The new campaign is fast approaching and Jimmy Thelin sat down with the media for the first time this season as he previewed our league opener against Hearts on Monday night.

RedTV subscribers can watch in full by clicking here. 

Scottish Cup Reflections

“Of course there was some amazing days here in Aberdeen before I went back to Sweden. When you’re in this competitive game, you have to celebrate the victory with all the all your friends, the staff, the players, the supporters and enjoy it. Now it’s back again to another season, and you have to leave it behind and focus on another season. It was a great summer but now we’re looking forward to a new season.”

Players Coming & Going

“The players always contribute when they’re here. Sometimes players leave. It’s a normal process of the game. Sometimes it’s for more exposure for more game time, sometimes moving on in their career to another adventure and another opportunity. We are really happy for the things they have done here. We’re always proud of our players and we wish them luck when they move on or when they’re on loan, we have to give them this opportunity to give them some game time and develop their careers. You’re always trying to find the best way for the individual and of course for Aberdeen and trying to find this balance in the squad.

“In terms of players coming in, with this situation always it’s difficult to say something about that because it’s an open window and you’re not alone in the market. We have some things we’re working on, but I can’t tell more than that right now!”

Hearts on Monday

“When you have a pre-season, you have to be ready. You are as good as you are when you start the season, and then hopefully you can always develop and grow during the season. But we are ready for an exciting first league game now, away against Hearts and to play in front of our away support, the atmosphere, a competitive game. There is a lot of positive things to look forward to. Of course we feel ready for this game.”

Team News

“Kristers Tobers is out and (Emmanuel) Gyamfi is also out. I think it’s going to be some two, three more weeks before they are ready to play, but the rest is available. That’s good.”

Consistency

“You have to evolve and it’s different parts. One way is to be even better connected as a team and improving other things, how we are there when we are under pressure in some parts. Sometimes it’s not always the perfect game, but try to stay in the game and win the games anyway. There’s a lot of things we have gone through and identified that we have to be better at. Also the capacity to stay on the pitch, like how we train and keep the players fresh and healthy. It’s different things but then also to grow and to be better as a player and as a team, and that’s our job to support our players to take this step.”

Thoughts on a season in Scotland

“It’s a really competitive league, and it’s really exciting. You have to be sharp every day as a manager or staff or a player. There is a lot of pressure on you, so when you get pressure, you have to grow. I enjoy it so much. It’s been a lot of games. It’s been different kind of opponents, different kind of games. There is no breaks. It just keep going. You have to find a way as a player or as a staff to find the right balance, to always get the energy right. It’s not only about sometimes the qualities but also to to keep the energy high levels high during the whole season. With our supporters also, they’re always there. So I think we’re growing and learning and I think the league is a really exciting league to be a part of.”

Added Demands of Europe

“We know before we start the season how many games there are. We can’t have that as an excuse. We have to prepare for this and look forward. If I can choose to be in Europe or not, I want to choose to be in Europe. For us is to be exposed to this every year is important. That’s why the league is so important, or the cups to give you a chance to live it every year. Then you get better at it. You grow as a player, the mental capacity, the traveling, the recovery, and also the club how we can support the players.

“Every every time you play in Europe and try to be there every year, you’re going to be better and better to keep this robustness to be out there. That’s important for us, and it’s also important for the players. Then if you’re doing well, you’re going to be a national team player, then get even more games. You have to think positively about the passion, but of course, also respect where you are in your career. If it’s a young player and getting exposed to a lot of games, is one way. If you are in maybe a little bit older player, you have to recover more in some areas, we have to find this balance and try to live it every year. That’s the best way to learn it and to grow with it. We have a lot of good staff to help to recover the players. You have to be optimistic and positive about it to have a chance to play in Europe.”

Building on our Scottish Cup win

“I think that the players lived it and felt it. Even before we won the cup, this togetherness we have created with our fans, and we have some hard times, as you said last season, but the supporters were there. We talk about this three year plan and then down this trip we have to move on again, but we have an imagination in our head where we want to be after three years, and now we’re in the second season, and we’re still growing and trying to improve every season. I think this electric atmosphere and also this historical club, there is not so many times in your career you can have these emotions, but you always have to be hungry to live it again, so that the passion and the drive inside the club will be helped by the cup win.”