Stephen Robinson met with the media at Cormack Park on Friday afternoon ahead of his first away game as Aberdeen Head Coach on Saturday at Ibrox.
RedTV subscribers can watch in full now by clicking here.
Rangers at Ibrox
“I’ve gone to Ibrox and won games. I don’t ever go into a game with any kind of fear. We’ve had a week now to work on things. There were good aspects of the game last week, especially out of possession. We looked more organised, we looked harder to break down, and we’ll need that. When you go to Ibrox, you have to defend very, very well as a team and as units.
“We’ve continued to work on that. There’s lots of things to keep doing, of course. But we want to be more positive on the ball. I believe they’ve got more of an understanding of what I want now after the last three or four training sessions.
“When you go to Ibrox and Celtic Park, you have to defend really well, that’s a given, but you also have to be good on the ball. You have to be brave, you have to buy your passes and play in areas that are going to hurt the opposition. We’ve worked on that this week, so I’m looking for progression.”
Mentality
“There are players that maybe people thought weren’t getting opportunities, or hadn’t been given opportunities for whatever reason, but there are players who have stood out to me that maybe I wasn’t expecting. There are people who have realised it is a clean slate and have stepped up to the mark this week.”
“Mentality is everything. Everybody here has got talent, there’s no doubt about that. What we have to do is make individuals work as a team, that’s first and foremost. We saw that to an extent last week, but we have to be better again to get a result at Ibrox.
“None of my teams ever go with any kind of fear. I think you only go with fear if you’re not organised. We know Rangers are a good side with good players. We know we have to be at the top of our game, of course we do. We can lose the game on one moment of brilliance, that happens. But we’ll go with the belief we can get a result.
Giving players opportunities
“I go with a belief that There are players here who haven’t shown how good they are yet. They’ll get opportunities and it’s up to them to take them. I go with real enthusiasm that we can get a result.”
“From a distance, I always thought Aberdeen had very good individuals and talented players, and that’s been confirmed. But you need to give them direction. We’ve done that, and it will improve as we go.”
Being up for the fight
“There are boys who want to learn. I don’t see any bad characters. I think they needed direction. We’re giving that and trying to improve on that. There are players who look like they’re up for the fight now, because that’s what it is. It’s a fight. We need points.
“We have to have that mentality, we’re together and it’s against the world. We’ll go to Ibrox knowing it’s one of the hardest challenges in the league, but with the talent we have, I believe we can get a result. I always say you start a story on a Monday, and by Friday the players have to believe in that. I believe in it, and I believe the players believe they can get a result.
“Players play for themselves. They want to look good, they want to play (well). Nobody goes on the pitch not wanting to do well. They don’t mean to make mistakes. There’s personal pride in that.
“I’ve changed little bits and pieces, and we have to get our standards up in certain areas, and we will. Everybody has embraced that. You don’t get jobs 9/10 times when things are going well. This is a situation we need to change quickly, and I believe we have the personnel to do that in the building. Then we’ll look again in the summer.
Getting points on the board
“First and foremost, we focus on ourselves. We know Rangers’ strengths and weaknesses. We’re not there to make their fans happy, we’re there to make ours happy and get a result. The top end of the table isn’t something we are involved in at this moment in time. Our worry is the bottom end. We have to get enough points to get away from that playoff place, and that’s what we intend to do.
“We got a point last week, which should have been three. We have to try and build a little bit of momentum, which has been lacking this season. There haven’t been consistent results or performances, and we need to put that in place, it’s a hard place to try get it, but we are hoping for an improvement on last week, and to build on that.”
Team news
“Lyall won’t be able to play being a Rangers player. The long-term injuries are still out, at centre-half where we’re light.
“We had good news today on Mats (Knoester). He might be back before the end of the season, potentially looking at the last three to four games he could be available. There is a recovery period, he’s out of his brace, and he needs to come through the tests.
“When I came in, I was told he probably wouldn’t play again this season, but the specialist has given us a bit of hope. That would be badly needed and a huge boost for everybody.”
Relationship with the fans
“I know they don’t like each other (Aberdeen and Rangers), I know that. None of my teams are really liked anyway, so that probably adds to it. That’s for the fans, they have their rivalries, my job is to focus on getting three points.
“It’s important. Sometimes there is a false narrative about you. When your only concentrating on your own team and you don’t pay a whole lot of attention to other clubs, it is important people can see what I am about, what my plans are for the football club going forward, and for the immediate position we are in at this moment in time.”
Ian Burchnall
“Ian is here until the end of the season at this moment in time. He offers a lot of experience, he has coached abroad, he brings a lot to the table. I knew of Ian before I came in. He has different ideas, some different challenges as well, ultimately we decided to keep him here until the end of the season, then we can review that when we get to it.”
Perfomances of Dylan Lobban and Mitchel Frame
“First and foremost, they’ve got a challenge to make sure they stay in the team because Alex Jensen has been very, very good this week. Probably a kid that maybe was written off a little bit when he first came into the club, but he was absolutely flying. You don’t lose that talent, sometimes you lose confidence and direction.
“I thought Dylan was very good last week, Mitchel and Gyamfi as well. There’s real competition in those areas, so nothing is set in stone for those two young boys. They’re part of our plans, but they have to work to stay in the team. It will certainly be a challenge going to Ibrox for the younger players, in whatever capacity we see fit on Saturday.”
The current situation
“I didn’t get the job because we were fighting for a top three or top four spot. I got the job because we’re in a situation down at the bottom of the table and we need to get points on the board. So of course it’s concerning.
“I’d rather have taken the job in much easier circumstances and enjoyed the rest of the season, but until we get the points on the board, nobody will be sitting back. Nobody will be resting on their laurels. They’re all fighting for places, and everybody’s fighting for their careers really, to make sure they’re here next season and that the club isn’t involved in anything down the bottom of the table.
“Hopefully that’s enough motivation to make sure we come out fighting.
“We can only control what we do. We can’t sit around worrying about what anybody below us does. So it’s very important we concentrate on ourselves, we control our results, our performances, our attitude and how we handle that pressure.
“It’s a different kind of pressure for Aberdeen. I’ve experienced it many times before, so hopefully we can provide the structure to guide us out of it.
“As I said, everybody has a lot to prove. Nobody is guaranteed to play for this football club because we haven’t done it so far this season. Nobody has earned that right, so everybody is fighting for places.”
