Stephen Robinson met with the media on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s game against Rangers at Pittodrie.
RedTV subscribers can watch his press conference now by clicking here.
Team news
“It’s obviously a blow, but it could have been a lot worse (Brad Lyons injury news). Brad’ll be back again in a few weeks and he’s recovering well already. He’s back on his feet. A minor blow. We’ll get over it quickly and he’ll be back on the pitch soon.
“Everyone’s fit and available. No real injury concerns, any new injury concerns anyway. Obviously, the boys that are still out, Emmanuel Gyamfi and Kristers Tobers are still not available, but making progress.”
Mats Knoester
“I’m delighted. Since I’ve come in, he’s had a few injury problems. He had some before I came and then got himself back fit again and unfortunately picked up that injury against Dundee in the last game.
“So, we’ve not seen the best of Mats yet. He’s getting back to full fitness; he had 45 minutes in the KDM Cup game as well. He’s on the road to recovery and it’s certainly a very good option for us again.
“He’s trained now consistently for two to three weeks, so he’ll certainly be an option going forward.
“He’s available. He’s available, yeah. It’s obviously my decision whether I think he’s fit enough to be on the bench, and when you put people on the bench they’ve got to be available to play 90 minutes because they could come on very, very quickly.
“We’ll make that decision in the next 48 hours.”
Transfer update
“No, there’s no updates at this moment in time, no.
“There’s some close (players going other way). Lutz and the recruitment boys are working away in the background on that. I think they’ve done a terrific job so far, we’re hoping that a couple of things will go through in the next two or three days. “Yeah, he is, yeah (Kusini Yengi being one close to a move).
Sunday at Pittodrie
“It’s another game at home. Another opportunity for us to get three points. We played Hearts in the first game of the season and got three points. We have to make it very much about ourselves, how we approach the game with positivity.
“And as I say, every home game you want to win. So that’s certainly our intention.
“I say we have to focus on ourselves first and foremost and what we bring to the game. We have to bring the best version of ourselves. Every time you play Rangers, it’s a difficult game. It doesn’t matter what stage of the season it is and where they are in terms of results. You play Rangers, you have to be on top of your game to win the game.”
Extra training time
“We’ve been able to get some really good sessions in, a lot of work that was already beginning in pre-season. We’ve tried to continue that.
“We had a bounce game last week as well during the break, so we’ve kept everybody sharp and momentums everything. You want to keep playing at this stage. We feel we’re in decent form, so we want to keep playing games as often as we can.”
Toyosi Olusanya
“Yeah, he’s an absolute handful to play against. He’s so quick. He’s so strong. He’s been involved in a lot of our goal actions and goals. And I say, in every game, he affects the game.
“So we always say that the player that is going to affect the game doesn’t just stroll through the game. And nobody affects it more than Toy. He’s a hard-working boy, a super, super kid. He loves playing for Aberdeen.
“You see the passion and desire that he plays with, and he gets kicked from pillar to post. He maybe doesn’t get the protection because he’s a strong, strong boy and he tries to stay on his feet. But he’s an honest boy and he affects every game that he plays in.”
At home again
“I’ve focused on it’s another home game that we want to get three points. As I said previously, anytime you play Rangers, you’re going to have to be at the top of your game.
“So that’s what we have to do. But, you know, we must solely focus on what we bring to it. And as I say, a home game, we want to win the game. We want to be really positive. And there’s a chance to get some real momentum going as well.”
Momentum
“I’m not sure it’s an advantage (the week off). Players want to keep playing football and momentum all the time. We had a game last week, a practice game as well.
“So, we have tried to keep the momentum going. We come into it positive after a really good week’s training. And as I say, I don’t think it’s a disadvantage to Rangers though.
“It went well. It went very well (practise match during the week).
Focused on the job at hand
“What’s in front of you is what you have to look at. None of us might make Tuesday or Wednesday next week. So, concentrate on what’s right in front of you.
“It’s an important game because the chance to get three points is an important game because it’s a home game. Full house, a brilliant atmosphere, and this is why you come to Aberdeen.
“You want these games. You want to go and show you’re a good side, which I believe we are. And we’ll be solely focused on trying to win that game and we’ll only turn our attention to the other when the final whistle blows, and then we start concentrating on the following week.
Improvements
“We’re looking to improve every game. You know, are we the finished article? No. Is there going to be bumps on the road? Yes.
“I said that after we won and after we lost, there’s going to be ups and downs in the season. There’s a lot of transition, 13 new players, a lot of new staff in every department that we’ve tried to put in place as well.
“There’s been big changes at the football club. So, we’re going to continue to improve as the season goes on.”
