Chairman Dave Cormack is right to take his time when it comes to appointing Aberdeen’s next manager.
Since Derek McInnes was sacked last week, Stephen Glass has been installed as the clear favourite to take McInnes’ place in the Pittodrie dugout.
The former Don, who is now coach of Aberdeen’s strategic partners Atlanta United’s second team, has obvious connections to the club and knows Cormack well.
Given the links between the clubs, Glass is in many ways the easy option for the Reds to bring in, but there are other candidates worth considering.
Darren Ferguson is one. The son of Sir Alex Ferguson has won four promotions and the Football League trophy during his time in England and is going for a fifth promotion this term with Peterborough vying to get into the Championship.
Although he hasn’t played or managed in Scotland, Ferguson has 14 years managerial experience and a track record of success.
Jim Goodwin is another contender, the Irishman is arguably the best young manager in Scotland.
He took part-time Alloa into the Championship and kept them there for two seasons before keeping St Mirren in the Premiership last term and leading them to the cusp of the top-six this season.
Compensation would be required for Ferguson or Goodwin and it’s likely it may be the summer before Aberdeen could land either.
But if the Dons do go for Glass, it also appears he wouldn’t want to take the job until the summer, when he could have Scott Brown and Allan Russell alongside him.
Although the merits of appointing the next management team before the end of this season are clear – to give them time to assess the current squad – if Cormack and the Dons board have to wait until the summer to get the best people then so be it.
If the best manager to take Aberdeen forward isn’t available right now, it’s worth waiting until when they may be.
Next manager needs to be backed
Whoever comes next, it’s clear Cormack’s ambitions are to win trophies with increased regularity and try to split Rangers and Celtic in the league.
Yesterday when talking about his search for a new manager and advice he had received from Six Alex Ferguson, Cormack said: “Find a coach that you can work with, someone who will go to Glasgow and aim to beat Celtic and Rangers. Don’t look for second-best as far as that goes.”
Wanting to beat the Gers and Hoops in Glasgow is one thing, but being able to do it is another, and whoever is in charge will require the ammunition to achieve that.
Nine players are out of contract this summer and four loan deals are expiring. As it stands, the Reds have no senior strikers signed for next term.
It’s likely a major overhaul of the Aberdeen squad will take place at the end of the season.
The new manager needs to be given the resources by Cormack and the board to bring in the quality required to take the Dons forward.
There will also be instant pressure on the new boss to get their recruitment right this summer.
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