Pittodrie legend Charlie Nicholas believes Aberdeen would have won the league title in 1991 if he had remained at the club.
Nicholas had forged a formidable partnership with European Cup-winning Dutch international Hans Gillhaus in 1989/90.
He reckons if that partnership had continued, the Reds would have beaten Rangers to the title crown in ’91.
The duo of Nicholas and Gillhaus had fired the Dons to Scottish Cup glory in 1990 – still the last time the Reds won the national trophy.
That Scottish Cup final was also Nicholas’ last game for Aberdeen before moving back to Celtic.
Less than a year after Nicholas’ exit, the Dons would suffer heartache when missing out on the league title in the final game of the season.
Aberdeen needed a draw in a shootout against title rivals Rangers in May 1991 to secure its first league crown since 1985.
Instead, they lost the game 2-0 at Ibrox… and Rangers won the title.
Loss changed trajectory of Aberdeen’s future
Losing the title to the Gers was a hammer blow that changed not just the trajectory of Aberdeen’s future, but also arguably that of Scottish football.
Nicholas – who will return to Aberdeen when appearing at The Pundits at The Music Hall on Tuesday October 8 – reckons it could have been different.
He said: “I really think Aberdeen would have won the league the following season after I left.
“They would have got there because myself and Hans Gillhaus were starting to form a strong partnership.
“We had a strong midfield and had replaced people like Jim Leighton with Theo Snelders.
“That was a really good Aberdeen side.”
The reasons for leaving Aberdeen
After two-and-a-half years at Pittodrie, Nicholas left the Dons for Celtic, the club where he began his career, in summer 1990.
His last act as an Aberdeen player was to score a spot-kick against his new club in a 9-8 penalty shoot-out win in the Scottish Cup final.
The day after winning the Scottish Cup, strike partner Gillhaus jetted out to join Netherlands’ squad for the World Cup.
Nicholas said: “The move to Celtic made sense at a personal level at that stage.
“I got married, was settling down and was due to become a father for the first time.
“However, I admit the timing of going back to Celtic was not a very good one for me.
“The brutal truth was that the Aberdeen team then was a much better team than Celtic I was going to join.
“Aberdeen were three or four players better off.”
That being said, the timing of Nicholas’ arrival at Pittodrie three-and-a-half years before couldn’t have been better.
News of his imminent arrival broke on Hogmanay 1987, just as the Red Army saw in the New Year.
The signing, for a £400,000 fee, was officially confirmed on January 5.
Securing Scotland international Nicholas from Arsenal ranks as one of Aberdeen’s greatest signing coups.
An unexpected return for Nicholas
However, Dons legend Nicholas, 60, revealed he never planned to return to Scotland… let alone move to Pittodrie.
It was an unexpected move which paid dividends as Nicholas won the League Cup and Scottish Cup double in 1989/90.
Nicholas says it was the persuasive nature of then-chairman Dick Donald and a sense the Dons were on the verge of success that convinced him to sign.
He said: “I wasn’t expecting to go to Aberdeen.
“But then I met Dick Donald and the guys who were running Aberdeen at the time.
“I liked what they were talking about and where they wanted to get the club back to.
“Players like Miller and McLeish were still at the club.
“I could see the potential in the team as there were also players like Stewart McKimmie, Jim Bett and young Davie Robertson.
“There was also group of decent young players coming through, so it was an exciting time for Aberdeen.
“That pushed the button for me and I thought I could come here and win something.
“That proved to be the case and I’m glad I did it.
“I look back with great fondness on Aberdeen and the last time I wore their shirt we won the Scottish Cup.”
The route to Pittodrie opens up
Prior to his Aberdeen switch, Nicholas had fallen out of favour at Arsenal under manager George Graham.
A return to Celtic had been mooted, but Nicholas ruled that out.
He had journeyed to then French top-flight Toulon and agreed a deal, but it was blocked by Graham.
Potential moves to Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers were also stopped by the Arsenal manager.
A meeting with legendary Dons chairman Donald in a Granite City hotel opened up a route to Pittodrie.
Graham didn’t block it and the Reds were able to see in the New Year with a major new signing.
Less than a year after Nicholas’ arrival, the Dons would pull off another signing coup in landing Dutch international Gillhaus in a £650,000 deal from PSV Eindhoven.
Gillhaus had won the European Cup with PSV the previous season.
Halcyon times for the Dons.
Nicholas would go on to score 38 goals for Aberdeen.
‘I just wanted to play football’
He said: “Celtic was a possibility the year before.
“However, I made my mind up it was probably wrong for me to return. So it was either staying in England or going abroad.
“I was having issues with George Graham, the Arsenal manager at the time.
“I was out of the team and he was treating me like a little schoolboy sending me away – it wasn’t even to the reserves.
“He was just trying to be argumentative with me, without ever really sitting down and talking with me. We never really had a row or personal issues but he made it personal.
“I just wanted to play football.”
Dons great Nicholas will return to Aberdeen when appearing at the Music Hall on Tuesday November 8.
He will appear at The Pundits along with Sky Sports’ Jeff Stelling and legends Paul Merson, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson.
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