Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass met the press for the first time this afternoon at Pittodrie:

“I have been away for about 10 years now and I have done a lot of work and gained a lot of experience. I am fortunate to be back and working for an unbelievable club. I am looking forward to it.

“I went to America and did something a bit different to other people. My first job over there I was coaching youths and coaching four teams at a time. I was out on the pitch every night for about three to four hours at a time, with four or five games at a weekend. The number of coaching hours that I was able to gain doing that is why I chose to do it, and I think it made me a more rounded coach. Time will tell if I am right.

“If I stayed in the UK, I would have tried to have stayed in the professional game because there is less scope of jobs in the youth side. I felt it was a better learning environment for me and better for my personality.

“My ground in America and Atalanta has allowed me to be in charge of teams. I have been responsibility for the players performance and player development. It is something that is important here, you have to handle the team, make decisions and be responsible for player development. There is a big Youth Academy here that needs nurtured a little bit to put those boys in the team if they are ready for it. I think my background will help with that. My time with Atalanta also shows that I can handle big players, we sold Pity Martínez for $20million on the day of the game when I was there so I am used to handling teams that have big time players.

“I have been in the environment of big-time players and managers throughout my career since I walked in the door at Pittodrie at 12 years old and Alex Smith was the first manager that I saw. I have played for some good managers such as Kenny Daglish and Ruud Gullit. I have played alongside some good players who have became good managers as well, it is not like I have been in environments that have been poor for learning. If I can put that into practice, show that I have soaked up what I can, take in the good bits, learn from the bad bits. I think I am as well rounded a coach as I can be at this age.

“Every manager who walks through the door at Aberdeen Football Club has pressure on them. I want that sort of pressure on me that is why I am here. The people who I have brought along with me want the same thing. They wouldn’t leave the situation that they are in if they didn’t believe that myself and the club would be successful. I am looking forward to what is to come.

“Successful managers at Aberdeen put trophies in the trophy cabinet, I want to do that.”

RedTV | to watch the conference in full, please click on the red button.