The 114th Aberdeen FC annual meeting could have been a bumpy ride had the Dons lost their manager to fierce rivals Rangers this month.
But Derek McInnes’ decision to remain at Pittodrie followed by three impressive wins against Dundee, St Johnstone and Hibernian, ensured the Aberdeen shareholders arrived at last night’s meeting with little to complain about.
It was a reasonably stress-free night for the club’s board of directors in front of about 75 shareholders, with the meeting lasting little more than 30 minutes.
The club’s annual financial report was approved by shareholders, not surprising given an increase in turnover by almost £2million to £15.2million.
The ordinary business saw Gordon Buchan and Duncan Fraser re-elected as directors with Dave Cormack’s appointment to the board confirmed, all with unanimous approval.
In his update to shareholders, chairman Stewart Milne admitted McInnes had given him “a couple of scares” in reference to the approaches from Sunderland and Rangers for the Dons manager.
But, having kept McInnes at Pittodrie, Milne believes the future is bright for the Dons.
He said: “We have enjoyed four consecutive seasons in Europe, it is a long time since we achieved that.
“After Saturday’s performance against Hibernian, who would bet against five in a row?
“Everyone recognises that if we had lost Derek and Tony, it would have been a serious setback.
“The reality is that two opportunities were there for Derek to consider in possibly the next stage of his career.
“Fortunately in both cases, he made the right decision, which delighted everyone associated with the club.
“Derek and Tony have taken us so far in the last four-and-a-half years, everyone believes with them at the helm, we can achieve so much more in a period I believe will shape this club for the next 20 years and beyond.
“Saturday’s performance against Hibs provided a glimpse of what this squad is capable of.”
Milne went on to describe delivering the proposed Kingsford Stadium as “the biggest challenge the club has faced” but added that he was quietly confident that the application would receive approval with a pre-determination hearing set to take place on January 17.
The Aberdeen chairman also revealed a wholly-owned subsidiary com- pany, spearheaded by George Yule, will be created to oversee the Kingsford project if the club gains approval from the city council.
Milne was praised by one shareholder for his powers of persuasion that kept McInnes at the club in the brief question-and-answer session that followed.
There was only one question for manager McInnes – how confident was he that Niall McGinn would return to the club?
The Northern Ireland international is a free agent after leaving South Korean side Gwangju, with Hibernian, Hearts and MK Dons among the clubs keen on the former Don.
McInnes said: “Niall is keen to make a decision on his future within the next week to 10 days.
“I have kept in touch with Niall. There is more than one club interested and we have to accept that.
“He would be a fantastic addition if we can get that done. We are confident but we are not there yet.”