Ross McCrorie spoke to the media this week during the club’s pre-match press conference for the Hearts game at Pittodrie on Saturday. And the defender was full of praise for the job Barry Robson and his coaching staff have done since taking over:

“Now it is just one game a week, as opposed to all the midweek games we had at the start of the year, we have had a lot more time on the training pitch with Barry to get to see more of his different ideas and different training methods. I think you can see that it has made a big difference in the last few games that with more time on the training pitch, the team have been improving.

“What has helped me is that I have known Barry for a good two or three years since I have been up here. He was involved in the coaching team under Derek McInnes when I first came up, and then has obviously taken the youth teams since then so has been around Cormack Park. I know what Barry is like and I know that one day he is going to be a top manager. That is how high I rate him. His training methods are really good, really intense, but it is up to us as players to go and put Barry’s training methods into games to try and pick up as many points as we can with the split coming up.

“As professionals we look forward to winning games on a Saturday, no matter what manager comes in with their own ideas. As a player it is normal to adjust, but I will say it has been great with Barry so far, as he came in and picked up some decent results. There is no uncertainty among the players at all.

“It is not up to me about what the club want to go going forward, but I have a lot of respect for Barry not only for what he did as a player, but also from what he has done as a coach. I have been really impressed with him and long may it continue.

“It is a big game this weekend, but every game at this stage of the season every game is important. It is the business end of the season.

“We have had a sticky patch earlier in the year like most teams have had, but with 10 games left, we need to go in and treat every game like a cup final if we want to get Aberdeen where they need to be. It is up to us now to go and accumulate as many points as we can. It will be a tough ask, but I have full belief in the players and hopefully we can achieve something great this season.

“The players need to keep improving week on week. And we have been improving.

“The new boys that arrived in January have helped enormously. Top players who have come straight into the team and been brilliant.

“Our home form has been right up there this season and the crowd has been really good, and it is up to us to continue that and get more points on the table. It will be a challenge, there is no getting away from it that Hearts are a good team. We respect them. But we are a top team as well. It will be two top teams going at it and I am really looking forward to the game.

“At Aberdeen we go into every game looking for a victory.”