Kelle Roos believes that the upcoming arrival of Jimmy Thelin as manager should not influence the mindset of the Aberdeen squad as they strive to reach the final of the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
The Dons confirmed the Swedish coach's appointment on Tuesday, and he will leave IF Elfsborg to assume control at Pittodrie in June, bringing an end to a period of uncertainty during which the team has been under the guidance of caretakers Neil Warnock and Peter Leven since the dismissal of Barry Robson in January.
Number one goalkeeper, Roos, appreciates the "clarity" that the confirmation that Thelin will take the reins long-term brings to the club, yet he doesn't think that knowing the identity of the new boss will serve as a motivational factor for the players in their huge semi-final clash at Hampden Park with defending champions, Celtic.
“As a player, talking about myself, for me nothing changes,” said Roos. “Some people might say players are going to put more effort in because they know there’s a new manager and he might be watching. Hopefully not.
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“If that’s what drives you as a player, you’re doing something drastically wrong, so that’s definitely not the case for me. I’ll be doing all the same things I’ve been doing, and then we’ll go from there.”
Aberdeen are confined to finishing the Scottish Premiership season in the lower half of the table following a disappointing league campaign so far.
However, Roos is optimistic that reaching the Scottish Cup final would provide a significant morale boost for everyone at Pittodrie.
Despite the considerable 43-point gap between the two teams in the league, the Dutch shot-stopper firmly believes that the Reds can secure a victory at the national stadium if they approach the match with the right mindset.
“Celtic are a very good side, they’ve caused us a lot of troubles in the past but at the same time we showed at home (in a 1-1 draw in February) we can give them a difficult game, and that’s what we need to focus on,” he said.
“If we play to the best of our ability, we can cause them problems. We need to show a lot of courage. If we sit off Celtic the whole game they will hurt us so we need to try and be aggressive because I think that’s when we play to our strengths.
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“Some people might say ‘oh what a great day out it is to go to Hampden’ but I don’t really look at it that way. I think these days are great if you win and they’re not so great if you don’t win. That’s how simple it is. We’re going there to win a game of football, and that’s it.”
The vocal Roos is braced for a busy afternoon’s work regardless of how many shots Celtic get on target.
“I need to be ready for whatever they throw at me, just like any other game,” he continued. “If it’s a little bit more quiet, then obviously my voice plays a bigger role but if I’m busier, then obviously it will be about my saves.
“However, you twist or turn it, I will be busy whether it’s with my voice or my saves.”
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