Former Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson believes his former Dons boss Derek McInnes will want to put on a show as he makes his return to Pittodrie this weekend.
McInnes makes his first trip to Pittodrie with Kilmarnock on Saturday for his first game against the Dons since leaving the club in 2021
Anderson, who was captain of the club’s League Cup winning side in 2014 under McInnes’ tutelage, expects his former manager will have extra motivation to get a result on his return to the Granite City.
He said: “Knowing what Derek is like he will be determined to show his Kilmarnock team can put on a performance. They’re after points like every club is.
“He’ll be keen to do well this weekend because he’ll still have a lot of friends in the city.”
Anderson expects a warm reception for his former boss
The former Dons boss may take his seat in the visiting dugout this weekend but Anderson expects McInnes to receive a warm welcome from the Aberdeen support on his return to the club.
Anderson said: “There’s a lot of goodwill towards him because he was very successful in his time here. He’ll get a warm reception on his return.
“Like anything in like, if you leave something better than it was when you picked it up it is a sign of success and Derek can definitely say that in terms of what he delivered.
“The league consistency, the cup win, the European campaigns, there’s a lot there for him to be proud about.”
McInnes should be proud of the job he did
Anderson, who called time on his second spell with the Dons when he retired in 2015, believes McInnes should take pride for the job he did during his eight year spell in charge at Pittodrie.
From League Cup glory and regular European involvement to challenging for the league title, former Dons skipper Anderson insists there is much for his former manager to be proud of.
He said: “Everyone looks at stats these days but there is no getting away from the time I played under him to the two or three seasons after that, the club went to a level where it was competing realistically for the league.
“That shows how much of an impact he had.
“I would have loved to have played in the team which run Celtic close (in 2016) as it was an enjoyable team to watch. It was easy on the eye, mean defensively and scored a lot of goals.
“His record speaks for itself.”
Dons made big strides during the McInnes era
Aberdeen’s progress during the McInnes era was significant with the club establishing its training ground at Cormack Park as well as investing heavily in video analysis and sport science.
Anderson insists his former manager’s push for more support and facilities was part of a bigger push to get the most out of his squad.
He said: “He is very driven, you have to be if you want to be a successful manager. There are all the parts which make up the management of a team and a football club.
“The supporters see the team on a Saturday but that is the end result of everything which goes into preparing it.
“He made sure players had the platform to be the best they could be and I can always remember him saying he didn’t want to give players any excuses if the preparation of facilities wasn’t right.
“If the players had the best environment to work in then the onus was on them to deliver.”
Recruitment was key to rapid rise up the table
Anderson, who had returned to the club prior under McInnes’ predecessor Craig Brown, believes parallels can be drawn with the instant impact made by McInnes to that of another former Aberdeen manager.
He said: “In fairness, the foundations Craig and Archie Knox laid were there to an extent. Derek and Tony Docherty came in and built on it.
“I liken their first season to when Jimmy Calderwood came in.
“It’s amazing how quickly things can turn if you recruit well in the summer and I felt we did that when Derek came in.
“There was a basis of a good team but it needed additions and Derek recruited well.
“It lifted the players who were already there and the habit of winning games was amazing for our confidence and momentum.”
