Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass has promised to deliver a vibrant, attacking team for supporters in the upcoming season.
Glass has also pledged to field a side that will be proud to play for the club.
The Dons boss is also confident his new-look team will get Pittodrie “buzzing” again.
The Red Army will finally see the fruits of Glass’ summer rebuild in the Uefa Europa Conference League tie with BK Hacken on Thursday July 22 at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen hope the Scottish Government will allow 2,000 fans to attend that first game of the season against the Swedish outfit.
The Euro tie will give Dons fans their first look at Glass’ reconstructed side as pre-season friendlies against Inverness Caley Thistle, St Johnstone and Reading will all be played behind closed doors at Cormack Park.
Glass is confident he has constructed a team supporters can be proud of, having secured six new signings during the summer transfer window.
He said: “Supporters will see a vibrant Aberdeen team that is very energetic.
“A team that is on the front foot and desperate to win games.
“A team that is proud to play for the club.
“That is what I guarantee.”
Players must deliver high energy – or they won’t feature
Glass aims to play high tempo, attacking football in the upcoming season and has been putting the squad through their paces at Cormack Park to deliver that.
He wants players capable of delivering that tempo for an entire 90 minutes throughout the entire campaign.
The Dons boss warned any player who cannot deliver that will not play.
However, having been impressed with levels of fitness throughout the squad in the opening two weeks of pre-season training, he is confident that will not be an issue.
Glass said: “You are going to see a team full of energy.
“If players are not doing that they are not going to play.
“But the way they are playing in training – I cant wait to see them playing myself.”
Excitement about supporters returning
National clinical director Professor Jason Leitch recently said stadiums could return to full capacity from August 10 after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Covid restrictions may be lifted on August 9.
Hampden hosted 12,000 supporters for Euro 2020 games last month and there were 16,500 inside Murrayfield to watch the British and Irish Lions rugby side beat Japan.
Aberdeen have made a pitch to the Scottish Government to have a modest 2,000 inside Pittodrie for second qualifying round first leg with BK Hacken.
The Red Army have been locked out of Pittodrie due to lockdown restrictions for 16 months.
Supporters were last allowed into Pittodrie for a 3-1 defeat of Hibs on March 7 2020.
Since then there have been only 300 fans inside the stadium in a test event game against Kilmarnock on September 12.
Glass said: “The players are excited about the prospect of fans coming back in themselves.
“I am excited about it.
“I can imagine that as a player if you have not been playing in front of fans for a long time how exciting it will be to have that back.
“If we can put a team out there that people want to come and watch then the place is going to be buzzing.”
‘Week to week we’re trying to win every game’
Glass recently confirmed his summer overhaul is nearly complete, although he admitted he would ideally like to add another striker.
The signing of United States international centre-forward Christian Ramirez from MLS side Houston Dynamo took Glass’ summer additions to six.
Ramirez, 30, joined on a two-year contract.
Although he jetted in from the United States, striker Ramirez has been given an elite sporting exemption to train with the Aberdeen squad at their Covid-19 bio-secure bubble at Cormack Park whilst in quarantine.
Ramirez will join fellow summer signing Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who recently said he aims to smash the 20-goal mark this season, in a new look attack.
The spine of the team has been strengthened as midfielder Scott Brown, the former Celtic captain, has arrived on a two-year deal, with Scotland international centre-back Declan Gallagher also signing on until summer 2023.
Atlanta United right-back Jack Gurr has been secured for the 2021-22 campaign, with England youth international Teddy Jenks, 19, joining on a season-long loan from Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion.
Aberdeen will face BK Hacken in Gothenburg in the return leg on Thursday July 29 before kicking off the Premiership campaign at home to Dundee United on Sunday August 1.
Glass said: “Week to week we’re trying to win every game we play.
“For me, it’s important when people are allowed back into the stadium, they want to come and watch.”
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