quotes from Derek McInnes

Derek McInnes was unveiled as the new Aberdeen manager today and one of the first things on his agenda was talking to Dave Mac for RedTV.

“I applied for the job when the news came out that Craig and Archie were leaving at the end of the season. It’s the only job I have applied for since I left my last post. I got a call last Wednesday and met with the Board the following day. I then met with them the following day and was then offered the job so it all happened quite quickly. I am delighted to be here and delighted with the opportunity I have been given. I can’t wait to get started.

“The experiences Tony Docherty and myself have had in the game, good and bad, will stand us in good stead. At St Johnstone everything was good and things were only going one way. We had developed a team from the one that got us promoted in our first full season, and we achieved the longest unbeaten record in the club’s history and established St Johnstone in the top six. We had a great time in Perth. I think it is important in any walk of life that you experience the good and bad but you do not want to experience the bad too often! I do feel there was a lot of good work done at Bristol City. That chapter has now passed but you can learn from it.

“I am looking forward to working with and getting close to the players. That contact with the players is really important. What we need to do is take small steps towards getting a bit of optimism and momentum going about the club. Aberdeen is well respected for its history and stature and well respected for its level of support but we want to be respected on the park again. I am no different to the supporters in terms of what I want. I want to get to cup finals and win trophies.

“Craig and Archie have made big strides this season but we want to move that on now. I want a team that the fans can be proud of and that other teams fear. I want a team that can inspire the city and I want people to come and watch us. To do that, it is not just going to be down to us, it is going to take a collective effort but both Tony and I have a way of working that we feel gets the best out of players and hopefully we can do that at Aberdeen.

“Craig and Archie are two very proud men and they want to try and get the job finished and get the side into the top six. I totally respect that and I hope they can finish with a couple of good wins to get the club there. There are benefits from being in the top six, not just financially but professionally. As a player you can feel a bit prouder about yourself and hopefully we can get the results to do that.

“When we do take over, whether we are in the top half or the bottom half of the SPL it is important we finish the season strongly. There are seven games to go and I hope the player see the importance of finishing the season strongly because I do feel that finishing strongly can allow you keep some momentum going over the close season and get a bit of optimism for the new campaign. It is important we finish as high as possible.

“I don’t know Craig that well but I have played against his teams before and I have been on courses that Craig has spoken at or been at. Every time I have been in his company as a young manager, I try and cherish the knowledge he has and try to learn from his experience. There is a lot of knowledge there that he has built up over the years and Aberdeen Football Club can only benefit from having someone like that on the staff and in the Boardroom. It is good for me to have someone to bounce ideas off.

“It is quite an unusual situation. Normally a manager would go in and start work straight away but we can start to work in the background on several things. Obviously we will come to the games and then officially take up our posts on April the 8th.

“There are players we can look at, we can bed ourselves in and look at the full logistics of everything as well as ascertaining who will be good for us going forward and who is not, seeing which players are out of contract and those who are under contract.

“We will try and get a balanced view on Aberdeen starting from now. There are a lot of players I do know and others that I am not so well aware of, but I have watched Aberdeen a couple of times in the last few weeks and I know there is enough there to suggest we have a nucleus of a good team and a good squad. We will be planning for next season and identifying which areas we need to strengthen.

“It’s important we make good judgement calls on who is going to be here next season and who is not. Every player will have the same opportunity to be part of something next season”

RedTV | Derek McInnes interview please click here

RedTV | the managers media conference please click here

RedTV | Stewart Milne speaks to Dave Galloway please click here

RedImages |

Derek Mcinnes | The Media Conference