The scenes of celebration at Pittodrie on Wednesday night, in the stands and on the pitch, and in the dressing room after the 3-0 win over St Mirren, were reminiscent of the glory days of the 1980s.
While the reward might not have been as momentous as those gathered by the inspirational Willie Miller and his team-mates, with those greats having just finished marking the fortieth anniversary of Gothenburg, it was fitting to see the current side enjoy their moment.
The turnaround in the last few months has been remarkable; an achievement which would have even those legends nodding their heads in approval.
Make no mistake, what Barry Robson and his players have done since one of the worst weeks in the club’s history is truly astonishing.
Think back to mid-January and those ten excruciating days which brought 5-0 and 6-0 defeats in Edinburgh either side of the Darvel humiliation. It was the bleakest period I can remember in half a century following the Dons, and back then it looked more likely the side’s most optimistic target would be making the top six.
They have been helped by Hearts’ inexplicable collapse and the inconsistency Hibernian have shown all season, but in the main, securing third place has been down to a run of form no-one could have seen coming.
Barry has had 14 games in charge. He has lost four and won nine, an unimaginable improvement on what had gone before, but most impressively of all, he has sorted out what was one of the most porous rearguards in the division.
During that sequence, the Dons have kept eight clean sheets and have rediscovered the art of defending. Angus MacDonald has already been tied-up for the next couple of years, and I have no doubt talks are already under way with Watford and Celtic regarding Mattie Pollock and Liam Scales.
The pair might be out of the club’s financial reach, but with a near guaranteed windfall coming next season from whichever European competition they end up in, this might be the time to push the boat out. The defensive trio which has been operating under Robson is tried and tested, and there are no guarantees he can bring in similar quality. If it is any way feasible, I would hope the club is prepared to make that happen.
Two other loan signings would be equally valuable to get on board on a permanent basis.
Graeme Shinnie has once again very quickly become the beating heart of the club, and given where Wigan Athletic are these days, and Graeme’s desire to return home, I would fully expect that one to be sorted out.
It would appear likely there will be a few departures, with some key figures leaving Pittodrie. Given that, recruitment is going to be massive, and it promises to be a pivotal summer as the management team looks to build on the momentum gained in the last four months.
Get the right players in, and Aberdeen could be on the verge of one of their most exciting eras since those halcyon days of the eighties.
A long road ahead for Dundee United
That decade was also when Dundee United, under the astute leadership of Jim McLean, shone brightest, but as their title-winning squad celebrates the fortieth anniversary of the club’s greatest triumph, the Tannadice outfit are about to suffer their third relegation since 1995.
Last time round it took them four attempts to get out of the Championship, in successive seasons finishing behind Hibernian, Falkirk, St Mirren, Livingston and Ross County, as well as a play-off defeat to the Paisley Saints.
Next season’s second tier might not have that same quality, but it will be no stroll for United, and I would not be confident they can bounce straight back up.
Having got so much wrong, the Tannadice powerbrokers are going to have to make some big decisions in the coming weeks. If they don’t get those correct, it could be some time before their club is once again a credible force in Scottish football.
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