ANDY’S ONE OF THE BHOYS
McInnes tells fans to pump up the volume as Dons fight to keep Celtic at arm’s length CAN ANDY KICK IT? YES HE CAN. BUT CAN HE HIT THE CROSSBAR?
Andy Murray swaps sports for the day as he walks out the tunnel at Celtic Park alongside Gary Mackay-Steven for a crossbar challenge with Team GB’s Davis Cup squad
UPON his unveiling as Aberdeen manager back in April 2013, Derek McInnes set the bar high. Pledging to melt flint hearts in the long-suffering Granite City, he spoke of his ambition to make Dons fans fall in love with their football club again.
As Pittodrie shook on Saturday, a good set of ears was all that was required to confirm that the 44-yearold has succeeded in his mission.
Reigning champions Celtic had j ust been vanquished 2- 1 in thrilling fashion by the 10 men of Aberdeen. The deafening din that accompanied them making it an unprecedented six wins from their first six league games to top the table served as conclusive proof that the north east is head over heels with its local team once more.
And this at a ground once derided by Sir Alex Ferguson as being populated by inexpressive sweetie paper rustlers.
After being blown away by those unprecedented noise levels, McInnes wants the Aberdeen public to continue to roar their team on as they aim to go five points clear at the summit by beating Hamilton at home tonight.
‘ The noise at the end of the Celtic game was incredible,’ smiled McInnes. ‘It was a first; the best I’ve heard it since I came here. The f ans have been great but I hadn’t heard them like that before.
‘There’s a good bond between the city and the club, between the fans and the players, at the moment. That’s something we’ve tried to manifest over a period of time and I feel there’s a genuine like of the team and the supporters are now looking forward to the games.
‘Any conversations I have had with the supporters in and around the city have been great. You feel a warmth and an appreciation every day you come to work.
‘The support is deserving of the team — and now the team is deserving of that support!
‘The fans have given us great backing but now we want more of it. There will be people out there who planned to go to the Celtic game at t he weekend but maybe not the Hamilton game.
‘What I would say to them is that if they can afford to come to both games then I’d urge them to please c o me along. It’s important that we do have that level of support again against Hamilton.
‘ So if any are wavering I’d ask them to come along and stay with us. The players would love to run out to a bigger crowd than you’d normally expect.’
McInnes f eels the Aberdeen fans played a big part in helping their team f i nd a l ate winner through Paul Quinn despite being controversially reduced to 10 men when Jonny Hayes was sent off on 72 minutes.
In addition to spurring on his team, McInnes (below) believes mobilising the Red Army can help when it comes to recruiting reinforcements when the January transfer window opens.
‘We will never bridge the gap with Celtic money-wise,’ he said. ‘ But getting bigger crowds might help us get a player in January that we might otherwise wouldn’t have been able to sign. I just feel getting supporters through the gate adds weight to everything we are doing.
‘It definitely helps the team when you play in front of a bigger crowd. As a manager, during games you are always looking for players to be focused and have a competitive edge.
‘But there’s no doubt the support plays a part. In games there are times, like when you go down to 10 men or when you’re under pressure, that a crowd can give the team a lift.
‘And there’s no question our fans made an impact when we went down to 10 men. The encouragement they gave the players on Saturday was fantastic.
‘We all want to keep our good run going. We want to make it seven wins out of seven.’
Publically atleast, the ever-cautious McInnes is not getting carried away by his side’s fine start to the season. Nor is he fooled by Hamilton’s 4-1 loss at St Johnstone on Saturday, seeing it instead as a blip in an otherwise fine start to the season by Martin Canning’s men.
‘The start we have made has been very pleasing but it’s still very early,’ he insisted. ‘You don’t get too overly concerned about where you are at this stage of the season. It’s all about trying to keep that winning formula going. Nobody will give us points for being top of the league. We have to go out and earn them. ‘We play Hamilton tonight and while they lost 4-1 on Saturday they had won three in a row before that. And they might have had a penalty before St Johnstone got on top of them. ‘But what you a l ways get wi t h Hamilton teams is a competitiveness and energy. They have quality players and have a good group. ‘So we will have to win our individual battles.’