Jack ready to bring the glory nights back
Aberdeen skipper seeks repeat of 2008 Euro run
FOR the past two seasons, valiant Aberdeen have been found knocking at the door of the Europa League group stage.
Unfortunately, on each occasion, Derek McInnes’ side have found their entry route blocked, first by the formidable Spaniards of Real Sociedad then the oil-rich Kazakhstanis of Kairat Almaty.
Each setback represented a bitter disappointment for Ryan Jack, but the club captain is adamant that Aberdeen’s time in Europe is now.
And should they make it to the group stage, it would represent a dream fulfilled for the 24-year-old, who recalls cheering on Jimmy Calderwood’s side as they successfully navigated the group stage in season 2007-08.
In the last 32, the mighty Bayern Munich were held 2-2 at Pittodrie before the Scots crashed out with a 5-1 defeat in Germany.
And on Thursday night in Slovenia against Maribor, Jack hopes to use memories of that run — combined with the team’s recent near misses on the continent — to light a passage into the group stage for the first time since that memorable campaign.
‘It has been a while since this club last reached the group stage,’ said Jack ahead of a tie that sits in the balance after a 1-1 first-leg draw.
‘I was just a young player coming through the ranks back then and I remember sitting in the stands as Aberdeen reached the last 32.
‘Those were great games for the club. Now we want to get there and we feel it’s our time to do that.
‘We want big games against big European clubs at Pittodrie.
‘We want to test ourselves at that level and Thursday night against Maribor is a big stepping stone for us to get there.
‘We have learned from our most recent European campaigns. In the past couple of years, we have had some decent results against some very decent sides. Maybe the draws made it tough for us to get where we wanted to be.
‘But this year, we wanted to try to head into Europe with no excuses and meet the challenges we face head on.
‘We have the belief that we can match anyone on our day. Now it’s the time to take that next step.
‘We want to get as far as we can and we believe with the squad we have that we have a chance of getting to the group stage this season.
‘Getting to the group stage after having to play eight matches to get there would be an unbelievable achievement, but, of course, we realise playing Maribor is going to be difficult.’
If drawing 1-1 at home in the first leg was disappointing, McInnes’ side played well and confidence remains high ahead of the return in Slovenia.
Celtic, Rangers and Hibernian may all have fallen to Maribor in European competition in the recent past, but Jack believes Aberdeen can succeed where they all failed.
‘There has been a lot made about the fact that no Scottish team has beaten Maribor,’ said Jack.
‘It has been mentioned that Rangers, Celtic and Hibs lost to them.
‘Maribor must be a good side if they are beating teams of that calibre, but we are not putting any pressure on ourselves because of that type of thing.
‘I thought Maribor were a good side last week, technically very good.
‘But I also think we showed in the first leg that we can match anyone when we are on our game.
‘The way we played, we showed passion and energy and we created a lot of chances.
‘I believe we did enough to win and I know we are good enough to get through the tie.
‘It’s going to be tough, but we are mentally and physically prepared. We can score goals over there.
‘So there is nothing to fear. Definitely not.’
While reaching the group stage would mean the world to Jack, he is also targeting silverware as well as competing at the top end of the Premiership this season.
‘Our main aim is to win another trophy,’ he said. ‘With a club the size of Aberdeen, with the support and fanbase we have, there are always expectations of a trophy.
‘The players are no different. In the league campaign, we also want to improve on last season’s tally and see where that takes us.
‘Can we finish top two again? It is always tough at the start of every season. Teams have strengthened, but we have added to our squad as well.
‘We feel we have a strong squad and there is no reason why we can’t improve on last season.’