Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows has explained why supporters were left in the dark for so long with regards to an update on their hunt for a new manager - and acknowledged the frustrations that have come their way as a result.
Burrows was well-known for his vocal social media presence when taking the CEO duties in the north-east last February. That approach appeared to work effectively at former club Motherwell and was then implemented again at the Dons.
However, as the 2023/24 season has unravelled and seen both Barry Robson and Neil Warnock depart the manager's hot seat, Burrows and the Aberdeen board's communication has been somewhat non-existent.
It’s been 17 days since interim manager, Warnock, announced his own departure. That was greeted with a brief update but the silence since has left the Red Army questioning the plan Aberdeen bigwigs have to reinstate a permanent boss before the end of the season.
Fans were told talks with Warnock's successor was at an "advanced stage" over two weeks ago yet today Burrows revealed there will be no new gaffer before Saturday's huge Scottish Premiership match against Ross County.
READ MORE: Motherwell left perplexed after statement greeted with SFA silence
During a 16-minute interview with Red TV, Burrows addressed club communication concerns and tried to issue a plan to improve things.
He said: "I think we do (communicate) to a certain extent, well Dave (Cormack) has communicated a little bit through social media and we have also put out a couple of statements as best as we can.
"I think the reality here is, when it comes to talking about this through the prism of social media, I think for me personally I've been noted as someone who has been on social media quite a fair bit through my career and I try to use that medium as much as I possibly can.
"From my point of view, where it's became clear for me is when there's an expectation on me as a senior executive that I communicate when things are going well. If the expectation is well you've got to be there to mention about that when it's not going well then for me that's a difficult position for us to be in.
READ MORE: Next Aberdeen manager latest update provided by club chief
"Bear in mind a lot of the guys who we are talking about or who we are commenting on are employees of the club. We've got to be as mindful as we can when talking about the situation as it is.
"What can I add or what benefit can I bring by being reflective or critical on social media at that particular point.
"So, where I've had to pivot on my own personal communication is the fact that if we take the premise that you can only be on it when it's going good and your not on it's going bad, then I've had to step back completely because it's not fair if that's the scenario we have.
"Can the club therefore comment more or can the club do more to improve communication? Yeah we can and I think we can look and reflect on our communication at that particular part.
"For me the biggest focus and emphasis is on making sure that we get it right and try to make sure that we do our talking internally, try and do our taking on the pitch as best as we possibly can.
"I understand that there's a frustration that comes from that and I get it. So, from my point of view, if I can't fill in that gap or Dave can't fill in that gap then the club need to fill in that gap, and that's something we will certainly look to achieve before long."
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