this will be a much harder task than the one I took on at Motherwell, says mark
New manager McGhee warms to his Dons challenge
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Dons manager Mark McGhee believes the challenge of improving Aberdeen is a far tougher task than the one he faced when hauling Motherwell from the foot of the SPL into Europe.
McGhee met his players for the first time yesterday as the Pittodrie squad returned for pre-season training. The Gothenburg Great was delighted with the response and also held a meeting with the players before getting down to work.
Although he was impressed with last season’s fourth-place finish and qualification for the Europa League, the manager is determined to take further strides. He said: “We had a good meeting where I got to say exactly what I wanted to and there was enthusiasm and smiles from the players. We are looking to provide a fresh impetus to take the club to the next level now, but that won’t be straightforward.
“Going somewhere such as Motherwell, when a team has just avoided relegation, is easier than taking over a side which has done pretty well.
“The margin for improvement is much smaller, so this will be a much harder task than the one I took on at Fir Park. If we reach fourth again that might be seen as progress. But the only thing that can really be seen as improvement would be third spot.”
McGhee will take his time to assess the squad but has already earmarked the areas of the side he wants to strengthen. A new centre back is a priority and he is also targeting a left-sided midfielder and a mobile forward. He is still awaiting a decision from out-of-contract Motherwell midfielder Stephen Hughes and is in discussions with Plymouth about securing former Steelmen full back Jim Paterson on a season’s loan deal.
McGhee is also considering bringing in several trialists, some of whom could travel with the squad to Austria at the end of next week.
McGhee would have his new signings in place before the trip but the manager knows he may have to be patient to land his leading targets.
He said: “We are speaking to players, agents and clubs constantly – but it takes time. “I will need to look at the squad but I am looking at bringing in an aggressive centre half, someone who can defend and who will challenge Andrew Considine and Zander Diamond because we are short in that area.
“We also could do with a left-sided midfielder, to give us a bit of balance in there, and maybe another attacker, to put some pressure on the players here.”
The squad will continue strength and conditioning work this week before being given physical tests at Robert Gordon University on Monday.
The players then head to Austria on Friday for a nine-day training camp in the Alpine village of Obertraun.
