Window of opportunity: Plugging the gaps was Craig Brown’s first challenge at Aberdeen

By Paul Third

June 5 2022, 5:00 pm

Craig Brown and Archie Knox when they were unveiled as the new Dons management team.

Craig Brown stands alone among the five men to take charge of Aberdeen before Jim Goodwin in that his first transfer window was a January one.

Former Scotland manager Brown and his assistant Archie Knox had arguably the toughest task of any Dons management team in recent memory when they were arrived from Motherwell in December 2010.

Aberdeen were rock bottom of the Scottish Premier League when the veteran duo took the helm and it is fair to say the prospects were bleak.

Dons were low on confidence and bottom of the table

Adding some defensive resilience was crucial for Craig Brown

With 10 points from their opening 16 matches and having been trounced 9-0 by Celtic in Glasgow a in the final weeks of Mark McGhee’s reign, the Dons shipped another five to Hearts as Brown and Knox watched from the stand at Tynecastle.

The loss to the Jambos made it seven defeats in a row for Aberdeen. To be blunt, the Dons were on red alert and the fear of relegation was real around Pittodrie.

Even Brown, ever the optimist, knew the size of the task he had taken on.

He said: “Aberdeen face a huge challenge, but I am confident we will survive. Getting the club clear of the relegation zone and up the table is my first priority.

“We face a time that will determine the future of the club. Aberdeen have never been relegated and this season is going to be difficult.

“But the one thing Archie and I refuse to do is succumb to pressure. This is a fight we are more than up to.

“This is one of the biggest challenges of my career, there is no doubt about that.

“In the eyes of Dons fans, taking over at Pittodrie will be the biggest challenge of my career.

“We know others have tried and failed to bring success to Aberdeen again.

“But it is a challenge I am confident we will rise to.”

January arrivals reinforced need for Aberdeen to be hard to beat

Desperate times called for drastic action but it was easier said than done during what has historically been a challenging window for Scottish clubs.

Free agents David McNamee and Myles Anderson arrived from Plymouth Argyle and Leyton Orient respectively before the window opened on January 1.

They were joined by another free agent in Rob Milsom, who arrived from Fulham, and loan duo Nick Blackman and Steven Smith who joined from Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City respectively.

The only player to exit the club was Jerel Ifil, a McGhee signing, who was freed on the final day of the window on January 31.

Anderson, the youngest arrival, featured just once but the rest had key roles in the Dons’ fight for survival in the second half of the season.

Dons defender David McNamee celebrates at the final whistle as Aberdeen beat Kilmarnock 5-0 at Pittodrie in 2011.

Milsom played 23 game with Smith (20), Blackman (18), and McNamee (13) all playing their part as the Dons took 28 points from 22 games to finish ninth.

Remarkably the club also played in the semi-finals of both domestic cup competitions, losing to Celtic in the League Cup and Scottish Cup.

Cull followed after relegation fears eased

Brown wasted no time in making changes by releasing 17 players, four from his first team squad.

Vice-captain Zander Diamond, Derek Young, David McNamee and Mark Howard were told they would not be offered new deals while loan signings Nikola Vujadinovic and Nick Blackman returned to their parent clubs.

The Dons boss said: “A club of Aberdeen’s size should never be in this position and we expect to reinforce the squad and have a far better season next year.

“We have really struggled in terms of resources and I will be happy to put this season behind us.

“The calamitous time we have had has given us the opportunity to look at some fringe players but we will have spaces to fill and we will do so wisely.

“Better days than we have had than this season are coming.

“There are no guarantees in football but the supporters should not expect to suffer the ignominy of 9-0 defeats at this club.”