Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin admits there is a "big, big gulf" between Rangers and Celtic's spending power that has dented the chances of returning to past glories.
Goodwin has put his own stamp on the Aberdeen dressing room after ripping up the squad assembled by his predecessor Stephen Glass during a disappointing Scottish Premiership campaign last term. The Dons' have enjoyed some positive results early in the campaign and sit in seventh spot during the international break, and Goodwin has put a focus on the cup competitions with the club already reaching the Premier Sports Cup quarter final.
However, he admits it will be a tough ask to reach the heights of challenging for the domestic title and competing on the European stage like the iconic sides of the seventies and eighties. When speaking about the expectations of Aberdeen supporters with RTÉ Radio One Saturday Sport, Goodwin said: "We do have a generation of Aberdeen supporters who were around in the in the seventies and eighties when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager, and they were competing on a European scale.
"They were winning trophies domestically, quite consistently competing with Celtic and Rangers, winning leagues, winning cups. It's never an excuse, but it is the reality of the situation. At the moment that Celtic and Rangers are just so far out in front in terms of the financial side of things.
"They're playing budget is probably, on average, I would say maybe six, seven times, that of everybody else. It is a big, big gulf that we've got to try and make up.
"To do that, I think you've got to be successful on the pitch. We've got to try and play an entertaining style of football, that's going to bring more supporters back through the gates at Pittodrie.
"I think off the back of that, if you're doing well and you're being successful on the pitch, then there's other commercial avenues that can open up. I think a club like Aberdeen should always be going far in the domestic cup competitions."
Ahead of Scotland's Nations League clash with Ireland, Goodwin was put on the spot about his ambitions of managing his home country one day. He responded: "Listen, that's the dream.
"That's always been the dream and you know, for me as a player, when I was growing up my my dream was always to play for Ireland. I think Stephen Kenny has done fantastic in terms of trying to bring those younger lads on.
"I think the FAI has given them time through some difficult circumstances to to develop those players and bring them up to a level of what you saw in the last Scotland game. I thought the performance was brilliant. So hopefully, we get another performance like that."
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