Vicente Besuijen reckons Barry Robson has shown he can be a top boss by putting Aberdeen back in prime position for a European return.
The interim manager, after impressing, is poised to be given the manager’s job until the end of the season. The Pittodrie hierarchy have just gone through a thorough interview process, speaking to a number of candidates including Ricardo Rodriguez and Jess Thorup, but look set to stick with Robson until the summer.
The former Dons star has been promoted from under-18 coach and bringing in his experienced former Middlesbrough coach Steve Agnew has proved to be something of a masterstroke. Aberdeen have won their last three games, with the last their 3-0 victory over Hearts that moved them to within four points of their third-placed rivals. The Dons board are keen for the team to maintain their current momentum and to keep the pressure up when they head to St Johnstone in the Premiership this weekend.
Besuijen, who is currently on-loan at Excelsior, admitted to Record Sport: “Barry (Robson) has done a good job. If Aberdeen continue like this I definitely think they can qualify for Europe. “I certainly hope it can happen because I am a part of Aberdeen as well. It would be nice for me next season if Aberdeen were to qualify for Europe.
"They just have to focus game after game. The team just has to take it like that because if you lose a couple of games then things can change.”
The Aberdeen dressing room has also made it clear that they are 100 percent behind Robson and there has been a strong swell of support from the Red Army in recent weeks as well. Besuijen is not surprised he has got the reaction on the park he has.
“I don’t know Barry well but I know him from training at Cormack Park,” the Dutchman claimed. “He is a fantastical football guy. His passion is there for all to see. “He has a strong connection with Aberdeen and he wants to win. “That is clear for everybody to see. “He has holds a real respect at the club but he also gives others respect as well. “He is a good guy.”
The 21-year-old recently returned to Cormack Park for treatment on his hamstring injury and admitted Robson was really welcoming. Besuijen said: When I came back to Aberdeen for my rehabilitation, Barry was brilliant. He came up to me and asked how I was and how I was getting on. He also said it was good to see me back, so that was brilliant. He is so welcoming and the feedback from the other players towards Barry has also been good.”
The ironic thing was that Aberdeen looked favourites to land third place going into the World Cup break. They had started the first part of the season positively under Jim Goodwin but after the restart they struggled badly for form, slipped down the league, out of both cup competitions and the former manager lost his job. Besuijen had been a key player in the first part of the season but was marginalised after the World Cup and that was a reason why he returned to Holland on-loan with Excelsior.
Besuijen stated: “At the beginning of the season, I am a very humble guy but when I played we were only a few points behind Rangers. We were playing good, attractive football and I was playing well. After that we fell to seventh in the table in January, so things changed. We were third in the table but the good thing is the team are doing well and are closing the gap on Hearts again.”
Besuijen might have been packing his Pittodrie bags in the last window but he still gave a glowing reference of the club to a player making the opposite journey from the Netherlands. Goalkeeper Jay Gorter came in on-loan from Ajax. He was a player that Besuijen had known and played with from a very early age - when they were both coming through the ranks of the Amsterdam giants. They also played alongside a current English Premier League and Newcastle United star Sven Botman. Gorter has filled the void left by Kelle Roos’s recent injury. Roos made his return against Hearts last time out, as Gorter was ill.
The attacker confirmed: “I played with him at the Ajax academy when we were very young boys, maybe aged nine or something like that.
“Sven Bottman was also in that Ajax team. He is the big player to come out of that team. It was a long time ago but now at the age of 22 we are both connected to Aberdeen.
“Jay called me when Aberdeen were interested. My situation was a little bit complicated but I told him Aberdeen is a top club.
“I told him there are good people here and you will love it and embrace being at a club like Aberdeen. He has done well so far and I hope he can continue like this for Aberdeen.”
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