What next for Thelin's high-flying Aberdeen?

The noise around Pittodrie was deafening again – relief, belief and joy all wrapped up in one bellowing roar as the continuation of Aberdeen’s outstanding start to the season was confirmed amid the swirling rain whipping off the North Sea.

Jimmy Thelin’s side were made to work for their latest three points on Saturday as a stubborn Dundee United team kept them at bay until substitute Peter Ambrose scored the only goal of the game in the 84th minute, much to the collective relief of a packed, but tense Pittodrie.

But there has been little slowing down Thelin’s relentless Aberdeen lately. This victory was their 14th in the Swede’s 15 matches in charge – the only ‘blemish’ on his otherwise perfect record thus far is a 2-2 draw at Parkhead against champions Celtic.

It is pretty much what they have been doing under their new manager – winning, winning, winning. Rangers travel to the Granite City on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports, with designs on halting that momentum.

Pittodrie was packed again against Dundee United and another sell-out is expected when Philippe Clement’s side travel north in midweek. Meetings between these two are mouth-watering at the best of times but Rangers players can expect the stadium to be rocking well before kick-off again with Aberdeen eyeing the opportunity to go nine points clear of the visitors before October is out.

They drove out of Glasgow with their unbeaten record intact earlier this month – will they carry that record into November after the visit of Rangers?

Regardless of the result on Wednesday there is little doubt that things have changed. After a couple of years of near-misses, false hope and downright disappointment, Aberdeen fans have a team – and a manager – they believe in again.

What a difference a year makes

A little over 12 months ago, Aberdeen went to Ibrox and beat Rangers in the league for just the third time in more than 30 years. The win raised hopes of a Dons revival after a dismal start to the league campaign which had yielded just five points from the first six matches. Instead, it merely masked deficiencies which would plague an underwhelming season.

That result cost Michael Beale his job but Barry Robson did not last in his Aberdeen role for a great deal longer himself. Highs including a League Cup final appearance and a win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a fairly impressive Europa Conference League campaign were offset by the side’s league frailties.

Robson was sacked in January of this year. What followed in the immediate term suggested Aberdeen needed a reset; a re-evaluation of what the club wanted to be going forward, and who they wanted to lead them.

Thelin was appointed as the club’s permanent manager in April but did not arrive in Aberdeen until June, as he finished a six-year stint at Allsvenskan side IF Elfsborg. Prior to that, Dons fans had expressed misgivings over the length of time it was taking to bring in a new boss after a somewhat bizarre 34-day interim spell under Neil Warnock.

Thus far, it would appear as though the Swede has been worth the wait. Only Celtic’s superior goal difference is keeping the Dons from top spot.

Victory over Rangers could further cement Aberdeen’s ambitions at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Supporters believe that, after a series of false dawns, Thelin could be the appointment to re-position the club within Scottish football.

So, what comes next for Aberdeen after Thelin’s fast start and how have they managed to turn things around so quickly?

‘Embarrassed, humiliated and shocked’ – Why Aberdeen played the waiting game

Thelin is now the 10th boss, including interim appointments, to lead Aberdeen since Dave Cormack took over as Dons chair in 2019. Both he and CEO Alan Burrows knew they had to get this appointment right, no matter how long it took.

In 2021 Cormack had taken the bold step to move away from the reliable guidance of Derek McInnes – who had delivered the club’s only trophy in nearly 30 years – to take the club in a new direction.

Stephen Glass, a former Dons player and then-head coach of Atlanta United’s reserve side, was tasked with mapping that new direction. He replaced McInnes in April 2021 but lasted less than a year, departing with Aberdeen sitting ninth in the Premiership and out of both cups.

Robson served briefly as interim boss before the appointment of Jim Goodwin.

Following the sacking of Glass, Cormack told club TV: “The vision and strategy is the right one, footballing wise. We have had a bad season but that doesn’t mean to say the strategy and vision is wrong.”

Goodwin’s departure – after 11 months, like Glass – was sealed after Aberdeen suffered 5-0 and 6-0 defeats at Hearts and Hibernian, respectively, either side of an embarrassing 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat at sixth-tier side Darvel.

An emotional Cormack spoke to Sky Sports News in the aftermath of the Hibs defeat, with the club announcing Goodwin’s removal just 19 minutes after full-time, revealing he was “embarrassed, humiliated and shocked” by results.

“I’m absolutely determined to get this right and we will double down with the board our vision and our strategy across the club, right through to moving stadium which is the right strategy,” he said at the time.

The most important thing and critical thing in any business – and football is a business too – is actually making sure you have the right people in place to execute on all aspects.

Interim boss Robson was appointed on a full-time basis after seven straight wins propelled Aberdeen to a third-place finish. However, his permanent tenure would not last long, with the former midfielder sacked after just nine months in charge.

In a statement at the time Cormack said: “As chairman I accept responsibility, along with the board, for the managerial upheavals. It’s exhausting for everyone to go through, not least our fans and the managers who gave their all and lost their jobs.”

Warnock’s interim appointment was seemingly designed to give Cormack and Burrows space to recruit the right man who could execute the club’s vision, and to ensure that whoever came next got the chance to celebrate a one-year anniversary at Pittodrie. His month-long reign felt surreal, but it did buy the Aberdeen hierarchy some time.

There were some grumbles from fans but in late March, CEO Burrows said Aberdeen did not want to “lessen ourselves because we’re under the pressure of time” but admitted the process was taking longer than expected.

“What I will say and want to reemphasise is that it’s absolutely important we get this appointment right rather than quick,” he said.

“And whilst this whole process has gone on longer than anyone would have hoped or anticipated, the key focus for us is to ensure the accuracy of the appointment is right in the long term for Aberdeen Football Club.”

The process was extended by the nature of Thelin’s appointment and delay in leaving Elfsborg. Cormack said Aberdeen were “prepared to be patient” to land the Swede, insisting they wanted “this appointment to anchor the club for years to come”. Indeed, it is understood that Aberdeen paid Elfsborg a six-figure compensation fee to secure his services.

Following the tenures of Glass, Goodwin and Robson, which lasted just over 30 months in total, Cormack and Aberdeen needed to invest in the strategy and vision Cormack had spoken about so frequently in sacking statements.

They see Thelin as a “team-builder”, someone who can incorporate a set style of play as well as a modern footballing culture throughout the club.

At 46 he is a young manager but is not green. His six years at Elfsborg included two second-place finishes, with his team missing out on the Swedish title to Malmo on goal difference in 2023.

Elfsborg were ninth when Thelin left in June, midway through the Swedish season, but there is little doubt he made his mark at the Boras club. He has now been tasked with leaving a legacy in Aberdeen.

What did Thelin walk into in June and what has he changed?

Aberdeen’s squad depth looks stronger after a busy summer – which saw Thelin make eight signings – despite the departure of Bojan Miovski for a record transfer fee.

The striker scored 16 league goals last season, with Jamie McGrath chipping in with nine. After that, however, a smattering of players contributed three or four but there did seem to be a real dependence on Miovski.

Pape Habib Gueye’s return from loan and to form was proving to be remarkable before injury ruled him out for more than three months. The Senegalese forward had scored five Premiership goals this term after managing just 75 minutes over four appearances last season.

Gueye has been ably supported across the frontline already by the likes of Shayden Morris and Ester Sokler, who has five goals in the League Cup and scored at Parkhead. However, it is the addition of Kevin Nisbet which could prove to be most valuable.

The former Hibs striker has returned north from Millwall on a season-long loan and has already contributed, with a 90th-minute winner against Ross County in August.

Aberdeen have been financially bold with incomings over the summer. Dimitar Mitov commanded a transfer fee to join from St Johnstone, Sivert Heltne Nilsen already looks to be enjoying a fine partnership with Graeme Shinnie, while the club spent around £800,000 on Finland international Topi Keskinen.

The 21-year-old has started brightly in Scotland, combining well with Nisbet against Dundee in particular, where Thelin’s encouragement of long passes (not long-ball football) exposed the opposition in different areas of the pitch and created more goalscoring chances.

Nicky Devlin’s first call-up to the Scotland squad earlier this month was testament to Aberdeen’s defensive displays so far. The 30-year-old has been an ever-present for the Dons this season, while Jack MacKenzie and Nisbet were also included in Steve Clarke’s squad for the games against Croatia and Portugal.

Thelin’s start is more impressive given how erratic Aberdeen’s performances and results were last term. Additions and departures have changed aspects of the team but the likes of Devlin and Shinnie were part of an inconsistent side, struggling with being coached by three different managers throughout the season.

Thelin has integrated the additions and re-energised those who were already there. There is a system in place – players are confident in their own ability to use the ball under pressure anywhere on the pitch. He has been flexible in personnel, formation and tactical approach, including when to drop and when to press, depending on opposition. It would appear as though everyone knows their jobs.

When staring defeat in the face at half-time at Parkhead, it was Thelin’s substitutes and tweaks that changed the course of the match.

It is this flexibility and self-belief which may just propel Aberdeen on to better things this time around.

Progress off the pitch?

The exit of Miovski felt inevitable this summer and his departure, in a deal worth £6.8m to Girona, followed on from sales including Calvin Ramsay and Lewis Ferguson which boosted the club’s player-trading model and allowed them to invest heavily on Keskinen.

Cormack has spoken regularly about Aberdeen’s evolution off the pitch without results greatly improving on it. He knows the two must align.

After the dismissal of Goodwin in 2023 he told Sky Sports News: “I’m the chairman of the club and I’ve overseen, on the football side, the changes we’ve made. It’s no consolation for fans to hear how well things are going off the field commercially, with fan engagement or our youth academies.”

Likewise, when Robson was sacked, Cormack highlighted the commercial and financial progress Aberdeen had made in recent years.

“The club, as a business, is in good shape,” he said. “We have no bank debt, significant commercial growth, record season ticket and AberDNA membership sales. We also have an evolving player trading model that is allowing us to invest significantly more in the football operation than the operating income we generate.”

Cormack revealed last month that it was his intention to step back from social media output regarding club business. Before he did, however, he said that Aberdeen were in a healthy financial position.

“Commercially the club is on a very good footing. We’ve doubled our partner income over the last few seasons,” he said. “The player trading model, which means we plan to invest much more each season than our income from season tickets, retail etc, will have its ups and downs.

“This strategy is being underwritten by the board. And today we have no bank debt.”

What comes next?

It may have been tongue-in-cheek when Aberdeen fans were singing about their title aspirations at Dens Park but it has been a while since anyone around Pittodrie has even joked about winning the league. A six-point lead over Rangers has prompted questions about whether the Reds can split the Old Firm.

Thelin has cooled expectations but it is a sign the fans are with him and his team after a period of uncertainty.

However, with respect to Queen of the South, East Kilbride, Airdrie and Dumbarton, Aberdeen would have been expected to win all of their League Cup group-stage games. Likewise, their knockout fixtures against Queen’s Park and League Two side Spartans yielded expected victories.

The Dons needed late winners to see off Ross County and Queen’s Park and Dundee boss Tony Docherty insisted his side deserved to beat Thelin’s team. Regardless, Aberdeen did win those games.

The hardest part for Thelin was always going to be what came next.

Celtic rued a host of missed chances as they let a two-goal lead slip against Aberdeen after the international break but in years gone by the Dons would have capitulated in the east end of Glasgow. The fact they didn’t this time suggests there is plenty of steel to this Thelin side.

Saturday’s hard-fought win over Dundee United has set up the visit of Rangers very nicely and closes out what could be a very telling month for Thelin’s side.

After the point at Parkhead, Thelin was at pains to again cool title talk and expectations but, whether he lets on or not, come 10pm on Wednesday, the manager, and all of Scottish football, could have a better idea about what exactly this Aberdeen side is truly capable of this season.

Watch Aberdeen versus Rangers on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Football from 7.15pm.

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