Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin believes his rebuilt side have brought excitement back to the Granite City.
And he aims to keep the feel-good factor going in the quick-fire Pittodrie double-header against Celtic and Rangers.
Goodwin has taken the Dons to third in the Premiership table and a League Cup semi-final.
Boss eager not to disappoint growing Pittodrie crowds
Attendances are on the rise at Pittodrie.
Bumper crowds will pack out home games against league leaders Celtic on Saturday and Rangers on Tuesday.
Expectation among the Red Army is high and Goodwin insists the Dons are desperate not to let their supporters down.
Goodwin can feel the positivity building within the city around a side reconstructed in the summer at a cost of more than £1.5million in transfer fees.
However, he has urged his team not to get carried away – and to retain complete focus on bringing success back to Aberdeen.
Goodwin said: “We have brought back a certain level of excitement to the city.
“I do think the Aberdeen people have shown by their attendances they are enjoying what they are seeing up to now.
“Aberdeen have a very expectant group of fans.
“They have been used to success in generations gone by and want to see their club getting back to that level again.
“The players won’t want to let them down.
“So let’s continue that feel good factor that’s within the group at Pittodrie, but also out in the wider community as well.
“If we continue to win and get the results we hope for, hopefully we’ll get even more fans coming back through the turnstiles.
“We are still a very new group and it is still very early days for this crop of players.
“But at the same time we have to remind ourselves that we are only 15 games in and that can all change very, very quickly.
“We are not getting carried away with what we have done up to now.”
Goodwin’s game plan to shock Celtic
Aberdeen return to action from a five-week winter shutdown with the home clash against Celtic.
Goodwin insists he has used that time to come up with a plan to shock the defending champions.
He said: “There needs to be a game plan in place which we have worked on over the last few weeks.
“If we can carry that out the way we have worked on, then we will give ourselves a chance.”
‘Progress on and off the pitch’
Goodwin overhauled a squad in the summer who had slumped to a 10th-placed Premiership finish.
It was the Dons’ lowest final league position since 2004.
Drastic action was needed.
Funded by the Dons board, Goodwin took that action.
He signed 11 players and a further 14 exited Pittodrie in a major shake-up.
Goodwin aims to further strengthen his squad during the January transfer window.
Before then, the Old Firm double-header will be a major test of Goodwin’s side – but he maintains the time to judge his Reds’ Revolution will be at the end of the season.
Goodwin said: “We have made progress, we have certainly made improvements both on and off the pitch.
“But we can only talk about that at the end of the season.
“If we are in the position we are in right now (third) come the last game of the season then we will all be extremely pleased.
“Celtic and Rangers are as difficult two fixtures you could hope for.
“However, we have to play everyone at some point and there is no time like the present as far as we are concerned.”
‘Pride’ at stake for Dons at Pittodrie
Aberdeen can go into the double-header against the Glasgow two with confidence high due to their superb home form.
Goodwin’s Reds have won five successive home Premiership matches.
They have triumphed in 10 of 11 games in all competitions at home this season, rattling in 31 goals.
Goodwin is proud of that home record – and aims to maintain it.
He said: “Our home record has been exceptional this season.
“We have won six of our seven league fixtures at Pittodrie.
“Our excellent home form is something we are very proud of.
“It is something we want to continue into the coming weeks and months.
“That starts with the toughest game possible on Saturday.
“There is pride at stake and there is that desire to keep a good home record going.”
‘We have shown glimpses of being a very good team’
Aberdeen have not beaten Celtic at Pittodrie since 2016.
However, Goodwin believes the Hoops will travel to the Granite City anticipating a tough test.
He said: “I don’t think Celtic will be coming up to Pittodrie expecting an easy game.
“At the same time we know it is going to be difficult as well because they are a top team.
“Celtic want to win that league title again and don’t want any slip-ups.
⚽ Some memorable moments from over the years against Celtic at Pittodrie.#StandFree | #cinchPrem pic.twitter.com/VQ3RTk9j26
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) December 15, 2022
“I don’t think they can afford any slip-ups as Rangers have had a managerial change and will be looking for a bounce.
“We just want to try to focus as much as we can on what we are capable of doing.
“I think we have shown glimpses of being a very good team at times in this season up to now.
“What we have lacked is probably a bit of consistency.”
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