Season Preview: “Pre-match pints, half-time pies and post match post-mortems.”

The dawn of a new season provokes excitement and optimism among Scottish football supporters across the country. A belief is often cultivated that this campaign might just be different and new signings could impress, solving the woes of the previous season. Pre-match pints, half-time pies and post-match post-mortems are all back. Hope is prevalent across the land.

For the Aberdeen support, however, the journey to Perth will act as a distraction from missed penalties, dodgy turf and scandalous refereeing. (Did someone say Willie Collum is officiating tomorrow?) Thursday’s Europa League exit was disappointing but heart should be taken from a spirited showing across the two legs and with a bit of perspective, perhaps there is reason to be hopeful in the coming season.

The club’s infrastructure is healthy and the desire to progress is clear. A public consultation has begun in order to gather opinion on the club’s proposal to leave Pittodrie and develop a community and sports campus, football academy and stadium at Kingsford.

 

Meanwhile the youth academy continues to prosper with no less than six players being called up to the Scotland Under-17 squad towards the end of July, making Aberdeen the most well represented club within that international age group. The recruitment and development of young players remains in the trusted hands of Neil Simpson, Gavin Levey and Jim Fraser, forward-thinkers who are passionate about Aberdeen Football Club.

The vast improvement in sports nutrition and science is evident following the appointment of Graham Kirk in 2013 as Aberdeen’s inaugural Head of Sports Science and Fitness. Kirk’s role in working closely with the players on strength, power and diet has resulted in a much fitter side, which has been reflected in Aberdeen’s ability to compete strongly until the final whistle.

Professionalism has become a key factor of Derek McInnes’ tenure, as the manager has sought to develop a philosophy of continual improvement year on year throughout the whole club. Aberdeen’s failure to maintain a title challenge last season was not because of a lack of ability in the first eleven but an over reliance on individuals due to the lack of depth in the squad. Therefore, McInnes has addressed this with the addition of seven signings so far this summer.

Assuming the transfer activity is not yet over, the increased depth of the squad will also allow us to be more adaptable in a formational sense. We have been able to switch between the trusted 4-2-3-1 system and 4-4-2 in the Europa League. Jayden Stockley provides a different type of outlet to Adam Rooney, while Miles Storey and Wes Burns should provide much needed support or competition, whichever way you look at it, for key creative players Jonny Hayes and Niall McGinn.

The squad looks strong in an attacking sense but in the same breath it must be recognised that there are question marks surrounding the defensive department. The arrival of Callum Morris, and the use of Anthony O’Connor as a holding midfielder against Fola Esch, would imply that McInnes is hoping for a return to the form of the 2014/15 season for the defensive partnership of Mark Reynolds and Ash Taylor. The pair arguably improved with each game in the Europa League but the goal conceded in the home leg against Maribor was a visual representation of every Aberdeen supporter’s worst fears approaching the coming season. One ray of hope is that Joe Lewis, despite Thursday’s misfortune, appears to be a worthwhile addition, while Neil Alexander is a ready and experienced deputy.

The Captain

Ryan Jack enters his second season leading the team as club captain. Jack’s relationship with the support could be described as somewhat bitter sweet during periods last season, with some members of the Red Army disgruntled with the midfielder’s contribution to the team in an attacking sense.

It must be said, however, that his performances in the Europa League, omitting the second leg against Fola Esch, have been excellent. Jack has shown intelligence, tenacity and purposeful possession play, particularly against Maribor. We hope that this is the start of a renaissance for the midfielder, and a return to the form that saw him receive his first full Scotland call up in the summer of 2013. An on-form Jack is capable of dictating football matches with an acute passing ability, exquisite close control and intelligence that has superseded any other player to come through the ranks at Pittodrie in recent years.

Perhaps the appointment was premature and it can be debated whether the increased expectation has negatively impacted his performances, but with a full season as skipper under his belt, including leading Aberdeen in two Europa League campaigns, we hope that Jack will grow into his role as captain and believe that his presence on the field is integral to the overall success of the team this season.

The Manager

This time last season, we were all emphasising the importance of improving our performances against Celtic. McInnes was able to achieve this and more or less hold his own against the Champions, winning both fixtures at Pittodrie. Unfortunately, however, the team performed more inconsistently against the likes of Inverness and Hearts and completely capitulated twice at the hands of St. Johnstone. The 5-1 home drubbing to St Johnstone will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. Inevitably this is where the league was lost, as Celtic triumphed where we did not.

The manager must improve performances in the so-called smaller encounters and drastically reverse a dwindling away form that mirrored Hamilton’s, a team that finished tenth in the league last season. Incredibly, we lost one less game on the road than the diabolical Kilmarnock. Whether McInnes will sign another defender and a ball-winning midfielder is unclear at present but if the manager opts not to and this becomes a talking point during the season then that decision will undoubtedly be considered an error of judgement. Aberdeen conceded fifteen more goals in the league last season compared to the season prior, re-emphasising the need for defensive stability and consistency.

Despite the excellent start to the domestic season last year, the final points total of 71 was a four point regression from the preceding year. An improvement on both totals should be sought by all at the club and the aim for the league is surely second place, stretching Celtic as much as we can.

What about the elephant in the room? Or rather, the big fat orc. We meet The Rangers for the first time in our history on Sunday 25th September. The atmosphere will be fervently hostile and the nerves will probably be sickening. Aberdeen must look to make their presence known in all meetings with the new Glasgow club this season. We are a better team so let’s go out and beat them.

Then there’s the cups. Since the League Cup triumph in 2014, our cup campaigns have been somewhat dry. Losses to Dundee and Dundee United the season before last were followed by exits at the hands of Hibs and Hearts before Christmas last season. A repeat of the same this year would have a detrimental effect on the morale of the support and put significant pressure on McInnes’ management. The support longs for silverware and therefore, we must look to impact both cup competitions.

Predictions

Scottish Premiership: 2nd

Scottish Cup: Winners

Scottish League Cup: Quarter-Finals

Key Protagonists

Joe Lewis 

The importance of a goalkeeper cannot be overestimated, as Brian Clough once put it, “a save is worth as much as a goal”. Joe Lewis has only played a handful of games for the Dons but he may well become a hugely important player. A confident goalkeeper breeds confidence throughout the team, and if there was ever a time when our defence needed a capable goalkeeper, it’s now.

Mark Reynolds

The centre-back hasn’t been at his best over the last eighteen months but seems to be McInnes’ preferred option at the moment. Mark Reynolds’ dedication, work-rate and loyalty have never been called into question and his recent performances have been slightly more encouraging. If he can remain consistent this season, we have ourselves an important figure and a calming influence for Ash Taylor. If not, we could be in trouble.

Jonny Hayes

The winger’s ability to carry the ball quickly into dangerous areas and terrorise fullbacks with his pace mean that Jonny Hayes is a key player. The Irishman is hugely important to the direct counter-attacking style Aberdeen have adopted under Derek McInnes and will be looking to have a similarly excellent season to the 2015/16 season.