Pittodrie’s assistant Steve Agnew insists that he and boss Barry Robson strive to make sure Aberdeen compete at the top of the Premiership.
The Dons entered the elite winter break languishing eighth in the standings.
However, Agnew says the management team are confident they will oversee a rise up the Premiership in the second half of the season.
And he reckons they will accomplish “what we want to achieve” this term.
Agnew accepts that the modest position in the last six of the league will lead to tensions and complaints, as Aberdeen are a “huge club” with expectations.
He understands the need to get results, as he was No. 2 at Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and West Brom.
But Agnew says he and Robson can handle the heat.
Agnew said: “I’ve been around football for a long time and at a lot of clubs.
“When you worry as a coach or coach at a big club, you have to settle for that it comes with tension and expectations. It’s anything you have to deal with.
“Aberdeen is a huge club in Scotland and we know that.
“Barry and us as coaching staff are all confident we can achieve what we want to achieve this season.
“The hardest thing to manage is to come out the other side.
“That’s what we’re going to do. “
Aberdeen entered the winter break in style, buoyed by a 3-0 win over County Ross in Dingwall.
However, four days earlier, Robson and his team had been booed off the pitch at Pittodrie following a 3-0 defeat to St Mirren.
The Dons have won just six of 18 Premiership games and are 14 adrift of third-place Hearts.
Aberdeen, however, have 3 games less than the Tynecastle club.
Agnew said: “We relish the challenge of actually being at the top end of the league and competing there.
“We have fewer games than some of the groups above us.
“Okay, we wanted to beat them. But we are convinced that we are capable of winning those games.
“With our form in the league, we had some clever twists and turns, but also some setbacks.
“That’s why consistency is necessary in the league.
“It’s one at a time. “
The campaign for the Aberdeen championship has been affected by the demands of festivals in Europe.
The Dons failed to qualify in the organizational stage, finishing third in Group G of the Europa Conference League with six problems in six games.
They have lost twice, to Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1) and PAOK (3-2).
Aberdeen were 2-0 up against eventual group winners PAOK at Pittodrie with 17 minutes to go, but still lost.
A top-tier crusade since 2007 ended with a 2-0 home win over German giants Eintracht Frankfurt.
Agnew said: “In Europe we never get the rewards we imagine we have.
“There were games where we scored more goals than we got. “
Agnew was interim manager at Middlesbrough in the English top flight for 11 games in 2017 until the end of the season.
Robson previously worked under Agnew at Middlesbrough when the 58-year-old coach was assistant to Aberdeen legend Gordon Strachan.
Agnew’s previous position before he went on to become Pittodrie’s assistant head coach for Steve Bruce at West Bromwich Albion.
However, he left that position when Bruce fired him in October 2022.
When Robson was initially appointed interim boss at Aberdeen, his first act was to phone Agnew to ask him to be his assistant.
It’s the end of January 2023, following the firing of Jim Goodwin.
Within two months, the duo had orchestrated a Premiership revival and were rewarded with the jobs permanently.
Robson and Agnew led the Dons from the bottom six to a third-place finish in the Premiership and a position at European organisational level last season.
The challenge is to do it this year.
Agnew, 58, said: “It was a phone call I didn’t expect, I have to say that.
“I was on a flight and here in Aberdeen in no time.
“Football is a fast-moving environment, and once you get in you are off and running.
“So, before you know it, we’ve done well, we’re done the season and we’re ahead for next season. “
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