RedMatchday Issue 04 Preview
Adam Rooney
“The European run has been very enjoyable so far and hopefully we can keep it going. I was lucky enough to play in Europe when I was at Birmingham in 2011 and we qualified for the group stages. At Birmingham we only had to play the one qualifying game to get into the group stages, unlike the four rounds and eight games we have to play! So it was certainly a bit easier, although the number of games you have to play in the English Championship, it is probably just as well! That was a very long season!
“It was a great experience to play in the group stages and having done it once, you always fancy another go it but you’re never sure of when you will get the chance again. It was brilliant to be involved in the games last season and this year as well. As a player, they are the games you always remember. I will always remember beating Groningen over there last year and that night in Croatia. You always remember those type of games, long after you have stopped playing.
“I enjoy playing against different teams, from different leagues, different players, who play different styles. In many of the countries they play a different type of football. Different teams have different styles but technically the players are normally all very good, like the Kairat ones. Their movement normally tends to be very good as well as their organisation.
“The fun is adapting to each team you play as they are all different. As you have never played against them before, it is the sense of the unknown that brings the challenges. You have to focus on your own game and game plan. The coaches certainly put the hours in on the opposition to give us the information we need and we take that onto the field. Without that work you would not know what you were doing!
“I don’t feel any more pressure because of what I did last season. When I came in originally halfway through the season two years ago, I got nine goals in a few months which meant people were expecting a lot last year and thankfully, I delivered.
“The main aim is to try and do well and to keep improving. I always set myself targets, I just don’t tell anyone! I will tell you what my target was in a programme interview at the end of the season!”
Derek McInnes
“As I have already said, this evening will be another very difficult game against a good side and it will require a top performance for us to continue our European adventure. Tonight could be a special one but only if we get through to the next stage. It’s a big challenge but one we are relishing and, if we set about things in the correct manner, then we have a chance of going through.”
Graeme Shinnie
“Playing in Europe is a very different experience. Even coming in 2-0 down at half time, we knew we still had three halves of football to play in the tie. The manager just said to us to go out and win the second half and we did that. The away goal has given us an opportunity to get through but we know it will still be a very difficult game in the second leg. We are going to have to put in a performance”.
Kenny McLean
“This is going to be a very big night for us. The crowd have got behind us in the European games so far and with our supporters behind us again, it can make a difference, as Kairat’s supporters showed over there. Against the Croatians, we got 15,000 here and it was a massive factor.”
Ryan Jack
“Twenty minutes into the game at Almaty, things weren’t looking so good as they set off with a real tempo where we took a little while to get ourselves going. At two goals down, I’m sure some people were looking on and thinking that we might be dead and buried, but that’s never the way this team thinks. There’s a lot of character in our dressing room and we always feel that whatever the situation, we can find a way back into any game. We improved going into the break and once we had done that and spoken about how we were going to approach the second half, I think we all felt that we could go out and win the second half and give ourselves a chance on Thursday. That was how it transpired and Kenny’s goal was absolutely massive for us. At 2-1, with an away goal, it gives us a fighting chance of making progress this evening, especially if we can keep a clean sheet.”
RedMatchday Magazine is priced at £3.00 and is available from the sellers in and around the ground before the game as well the AFC Club shop. For anyone who can't make it along to Pittodrie on Thursday you can buy a copy online by clicking here
