According to Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack, manager Jimmy Thelin is the one who can restore stability to the team.
When Thelin guides his team back to Hampden for the third time this season in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday, the Dons’ inconsistent season will come to an end.
Dons supporters may anticipate a trip back to Europe the following season after he led the team to a fifth-place finish in the Scottish Premiership.
Although Thelin’s debut season in Scottish football has been, to put it mildly, eventful, chairman Cormack anticipates that his manager will stick around.
We’ve had far too many managerial changes in the last few years,” Cormack stated.
However, we want stability at the club and a longer-term plan with Jimmy.
“It will take him a few years to get the team in the form we want it to be in overall, with players who can fit the system the club has adopted.”
The Premiership has seen intense competition.
As the level of competition increases every season, Cormack longs for a stable time for the team.
The Premiership now has more depth thanks to the ascent of the Edinburgh clubs and Dundee United’s return to the top division, but the chairman is up for the task.
“We must keep in mind that the Scottish league is extremely competitive,” he stated.
“With the caliber of their work, Celtic is an anomaly, and you have to give them credit for their financial achievements in order for them to be in their current position.
However, if you compare it to ten years ago, you’ll see that things have changed a lot. Hearts and Hibs were demoted ten years ago.
Rangers were returning to the top divisions after Dundee United had been out of the league for five years.
However, there is fierce competition where we are right now. Bring it on, even though Hearts and Hibs in particular have a lot of money.
‘We want to be winning trophies’
Aberdeen will play Celtic for the third time this season and for the sixth time overall when they visit the national stadium on Saturday.
When the Hoops defeated Thelin’s team 6-0 in the November semi-final, they devastatingly ruined the Dons’ prospects of winning the League Cup.
Last season, Aberdeen’s chances of making it to the Scottish Cup final were similarly dashed as Brendan Rodgers’ team defeated the Dons in a penalty shootout after a thrilling semi-final that saw six goals.
Cormack is thrilled to see the players move past their setbacks and come back for another chance at success.
We’ve attended the last four cup tournament semi-finals at Hampden, which is fantastic to witness,” the Dons chairman remarked.
“It’s really that simple: we want to be there frequently, but we also want to be winning trophies.”
“Losing on penalties in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic last year was devastating.
It’s somewhat of a lottery, but we gave a fantastic performance, and Peter Leven, who is still with us, was largely responsible for that.
These games were obviously very competitive because of the gap from 1990, which occurred before the Bosman verdict and before the financial crisis hit Europe.
“But look, we have to do everything we can to be as competitive as possible at the end of the day.”
Cormack demands that tickets for upcoming finals be distributed equally.
In order to guarantee that the greatest number of supporters could attend the game, the Dons promised to pay for any unsold tickets, thus Thelin and his players will have the backing of almost 20,000 people.
With only 16,800 tickets initially available, Cormack and CEO Alan Burrows were adamant about fighting for an equal number of tickets to the final.
The fact that the whole allocation sold out on the first day of sales, in Cormack’s opinion, validated the club’s position and strengthened his conviction that all future finals need to be shared 50/50.
The offer we made to the SFA was a simple choice to make because the thought of accepting a few thousand less simply didn’t sit well with us.
“In a single day last season, we sold 17,000 tickets for the League Cup final versus Rangers in December.
When you look at a summer cup final, you can see that there was no doubt about our destination.
In actuality, each team ought to be permitted to sell half of the stadium.
Let them show that it is possible by giving them a week or so. For the cup competitions, I would suggest that to the SPFL and the SFA.
The league campaign is over, the tickets have been sold, and the club is almost ready for the final.
For the first time in 35 years, the Scottish Cup will return to the Granite City, making the last obstacle the most difficult.
Cormack is aware of how big of a problem his club faces. However, he is also aware of what it means to the city, the club, and the supporters.
Despite his role as chairman, Cormack is first and foremost a devoted Dons supporter.
He therefore shares the Red Army’s sense of optimism and anxious excitement on the eve of the big game.
As the team’s chief executive, Alan Burrows oversees everything, but when the game begins, it doesn’t really matter where you are, Cormack stated.
Like I was at the Beach End in the past, I’d like to be in with the ultras in many respects.
Although we’ve been there numerous times over the years, we haven’t won a final in a long time.
“I hope that 2025 will be our year. We defeated a very, very strong Celtic team that was vying for the European Cup 3-1 back in 1970.
The journey to Hampden will be a family event.
Although he divides his time between Aberdeen and Atlanta, Cormack will head the family’s US delegation to Mount Florida on Saturday for the game.
The Granite City branch will join them in Glasgow to support the Dons in their first Scottish Cup final in eight years.
“The majority of the family will be in Aberdeen,” he stated. The only people that left were my wife, Fiona, and me.
“Our 95-year-old mother, all of our siblings, nieces, nephews, and now their children are all in Aberdeen.
But for the final, our son, daughter, and their family will be joining us.
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