IT might still be early doors in the season, but Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin insists the motivation to go joint-second this weekend is a huge incentive.
The Dons host Rangers in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday in what is sure to be another tasty encounter at Pittodrie.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men go into the game tomorrow off the back of two 4-0 defeats on-the-trot. On the other hand, Aberdeen have won their last two fixtures.
These games never need any added fire. However, Goodwin admits going level on points with Rangers, even if it is only September, would show a sign of improvement at the club.
He said: “We try to approach every game with the mindset that we can win. Even in the first game of the season at Parkhead, we had a game plan for that game. Unfortunately, as it played out we ended up losing the game 2-0 but we gave a decent account of ourselves and we got plenty of plaudits for our approach to the game.
"I want similar on Saturday. We are a lot fitter now than what we were in that first game against Celtic and I want us to have the mindset that we are capable of not just stopping Rangers, but winning the game.
"In recent games (vs Rangers) the club's approach was maybe not to get beat but I want us to have the positive mindset going into it that we are capable of causing an upset.
"People might not look at it as a major upset but it would be an upset. Aberdeen haven't beaten Rangers too often in the league in recent years but we want to try to put a stop to that this weekend.
“It’s a huge incentive (to go joint-second). When I took the job I spoke about the short-term objectives and the long-term objectives.
“Our main objective this year is to get the club into European football next season. To do that we need to be at the top end of the table.
“We spoke long and hard about last season. It was an extremely frustrating time for everybody connected to the club. But last season doesn’t bother this group of players because they weren’t here.
“There is only three or four left over from that particular period so our guys have got no mental scars, they don’t fear playing anybody.
“A number of them have never played against Rangers before and we are trying to make them aware of what the fixture means to our own supporters and that rivalry that is there between the two clubs.
“Because we want them to understand the emotion of the game while, at the same time, managing that emotion.
“It is a big game against one of our nearest rivals at the moment and it’s an opportunity for us to go level with them on points at this stage of the season, which is exactly where we want to be.”
Goodwin oversaw a massive turnover of players during the summer as he transferred his squad.
And the ex-St Mirren gaffer reckons they have gelled quicker than anticipated. He added: “It was something I spoke about earlier with the group.
“We were just talking about the huge turnover that we have had.
“I had never experienced 15 players leaving a club in the summer as a player or as a manager. Or 12 new faces coming in.
“We have promoted a couple from the academy obviously, with Jack Milne and Ryan Duncan joining the first team squad on a full-time basis.
“Duncan has actually done really well in a couple of games he has come on in.
“But trying to integrate 12 new faces into the group, not all Scottish boys either, not all used to the Premiership, coming from different countries, different languages, different cultures…sometimes it can take a bit of time to bed them in.”
