The curtain came down on 2015-16 on Sunday; the end of another highly impressive campaign under Derek McInnes, who has continued to drive us forward and given us more highs in the past three years than we had experienced in the previous couple of decades.
He has been very much in the spotlight, but has handled himself impeccably, said all the right things, backed his players and responded well to the many challenges which have presented themselves.
It is the nature of the job however that past successes quickly fade from memory, and Derek will be all too well aware that he is going to have to keep pushing, to keep striving to maintain the levels he and the team have reached in recent seasons.
He has the nucleus of the squad to ensure that will be the case, but is, I know, working hard to improve it further, to add the kind of quality that we have come to expect in his key signings.
A few familiar faces, guys who have played their part, will be leaving this summer – Derek’s task is to replace them, to identify individuals who have the talent and mentality to help move our club forward.
I would expect a good number of new faces, in fact by the time you read this, if everything has gone to plan, some announcements might already have been made. If not, they will be soon, as the manager is determined to have everything in place for the start of pre-season training next month and the kick-off to our Europa League campaign.
We all know the story of the campaign just ending, we all know that a couple more victories at important points of the season might have meant a very different ending to the Premiership season. It is human nature to think “what if?”, to dwell on the disappointments and to point to the failings, but as I have written previously on these pages, we simply do not have the resources to negate such occasions.
If Derek had enjoyed the advantages that Ronny Deila had – a first-team squad of around thirty packed with talented players, all of whom can step into the first-team without weakening it – then I have no doubt he, rather than the Norwegian, would have won the league this year.
He doesn’t have such luxuries, but he does have a strong, reliable, hard-core group of players who, with the right guidance and support, can once again emerge as Celtic’s main challengers next time round.
And that is something I am looking forward to already.
Sadly I won’t be at Pittodrie this afternoon as the Sportsound editor has cruelly rejected my emotional pleas to present from the ground and sent me elsewhere. In truth, I cannot complain, as I have seen the Dons more this season than in any campaign since the mid-1980s.
And what a joy it has been. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Derek and the boys for a fantastic ten months, and while it would have been lovely to see them one last time, I know my wee pal in the main stand will cheer a bit louder and give them an extra round of applause on my behalf. Won’t you Sam?
Stand Free.
Stand Free.
