Jimmy Thelin: The Man Who Has Brought the Feel Good Factor Back to Aberdeen
It was announced April earlier this year that Aberdeen had appointed Swedish boss Jimmy Thelin on a three-year deal. The 2023/2024 season was a dismal one for the Dons as they failed to get the top six and went through three managers.
After a poor start to the season, Barry Robson was sacked after his side only won six out of 21 league games. Veteran manager Neil Warnock replaced the former Aberdeen midfielder but stepped down after only 32 days at the club and failed to win a single league game. Peter Leven took caretaker charge for the reminder of the season.
The Aberdeen faithful have been starved of success for a long time, and Thelin was an outside of the box appointment that raised some eyebrows in Scottish football. The former Elfborg boss has had a dream start at Pittodrie winning ten of his first 16 league games, and they currently sit second in the league, albeit Rangers have two games in hand. The Dandies first league defeat of the season came against St Mirren in late November, but not many expected their unbeaten league run to last that long.
One Reds fan that is over the moon with Thelin’s start is Digital Sports Journalist Robbie Hanratty, who has been impressed with how the 46-year-old has settled in at the club. Speaking to Breaking The Lines, Hanratty said the city of Aberdeen is full of positivity and that’s all thanks to Thelin.
“It’s been an unbelievable start to Jimmy Thelin’s tenure at Aberdeen and the positivity around the club and city is night and day from what it’s been over the past year. His humble game by game approach seems to be working and even when we’ve not played well, he’s managed to get results which is a sign of a good manager.
“The substitutions are more often than not executed perfectly and he’s getting the best out of guys such as Shayden Morris who looked like they had no future at the club. I’d suggest I’m a wee bit surprised by how well he’s done but I’ve always said this squad and club have been underperforming and maybe it just needed fresh eyes from out with the Scottish football merry go round to get the best out of them.
“Thelin has said himself that it’s a three-year project and there’s no doubt there’s still a lot to do in terms of getting the right personnel in and everyone understanding the style, but if you told me that Aberdeen would be second ahead of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership come December, I would have thought you were mad. There’s a long road ahead, and there will be setbacks, but I am positive Aberdeen have finally found the right manager to guide them long term.”
There is still plenty of football to be played but it’s safe to say it’s looking like Aberdeen have won a watch with the appointment of Thelin.
By: Scott Bradley / @ScottBradleyX
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Craig Foy – SNS Group