“We’re delighted first of all. Derek and I are ambitious people and this is an ambitious club. You see the success we had last season, we want to go one better. We say this every season that we want to improve, we see it and the club right now is going in the right direction. There’s a lot of good work happening on and off the field, obviously with us extending up to 2020. There’s talk in background around the club of a new training facility and the new stadium, we want to be a part of that. It was important that we pledged our future to that and we want to keep improving this football club to get to where we want it to be.”
“Of course, it’s a fantastic club, Aberdeen Football Club, and as I said, we’re ambitious people and it’s an ambitious club, we want to get there with them. We’ve recruited a good squad this season with that we want to be competitive, especially with the success we’ve had last season. It’s important we keep striving to improve. And with the club in that respect we’re always trying to improve. As I mentioned earlier, the new stadium, the new training facility and the hard work that will go into that by the end will play a big part; so we’re delighted to pledge our future and looking forward to be with a fantastic squad of players and hopefully, improve everything we’ve done so far.”
When asked about how important the backing of the board has been during this transfer window and the preparation of the squad, Tony added,
“Absolutely, that’s a very important factor. We lost a few players at the end of the season, we’ve got a core of fantastic players in, they compliment the squad and we needed to make sure we’ve got the right ones in.
“The backing from the board that we’ve got is important, when you get that support, that stability and that kind of a backing from the board, it is invaluable at a football club. We’ve had that; you can see we’re trying to build bridges in terms of getting the squad where we want it to be. Hopefully, might do a little bit of work, but at the moment the recruits we’ve brought in, we’re happy with them and working well with the squad. It’s a bright season ahead of us.”
“Of course, some of our best results have been away, Groningen and Rijeka. We know it’s a difficult game, we know we need a very strong away performance and we’re ready for it. We’ve got a good week of training after our last tie, it’s no surprise we’ve done a lot of work. We know they are a very competent team, a strong opponent, and even when they came last week they were exactly what we expected. We’re a week ahead in terms of preparation, we’re behind in terms of competitive matches but we realise it’s a hard tie but the boys are ready for it.
“Absolutely, we did a lot of analysis before we played them and also watched the game again last week. Some parts of the game we gave a strong performance. It’s very important when we go over there we’re clinical and any opportunities we get we take them. Also, obviously, we keep the backdoor shut and try not concede but we’re confident- particularly the week’s training we’ve had for the boys in the preparation for this game. We’re ready to challenge on.”
When asked about the weather conditions in Bosnia & Herzegovina and there perhaps being a negative impact, Tony responded, “Not at all, we’ve trained this morning and ready to go and acclimatize. We’ll see the stadium tonight. There’s experience in the squad here, we’ve been at this stage before, so we’ve got to rely on that experience and take all the positives from the last game, the training we’ve done in the preparation for this game. We’re ready for it; we know it’s difficult, we also know that we require a strong, strong performance. Everyone is fine from the last game, we’ll use the same squad and we’re looking forward to the match.”
“We’ve had another week in terms of the preparation, I don’t think it’s so much fitness but I think, they’ve got the upper hand on us in terms of competitive games. We’ve played our first competitive match against them and we’re better for it; we will be better for it. The sharpness that comes through that, the sharpness that comes through this week’s training, we will take it in this game and we’ll make sure that we are more than a match for the opposition.”
“The new signings have been great and complimented the team really well. As I said earlier it’s a fantastic squad that we’ve got. Anyway, we’ve been very specific in recruitment, not just bringing in good players but also good people in the squad and they have integrated very well and made us strong. There’s a good atmosphere about the place you’ll recognise that yourself and also about the players, we’re very much looking forward to the match now.”
Tony was also full of praise for the new signing Kari Arnason.
“Absolutely, he’s a bit of a local hero here and he’s fitted in perfectly well with the boys and he’s got a lot of respect obviously at the level he’s played at previously. He’s a humble boy and since he’s come in to the squad he’s fitted extremely well and we are delighted to have him and we look forward to see him play the rest of the season. He brings experience, a level head which is because the level he’s played at, he’s very competitive and has a good mentality. He’s a fantastic professional and again to have that individual in your dressing room is invaluable.”
“Absolutely, he’s a bit of a local hero here and he’s fitted in perfectly well with the boys and he’s got a lot of respect obviously at the level he’s played at previously. He’s a humble boy and since he’s come in to the squad he’s fitted extremely well and we are delighted to have him and we look forward to see him play the rest of the season. He brings experience, a level head which is because the level he’s played at, he’s very competitive and has a good mentality. He’s a fantastic professional and again to have that individual in your dressing room is invaluable.”
