Aberdeen chairman eyes bright future without bank debt…

Aberdeen chairman eyes bright future without bank debt after clinching cup final spot

ABERDEEN chairman Dave Cormack tonight expressed hope Jimmy Thelin and his players can end a 35 year wait to lift the Scottish Cup next month after their nerve-wracking semi-final win over Hearts at Hampden.

The Pittodrie club booked their place in the final of the Scottish Gas-sponsored competition this afternoon thanks to a first half Craig Gordon own goal and an Oday Dabbagh strike with two minutes of extra time remaining.

Atalanta-based software entrepreneur Cormack was delighted for Thelin, who has endured a rollercoaster debut season in the dugout, and the tens of thousands of supporters who made the journey down to Glasgow from the north-east.

He admitted that he is eager to see Aberdeen beat either St Johnstone or Celtic, who will meet in Mount Florida in the second semi tomorrow afternoon, in the final on May 24 and lift the trophy for the first time since way back in 1990.

“What a game, a really, really odd game,” he said. “Hearts did exceptionally well defensively after going down to 10 men. But at the end of the day it's all about getting to the final and we got there.

“I'm just so pleased for our fans and for the city. Can we win the final and lift the trophy? Why not? That's why they play the games, right?”

Cormack added: "Off the field, we've increased our attendances by 35 per cent. We've doubled our income on the commercial side. But the fans are really enjoying the football that Jimmy and the team are trying to play.

“That's the most important thing for me - trying to put a smile on the city's face and the faces of the supporters we’ve got as a club worldwide. It doesn't matter who it is we get in the final. As long as we turn up, we've got a great chance.”

Aberdeen appointed Swedish coach Thelin in April last year following a painstaking recruitment process and Cormack was pleased, but not entirely surprised, to see the former Elfsborg manager lead his side through to the Scottish Cup final.

(Image: PA Wire) “We've got a lot of faith in him,” he said. “Jimmy's only been there for nine months now. He's a quiet guy, he gets on with it. He is a typical Scandinavian, not like us Scots. He's a very calm guy.

“He gives the responsibility to the players. You don't see him shouting at the side of the field. He doesn’t think shouting at the players is the way to do it. They need to want it on their own and deserve to play for the team. But there's a great squad spirit that is there.”

“We're back in some form. But we've got incredible support at the club just now. Our average crowd now is up to about 17,000 plus. It's down to a tremendous amount of hard work from everybody at the club.

“But at the end of the day, of course, especially with social media, the only thing that matters is winning games. So that's four semi-finals in a row and two finals and I'm just so pleased for our fans.”

Cormack added, “Jimmy's obviously delighted. You know, 20 or 30 years ago, we would have been more patient with managers, given them more time. But in today's world, especially with social media, it's a real challenge. So hopefully we can get a bit of stability in the next two or three years. “But we've got a lot of good going on. We're about to make another investment in the club as well to put an indoor pitch and extend the facilities at the training ground as well. And that's quite a few million. We'll invest there too. There's no bank debt at the club. So we'll just enjoy tonight and wait for the final.”

Thelin said, “It’s my first cup final as a manager after having some semi-finals, so it’s nice. When we get there, we’ll try to win it.

“For me, it means a lot. It doesn’t matter how you win a semi-final, you just have to win. And now that we’re there, we have to do our best to try and win it."

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