Alan Burrows has never been interested in letting the grass grow under his feet, as he adapts to life outside the central belt for the first time in his career.
This redoubtable figure earned a formidable reputation as chief executive at Motherwell FC, where he and his colleagues were the catalyst for a transformation of the Fir Park organisation into one which qualified for Europe, reached two domestic cup finals, made the transition to fan ownership and recorded their highest-ever turnover.
Earlier this year, it seemed that Burrows might be embarking on a hazardous new adventure when he was appointed to the same role at Pittodrie, in the midst of a turbulent period for Aberdeen, as they lost to non-league Darvel in the Scottish Cup and replaced Jim Goodwin with Barry Robson in the manager’s office.
Yet, ever since his appointment, and oblivious to a wholesale change of playing staff during the summer, allied to some mutterings from the supporters about disappointing early season results, he has been working relentlessly behind the scenes, wholly committed to ensuring that Dons aficionados are not only kept in the loop, but enthused by their return to European football for the first time in 16 years.
He’s a coiled spring of incessant activity, and even if he admits that his most treasured possession is his mobile phone – “My wife says it’s glued to my hand” – Burrows seems unfazed about the challenges of satisfying the demands of a support base which craves a return to vying for trophies on a regular basis.
They know that the Gothenburg glory days are best viewed in the rear mirror, as an inspiration for the new generation rather than a “heavy jacket” round their shoulders.
Fans entitled to great expectations
But, as the outpouring of joy which followed this month’s 3-1 victory over Rangers at Ibrox demonstrated, that doesn’t mean the club can’t keep pursuing higher standards, ignore the financial disparity between them and the Old Firm, and book their place in another cup final when they tackle Hibs in the League Cup semi-final next month.
Burrows gets it. He has polished up on everything Alex Ferguson achieved 40 years ago, talked to such mustard-keen characters at the stadium as legend Neil Simpson, and the chairman, Dave Cormack, and accepts that expectations should be higher than one solitary trophy – the 2014 League Cup – from their endeavours in the 21st Century.
As he said: “I don’t buy into the concept that Aberdeen fans are stuck in the past. Sure, the history [including three league championships and two European titles under Ferguson from 1979 to 1986] influences us as a club, but I think the expectations of Dons supporters are realistic.
“As far as I can see, they want to have a team which is challenging at the top end of the table [in the SPFL], which gets to the latter stages of cup competitions – semi-finals and finals – and dares to dream of winning silverware at Hampden. And they expect the team to be trying to perform in European tournaments and be competitive there.
Things have changed in football
“When I think of the size of Aberdeen, and the infrastructure which exists, I don’t see any of these expectations as being out of kilter with what I’ve been asked to help deliver.
“However, I think even Sir Alex would probably concede that the financial disparity between the two Glasgow clubs and the rest has grown significantly in recent times and it’s a much different environment when you have a 38-game league season and you are playing most of these teams four times and you look at their resources.
“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be competing and challenging ourselves to get as close [to them] as we can. And there’s the same mindset, no doubt, at Hearts and Hibs.”
Dave Cormack: ‘If I hadn’t done anything, I would have had a heart attack, probably a massive one’
Thus far, whether saluting the endeavours of Robson and his players, or celebrating Aberdeen’s status as part of the fabric of the city – “I’m passionate about using our privileged position to help as many people as we can and the terrific job done by the AFC Community Trust is there for all to see” – Burrows has the pride and passion of somebody who won’t accept second best or suffer fools gladly, if at all.
And he admits that the whole question of tangible rewards – in football parlance, cups – is something which taxes him as much as it does any punter in the Pittodrie Bar.
Chasing prizes for the trophy cabinet
He said: “Our stated ambition is being a UEFA Top 100 club [which would place them among the best on the Continent] and I hope, in my time at Aberdeen, for however long that is, we can deliver on some of our aims, particularly the silverware element.
“It escaped me at Motherwell despite all my efforts. We were in two finals, yet we lost to Celtic both times. So I am personally desperate to be involved in that and watching the team lift a trophy at Hampden Park in the future.”
Anybody who has followed the Dons will be aware of the vexed subject of whether the club should leave Pittodrie and create a new, expanded venue.
It seems to have been part of north-east football’s jungle telegraph since the last century and Burrows is acquainted with so many chapters in this long-running saga. So what could he tell us about the latest state of affairs?
It has cropped up so often
He told me: “The issue of Aberdeen and a new stadium precedes all my time in professional football – you can go back over 20 years on this, whether it’s at Loirston or Cove or Kingsford or down at the beach and there has been talk of a post-Pittodrie era.
“I have only been here for a few months, but I think Pittodrie is the club’s spiritual home, so if we have to move, then moving close by is to everybody’s best benefit.
“We have had some positive noises from the local authority [Aberdeen City Council] about meeting soon with their very senior people to discuss what commonality exists and how we can move things forward.
“When Dave and I first spoke, the opportunity, hopefully, to be involved in a project and create something which might be a legacy for this club and serve it for 40, 50, 60 years, was a really exciting part [of the chief exec role], so I’m looking forward to that.
“But, whatever happens, I expect, during my tenure at the club, to still be at Pittodrie for a bit of time. Even if a new stadium was all agreed relatively quickly, everybody was on board, everything was funded and it was all systems go, it would probably take several years before that came to fruition.”
Alan Burrows is one of life’s livewires. He started out in communications and is an expert at getting his message across. He had other offers after departing Motherwell, but chose to travel to the city synonymous with the Northern Lights.
Let’s hope we gain illumination on this stadium farrago sooner rather than later.
Because I suspect this driven individual isn’t interested in being stymied by red tape and messed around by bureaucrats on an indefinite basis.
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR ALAN BURROWS
- What book are you reading? The updated version of Fergie Rises by [Aberdeen journalist] Michael Grant. It’s a fascinating account which is helping me learn more about the club.
- Who’s your hero/heroine? Leeann Dempster [the current chief executive at Queen’s Park, having previously held the same role at Hibs and Motherwell]. She gave me a chance in football and I mirror myself on how she behaves.
- Do you speak any foreign languages? No, but I’m hopefully learning Doric.
- What’s your favourite music or band? I have eclectic tastes, everything from pop to classical. But the band I probably like the most is [US rockers] Linkin Park.
- What’s your most treasured possession? I’m not a hoarder, but a minimalist person. It’s probably my mobile phone.
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