Aberdeen’s 118th Annual General Meeting was, as anticipated, a drama-free event with all the regular business voted through with a minimum of fuss.
There was, unsurprisingly, a focus on the potential of a new stadium, and that was the area that threw up most talking points in the aftermath.
The effects of the pandemic sent the club’s initial plans into disarray, and the financial impact inevitably delayed the project which would, by now, have seen the new ground taking shape out at Kingsford.
Dave Cormack quickly made it clear a new timescale would have to be applied to the construction, and doubts began to emerge if the club would indeed ever have a new home out on the A944.
The emergence of the plans to regenerate the city centre and beach area was a game changer, and it is that scheme which now looks more likely to provide the Dons with a custom-built stadium fit for the 21st century.
But it will not be happening imminently, and given what Cormack said earlier in the week, it is by no means a certainty.
I think we can all take from his comments that it is his favoured option, but he threw in a few caveats, and made it abundantly clear it will only happen if it makes absolute commercial sense.
Dave said he believes the relationship between the club and the city council is the best it has been in two to three decades, which is obviously to be welcomed, but that will in no way colour the judgements of either party, and it is as yet unclear if the Dons will receive any subsidy towards the overall cost of relocation.
It was encouraging to hear the chairman say that would not necessarily make the proposal less attractive, but he regularly pointed out the ‘business case’ has to be sound.
They appear to be some way from coming to that conclusion.
If they do ultimately decide to press on, it will presumably be part-funded from the sale of land at Kingsford along with further funding from Dave and his co-investors, and potentially the sale of naming rights.
Wherever the new stadium does end up – and the beach would be the overwhelming favoured site among Aberdeen fans – it will be built on a smaller scale than previous plans, and that does make sense.
The numbers do not add up for anything more than a 16-17,000 capacity, and that size of ground offers the potential for the kind of atmosphere which would make a huge difference to the players.
How many of the current squad will still be around to see it is the big question! With 2025-26 the earliest moving-in date, and the inevitable likelihood it will be delayed beyond that, supporters can look forward to perhaps another half decade savouring the delights of Pittodrie.
The Dons do need to move, we all know that, but most of us will be quite happy to enjoy a few more years with the old girl.
The other main point I took from Dave Cormack’s comments is that we should not expect a particularly busy January transfer window. It was comforting to hear there is no need to offload players, but it will be interesting to see how resistant the club is to any offers that might be received for the likes of Calvin Ramsay or Lewis Ferguson.
Full house at Hampden seems counter intuitive to FM’s message
The first major silverware of the new season will be handed out tomorrow afternoon as the Premier Sports Cup draws to what has the potential to be an exciting climax.
It is still hard to believe Jack Ross will not be leading Hibs out – his sacking days before the final was a brutal move by the Easter Road board – and now David Gray gets the chance to enhance his legendary status.
At a time when the Omicron virus is rampaging through the population, more than 50,000 fans will pack into Hampden, a staggering fact given the guidelines outlined by the First Minister earlier in the week.
Most supporters will not be too bothered, especially if their side wins, but it seems entirely counter intuitive to allow such a massive gathering when we are being told to limit contact outside our homes.