Barry Robson admits being time served as the master's apprentice under Derek McInnes at Aberdeen was an eye-opening affair.
The Dons boss will sit in the opposite dugout to his mentor this afternoon when Kilmarnock visit the Granite City but he paid tribute to his old gaffer who spent eight years in charge at Pittodrie and put him on the coaching path. It's been a week of mutual appreciation between the pair who've remained close friends despite their respective career twists and Robson insists he owes a debt of gratitude to McInnes for making him an offer he couldn't refuse when he hung up his boots.
He said: “Everyone knows how important Derek has been to my career. He’s a top manager and a top person. He created a position for me at the club when I stopped playing so I could start coaching. I learned from a top manager and it has been invaluable for me.
“I had an option to go away and become a manager somewhere else instead but I didn’t think it was right, I wanted to stay and learn from him. That’s what I did and it has been so important for me.
“That was a huge decision because you can go into management with your eyes closed, but staying here with Derek opened my eyes to what it really takes to be a manager. It’s not all about coaching.
"You have to manage people and there’s lots of different things you have to deal with. I learned all that, on the training pitch and off the training pitch, I have worked with a lot of good managers and Derek is right up there with the best of them.
“He’s a very good coach and that doesn’t get spoken about enough. The support and education he’s given me has allowed me to develop.
“Derek’s was great for me and it was a real good time for the club as well under him. "
Aberdeen's resurgence under Robson's charge has allowed them to close the gap to just one point behind third placed Hearts and Robson knows McInnes will be desperate to bring a four game winning run by his old team to an abrupt halt.
He said: "Derek will be desperate to come and win this weekend - just as we are. Kilmarnock will be well-organised and structured coming here.
“They have been training on grass this week but that’s no different for him because when he was here when we played on astroturf we’d train on it for a few days before to get used to it. Derek always leaves no stone unturned.
“His attention to detail is brilliant, he knows exactly what he’s doing and knows the game inside out so it’s going to be difficult for us. They will be difficult to beat and will carry a threat, especially at set plays because they’re always good at that.”
Robson also revealed Hayden Coulson will be included today after being involved in a horror motorway crash last week while in a car with his family. He said: “Hayden will be available, which is good and good for him too.
“What happened was hard for him and we told him to take the time he needed. He was shaken up by it so needed a few days away, but he’s back now and being on the training pitch has helped him.
“He’s a good kid, he’s a really good player as well so we’re glad to have him back.”
Dons defender Angus MacDonald admits the improvement under Robson is a far cry from the distant memory of a Scottish Cup exit at Darvel which is now the town which they dare not speak of.
He said: “Before I came was the Darvel game. Darvel is probably a swear word around here now after that game, it wasn’t great but you go through spells in a long season and it's good we have changed it around now.
“I can’t comment on before as I don’t know what the training was like or what the old manager was implementing. There is a real togetherness that Barry has brought to the dressing room.
“It is about hard work, there is no slackness – and that is not saying there was slackness before. You don’t get away with sloppiness and that has shown on the pitch, as soon as we cross that white line, the XI who are starting are fighting for each other."
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