Former Don Brian Irvine believes the start to the new Premiership season could not have been better planned out than if manager Stephen Glass had selected the fixtures himself.
The Dons will be two months into the new campaign before they face either Celtic or Rangers and while the campaign will be competitive former Aberdeen defender Irvine believes Glass will be delighted with the early schedule.
He said: “The opening game against Rangers last year made for a really tough start for Aberdeen so this one sounds ideal in comparison.
“I’m sure if Stephen had the chance to sit down and pick fixtures if you had offered him one top six team from last season in your first five games and not having to face Celtic and Rangers until October he would have been delighted. This is the sort of start he will have wanted as it gives the team a chance to get up and running.”
New faces for the first New Firm derby
Dundee United are the visitors to Pittodrie on Sunday, August 1 for league opener for a game which pits two fledgling managers against each other.
Irvine is intrigued by what both new coaches will bring to their respective clubs.
He said: “Stephen and Tam Courts are two names which I don’t expect a lot of fans at Aberdeen or Dundee United would have associated with their club in terms of being manager but I’m fascinated to see how they get on.
“They are two big clubs and we are all watching two relatively new managers. I know Stephen had a handful of games in charge towards the end of last season but he was assessing the players he had at that point.
“It is going to be a step into the unknown for fans of both clubs this season and I won’t be forming an opinion on the basis of the first game of the season but I’m intrigued to see how both teams set-up.”
Changes on and off the pitch at Pittodrie
It was undoubtedly a season of change for Aberdeen with Derek McInnes’ eight year spell at the club coming to an end prior to Glass’ arrival.
With the backroom staff also changing at Pittodrie Glass is eager to see how the new-look Dons squad progresses under his former team-mate.
He said: “Stephen has spoken a lot about wanting to play attacking football and with the players coming back for pre-season training next week I expect the focus, when not on fitness, to be on the style of play he wants to implement.
“It’s an exciting time if you are an Aberdeen fan. No-one really knows what lies ahead. We’ve got a new manager who has brought in his own coaching staff.
“Allan Russell has arrived with a very good reputation as a strikers coach while Scott Brown will be able to directly influence games by being on the pitch. It’s quite a change from Derek and I expect it is going to be totally different. Hopefully it will be very successful too.”