Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass spoke to RedTV during his first day at the club:

“It feels good to finally be here. It has taken a little bit longer than I would have liked. I have been watching from a distance and it has been great to see the team winning. I just can’t wait to get my teeth into it now.

“My first morning has been great. I have been meeting the people around the training ground and there are a few familiar faces, some of the lads are in doing some extra work which is great to see. I know the work ethic of the group and I can’t wait to get going.

“I have been able to watch the group training from isolation on my laptop and have been keeping an eye on the games and getting ahead of the opponents that are coming up as well. There is a lot of footage that you can watch and get on top of. I have been planning that remotely with Allan and we have been able to prepare as best as we can.

“The team have done well over the last couple of weeks, Paul has done very well. A lot of young boys have been getting opportunities as well. Paul has been really brave in that respect with the players he has put in the team. It has been fantastic and has given us a great base to work with.

“I left Paul to pick the team over the last couple of games. I have been an interim manager myself, I didn’t have interference, but I know when you are given the responsibility and you stand and take a training session and you are in charge for the games, you want to have it for yourself. You don’t want to be wondering what someone else is thinking. I thought it was important to talk to Paul early and let him know that he was fully in charge. You saw the response from the group, they knew Paul was in charge and the team was better for it.

“Jack MacKenzie was excellent on Saturday and Calvin Ramsay played great the week before and Ethan Ross played as well. They are starting big important games for the club, it is not a throw away thing, it is really important that people are putting young players in. I applaud Paul for putting them in while he was in interim charge.

“It is easy just to put as an experienced group as you can out on the pitch and if it doesn’t work then just go ‘it wasn’t my fault.’ He took the bull by the horns, picked the team he thought was right. The young players will be pleased with that and so will Paul.

“Saturday is a great challenge and that is why we are here. We are here for a challenge and to push the club on. We are in a great position, in the later rounds of the cup but the win at the weekend in the league means there is a lot to play for on all fronts. I think we have eight games coming up, we will aim to win as many as we can and have a successful end to the season.

“With only four days until our first game it is important that we don’t come in and try to reinvent the wheel. Paul has come in and put some fresh ideas into them. We have discussed bits and pieces but not a real strategy as such. He knows what the club’s strategy is and that is important. We can put ideas in their head from things we have seen against Livingston, things we expect, the principles that we want to see that are hopefully going to be here for years to come.

“There will be a bit of a difference to the team on Saturday and I am hopeful that the result will bear fruit from that.

“I have spoken to the players when I was in isolation which was good. You can sense in their voices that it is a change for them, and some of them have never had a change in manager before. It is a new experience for a lot of them. They have played for a highly successful management team in Derek and Tony but there is a change. I have been there as a player myself, sometimes you are disappointed to see a manager leave, some people are happy, but it is what happens next.

“The players are happy; they are looking forward to what is going to happen next. I think the honeymoon period has gone a little bit, so we come in fresh and ready to hit the ground running.

“I am delighted to get Allan on board. It says everything about him that he was all in or nothing. That is what he is bringing to the club. He is well respected with what he does with set pieces and the forwards with England, but he is so much more than that. He is a well-rounded coach that has some great ideas, and we are very fortunate to have him. Allan walks in the door with me on day one and we are ready to try and make our mark on the club.

“Myself and the club worked hard to get Allan in. He has given up a lot to come here, he could have kept on a lot of family time, but he wants to come here and be apart of what is going to happen at the club.

“I am grateful that he is here, we are all delighted to have him, but the best part is he is delighted to be here himself.

“I have had a lot of messages from fans and from my friends and family.

“Between now and hopefully May 22nd we have got a lot of work to do, and I am looking forward to it.”