Derek McInnes is proud to have led Aberdeen for seven years but the Dons boss insists his longevity at Pittodrie is the result of a huge team effort.
Today marks seven years since McInnes took charge of his first Aberdeen match, a goalless draw with Hibernian at Easter Road.
Four second place finishes, four cup final appearances and one League Cup win later and it is fair to say it has been an eventful tenure for the manager and the supporters and while the Dons boss remains the focal point he insists it has been achieved due to the collective strength of those around him.
He said: “The big thing has been making Aberdeen competitive again and that shows you don’t just have good players, but it’s good work done by everyone.
“Obviously the work the players do on the pitch is the most important thing, but that is enabled by the staff doing their jobs, the board doing theirs and everyone connected to the club striving for better.
“As manager you try to drive all that, you set the demands and the pace that is needed for those performances.
“There have been times over the seven years it has been tougher than others, but the good times certainly outweigh the bad ones.”
McInnes’ seventh year in charge has certainly been one of the most eventful with the coronavirus stopping the football season in its tracks last month.
The Dons were about to play Motherwell knowing victory would move them up to third place in the Premiership while they were due to play Celtic at Hampden earlier this month in a Scottish Cup semi-final.
How it would have ended may never be known but McInnes was optimistic about a strong finish from his side.
He said: “This season has been challenging, there is no doubt about that, and it has been a bit of a struggle to find the level of performance we are capable of.
“But there has been factors behind that and I think we had been getting to where we want to be.”
His lengthy tenure is impressive by Scottish football standards but McInnes certainly does not take his Pittodrie reign for granted.
He is acutely aware of the challenges being a Scottish manager presents and only needs to look at the constant changes at other teams in the division to reinforce his belief stability breeds consistency.
He said: “It is unusual in football now to be in the same job for seven years and I think that’s shown in the managers I’ve faced at other clubs.
“I think it must be six or seven different Hibs and Hearts managers over that period.
“It’s not easy being a manager and you are always striving for better.
“There has been a consistency in our work over the seven-year period, even though we’ve had a few different squads and different players coming through the door.”
