Aberdeen have sold an astonishing 40,000 tickets for Sunday's League Cup final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. They'd have sold more but for restrictions imposed by police. That's nearly enough to fill Pittodrie twice over.
Inevitably there have been moans of "Where are these fans when Aberdeen are at home every fortnight?" Presumably, these supporters have been spending their hard-earned cash far more sensibly than on football tickets - particularly given some of the dross that has appeared for their club in recent times. I often toddled down to watch them when I was a student; Leon Mike, Laurent D'Jaffo, Bryan Prunty and David Zdrilic were just some of the duffers I had the misfortune to see in action. And that was just up front...
Aberdeen have won just one trophy since 1990 - the 1996 League Cup. They haven't reached a final since 2000. Heck, even the likes of Ross County, Falkirk, Ayr United, Queen of the South and Gretna have been to cup finals since then. So an entire generation of Aberdeen fans have been utterly starved of any sort of glory; I think they can be forgiven for gorging on this rare opportunity.
Ditto some of the players. Captain Russell Anderson, for a start. Anderson made his first team debut all the way back in 1997, and was on the losing side in both the League Cup and Scottish Cup finals in 1999-2000. He's spent all but four years of this career at Aberdeen, many of them as captain. He is on the brink of his 400th appearance for his beloved side. There are but a handful of players who have worn the red shirt more often - all of them won plenty. Is this Anderson's time at last?
It might just be. There is a distinct possibility that 2013-14 could go down as one of the great seasons in Aberdeen's history. They are in prime position to finish second in the league for the first time since 1994. They have made it to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup too. Everything seems to be coming together for Derek McInnes, less than a year after he succeeded Craig Brown in the dugout.
McInnes has tinkered with what Brown left him, rather than becoming the umpteenth consecutive Dons boss to completely overhaul the playing squad. He did clear out plenty of dead wood, but the signings he has made were mainly to rectify glaring weaknesses. The centre of midfield was one such area - Stephen Hughes and Gavin Rae were Brown's first-choice players last season. Now there's Willo Flood and Barry Robson. That's like upgrading from a BBC Micro to an iPad.
At the turn of the year, the squad looked good in every area except up front, since Niall McGinn has been moved to a wider starting position. Scott Vernon has lost most of his potency from a couple of years ago, whilst even McInnes would probably admit that another summer signing, the lumbering Calvin Zola, has been a flop. So he only went out and got Adam Rooney, the Irish striker. Rooney has scored six goals in eight games so far.
Rooney is also a former Caley Thistle player. So too are Robson, and winger Jonny Hayes. All three first came to prominence when playing in the Highlands...Robson much longer ago than the other two. Known as the "ginger whinger" (affectionately when he was playing well, derogatively when he wasn't), he was brought north by Steve Paterson all the way back in 1997, when he was still a teenager. Back then he was left winger with plenty of tricks and no end product. In fact, he was punted out to Forfar on loan in 2000, which served as the kick up the backside he required; within three years, Dundee United paid £100,000 for him. By 2008, he was a million-pound creative, versatile midfield player for Celtic and Scotland. Now 35, he has lost what pace he had, but the eye for a pass is still there.
Irish duo Hayes and Rooney joined forces at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium for two seasons. Rooney, a Stoke City youth product, arrived a year before Hayes, and left a year before him as well. His goals fired Caley Thistle to the 2009-10 first division title, and helped them survive with plenty to spare in the top flight the following season, before he tried his hand back down south with Birmingham City, before arriving in the North-East via Swindon and Oldham. He has a deceptive turn of pace, but at 6'2" he has the height and strength to hold the ball up and offer an aerial threat. One of his trademarks at Inverness was the clever bending of his runs into the channels. That means he is worth his place in the team even when the goals aren't flowing, which can happen for periods. He is an instinctive finisher, much better when taking a chance on first-time rather than with time to think about it. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of strikers in Scotland who I would deem superior, and most of them are at Celtic.
Hayes, meanwhile, was one of my favourites at Inverness. He's the cliched 'old-fashioned' winger, in that he's all about pace - and blimey, what pace! - and a dropped shoulder here, a body swerve there. He doesn't do much in the way of tricks at all; I'm not sure I've ever seen so much as a stepover. Left-footed, he tends to be just as dangerous when coming in from the right flank as when hugging the touchline from the left. He's better than most of his peers at carrying out his defensive duties. He is a damn good wide player. With Hayes on one side, Niall McGinn on the other, and Rooney up top, the Dons are well stocked in attack.
Through the centre, they also have Peter Pawlett, better known to Scottish football fans before this season through his well-earned reputation for diving rather than through his skills. McInnes' tactical masterstroke was to move Pawlett from the wing to a more central role, but even he must be shocked at how successful the move has been. Many an Aberdeen goal this season has come after a rampaging burst through the centre of the pitch by Pawlett, running at central defenders who have neither the skill nor the nous to stop him. He may be the most improved player in the country this season.
This is the strongest Aberdeen team for many a year, and they are unquestionably favourites on Sunday. This is a huge opportunity, not just in terms of the League Cup trophy. Giving these huge droves in the stands a taste of glory might be the spark that brings these supporters back to watch their team on a regular basis once more. And, with the club's long-planned and long-delayed new stadium still up in the air, success, and increased interest in the club, might finally be enough to get things moving.
Of course, it could go the other way. The weight of expectation will be enormous. The players may rise to the occasion, or they may be overwhelmed by it. After all, they don't play in front of this sort of crowd terribly often.
Sunday will be a very, very big day for Aberdeen Football Club.
L.
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