There are guys down my local more ruthless than Stephen. It’s not his fault for taking dream job.. but it appears to be a vanity project by chairman whose ego is in danger of sending Dons down
PETER HETHERSTON admits patience is a virtue but he’s told Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack to ditch his vanity project with Stephen Glass before it’s too late.
The former Dons midfielder fears he’s seen the movie before having been part of a side which dropped like a stone under club legend Willie Miller before being saved from relegation, courtesy of a play-off win over Dunfermline in season 1994-95.
Despite a 10-game run without a victory, Cormack has insisted he has no intention of making a managerial change and claims data suggests the performances deserve better after five straight defeats on the bounce.
But Hetherston has urged the Pittodrie supremo to park his ego and admit his error in appointing his former team-mate and former Atlanta coach who he believes is a ‘million miles’ away from being the right man for the job.
He said: “Stephen Glass is one of the nicest boys I’ve met. He was a young boy coming through at Aberdeen when I was there and he was a fantastic kid.
“Did I think he could be a good coach? Absolutely. Did I think he could be a manager? No, I couldn’t see it in a million years. If you are a manager at a top club then you need a ruthless streak, make the big decisions and call it as you see it. I just don’t see that in Stephen’s nature. It’s not a criticism of a lovely guy, it’s just a fact of life and it’s only my opinion.
“It’s been a while since I last saw him but as a younger man, he was well-mannered, kept himself to himself and would always take on board advice.
“I always believed he could be a coach but as a manager? No.
“There are guys down my local who are more ruthless than him. He just doesn’t have the angry ant in him. It’s not Stephen’s fault for taking the job as it’s a dream appointment but it appears to be a vanity project by the chairman which is going badly wrong.”
Aberdeen aren’t helped in their current predicament by having to face top-five sides Hibernian, Rangers and Hearts in their next three Premiership fixtures and Hetherston has told Cormack to read the warning signs or watch history repeat itself.
He said: “There’s a grand delusion taking place at Aberdeen at the moment and it stems from a chairman who appears unable to put his hand up and admit to making a mistake.
“At the end of the day it was his call to appoint Stephen as his
manager and the bottom line is that the Premiership table doesn’t lie. I don’t know Cormack but from the outside it appears the chairman’s ego is in danger of getting Aberdeen relegated.
“If they aren’t careful they are going to find themselves in the position they were when one of the best players in their history was in charge. I was at the club during season 1994-95 when Willie was in charge and he was replaced before we stayed up by beating Dunfermline in a play-off.
“Willie is also one of the best guys I’ve met in my life so it was a horrible time for the club. We had a run where we only won one game from 12 and were in freefall.
“I’d never say a bad word against Willie, he was top drawer but it just didn’t work out for him.
“He was ruthless as a player but his Achilles heel was that he was such a loyal guy and was that way with his players and maybe that’s Stephen’s problem as well.
“Two play-off games against Dunfermline, that’s how close Aberdeen were to being relegated for the first time ever and it’s a reality which is starting to dawn on a lot of fans at the moment given the run the club is currently on.
“Cormack appears to be tone deaf and looking desperately for vindication over his appointment of a manager who clearly didn’t have the experience for the job.” Cormack has defended his manager’s record by using shots at goal and possession stats in his side’s favour but Hetherston insists the businessmen is only fooling himself by clutching at straws. He said: “Cormack can go on and on about data but it’s embarrassing. Ask him how many points have Aberdeen taken in their last five games and to stick that into his data. How many goals have been scored and how many goals have been lost, get that added into the data.
“That is the be-all and end-all of football and Cormack must have someone in his ear talking about possession stats and shots at goal but it’s dangerous and deluded if Aberdeen and the chairman are searching for comfort by adding up how much possession they’ve had in defeats.
“You can find desperation and false hope within statistics. Scoring goals, defending goals and putting points on the board are the only numbers that matter in football, it’s naive to talk about data which claims Aberdeen should be doing better.
“You can dress up data however you want. Cormack appears to be doing that to suit his argument. It’s where you end up in May which should matter most.”