Glass half full as Aberdeen manager sees opportunity In injury list
FOR some managers, an injury crisis slap-bang in the middle of a busy fixture list would represent something of a setback. For Aberdeen’s Stephen Glass though, such an outcome only brings opportunity.
The Dons host Livingston in the cinch Premiership this evening, attempting to bring a run of three consecutive defeats to a close as they look to recapture the form of their minirevival at the end of October when victories over Hearts and Hibs lifted the mood around Pittodrie.
Glass does not have his troubles to seek going into the game with David Martindale’s side, with his back line looking particularly stretched. Centre-backs Declan Gallagher, Michael Devlin and Andy Considine are all missing – forcing Scott Brown to slot in further back in defence – while right-sided defender Calvin Ramsay also remains sidelined through injury.
Glass, however, is remaining upbeat. He recalled that Aberdeen’s best run of results this season arrived when the squad was down to its bare bones and the games were coming thick and fast. With his team in a similar situation now, he hopes that history will repeat itself.
“Maybe the boys don’t like our training,” he joked when asked about the hectic festive fixture list. “I think the players ultimately want to play games. It’s a good reflection on the players that any time the games have come thick and fast they have understood everything and the players like playing games. I hope that continues to be the case.
“The amount of defenders that we’ve lost has caused us a bit of a problem. Moving Scott to the back has probably weakened our midfield a touch. He’s here to play midfield and is having to play at centre-back so that’s been tough.
“It’s coincided with a run of good performances and some results as well. It’s been a little bit of an eye-opener, seeing what people can handle and what positions they can play. Hopefully we’ve been through the weakest that the group can be for the whole season now.”
Aberdeen are not blessed with the sort of squad depth enjoyed by either half of Glasgow’s big two, so having players who are capable of adapting to learning new roles and positions can be a significant factor when the going gets tough.
Glass admits that his players’ versatility is particularly useful at this time of year.
“The injury list that we’ve suffered has shown that you need players who can play in multiple positions,” he said.
“One of the games we played,
we had three midfield players at the back which is obviously difficult. The players have handled everything that has been thrown at them to be fair.”
Livingston manager Martindale, meanwhile, has likened Bruce Anderson to goal scoring greats Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd.
Anderson notched his sixth goal of the campaign in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Rangers and Martindale is hoping there is plenty more to come from the 23-year-old.
Martindale believes the former Aberdeen player is part of a dying breed in the modern game, insisting he is a forward who takes far more pleasure in scoring rather than linking the play.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s trip to Pittodrie, Martindale said: “What I like about him is that he’s hungry to score goals, a lot of forward players have come through this club over the years and I’ve probably not seen one with the same appetite that Bruce has to score goals.
“He’s got a striker’s instinct and there are not a lot of number nines in the modern game that have got that natural number nine instinct in their make-up.
“If we can get the ball into the penalty box then you’ll have a striker who is in and around sniffing around for goals.
“You look back to your Ally McCoist days and even Kris Boyd, fantastic penalty-box strikers and I think Brucie is of a similar ilk.”