Derek McInnes came out victorious once again on Saturday, with a fine 2-0 victory over a deflated Hearts side. Despite being beaten 4-3 by Celtic on Boxing Day, It’s fair to say, that the Dons have got going this season, with Saturday’s result pushing the Pittodrie outfit back into a familiar top four position.
It’s been an uneasy 12 months at Pittodrie, especially for McInnes. Speculation with the vacant Rangers job after Pedro Caixinha’s sacking put doubt on how committed the former Bristol City coach was to Aberdeen.
Against the Jambo’s and Celtic, however, you could see McInnes only had one focus- delivering success to the Aberdeen support. It was the chance for Aberdeen to get back into the title race, and they took it with both hands.
Many wrote Aberdeen off earlier in the season, but they have proved, that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
McInnes is displaying Aberdeen’s full potential
These are good times in the North East. McInnes has registered seven wins in the last ten fixtures, and plans for a new stadium are in full flow. There is a feeling, that after six seasons, McInnes is finally showing how good a club Aberdeen can be.
The 47-year old has turned the Dons back into a well-run club. They don’t have the resources of Celtic and Rangers, but they have the same winning mentality. Premiership teams fear trips to the Granite City, and anything other than victory, is a bad result for Aberdeen.
The trophy cabinet doesn’t show it, but McInnes deserves huge credit for his work at the Dons. A League Cup victory in 2014, 11 cup semi-final and final appearances, European football every year and a 70 plus point total annually. Not many managers could deliver as many good results.
Performances on the park have been the reason for this upturn in fortunes. After a poor start to the season, many wondered whether McInnes had took this side as far as he could. They’re back into the top four now though, and there’s no reason why they can’t stay there.
A turbulent summer threatened to derail this Dons side. Losing stars like Kenny McLean and Ryan Christie were massive blows, but McInnes has rebuilt once again.
Some Aberdeen fans might have been happy to see him go at the start of the season, but that seems ridiculous now. McInnes’ record at Pittodrie is excellent, and he’s proving once again, that he is the right man to take Aberdeen forward.