LET’S play devil’s advocate, shall we.
How do you think Brendan Rodgers would get on next season if he were to lose four of his first-team players? Not only that but he would also watch them walk away without any transfer money coming in, meaning he would have no budget to speak of to re-strengthen.
The four I’m talking about are Jozo Simunovic, Scott Brown, Scott Sinclair and James Forrest. So that’s the main centre-half, a first choice central midfielder, the team’s most creative player and a talent who can blow hot and cold but no manager would want to lose.
For all Rodgers’s fine abilities as a coach, such losses would mean his side would find the domestic scene far more of a challenge and Europe quite possibly beyond their capabilities.
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That, of course, won’t happen, but this is what Aberdeen, Scotland’s established second best team and Celtic’s only real challengers for two seasons, not counting the current one, a side which won a League Cup, reached another final and have a Scottish Cup semi-final a few weeks from now.
Aberdeen are a well run club. They are not rich by any stretch and the feeling around the city is the board have put all their eggs in a basket shaped as a nice new stadium, although that concern is for another day.
Derek McInnes, the manager, is smart, tough and over the past 12 months has started to give off more of an aura which only happens over time when success has been achieved.
And yet, winger Niall McGinn and playmaker Peter Pawlett will leave Pittodrie in the summer for England’s Championship. Ash Taylor, almost an ever-present in defence and midfielder Ryan Jack, a real favourite of his manager have yet to agree deals.
It is my understanding that the best paid players in the North East earn a basic weekly wage of slightly less than £3000, plus bonuses and appearance fees. It’s not a bad way to earn a comfortable living but the problem for McInnes is that perhaps 70 per cent of clubs in England across all four divisions have deeper pockets and, really, who can blame a professional for trying to earn as much as they can before the legs go.
It’s a depressing situation for Aberdeen and our game as a whole when some of the best players in the Premiership, and McGinn has been a real star, can’t be held onto. If it were possible to keep them longer it would not only be good for the league but also add some competition, which at the moment is non-existent.
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Here is an exclusive for you: Celtic are going to win the league next season.
“It’s not Armageddon,” said McInnes yesterday when asked about how he could possibly hope to continue taking Aberdeen forward when forces utterly outwith his control make standing still an arduous task.
“There is no sudden panic that we are not going to do well. It is disappointing but it’s the reality and we have to move on. I can’t go and buy and international player who has 51 caps. But you can try and go and look for good players.
“I think we are an attractive club for a lot of players. The difference is finances always make it difficult for recruitment but we’ve always felt that we’ve recruited well. The challenge will be to bring in good players if we are going to be losing good players but that’s the job of a manager, it’s how you deal with it as a club; that’s vitally important.”
McInnes doesn’t want sympathy but it’s hard not to feel sorry from the outside looking in. He has done a superb job for four years now and were he able to keep his best, and to be fair the likes of Graeme Shinnie, Jonny Hayes and Adam Rooney are on long-term deals, and spend a bit of money they would be closer if not close to Celtic.
“I'm actually quite surprised that we've not lost players before now,” said McInnes. “In the four years here, we've managed to fend off and managed to keep getting boys to resign. They've brought a real level of performance and it's naïve to think that people won't be looking in on that.
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“Of course I want to keep them. The players are all close to me. I love working with them. We're a real tight knit group but there comes a point when different players at different stages of their career and lives, they'll maybe have opportunities to move on.”
At the risk of incurring the wrath of the red army, perhaps their biggest concern should be keeping McInnes who, for me, should be the first choice candidate for the SFA should Gordon Strachan wander off.
Walter Smith, much to the annoyance of some inside Rangers, touted his former player for his old job. That’s no old pal’s act. Smith wouldn’t want just anyone to go into Ibrox. McInnes's name was dropped rather obviously because Smith believes in him. That’s not unimportant.
Aberdeen have won 13 of their last 15 matches, they will finish second and while it’s hard to see past a Celtic treble, of any side can stop them it’s not going to be Rangers or Hibernian.
McInnes’s men were disappointingly poor in the Betfred League Cup final. Celtic won 3-0 that afternoon without being close to their best. That performance hurt the Pittodrie dressing room. They have vowed for it not to happen again.
“We expected a real challenge from Hearts and are 17 points ahead of them,” said McInnes. “To be eight points clear of Rangers with the difference in resources also demonstrates a good season’s work. And if we can get to two cup finals, hopefully winning one, then all that could be ahead of us if we continue with the level of performances we are capable of.
“It would be great for everybody to sign off with a cup win. I am sure that is in Niall’s thoughts. Stranger things have happened but we prepare now for next season without Niall.”
Read more: What will Brexit mean for Scottish football? The “doomsday” scenario is “a total nightmare”
The Niall he speaks of, McGinn, is going to be missed. He scores and creates goals. His work rate is second to none and the Northern Irishman is the type of character any manager would want on his side. The hope is that the former Celtic man, knowing he’s coming to the end of his time in Scotland, will give everything to ensure his farewell is one of the good ones.
“Niall has been brilliant for us and it is important we have put ourselves in a position wherein it could be a really special season for us,” said McInnes. “We are looking forward to that challenge. Finishing second will indicate, I think, a good seasons’ work.
“Unfortunately the indication now from Niall and his agent is that they may have interest from the Championship and I think Niall wants to see how that develops. I have been trying to draw a line under it from our own benefit because I felt we need clarity over certain players’ situations.
“I had to push for an answer; we made a good offer which Niall acknowledged. It was nothing to do with the offer. It was just the opportunity to explore something in England and the Championship. I wish him well. I can understand that players of a certain age get an opportunity to go elsewhere to play and earn far greater money. It’s not just about the money but that is definitely part of it.
“He has been a brilliant servant for us. I don’t wish to talk about him in the past-tense when we still have so much to look forward to for the rest of this season. He has been a brilliant boy to work with and it’s important for Niall to keep demonstrating that level of performance and I think he will. It is important how you leave a club.”
Aberdeen face Dundee at Dens Park and defeat would officially crown Celtic as champions. Something which if Aberdeen win will likely happen at Tynecastle on Sunday afternoon.
“It has no bearing, I haven't mentioned it really,” said McInnes. “We've known for months that Celtic are going to win the league, it's just a matter of when.”
Actually it’s a matter of how even the best of the rest can live with such a monster. If Aberdeen can’t do that then what chance does anyone have?
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