Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin aims to change the club’s mindset in games against Rangers to a winning one.
Goodwin insists the club’s attitude before he arrived as manager in February was to avoid defeat against the Ibrox outfit.
That attitude is not what Goodwin wants.
He will demand the Reds go into games against the Ibrox club determined to win.
And the Reds gaffer will call for that positive against struggling Rangers at Pittodrie on Saturday.
Should the Dons beat Rangers by more than one goal they will replace the Ibrox side in the Premiership’s second spot.
Goodwin said: “In recent games (against Rangers) the club’s approach was maybe not to get beat.
“But I want us to have the positive mindset going into it that we are capable of causing an upset.
“I want us to have the mindset that we are capable of not just stopping Rangers, but winning the game.
“We try to approach every game with the mindset that we can win.
“We are sitting third in the table and there is a great atmosphere and energy about the whole place at the moment.
“And we want to make sure that is there come half two on Saturday afternoon.”
Determination to shock Rangers
Rangers are in turmoil having lost 4-0 in back-to-back games, to Celtic and Ajax.
Aberdeen have not beaten Rangers at Pittodrie for six years.
The last win in the Granite City against ‘Gers was on September 25, 2016 when James Maddison netted the winner in injury time with a free kick.
Goodwin is determined to end that long wait for a home win against Rangers.
He said: “As a club, we haven’t got a great record against Rangers in recent years at Pittodrie.
“We want to try to put a stop to that this weekend.
“That’s something that myself and this new group of players want to do.
“People might not look at it as a major upset but it would be an upset.”
Extensive summer rebuild paying off
Goodwin oversaw a massive squad rebuild during the summer transfer window with 11 players signed.
That was at a cost in excess of £1.5 million in transfer fees.
As part of that rebuild 15 players have also exited Pittodrie since Goodwin was appointed manager in mid February.
The overhaul was needed as the Reds finished 10th in the Premiership table last season, missing out on Europe.
It was Aberdeen’s lowest league finish since 2004.
Goodwin insists the expensive rebuild was undertaken to deliver winning, and entertaining, football for the Red Army.
‘We can’t sit off teams, especially at home at Pittodrie’
He has promised Aberdeen supporters his side will go on the attack against a Rangers defence that has leaked eight goals in two games.
He reckons Rangers will be low on confidence whilst Aberdeen’s self belief is high.
Goodwin intends for it to be a combination that elevates the Reds above the Ibrox club in the table at the weekend.
The Reds boss insists it will be his new look Dons that dictate the pace of the noon clash on Saturday and not the visitors.
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Duk opens the scoring yesterday in Dingwall.#StandFree | #cinchPrem pic.twitter.com/CEPD6EQIe6
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) September 4, 2022
He said: “We don’t sit off teams and allow them to dictate to us, regardless of the opposition.
“You can’t be sitting off teams, especially at home at Pittodrie.
“We have brought a lot of energy and a lot of pace into the team.
“In order to show that you have to be on the front foot.
“In every game we have approached it is to be on the front foot and to be entertaining.
“To be aggressive with the opponent in the right manner.
“We want to have that as our main focus in every game we go into to and the players have bought into that.
“We cannot allow Rangers to come up the road and dictate the pace of the game.
‘They are coming into this game low on confidence, I should imagine, after the last two results.
“We are on the opposite end of that.
“We should be going into this with three wins in the last three (in the Premiership).
“Unfortunately we couldn’t hold out for last 20 seconds in Dingwall and finished up drawing the game.
“But we won the previous two games with two clean sheets.”
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