of it. If you’d have given me a choice, I’d rather have played a game on Wednesday night with the way we’re rolling.
“But we’ll get a couple of players back and the players who haven’t been on the pitch recently will get a bit more training into their legs.”
Glass will have added options but won’t be able to pick the same team for a fourth successive game with Ross McCrorie suspended.
The Pittodrie boss said: “Having that choice is good.
“That choice goes away against Hibs with Ross suspended.
“It’s the challenge and any chance you get to pick a consistent team, it’s better and you’re happier.
“The boys who will be in the team for the next game will be ready for it.
“Jack [MacKenzie] will be a bit closer, Declan [Gallagher] should be back to what he should be. [Calvin] Ramsay will be close.
“Niall [McGinn] missed out against St Johnstone because he had a little muscle problem. We decided to protect him.”
The players have responded to the coaching staff showing some belief in them STEPHEN GLASS INSISTS DONS ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER