Celtic & Rangers have dominated Scottish football my entire life - this Aberdeen team can finally break them

Football fans with even zero interest in the Scottish game still could not have failed to notice that something pretty exciting is going on north of the border.

Those of a certain generation will of course remember Sir Alex Ferguson and his all-conquering Aberdeen team of the 1980s, who remain the last club to beat Real Madrid in the final of a European competition. They were also the last side outside of the Glasgow giants to lift the Scottish league title in 1985.

For everyone too young to recall those halcyon days, it has been nothing but Old Firm dominance for almost four decades. In that time there have been teams who dared to dream yet ultimately fell short, but this season feels different. Indeed, it feels like something a bit special going on in the Granite City.

The Dons are yet to lose a competitive fixture this season and until earlier this month their 12 game winning run had them as the only team in Europe’s top 50 leagues with a 100 percent record. Although that crown slipped at Celtic Park ,it didn’t stop the performance from adding even more fuel to the Aberdeen fire as they came from 2-0 to retrieve a 2-2 draw at the home of the champions.

That was the moment where a lot of doubters were converted - in the past, Aberdeen teams would have simply crumbled against the might of the Hoops. Many expected it when Kyogo Furuhashi put the hosts two up, but instead Jimmy Thelin was able to inspire his players to an unlikely comeback.

It is that mentality which brings an ‘x factor’ to this team that we just haven’t seen over the past 40 odd years. As Fergie famously said after the 1983 Scottish Cup final (where Aberdeen beat Rangers 1-0 in extra time) : "We are the luckiest team in the world, it was a disgrace of a performance. Winning cups doesn't matter, our standards have been set long ago and we are not going to accept that from any Aberdeen team.”

Fergie’s message and mantra was something Aberdeen supporters took to heart and it’s something that many past managers simply haven’t been able to wrap their head around. The only way you are ever going to slay a giant if you don’t go out and take the game to them, will be with luck.

That approach may win you the odd cup, but you’ll never sustain a season-long challenge relying on luck. You need belief and the confidence to go out and play your own game against the bigger clubs, not simply set up in a low block and hope to earn a draw or snatch an unlikely win.

Enter Jimmy Thelin, the unheralded Swede who arrived from Elfsborg last summer. He had a tried and tested strategy for challenging clubs with a higher calibre of player - and it’s caught plenty off-guard so far this season.

In modern football there is so much importance placed on possession and Aberdeen do still dominate this area in most matches. On top of this, however, Thelin has mastered a game plan where he is content for the opposition to have considerably more of the ball, with the confidence to still hurt them when the chance comes.

That doesn’t mean playing ‘hoof-ball’ football or sticking ten men behind it for 90 minutes, it’s more trusting your players to perform in their roles and have belief in their own abilities. That style took Elfsborg to second place in the 2023 Allsvenskan, only just missing out on the title to Malmo on goal difference.

Thelin himself is taking a predictably humble approach to Aberdeen’s performances this season. The tried and tested press conference gem of ‘we’re only focusing on the next game’. As for the supporters, there may be the odd tongue-in-cheek rendition of ‘we’re going to win the league’ sung around Pittodrie but nobody is getting carried away - despite what the cynics might have you believe.

Can Aberdeen win the Scottish Premiership this season? Anything is possible, the Leceister City example may be verging on a cliche at this stage, but cliches exist for a reason. Will they win it? I think every Dons fan in their heart of hearts knows it’s unlikely.

However, on Wednesday night and live on Sky Sports they will host Philippe Clement’s Rangers. The Ibrox side are struggling this season and a win for Aberdeen would not only guarantee they remain at least joint top of the table but also put them nine points clear of the Gers.

I recently spoke to a Glasgow based Aberdeen fan who said: “I don’t think you’ll find any Aberdeen supporter who doesn’t think we’ll win.” That’s the level of confidence we’re talking about in the north east of Scotland at the moment. Maybe they won’t find themselves with their hands on the Scottish Premiership trophy in May but it would be some consolation if they can at least claim second and fans get to hear the Champions League anthem at Pittodrie next season.

Dare to dream? This isn’t a dream. This is a confidence and a genuine faith in the manager and current crop of players to go on and do something really special this season.