go to Derek and Adam
Aberdeen striker Adam Rooney and manager Derek McInnes were this afternoon presented with their SPFL Premiership Player and Manager of the Month awards for February.
Derek McInnes told RedTV: “I got wind of the award last week but did not want to pre-empt anything ahead of the cup final. Any award is recognition of how well the team are doing. Although I am picking up the award (alog with Adam) it is a result of the hard work everyone else is doing behind the scenes, the staff and the players.
“February was a good month as this award suggests. We have made a good start to March, hopefully we can continue that and have a good May. There is a lot coming our way at the moment and a lot for us to deal with.
“We have made a lot of people happy which is what you want to do. There is a lot of job satisfaction in seeing what happened on Sunday. The players work extremely hard and you want that hard work to be rewarded. It was a great day for the club, the city. It is important we try and build on that and move forward.
“It is good to draw on the experience you gain in big games like Sunday. Games with a profile, intensity and pressure. It is good for the players to experience that. The semi final helped us going into the final.
“I could not have imagined we would have won a trophy already. All I wanted to do initially was be competitive and to get some respectability back to the club. As a club we had a good name for how we went about our business but we had fallen sort on the pitch in recent years. It is important a club like Aberdeen is in the mix when it comes to fighting for honours.
“It is not easy winning a cup as 19 years would suggest. We had to work very hard to win the League Cup, we faced a lot of challenges which we overcame and that bodes well for the future.
“The time for reflection is not now. The time for reflection is at the end of the season and hopefully we have more to look back upon. We have got ourselves into a strong position in the league but we know there is no room for error. We have 10 league games left and we want to try finish as strongly as possible and to do that we have to keep concentrating and keeping a high level of performance. I actually think we need to increase our performance now to go the full way. It has been a good season up to now and we have a chance to make it even better. When opportunities like this come along it is important we try and capitalise on them.
“The players deserve a lot of credit for dealing with each challenge that has come along, whether it be the league, League Cup or Scottish Cup. We have shown a real consistency which bodes well. With so many teams fighting for the European spots we do not have much room for error. Each game is therefore like a cup game, a game we have to win.
“The parade on Sunday will be a special occasion. It is important the players create a bond with the supporters. However at the moment I am just concentrating on the Kilmarnock game.
“Jonny Hayes will be out for six weeks which is really disappointing. He has been a big player for us. Peter Pawlett was actually very close to making the final. However in his attempt to make the final he has aggravated the injury again so he will have to let that settle. He has a small tear in his groin but does a chance of being fit for the Ross County or Dundee United games. Their disappointment will give someone else an opportunity to come in.”
RedTV Interviews |
Derek McInnes please click here
Adamy Rooney please click here
Nicky Low please click here
