“Depending on who we had up front, you could be a little more direct: if you had Kenny Duchar, Cillian Sheridan, or Steven Milne.

“So, again, I believe that tactically, back then, it was a little different than it is now, in terms of how teams try to play and press. But we certainly tried to attack.

“During one season, we struggled to score goals, but our defence was consistently strong.”

“That’s something these teams are usually very good at.” I believe Kilmarnock has struggled this season, but they are usually rock-solid defensively.

“We attempted to create an attacking threat against St Johnstone, but it proved difficult. When I was with him, we had just been promoted to the Premier League, and we finished eighth that season, which was quite respectable.”

Move down south, ‘earned’

McInnes’ impressive results in Perth earned him a move to Bristol City, leaving Mackay with only one regret about his time with McInnes: that it wasn’t longer.

Now a coach himself, most recently at Dunfermline Athletic, he remembers admiring McInnes and his assistant Tony Docherty’s training methods and the standards they established.

According to Mackay, he enjoyed the training with Tony Docherty, possibly due to a need for a change from Livingston.

“When I played, I enjoyed working hard in training. You treat training like a match day, which is an old saying that not everyone follows. And the demands they put on people, the intensity, made me probably as fit as I’ve ever been. They were simply expected to maintain high standards at all times.

“It was a particularly enjoyable period in my career. I wish I could have spent more time with them at St Johnstone, but they earned their move south.

“They’re just really good people as well.”

Aberdeen

This is the period during which we can learn the most about McInnes. While his time at St Johnstone was spent transitioning from player to manager, his time at Aberdeen was his longest spell as a manager to date, and it was at a similar-sized club with similar expectations as Hearts.

There is no single team that accurately defines his style from his eight years in the northeast; rather, it evolved through various iterations.

Off the pitch, and where things differed from his role at Hearts, he took over the entire football department – in an era before football and sporting directors had properly entered Scottish football. McInnes inherited a team that, while Craig Brown had laid solid foundations, was consistently finishing in the bottom six, including when he took over.

The way players conducted themselves changed. There was a sense of discipline around Pittodrie, as evidenced by how the players spoke to the press.

He set an example, particularly ahead of a visit to Dundee early in the 2015/16 season.

Aberdeen had started the season unbeaten, and in a live interview shortly before the game, the first question was about a viral video of his defender Andy Considine in drag, which was filmed on his recent stag do. Rather than responding directly, McInnes questioned why that was the first question he was asked before a big game for the club.

McInnes led Aberdeen to third place in his first year and remained in the top four until his departure.

To improve his team, he identified gaps and added key players each season, while also developing existing talent. It was never a case of changing the roster every season or two.

Perceived Style

Scott Wright, who came through the youth system during McInnes’ time at Pittodrie, spoke exclusively to the Hearts Standard about criticism his former manager receives for his playing style.

“There’s obviously a perception of his name based on how he plays. However, there are times when Wright, who recently won English League One with Birmingham City, believes that if he sees his squad, he can adapt to make it work for the team.

“I mean, when you look at his Kilmarnock team, they’re obviously getting European football, which is incredible. And then, as I mentioned, the things he did with us at Aberdeen – I’d seen his Aberdeen teams play in completely different ways. And I was also involved in it.”

Barry Robson and Willo Flood were signed during his first summer transfer window, with Shay Logan (on loan) and Adam Rooney joining in January.

McInnes continued to sign players who would eventually become key players: Kenny McLean and Ash Taylor (2014/15); Graeme Shinnie and Danny Ward (15/16); Joe Lewis, James Maddison (16/17), Ryan Christie, Sam Cosgrove (17/18); Lewis Ferguson, Max Lowe (18/19); Ryan Hedges and Marley Watkins (19/20).

He rarely signed players from outside the UK and did not use a scouting system like Tynecastle. Instead, he relied on his extensive knowledge of the British market.

Aberdeen began McInnes’ first full season with seven wins from 12 and finished third in the Scottish Premiership, narrowly missing out on second place due to a Craig Reid goal for Motherwell on the final day. They also advanced to the Scottish Cup semifinals.

In February of that year, they thrashed St Johnstone 4-0 at Tynecastle in the League Cup semi-final, going on to win a drab final on penalties over Inverness.

McInnes primarily used a counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 formation, with attacking midfielders Jonny Hayes, Niall McGinn, and Peter Pawlett combining pace, guile, and creativity. The manager improved his team’s performance to the point where Celtic’s Virgil van Dijk struggled against the speedster.

Another was Considine’s consistent year-on-year improvement into a Scotland international. He has become synonymous with the celebrations that followed the end of a generation-long wait to compete in a major tournament.

Shinnie, for example, was transformed from a full-back to the central midfielder who went on to have a successful career both north and south of the border.

Aberdeen would frequently score the first goal and then capitalise on the gaps that the opposition would leave while attempting to regain control of the game, and McInnes became known for his ‘game management’.

Over the next few seasons, the formation shifted between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3, frequently returning to a 4-2-3-1.

As the team’s confidence grew and they began to consistently reach the final stages of cup competitions, they naturally became a team that dominated possession more.

‘Dynamic’ Back Three

In his later seasons with the Granite City, he often played in a back three formation.

He would set up his midfield and attack differently depending on the opponent, but he was most effective with a three-man defence, with Ryan Hedges and Scott Wright playing as inverted No.10s behind Watkins. The striker would either hold up the ball to allow runners to advance or stretch the game to give the 10s more room to play.

“Whether it was a little bit more of a low-block, or sometimes you were really expressive in terms of that last season I had at Aberdeen with the gaffer before I went to Rangers.” I believe that was one of the most expressive teams he’s had, with me, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Hedges, and Marley Watkins,” Wright added.

“He kind of built that base for us, a strong, defensive foundation. And then we definitely had that dynamic of, “Go express yourself, lads, and try to win us games.”

Back-four formations frequently featured inverted wingers, with one full-back pushing on and the other tucking in. With a three-man defence, he would occasionally play a winger on one side and a wing-back on the other, a tactic he still employs today. Sometimes the winger was inverted, sometimes there were two wingers at wing-back, but Shinnie, Ferguson, or Ross McCrorie were there to provide cover in midfield.

McInnes successfully used Hayes in various positions, including left-back, wing-back, and holding midfielder, in 2014/15. Hayes would make runs to the wings and beyond the attacking players from the No.6 position.

During the 2019/20 season, McInnes used defenders Greg Leigh and Zak Vyner as a double pivot in a 3-0 win at Fir Park, despite having limited midfield options. Leigh set up Cosgrove for the first goal, and Vyner finished off with a stunning third.

They tried it again the following match, at home to Celtic, and lost 4-0, in an inconsistent season that was cut short due to Covid.

Criticisms and Natural Conclusion

However, when his teams are not performing well, fans may complain about excessive rotation. There was also a time when the football was more direct and compact, often with a target man like Cosgrove.

Despite his strong league finishes and tactical flexibility, McInnes regrets not winning more than one League Cup in his first full season.

Celtic, led by Brendan Rodgers, consistently defeated them in three finals and two semi-finals.

McInnes tried everything to beat Celtic at Hampden, including using a rarely seen man-making system that would force his defenders into risky positions, similar to when Jim Jefferies sent out Paul Ritchie to man-mark Brian Laudrup in a cup final.

Despite signing Fraser Hornby, Callum Hendry, and Florian Kamberi on deadline day in January 2021, Aberdeen’s fortunes remained bleak towards the end of McInnes’ tenure.

Instead, they went on a nine-game streak in which they scored only one goal, effectively ending the tenure of the SPFL’s longest-serving manager at the time.

Kilmarnock

McInnes’ most recent job before taking over at Tynecastle reflected his pragmatism from his time at Aberdeen.

And, with the Ayrshire side expected to be underdogs more often than, say, Hearts or Aberdeen, and their live matches primarily against the Old Firm, it’s easy to see why some may mistake McInnes for a defensive manager.

Every season at Rugby Park was unique. After winning promotion from the Championship, his first full season was spent simply treading water – with a trip to Hampden thrown in – while beginning to rebuild the squad. With many of the existing players still under contract, McInnes was forced to rely on the loan market to some extent. It’s like trying to rebuild a boat while it’s sailing.

They made it through the choppy waters of 2022/23, and the manager was able to form a team more in his image. That’s when they reached their peak.

With a good mix of experience and youth, Kilmarnock finished fourth and qualified for Europe. Crucially, McInnes was able to bring in “his best signing” as head of recruitment, Russ Richardson, with whom he had previously worked at Aberdeen and Bristol City.

Certain characteristics of his more successful Aberdeen teams were noticeable. However, knowing that he did not have the budget for a 20-goal striker, McInnes chose Watkins and Kyle Vassell as his front pairing, each capable of 10 goals. McInnes deployed two inverted wingers on each side.

Danny Armstrong was the main attacking threat the previous season, and with more attention focused on him, Matty Kennedy, who was brought in during the summer of 2023, seized the opportunity to thrive.

Kilmarnock were a potent attacking force, with goals spread throughout the team. No Scottish Premiership player scored ten or more goals this season.

Furthermore, they were strong at the back, conceding the fourth fewest goals in the league and finishing with a positive goal difference.

Their defence was enormous. Often, one of the full-backs would push on, but McInnes has been known to play with four central defenders across the backline. Whether it was four or three centre-backs, with Corrie Ndaba breaking forward from the left, they were all over six feet tall.

Ndaba was also subject to a re-used Aberdeen tactic, which involved him being pushed into central midfield at times.

This became a point of contention for some fans, who claimed Ndaba was played out of position when results did not go their way. McInnes was questioned about it at a club AGM.

“Corrie can play midfield; he’s had some good games there, but people will always notice when he doesn’t,” said McInnes, who was named Scottish Football Writers’ Manager of the Year last year.

“If you watch the game closely, you’ll notice that we often play Corrie as a centre-back who jumps into midfield. We play a high-press game; I believe we are fourth in the league, with only Hearts and the Old Firm doing a better job of winning the ball back in the opponent’s defensive third.

“Corrie occasionally switches from left centre-back to left midfield to make that press function; it’s something we work on and have had a lot of success with.

“Deas then moves into a slightly wider left-back position; he played there for three seasons at Inverness and is comfortable there, even if he prefers to be the left centre-back.

“He doesn’t want to go into midfield and engage in a high press, so when Arne Engels, Tom Lawrence, or whoever plays, Deasy is more at ease there than in midfield, and Corrie is content in all three positions.

“At times, he’s a hybrid of a midfielder and a centre back. A few weeks ago, someone asked me, “Why are you playing Ndaba in midfield?” He wasn’t; he was playing left back that week.”

Setting up an underdog in Europe.

One thing we didn’t cover in the Aberdeen section that he carried over to Kilmarnock was knowing how to position yourself as an underdog in Europe. He fell short of European group-stage football at Aberdeen, but he did have some memorable performances. The team won away in the Netherlands and Croatia, drew 1-1 away to Burnley in the English Premier League, and performed well in defeats against Real Sociedad and Sporting Lisbon.

Coming into his third season with Kilmarnock, he admitted that Europe would be his top priority. As a result, the club’s league performance suffered.

They drew 2-2 at home to Norwegian team Tromso before winning 1-0 away. Hearts narrowly lost to Copenhagen and Cercle Brugge in the Conference League phase.

Overall, this was a disappointing final campaign. The team’s poor start was exacerbated by European matches, injuries, and an unusually high number of red cards. They did not fully recover until the end of the season when the league was split in two.

But he left with the same off-field imprint as he did at Aberdeen, albeit to a lesser extent. The training ground and other structural elements have been improved behind the scenes. Even Chris Burke, an academy coach who took over Kilmarnock on the final day of the season against Hearts, spoke recently about the culture McInnes had established at the club.

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