NO EXCUSES
We can cope without our banned stars, says McInnes
I am positive about finishing second and winning the Scottish Cup
DEREK McINNES firmly believes his Aberdeen team are good enough to beat Motherwell at Hampden this Saturday, despite the absence of influential trio Graeme Shinnie, Kenny McLean and Shay Logan.
The Pittodrie boss faces a selection headache after his three key men were suspended for the last-four Scottish Cup clash with Stephen Robinson’s Steelmen.
But he insists that can’t be used as an excuse for failure and will provide the perfect opportunity for the rest of his squad to step up as the Dons aim to reach the final against Celtic or Rangers on May 19.
‘I’m not going to dwell too much on that (the suspensions),’ said McInnes. ‘There’s been a lot of talk about the players who won’t be at the game.
‘I’d rather talk about my players who will make the game. We’ve got enough good players that can win and get the job done for us.
‘I think, outwith the Old Firm, most teams could be seen to be restricted and hampered by having three influential players like that out of the team.
‘Rangers and Celtic have the squads to cope with that a bit better, but it is what it is. That can’t be the focal point for me in the whole build-up. We’ve had to deal without players on league business and still won games.
‘It’s opportunities for others. There will be a lot of players who wouldn’t ordinarily be playing if these boys were available. I actually hope that kind of impetus and freshness will help tip the balance of losing key players.’
This is the start of a crucial few weeks for Aberdeen who, as well as attempting to finish second in the Premiership, are seeking to reach consecutive Scottish Cup finals after losing to Celtic last year.
The threat of a physical Motherwell team is obvious but the prospect of losing has not entered McInnes’ head.
‘I’m not thinking about that,’ he said. ‘I’m positive about what I’ve got in my head of finishing second and winning the Scottish Cup. That’s what I’m asking the players to charge all their efforts towards. We set a target seven or eight weeks ago that, when the split came out, we’d be in the semi-final and second in the league.
‘We’re into the last five league games, a semi-final and hopefully a final. That will define what you’ve done in a season and what you’ve achieved.’
It’s safe to say that a few things will remain lodged in McInnes’ mind whenever he reflects on last season’s final. The bolt of lightning which lit up the sky above Hampden seconds before Tom Rogic scored the winner in the dying stages is one.
Another is that missed opportunity in the second half when, with the game tied at 1-1, Jonny Hayes only had to play a simple pass to Kenny McLean after Aberdeen had broken upfield.
Agonisingly, the ball was sent behind the midfielder and the chance to sweep home a potential winner was gone.
However, despite their failure to deliver the club’s first Scottish Cup triumph since 1990, McInnes still believes it was the day the Dons became a real force in Scottish football again. The sea of red with thousands of Aberdeen fans at one end of the ground, the swagger of his players as they turned up to get in the faces of Celtic, it felt like a significant occasion.
‘There was a lot of pride after the game,’ said McInnes. ‘We were inches away from winning a cup — we were a pass away. I definitely felt if we had scored we would have won.
‘It was the culmination of a squad that had been built over four years. It felt like the swansong for that squad of players. We were so close to winning. There was pride but disappointment was the overriding factor.
‘There was no time to dwell on it. We had to deal with things. It was a busy time trying to get a squad in place for the European games. The Sunday-Monday after the final, we were making phone calls to arrange a squad ready for coming back for pre-season.
‘What I liked about us that day was there was an attitude on the terraces and on the pitch. We rolled into Hampden feeling at home. It was our fourth time there that season. There was an attitude in the team and individually. They all felt like they were going to win it.
‘Although they didn’t, it pleased me no end that I had players that felt they were going to win it. That’s not always been the case.
‘We looked like a big club. The display from the fans and the visual banners. Everything before the game, it felt like a proper head-to-head against probably the most formidable Celtic team in a generation.
‘We were rightly applauded but it just makes you realise you are working for a bigger club with these demands. You just want to get back there again.
‘We’ll remind the players of that day this week and what a cup final day entails because we have a lot of new signings.
‘If we can get back to a cup final in the first year with this new squad, that will be a decent showing for us and hopefully it’s the first of many for them.’
The clock is ticking for McInnes to deliver more silverware to an expectant support after he led the club to a League Cup triumph in 2014.
Last Saturday’s uninspiring loss at Hearts wasn’t ideal preparation for this weekend’s showdown, but the Dons boss is confident his team can harness the experience of previous trips to Hampden to see them through.
‘We’re used to semi-finals now. It’s our fifth visit to Hampden in a year and we won both our semis there last year, so we’ve got to try and use that,’ he said.
‘We’ve won one final and lost two, so it’s important we try and put the club in that position to win another trophy.
‘I want it for my players, for my supporters and for the club. Any time you want to win something you’ve got to overcome tough games, tough challenges, and overcoming Motherwell will be exactly that.’