THE ongoing commitment of Derek McInnes to Aberdeen is beyond question – because he could have jumped ship to Sunderland in the summer if he had wanted to.
That is the opinion of Dons’ goalkeeper Joe Lewis, regardless of the fact his gaffer once again finds his name linked with the vacant Ibrox manager’s position in the wake of Pedro Caixinha’s departure from the club yesterday.
The 46-year-old from Paisley had the perfect riposte to all speculation about his future last summer when he rebuffed an approach from the Wearside club to extend his Aberdeen contract until the summer of 2020.
That fact alone will make negotiations with the Pittodrie side even more complicated this time around should Rangers resolve to pursue his services, and in any case Lewis is adamant that McInnes, who has steered Aberdeen to League Cup glory and three successive Premiership second place finishes, is going nowhere.
“We don’t want to lose the manager, no,” said Lewis. “He’s a great manager. He has done an amazing job here. And you can see he is committed to the cause after the advances from clubs in the summer. He is obviously committed here, the players are committed and we need to make sure we show that with our performances.
“As a manager and a player, if you are being linked with moves you are doing a good job,” added the goalkeeper. “I’m sure he will be flattered by the interest, but like I said before he has shown his commitment to the club in the summer and we are all pleased to back him.
“The manager has been massive for me. He gave me the confidence when I first came here. He told me I was his No 1 and gave me the idea of how he wanted me to play. I feel like I have done well under him. So I am very pleased and I enjoy playing under him.”
One man who will definitely be leaving the club soon, and perhaps even to Rangers, is midfielder Kenny McLean, who has indicated he will not renew his contract when it expires this summer.
“He’s a professional footballer, who works very hard in training,” said Lewis. “He gives 100 per cent and I’m sure he will do that every time he pulls on the red shirt. Regardless of what happens at the end of the season, he will give 100 per cent while he is with Aberdeen.”
Lewis was speaking in the immediate aftermath of the 3-0 defeat to Celtic at Pittodrie, a result which leaves the rampant Scottish champions just one match away from equalling the longest-ever unbeaten run in British football, the 62 matches which Willy Maley’s Celtic strung together between November 1915 and April 1917 at the height of the Great War.
He said it was no consolation to lose to such an imperious outfit and insisted Aberdeen had gone into the match believing were capable of victory. While he wasn’t giving up on the title race right now, cutting into those 30-point arrears at the end of last season would at least be something.
“We believed we could beat them,” said Lewis. “We felt like it was probably a good opportunity to play them. But on the day they played well.
“We don’t want to let them run away with it. We want to get closer to them, that’s for sure.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here