Jim Goodwin has admitted that he is feeling the pressure ahead of this afternoon’s Viaplay Cup semi-final after a recent trip to Glasgow left him with no doubt about the scale of the job on his hands.
The Aberdeen manager, who will lead his side out at Hampden this afternoon as they take on Rangers, moved to the north east last year after landing the top job at Pittodrie while his family stayed behind in Glasgow.
As a one-club city, Goodwin accepts that Aberdeen can be a bit of a goldfish bowl at times and says it can be difficult to find an escape when things aren’t going well on the park.
The Irishman figured that his trips to Glasgow to spend time with his family would allow him a reprieve but as he discovered on his latest visit, that’s easier said than done.
“It’s hard to escape the pressure in a one-club city,” Goodwin told the Daily Record.
“When you’re living up here, you can’t get away from it. When you have a big game like Sunday, you can’t walk down the aisle at Tesco without someone pulling you over and wishing you all the best - or whatever!
“I wouldn’t suggest the last few weeks have been difficult but when results aren’t so good, you’re made to know about it. That’s something our new players have had to adapt to.
“They’ve never played for a club of this size, where that expectation is on you every week. I don’t go out very often in Aberdeen. I’m at the training ground until late at night then it’s back to my apartment to watch telly for an hour.
“I go to bed then get back up and do it all again. My family are still based in Glasgow so I travel up and down as often as the job allows.
“They’ve been a great support because it’s not easy being away from a young family. But my two teenage daughters are at a critical time in their education so to move them would have been unfair.
“Every manager will tell you that you never really switch off. I probably need to get better at getting the balance right.
“I assumed going back to Glasgow would take me out of it but I’ve been surprised by the number of Aberdeen fans living in the central belt. I’ve had guys come up to me and show me their Aberdeen tattoos. They’re lifelong supporters who make the trip up to Pittodrie every other week.
“That really brought it home to me, how big a club it is. It captures not only the people in Aberdeen and the local area - but also down the road as well.”
