Alan Burrows will have little time to settle into his new surroundings as his in-tray piles up for his first day on the new job at Aberdeen today.
The new Dons chief executive already has a list of items needing his attention as he begins his new role at Pittodrie.
With Dons chairman Dave Cormack convalescing in the United States after triple-bypass heart surgery on Friday it is clear Burrows will be firmly thrown into the deep end on day one.
New boss top of the agenda for Burrows
The first item on his to-do list is helping lead the hunt for a new manager.
Barry Robson has taken charge of four games so far as interim boss, winning two and losing two, but Saturday’s 1-0 win against Livingston which took the Dons back into the top six has bought Burrows a little extra-time.
Aberdeen head for Tannadice this weekend to face a beleaguered Dundee United team which is propping up the Premiership table.
The Dons have been here before. They made the trip to Tannadice in October in a similar situation before being thumped 4-0 by the Tangerines.
‘It isn’t one person who picks a manager’
They will be fired up to avoid a repeat of one of the low points of a rollercoaster campaign when they head back to the City of Discovery this weekend.
But, with a two-game break before they are next action Burrows and the football recruitment team of director Willie Garner and director of football Steven Gunn effectively have a three-week window to whittle the list of candidates to replace Jim Goodwin down.
Burrows, in an interview with PLZ Soccer prior to taking on his new role today, has made it clear how the process will work and what he is looking for in the new man.
He said: “In my experience of football clubs it isn’t one person who picks a manager.
“It’s the job for me, Steven Gunn and Willie Garner to put as many good candidates together, go through an interview process and then recommend to the board who would ratify those decisions.
“It’s up to us to make the candidate list as strong as we can and then go through the process where the board will be involved to get the right candidate.
“What I would like is the very best person to do the job, that is obvious.”
Strong hints Dons want an experienced manager in place
Burrows may not have the final say on who that new manager will be but he has made it clear what the club is looking for.
He said: “Aberdeen is a really big club and you don’t realise until you get under the bonnet how big it is.
“The person who does the job of Aberdeen manager has to be someone who can wear that heavy jacket.
“That’s something the board with be cognisant of. You can be a good coach and good on the pitch but there are other facets to being manager of a big club which are different to other clubs.
“I think there will be an element of looking to experience, someone who is comfortable working with a club the size of Aberdeen.”
More than one team in need of a new boss
A new manager for the team is the first task but it is far from the only one.
Gavin Levey, the head of youth development at the club, is also in interim charge of the AFC women’s team for the rest of the season.
Finding a new manager for the women’s side and overseeing an improvement in recruitment for both squads is vital on the back of what have been uninspiring campaigns so far.
Don’t forget the long-promised and often-delayed new stadium.
Sorting out a venue once and for all, helping source founding and actually getting some spadework done would be handy too when time allows.
But first things first – find a new boss Alan.
Good luck.
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