It takes a brave individual to walk away from the relative calm of developing players for the future for the raging inferno that is managing Aberdeen right now.
What Stephen Glass lacks in first-team managerial experience is clearly offset by his desire to be the boss.
Why else would he be prepared to leave what is, by all accounts, a very enjoyable lifestyle in the United States for the task of overhauling a woefully underperforming Aberdeen team?
The answer is ambition and it is woven throughout his career.
Glass has taken an unconventional route to Pittodrie. He came through the youth ranks at the club before establishing himself in the first team, culminating in a man-of-the-match display in the League Cup final win over Dundee at Hampden in 1995.
He even received a mountain bike covered in the branding of competition sponsors Coca-Cola to show for it.
He was a key performer during an inconsistent time for the Dons and his star shone bright, culminating in him earning a move to Newcastle United.
Injuries robbed him of the chance to show his qualities to the full, but there was denying his talent and fans of both United and Watford both appreciated his contribution.
Glass returned to Scotland with Hibernian in 2003, before moving to Dunfermline in 2007. But it was a move to the United States in 2010 which set in motion the path to coaching.
Carolina Railhawks were the last club Glass played for, but his first chance to work in the dugout came at Shamrock Rovers in Ireland, where he was assistant to former Dunfermline boss Stephen Kenny.
They lasted just nine months, but it was long enough to convince Glass he wanted to continue in the game. He may have been out of sight, but it is clear the 44 year-old has not been idle in his decade away from Scotland.
The CV shows a man who has learned various aspects of the game. In addition to holding his UEFA Pro, A and B coaching licenses, Glass has served as coaching director for Triangle FC in North Carolina and at Carolina Rapids, a youth club affiliated to the MLS team.
His apprenticeship there led to him being appointed academy coach at Atlanta United in 2018, where his initial focus was on the under-17 squad.
United, impressed by what they had, promoted him to head coach of their second team in January 2019 and trusted him to take charge on an interim basis last summer following Frank de Boer’s departure.
He returned to the role at Atlanta United 2 following Gabrial Heinze’s arrival at the club two months ago and it is clear, having had a taste of management, that Glass is ready to be the man in charge.
Clearly a friendship formed with Dave Cormack during the duo’s time in Atlanta helped his cause when it came to convincing the Dons chairman to choose him as Derek McInnes’s successor.
But do not be fooled. He may have been the clear choice from the outset, but Cormack has the advantage of knowing not only how Glass works but also of how highly he is regarded by Atlanta, the Dons’ strategic partners.
Glass’ appointment can only strengthen that bond between the two clubs.
But, for Aberdeen fans, it is the impact the new manager will have on a season which has come off the rails in remarkable fashion which will shape their view, and the new man in charge has his work cut out.
The Dons are not near the bottom of the table, but, have no doubt, they are displaying the form of a team struggling badly in the relegation mire. One goal in 10 games tells the story.
Glass’ immediate task will be to improve on that dire statistic. Aberdeen’s hopes of competing in Europe next season may very well rest on it.
