Dwight Yorke. Aberdeen manager. In the cynical world of Scottish football, even uttering the words out loud sounds a bit too much like pie in the sky.
So when Record Sport broke the news on Wednesday the Manchester United legend had thrown his name into the race to replace Jim Goodwin at Pittodrie, the temptation may have been to dismiss the whole idea as some flight of fancy. But not for Mark Bosnich. The former Old Trafford keeper once promised Sir Alex Ferguson that signing Yorke from Aston Villa would win him the Champions League.
Less than 12 months later United were beating Bayern Munich in injury time in the Nou Camp to complete the crowning, storybook season of the great man’s illustrious managerial career. So, when Bosnich says his best mate can become an even better Dons boss than Fergie, it doesn’t half give reason to pause for a moment’s reflection. “Don’t get me wrong. I can almost hear the Aberdeen fans saying ‘Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! From all the way down here!” Bosnich concedes from his Sydney home. “But, over the last couple of days, I’ve spoken to Dwight about what he can achieve at Aberdeen and he knows exactly what is required.
“First and foremost he has to steady the ship. But then the aim is to go one better than Sir Alex.
“Trust me, I know Dwight. It may sound ridiculous but this is a guy who can succeed at anything once he really sets his mind to something. And right now, it’s on Aberdeen.”
To illustrate the point Bosnich goes on: “When he stopped playing football Dwight told me he wanted to become a professional golfer. In no time he got his handicap down to zero. He could have turned pro if he wanted at that stage. But he decided his real love is football and his future was in management instead.”
Last summer Yorke’s first chance arrived from nowhere when the Australian FA asked him to take charge of an A-League all-star side for a glamour friendly against Barcelona in front of more than 70,000 fans.
Yorke took on the challenge – and came within two late second-half goals of a stunning win in his first game as a manager. Bosnich goes on: “That’s a great example of what I’m talking about. The biggest thing he gives players – especially younger ones – is a belief in themselves which is all important in football. And I would assume, after their recent run, that’s one thing Aberdeen could be doing with right now! That night against Barca he made the team believe they could win it and, to the astonishment of almost everyone else, they very nearly did.
“They ended up losing 3-2 but I could see from the get go that had an enormous influence on the players. He’s taken a lot from Sir Alex in that regard. He has the same ability to make players believe that they can be better. And, for me, that’s gold.”
Yorke did enough that night to earn himself an A-League job with minnows Macarthur. He left under a cloud just last month after a fall-out with the owners – but not before winning them a first ever trophy and qualifying for the Asian Champions League.
Bosnich says: ”It came as a shock when he left and I can’t go into detail about why it ended the way it did. Suffice to say, he’s got principles and integrity and he won’t bend them for anyone. But now he has set his mind on going back to Europe and even though I’ve warned him about the weather, Macarthur’s loss could be Aberdeen’s gain.”
Yorke’s CV landed on the desk of Pittodrie chairman Dave Cormack on Monday. And Bosnich hopes the close relationship his old friend shares with Sir Alex will help convince Cormack to consider Yorke as a serious contender.
He continued: “Back in 1998 when Sir Alex bought Dwight for a record fee, United had just been pipped at pretty much every post the season before. I remember saying to Sir Alex that buying Dwight would win him the European Cup. He looked at me as if I was crazy. And look how that turned out!
“As for the Aberdeen chairman, it’s his club and his decision. All I can say is what I’ve seen with my own eyes. And I know he’s ready for an opportunity like this.
“He’s learned from the master in Sir Alex and he’s also spoken to people like Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger about what it takes to be a top manager. He’s so driven to make his own way in the game.
“After Sir Alex broke the duopoly way back when, in my mind, Aberdeen have always been a top four club. So when you see them outside of that you start to think, ‘Well, what’s going on?’. With Scotland’s co-efficient in a relatively good place, you think Aberdeen should be going for those European places.
“That would be the aim for Dwight. Look, Sir Alex achieved something amazing when he beat Real Madrid to win the Cup Winners’ Cup.
“But I’ve said to Dwight, he has to aim to go one better. We were playing table tennis the other day and I said to him, ‘Why can’t Aberdeen set out to break the duopoly all over again and maybe even win the Europa Conference League? Imagine what they’ll be saying about you if you can replicate what Sir Alex achieved? Maybe you can bring those days back!’
“Rangers reached the Europa League Final just a few months ago and only lost on penalties against an Eintracht Frankfurt side which is now flying in the Champions League. So, even if it may sound a bit far-fetched, why shouldn’t Dwight be looking to do something similar with Aberdeen?”
And Bosnich believes Yorke can deliver for the Dons what Ange Postecoglou is currently producing at Parkhead.
He smiles: “A year and a half ago, when Ange was appointed at Celtic, I had more phonecalls from Scotland than I’ve ever had in my life. And I told them all the same thing. I told them he would play a brilliant brand of football. Because I had sat next to him for four years working on TV, I also knew the type of man manager he was.
“Dwight’s philosophy is the same as Ange’s and the same as Sir Alex. He wants to attack and entertain at all costs. However, Dwight is more pragmatic and adaptable than Ange – a bit more like Sir Alex. He’ll work out how to get the best out of the players Aberdeen have.
“He’s someone they should be taking very, very seriously because he would move heaven and earth to go one better than Sir Alex.”
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