The Scottish Cup

“Training has been tough. Paul and Barry have really put us through our paces since the Dundee United game and there has been a real intensity to the work we have done. We have been working very hard to try improve so we can finish the season strongly. It goes without saying that we have been working on certain aspects of our game.

“There is no getting away from it, the results have not been good enough and it has been a very frustrating spell for everyone. The performances have not been nearly good enough. Goals wise as well, we have not been up to scratch, nowhere near it.

“But we can still make it a good campaign.

“The Scottish Cup was a target at the start of the season. It is a target every season. It is a chance to try and win a trophy. We will give it our all, it is a long journey, starting with executing our game plan as best we can on Saturday against Dumbarton, a side who we know will be well up for it.

“The stature of this club, we want to be winning trophies. If you can’t handle the pressure, then Aberdeen is not the club for you. Myself, I thrive on that pressure. You want to play in these situations, in big games, that is when you see the best in players.

New Manager

“We are looking forward to the new gaffer coming in. It will be interesting to see his different ideas. All the boys are looking forward to seeing what he has got to bring to us. And we have Scott Brown to come in, who I think is a great signing for the club. What he has done in his career speaks for itself. Scott has won a lot of trophies. Not just me as a midfielder, but all the boys can learn a lot from him.

“Derek and Tony were great for the club. They have brought the club back up there and over the years they have had the club near the top almost every season. The have done an amazing job. What we need to try and do now is keep up that consistency and also push on even further.

“As professionals we just focus on the football side of things and the games coming up. We take each game as it comes, and we have a massive game against Dumbarton on Saturday.

“I have not spoken to the manager yet. I think Stephen is being respectful of Paul and Barry who are in charge until he can get over here and complete his isolation period. I look forward to meeting him once he gets into Cormack Park and getting to know him.

“I will play wherever the manager wants me to play. This season I have played the majority of the games in midfield, but I am comfortable wherever. It is up to the manager to decide where he wants to play me, and I will just do the best I can for the team.

Dumbarton

“I played all my reserve games at Dumbarton. Rangers played a lot of games there for a few years and then I went to Dumbarton on loan.

“It is a good set up at Dumbarton, a really good club.

“I think I had just turned 19 when I went there. It was for the final few months of the season, the business end of the 2018/19 campaign. The season after that was when I broke into the Rangers first team.

“Daniel Harvie was there on loan from Aberdeen at the time. Jamie Ewings was a big character at Dumbarton and he helped me a lot. Also Darren Barr was the captain. So there were a lot of big characters there who shared their footballing experiences with me. I had a great time at Dumbarton.

“Going out on loan was really important for me.

“I broke into the reserve side at Rangers at a young age, so I then therefore wanted to play first team football as quickly as possible.

Loan Spell

“Before that I was on loan at Ayr United with Ian McCall. I was only 17 at the time and was part of a side that won promotion. It was one of the best moments in my career as Ayr United are my local team. I will always be very grateful to Ian for taking a chance on me, especially when I was so young. Very few managers will take boys on loan at that age, especially when Ayr were under pressure to go up.

“I remember in training he would give me a shout, ‘you are not a boy anymore you are a man!’ It toughened me up but he really looked after me. He was very supportive. I am very grateful to him for taking me in and it was a really enjoyable time.

Mentality

“I think for any young player to go out on loan as quickly as they can so they can play first team football at a good level is the best thing for them. It makes you physically stronger, it makes you mentally stronger as well. The mental side of football is such a big, big thing.

“Then there is the game management side of the game and your decision making.

“Also, just things like having to go into a different changing room, getting out of your comfort zone. You have to show a bit of character. I used to be quite quiet when I was younger, but it made me more open and more confident. That personal development is also so important when you are that age.

Winner

“Having two loan spells when I was younger was really influential on my career and it paid off. At Dumbarton I helped them fight relegation and at Ayr we won promotion. I have always been a winner and those experiences helped strengthen my winning mentality.

“As I say the best thing any young player can do is go and play first team football as quickly as possible. Aberdeen are doing that now. Miko was on loan at Arbroath for two spells and Jack was at Forfar. They have both recently won new contracts. Connor is at Brechin and now Kieran and Kevin are at Cove. It will be great for them and for Aberdeen going forward.”