Stephen Glass may well feel like he is walking into an episode of Extreme Home Makeover this week when he starts work at Aberdeen’s new manager.
The foundations are sturdy enough, but there are several big projects Glass will need to tackle to get the Pittodrie house in order.
The immediate goal is getting a short-term lift out of this squad of players, some of whom will not be around beyond the end of the season.
European football is still there to be secured and Aberdeen are still in the Scottish Cup. Without getting too far ahead, it would be some achievement for Glass to win silverware in less than 10 games in charge.
Glass will need all of the players on board to finish the season on a high.
We have seen it before where players have been written off or criticised by new managers coming in and it ends disastrously, particularly with the outcome of the season on the line.
He will, however, have an eye on the summer rebuild. Ash Taylor, Niall McGinn, Greg Leigh, Mikey Devlin and Tommie Hoban are all out of contract, while youngster Ethan Ross is also playing for a new deal. Shay Logan has been loaned to Hearts and looks set for a permanent exit, with four loan deals also set to run out.
Decisions will have to be made quickly, particularly on the recruitment side of things given other clubs will already have made a start on their plans for the summer. The change of management leaves the Dons playing catch-up on that front.
There will also be a question of how they go about it. For the last eight years, England-based scout Russ Richardson has been Derek McInnes’ trusted ally in the transfer market.
How much of a role will he have to play in the new regime? It appears Glass has his coaching team in place with Scott Brown and Allan Russell – two high-profile additions – on board. Could that help lure a different calibre of player to the north-east? There has been some significant chatter of Leigh Griffiths following his pal Brown to Pittodrie. What a coup that would be.
With those new coaches in, it will also pose the quandary about what happens with the current interim team. Do they all return to their previous roles or do they merit including in the senior set-up?
Paul Sheerin has stepped into the breach willingly and has managerial experience. He is also well thought of as a youth coach. He had split coaching duties with the senior and youth teams in the past, but that may well change under Glass.
Neil Simpson’s role is also an interesting one. Chairman Dave Cormack spoke glowingly of him last month, in particular the reference from Sir Alex Ferguson. And while Simpson has been an excellent head of youth for the club, Cormack may well insist on him being promoted to the senior side.
Given the desire for more home-grown players to be brought through to the first team, Simpson could prove to be a valuable conduit in helping the development of players he has worked with through the age groups.
Little has been said of Gordon Marshall, the Dons’ goalkeeping coach, but there has been little talk of any new specialist coach coming in, so it appears he will continue in post. A strong working relationship with captain and number one Joe Lewis undoubtedly helps.
Glass will no doubt have identified these issues in his interview process and in the intervening period since getting the job. The next few weeks and months will see what ideas he has for this restoration project.