Dave Cormack says new Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass has “earned his spurs”.
The Dons have appointed Atlanta United 2 boss Glass, 44, as Derek McInnes’ replacement.
It is Glass’ maiden permanent first-team management role.
Reds chief Cormack said Glass was chosen from a pile of applicants, some “experienced managers” and others “emerging talent”.
The Atlanta-based businessman revealed the Dons board, taking inspiration from the success of Steven Gerrard at Rangers, as well as Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane, thought the latter category better suited their “strategy and philosophy”.
Cormack said: “With Stephen, one of the things about being in the States is (he’s) out of sight, out of mind.
“When you think about Scotland and England, we seem to have an aversion to emerging talent and instead we go with the merry-go-round of experienced managers.
“For us, as a board with our strategy and philosophy, we felt emerging talent was important.
“The most recent example of emerging talent is Steven Gerrard from the under-23s at Liverpool.
“Look at their season and how they’re playing. Another example is Pep Guardiola, he was coaching younger teams before he got the Barcelona role – he earned his spurs.
“Similarly with Zinedine Zidane.
“All over Europe, South America and the Americas, emerging talent is absolutely the way forward.
“You’ve got Jessy Marsch at Leipzig. He was an assistant coach at a university in the States just a few years ago and now he’s seen as one of the pre-eminent managers at the top level in Europe.
“With that being said, when we look at that emerging talent, the people we interviewed, Stephen by far ticked all the boxes.”
Glass – who started his playing career at Aberdeen, played in midfield for the Dons between 1994 and 1998 – has all of the qualities to lead the Pittodrie side to success, according to Cormack.
The chairman added: “He knows the Aberdeen Way. He was mentored and taught by Teddy Scott, Alex Smith and Willie Miller.
“If you put that together with the experience that Stephen has gained, we felt that was the key rationale behind appointing him.
“When people say ‘he’s coaching Atlanta United 2’ – Atlanta United 2 play in the league below the MLS. There’s no promotion or relegation. In effect it’s like playing in the Scottish Championship.
“My view, (Dons legend) Bobby Clark’s view and others is that most of the teams in the Championship would struggle in that league.
“It’s a very competitive league.
“In that league, where it’s full-time, there a number of teams like Atlanta United 2 that effectively play under-23 teams.
“The goal of that team isn’t necessarily results, it’s bringing through talent.
“So, when Stephen moved on to coach the Atlanta United first team last season when they parted company with Frank de Boer, he brought through guys like George Bello, who came through the academy, to USL, to MLS and played almost every game when Stephen was interim coach and he’s now a US international.
“He also coached top talent like (Atlanta’s) Pity Martinez, who not long after Stephen took over on an interim basis was sold for £20 million to a Middle Eastern team.
“When you look at these things in context and look at where Stephen has come through – he’s been a fully qualified pro licence coach since 2014 – Stephen has earned his spurs.
“Most people I imagine are thinking: ‘he’s coming from the States, what’s that background?’ He has absolutely got the coaching experience and leadership skills to take on the Aberdeen job and be successful.”
Cormack rubbished any claims Glass got the job because they knew each other, saying this was “absolutely not” the case, but he knew Glass’ personality and he was “humble, absolutely clear in what he wants to achieve and the style of football he wants to play”.
“We want to be successful, the last thing I want to do is appoint someone who can’t take us forward,” he added.
Cormack went on say Glass would “absolutely” be “supported financially” heading into a summer where several Dons players are going to be out of contract or at the end of their loan spells, and after a season which has fallen apart – with just one goal in 10 matches.
Callum Law: Big questions on and off park at Aberdeen which Stephen Glass must quickly address https://t.co/1WQsHBtKOS pic.twitter.com/vi19cBBOqD
— EveningExpress Sport (@ee_sport) March 23, 2021
He said: “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that transitioning into the attacking side and scoring goals is a major problem for us.
“He’s well aware of the team and the players, the ones who are out of contract in the summer.
“You will see some announcements in the next few weeks of players who will come to Aberdeen and add real value to our squad.
Cormack added: “The fact we have a number of players out of contract, which we didn’t have last year, yet we still brought players in.
“Stephen will be supported this summer and he will be able to recruit the players he feels are necessary to bring in.
“At the same time, he wants to take a look at the good young players we have coming through.”
It’s understood Glass will bring Celtic midfielder Scott Brown in as his assistant manager and also hopes to land England striker coach Allan Russell as part of his team, however, Cormack said he wouldn’t “steal his thunder” on any announcements.
