Mcinnes is desperate to give the Red Army the success they crave
He is the longest-serving manager in the Premiership – and the longest-serving at Pittodrie since Sir Alex Ferguson.
But Derek Mcinnes isn’t the type to get too comfortable.
Yes, he and assistant Tony Docherty have just signed contract extensions through to 2022.
Yes, they know the club inside out.
Yes, they have a solid working relationship with Aberdeen’s financial decision-makers.
Coasting along, however, won’t do for the guys in the Dons dugout.
It won’t do for the Granite City punters, either.
In his six-year tenure as boss, Mcinnes has raised the Red Army’s expectations by leading his side to a League Cup win, four consecutive secondplaced Premiership finishes and into five consecutive European campaigns.
Now they want more.
To his credit, Mcinnes still seems determined to hand it to them, to the extent that he has batted away interest from Rangers and Sunderland to remain in the north east.
His commitment to the cause cannot be questioned.
This season, once again, he will be desperate to collect a tangible reward for his efforts, either in the form of a trophy, or qualification for the group stages of the Europa League.
Funso Ojo, Craig Bryson, Ash Taylor, Ryan Hedges, James Wilson, Curtis Main, Luc Bollan, Sam Jackson, Michael Ruth.
Graeme Shinnie, Gary Mackay-steven, Mark Reynolds, Archie Mair, Greg Halford, David Craddock, Ryan Harrington, Morgan Brown.
Another summer, another star player gone.
This time around, former skipper Graeme Shinnie fits the bill of the departing hero for the Dons.
And Gary MackaySteven followed him out the door, bound for
New York City FC, having shown his inarguable ability in blinding, albeit brief, flashes.
Derby Countybound Shinnie will undoubtedly be the more missed of the two.
But in securing Craig Bryson in return from the Rams and Funso Ojo from Scunthorpe United, there is hope that Aberdeen’s midfield will regain at least something of what it lost, while gaining new dimensions.
In defence, the return of Ash Taylor has divided Reds fans, while Greg Leigh, on loan from NAC Breda, has yet to make an impression.
However, up top, there are high hopes for Ryan Hedges and Jon Gallagher after some impressive European showings, along with known-quantities James Wilson and Curtis Main, of whom much is expected.
A keen sense of pragmatism will prevent Derek Mcinnes from making his expectations for the forthcoming Premiership season public, and rightly so. He is hugely outgunned in budgetary terms by Celtic and Rangers, and, as Kilmarnock showed last year, there’s always the chance of a freak challenge emerging from the pack to make life difficult. Nevertheless, Aberdeen fans want to see their team challenging at the top end of the table and – crucially – winning a trophy. Chuck a clubtransforming place in the Europa League group stage into the mix and you’d be talking about a dream campaign. Failing that, third place in the league and a serious shot at one or both cups should tick most fans’ boxes.
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