Club-by-club Scottish Premiership guide: Aberdeen
- adamhigginsuk
- Jul 18, 2014
- 4 min read
A LEAGUE Cup triumph, qualification for Europe and a run to the Scottish Cup semis - last season was one of the most successful in recent memory for Aberdeen.
The Dons ended their trophy drought, narrowly missed out on second place and were one game away from a Scottish Cup final. How can Derek McInnes and his team possibly top that?
Their European adventure has begun in earnest and there has been optimism aplenty during the short but stable summer.
Tipped to be the nearest to a challenger for the dominant force of Celtic once again, they will be keen to fulfil their potential in another season which promises much.
Here is a lowdown on everything you need to know about the Dons ahead of the 2014-15 campaign:
ABERDEEN:
(Nickname: The Dons)
(Based in: Aberdeenshire - The Granite City)
Manager: Derek McInnes Assistant Manager: Tony Docherty
Captain: Russell Anderson (Defender) Chairman: Stewart Milne
Star Player: Niall McGinn (Forward) Aberdeen's player of the season (2013/14): Mark Reynolds
Young Player of the season (2014/14): Nicky Low
Players' Choice - Player of the season (2013/14): Peter Pawlett
Stadium: Pittodrie Capacity: 22,199 2013/14 Average Attendance: 12,394 (This is the second largest stadium currently in the Scottish Premier League)
Scots Prem finish (2013-14): 3rd (Won 20, Drawn 8, Lost 10 - 68 points) Scots Prem goals for/against (2013/14) - 53/48
Scots Prem discipline record (2013/14) - 48 yellow cards, 4 red cards Scots Prem disciplinarian (2013/14) - Andrew Considine (4 yellows, 1 red)
Scots Prem penalties for/against (2013/14) - 6/4
First three fixtures of 2014-15: Saturday 9 August vs Dundee United (H), Wednesday 13 August vs Kilmarnock (A), Saturday 16 August vs St Mirren (H)
Other key fixtures: 13 September vs Celtic (A), 25 October vs Motherwell (H), 8 November vs Celtic (H), 13 December vs Dundee United (A), 27 December vs Inverness (A), 4 January vs Motherwell (A), 28 February vs Celtic (A), 14 March vs Motherwell (H), 8 April vs Inverness (H)
Biggest league win of last season: 4 November 2013 - 4-0 win vs Partick Thistle (H)
Biggest league defeat of last season: 3 May 2014 - 5-2 defeat vs Celtic (A)
Best moment of 2013-14: Ending their 14-year wait for a major trophy by winning the League Cup with a penalty shoot-out victory over Inverness
Worst moment of 2013-14: Missing out on second place in the Scottish Premiership after a last-day defeat to Motherwell
Winners: January signing Adam Rooney peels away in celebration after netting the decisive shoot-out in the League Cup final (Picture from SNS Group)
Top Scots Prem Goalscorer 2013-14: Niall McGinn (12 goals) Top Overall Goalscorer 2013-14: Niall McGinn (13 goals)
Most Scots Prem assists 2013-14: Niall McGinn (4 assists)
Best signing of the summer: David Goodwillie (Free transfer after leaving Blackburn) Key player for 2014-15: Peter Pawlett One to watch: Adam Rooney
Record signing: Paul Bernard (£1 million buy from Oldham Athletic in September 1995)
Most appearances in Scots Prem last season: Jamie Langfield & Mark Reynolds (37 each)
Scottish Communities League Cup finish: Winners (Beat Inverness 4-2 on penalties in the final after a goalless draw at Celtic Park)
William Hill Scottish Cup finish: Semi-Finals (Lost 2-1 to St Johnstone at Ibrox)
Celebratory mood: Aberdeen took the lead in their Scottish Cup semi-final with St Johnstone through Niall McGinn but ended up on the losing side at Ibrox (Picture from SNS Group)
Squad list: 1 Jamie Langfield (GK), 2 Shaleum Logan (RB), 3 Andrew Considine (CB/LB), 4 Russell Anderson (CB), 5 Ash Taylor (LB), 6 Mark Reynolds (CB), 8 Willo Flood (CM), 9 Adam Rooney (ST), 10 Niall McGinn (CF), 11 Jonny Hayes (LM), 14 Cammy Smith (ST), 15 Barry Robson (CDM), 16 Peter Pawlett (RM/LM), 17 David Goodwillie (ST), 18 Nicky Low (CM), 22 Ryan Jack (RB/CM), 24 Declan McManus (FW), 39 Scott Wright (CF)
Transfers In: Shaleum Logan (from Brentford, free transfer)
Scott Brown (from Cheltenham, free transfer)
Ash Taylor (from Tranmere Rovers, free transfer)
David Goodwillie (from Blackburn, free transfer)
Transfers Out: Scott Vernon (to Shrewsbury, free transfer)
Calvin Zola (to Stevenage, free transfer)
On the move: Calvin Zola, who scored only three goals from 11 league starts last term, has swapped the Scottish top-flight for the English fourth tier (Picture from Zimbio.com)
Possible starting line-up: Langfield
(4-2-3-1)
Logan Anderson (C) Considine Jack
Robson Flood
Pawlett McGinn Hayes
Rooney
2014-15 Prediction: 2nd in the Scottish Premiership
The Dons will be looking to build on a hugely successful season and make amends for the sour end to their league season when their seemingly inevitable second-placed finish was stolen from under their noses by Motherwell. With a Europa League campaign to contend with, their form may suffer dips but they have the quality and character (if not the depth) to cope. They can be regarded as the only real challenger to Celtic for the title although they will fall well short again. Being runners-up in the league would be considered success for Derek McInnes's side after the disappointment on the final day in May. Another strong run in the cup competitions would appease the supporters. Pittodrie is a good place to be at this moment of time and there is an air of positivity which bodes well. The main objective for the Dons in their long-term project is to make strides in every campaign going forward. They have to better what they did in the previous season but the achievements of last term will be difficult to eclipse.
Last updated: 18 July 2014 23:34pm
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