Aberdeen’s incredible start under Jimmy Thelin – Can they end Celtic and Rangers’ dominance?

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16 games unbeaten 

©TM/IMAGO

Aberdeen’s incredible start to the season under new manager Jimmy Thelin reached its pinnacle on Wednesday night when they beat Rangers. There was a magnificent atmosphere at Pittodrie as the Dons extended their unbeaten record under Thelin to 16 games since his appointment in the summer. Impressively, Aberdeen have won 15 of those encounters with their only draw arriving at the home of the champions, Celtic. 

After ten league games, Celtic and Aberdeen are level on 28 points at the Scottish Premiership summit with Brendan Rodgers’ men leading the way on goal difference. Thelin’s men, however, moved nine points clear of rivals Rangers after condemning them to defeat with discontent reaching fever pitch at Ibrox. The Old Firm’s duopoly of Scottish football has lasted almost 40 years with Aberdeen famously the last club outside Glasgow to win the top-flight title under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1985. But could Thelim emulate the legendary Scottish manager’s achievements?

Aberdeen’s incredible start under Jimmy Thelin

It’s impossible to downplay how momentous Thelin’s impact has been since arriving from Swedish side Elfsborg, especially when you factor in Aberdeen’s struggles last season. Aberdeen failed to make the top six before the split, finishing in seventh place as they picked up 1.26 points per game in the league – compared to 2.8 this season. As the graphic below illustrates, Aberdeen’s 28 points from their opening ten league games is a joint-record – based on statistics that go back until the 1997/98 season.

The Dons are the only side outside the Old Firm to have amassed that many points with Rangers managing it once and Celtic four teams, including this season. Furthermore, Neil Lennon is the only manager to collect more points (30) in their first ten games in the Scottish top-flight than Thelin. Lennon won his first ten league games as Celtic boss after being appointed interim manager in March 2010 and he eventually inherited the job on a permanent basis. Michael Beale and Philippe Clement both picked up 28 points in their first ten games as Rangers boss, as did Rodgers and Martin O’Neill at Celtic. 

So what are the realistic ambitions for Aberdeen this season? Transfermarkt spoke to Ryan Crombie, from Aberdeen fanzine Red Point of View and asked what the target amongst the fanbase is. “Not even the most ardent of Dons fans would have expected this start to the season,” Crombie admitted. “However, ‘stay humble’ is Thelin’s motto and the Red Army are buying into it. Finishing 3rd was the aim at the start of the season and it will remain so even now. It’s almost surreal the gap Aberdeen have opened up on 4th place after only 10 games, but now after the result against Rangers it should be a realistic target to go and try to finish 2nd, which will still be difficult.

Crombie continued: “Taking European football out of the equation, the thing Aberdeen fans want to see most is trophies, and if Thelin can deliver one within his first season, the season would be seen as a resounding success. Thelin has said multiple times that this is a project that will take several years. If this is only the beginning, Aberdeen fans can’t wait to see what the finished article will look like…Thelin hasn’t pitched up in Scotland just to take part, he’s come in with a purpose and he’s here to win. So far, his Aberdeen team are doing just that.”

The financial gulf between Celtic and Rangers to Aberdeen

The biggest factor behind the Old Firm’s dominance over Scottish football over the last four decades ultimately comes down to finances. The financial gulf between the two Glasgow giants and the rest of Scottish football is enormous, which further highlights how impressive Thelin’s impact has been. The accusations during Aberdeen’s excellent start was they hadn’t faced the Old Firm but they’ve now drawn at Celtic Park and beat Rangers at Pittodrie. Rangers and Celtic have a gargantuan budget compared to Aberdeen yet Thelin’s men have been able to keep pace. 

The graphic above highlights the biggest issue in Scottish football and the financial disparity between the Old Firm and Aberdeen. The Dons have successfully been able to sell players – Bojan Mioski, Calvin Ramsay and Scott McKenna – for substantial profits across recent seasons but they simply can’t match Celtic and Rangers’ spending power. Aberdeen haven’t spent more than €2m across the last five windows which is less than 10x what Celtic have spent in every window across that time period. It remains unlikely that Thelin will lead Aberdeen to the title given the strength of Celtic’s squad but finishing ahead of Rangers is a realistic prospect and will ensure European football next season.