A BIT OF A DOMESTICK
Glass: Outsiders are bigger targets
Stephen Glass feels both he and Ange Postecoglou have felt more heat because they learned their coaching trades outside Scotland.
The Aberdeen boss and his Celtic counterpart have been in t he s p ot l i g ht for indifferent starts to the season – with both clubs falling short of earlyseason expectations.
Postecoglou made his name in Australia and had success in Japan, whi le Glass bui lt up h is coach ing career in America.
Aberdeen are eight games without a win and Glass admits it’s not go o d enou g h a nd something that has to be addressed quickly, with a home clash against the Hoops at Pittodrie today.
But Glass said: “Is there more scrutiny when you haven’t coached in Scotland before? It feels that way.
“But results dictate it as wel l. If you are winning games the opportunity for people to question you is less.
“So we just continue to do the work here.
“I can’t speak for him (Postecoglou) but we just do what we believe is right. If the results had been different then I don’t think anyone would question it.
“I watch other managers’ interviews and see Ange is fielding similar questions.
“Sometimes you get questioned more than you should but results dictate it and you accept it when you manage a huge club.
“Every manager gets questioned when you’re going through a spell not winning games.
“If you win a few you’re flavour of the month, if you lose a few you become a target. That’s the nature of the beast in Scotland.”
Glass can see what Postecoglou is trying to do at Celtic and sees similarities with his Dons’ rebuild.
He said: “Celtic are a very good team packed with good players and I think it’s a matter of time before they start getting results.
“But I like to focus on what we do and I bel ieve the situation is very similar.
“There’s a new staff here w ith a new group of players with different skill sets.
“We’ve a very good squad and I also believe it’s a matter of time until we start getting results.”
Aberdeen won a lot of early plaudits but that’s now little more than a memory. Glass wa s heav i ly backed in the last window and knows he needs to get his team bedded in and firing quickly.
Glass said: “It’s taking a little bit longer than we’d have liked them to bed the new players in. But we brought them to the club for a reason. We believe they will be big and impactful players.
“Nothing has changed in my view. In fact, it’s been solidified by performance levels. Individual mistakes have certainly cost us dearly.
“If you count the number of shots faced and things like that, it’s not big amounts.
“There are bits and pieces that, if they were better, results would be better.
“It will take time but when you say that it sounds like you want a long time.
“Everyone wants it to happen quickly.”
Glass doesn’t think Dons are too far away although individual errors are proving their downfall.
He said: “It’s a case of making sure we can continue with the good stuff that we’ve done and eradicate the individual mistakes.
“The players are aware of that. As a team we have been per forming okay but we’re well aware of the need to get results.
“We’ve not done as well as we’d have liked in the block of games that concludes with Celtic.
“But it’s another chance to get points. It will be a great atmosphere in the stadium so we’re looking forward to that and righting the wrongs of the last few weeks.”
If you win a few you’re flavour of the month, lose a few and you’re a target .. that’s nature of the beast in Scotland