Aberdeen

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Jimmy Thelin has had to get a lot right to ensure his Aberdeen side remain locked on points with Celtic at the Premiership summit.

And one thing the Swede is certainly benefitting from amid a stunning league start is an attack that continues to overperform their underlying numbers.

With 24 goals netted across 11 games, the Dons are the division's second highest scorers by quite some distance at this early stage.

Where that figure becomes more impressive, though, is the fact it has been accumulated alongside an expected goals tally of 15.5.

Effectively, that means Aberdeen have scored almost nine times more than expected based on the quality of chances they have created.

As the sample size increases, that points to a clinical attack - especially given four teams have had more touches in the opposition box and three have had more shots on target.

But a glass-half-empty view will worry whether this is sustainable as these numbers can tend to even out across the course of an entire campaign.

However, maintaining their shot conversion rate of 17% - the division's highest - should help to avoid a decline.

In addition to that, their big chance conversion of 54% is considerably higher than Celtic's (30%).

These minor statistical wins over the reigning champions, who only lead the table on goal difference, could prove to be significant if Thelin's men are to keep pace.

Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie - who is out of contract next summer - has earned a new contract at Pittodrie, according to former Dons keeper Joe Lewis. (Press and Journal), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip in full.

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering some of your questions on Aberdeen.

Matthew asked: A graphic was published online this week showing the percentage of minutes given to Under-21 players so far this season. Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers all had zero. As Aberdeen fans, should we be concerned about the lack of youngsters playing or just accept that if we want to continue mixing it at the top of the table, then we may need to sacrifice Under-21 minutes?

Tom answered: This is a big question and on Sportsound at the start of the season we had a really close look at this and the numbers are really, really poor.

Domestic players, certainly teenagers up to Under-21s, homegrown players, the numbers are very low. And at Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers, they're non-existent. Ideally, all of those clubs would want to bring in their own players.

Aberdeen have done it and they've done fine on player trading over the years. I think they'd like more. Every club wants more young players in there, but we're not seeing them.

Is that a failure of the academies? Are the players just not good enough? Well, if they're not good enough, and Celtic and Rangers have far more resources than Aberdeen on this front, why aren't they getting the return out of that? Are the players not good enough?

And if that's the case, why? What's the problem with the academy? Are the players good enough, but they're not just getting a chance? We've seen that with Celtic. They have produced good players and they just come into the team for a game or two games and then they disappear off the face of the earth.

I'm not saying it's easy, but it's easier for Celtic to do it because they win most games quite comfortably. Therefore they have the capacity to put some young teenagers homegrown from their academy on for 15, 20 minutes. All the other clubs, Aberdeen included, struggle to get themselves into that envious position.

Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton believes alarm bells are ringing at Ibrox because of Aberdeen's flying start to the season under Jimmy Thelin. (Press and Journal), external

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Aberdeen's ability to win ugly draws parallels with the Dons sides that were able to sustain title challenges throughout the 1990s, says Pittodrie great Eoin Jess.

Jimmy Thelin's men remain level on points with leaders Celtic at the top of the Premiership table after 11 games.

And throughout their start to the campaign, the Dons have shown they can respond to adversity and win while not playing at their top level.

Aberdeen legend Jess, who finished runners-up in the league on multiple occasions during his time at Pittodrie, sees similarities with the sides he ran close in.

"Sometimes they've not performed well but got the result," he said. "That's a sign of a good team. That's what we did back in the day.

"You can see the confidence; good results breed confidence. And you can see they're playing for each other, which is great and refreshing to watch."

Despite the chastening six-goal defeat to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final, Jess sees no reason why Thelin's side can't sustain a season-long challenge in the Premiership after they responded with a 4-1 win over Dundee.

"Who knows if they can maintain a title challenge... but they've bounced back with a really good performance [against Dundee] so I don't see why not," he added.

"It's obviously going to be difficult, but we seem to be going the right way which is good for the club."

• Watch the Scottish Masters live on BBC Scotland, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website tonight at 19:15 GMT.

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your questions on Aberdeen.

Andrew asked: Assuming Celtic continue their impressive form in Europe into the new year, can Aberdeen take advantage of this in January? Should Dave Cormack get busy in the transfer market and get some cover in defence and midfield?

Tom answered: The goalkeeper and back four have started every league game. Sivert Heltne Nielsen and Jamie McGrath have started 10 of the 11 league games. Some of these guys are playing international football. So at some point they're going to get tired and Aberdeen will need to have ones to step in there.

I think Cormack will add a bit. They probably could do with a bit of defensive cover. Jack MacKenzie has been very good. McGrath has been very good. Will they get offers for those guys? And I think Jimmy Thelin will probably be anticipating something because a lot of these players will have drawn attention from elsewhere, probably down south.

Celtic haven't shown any sign domestically that Europe is bothering them right now. They'll sign some more in January.

I don't think that's going to be an issue. I don't think that's going to bring Aberdeen any respite. They're going to have to do it the hard way. And, you know, they've done it well so far.

Jack asked: Thelin and his staff have managed to work wonders with the Aberdeen squad this season, some who previously looked to no longer have a future at the club. Has there been any one player who has impressed you in particular?

Tom answered: It's hard to pick out one player when they're joint top at the table and unbeaten, going toe to toe with Celtic in the league, because it's so impressive across the board. So you could start listing names here. Goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov has been excellent. The back four have played 11 league games in a row and they've been very, very solid.

McGrath has been excellent. Papa Gueye, out of the team now through injury, was excellent. He's one of the renaissance stories, as is Duk.

Topi Keskinen has been good. Shayden Morris has been good off the bench. Ultimately, the one who's impressed the most is Thelin because he's the architect of all of this.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin believes qualifying for European football again is key in the Premiership club's bid to pose a long-term challenge at the top of the Scottish game. (Daily Record), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Former Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson believes his old club can sustain their Premiership title challenge.

The Dons have made a blistering start under Jimmy Thelin, whose side are level on points with leaders Celtic having won 10 and drawn one of their opening 11 games.

Anderson said: "I think they can sustain the challenge. Of all the games I have seen so far, I think they are good enough to beat anyone on any given day.

"They have a lot of confidence at the moment and the manager, I have heard him already, it is the old cliche of taking one game at a time. He will be reminding the players about what they are actually doing to allow them to win the games rather than thinking too far ahead.

"So if they continue in that vein and can keep everyone fit, there is nothing to suggest they can’t sustain this for the season.

"And it would be really interesting to see, if they are still neck and neck with Celtic maybe after another 10, 20 games, what that would look like for the run-in."

Anderson is hoping the positivity generated by Thelin's side filters through as he prepares to skipper a team of former Pittodrie players at the Scottish Masters in the Granite City on Thursday night, live on the BBC.

Celtic, Rangers and Dundee United complete the quartet of sides taking part.

Anderson said "There is a feelgood factor about the city when it comes to football at the moment which is nice to see and feel. Hopefully some of that we can take advantage of on Thursday night."

• Watch the Scottish Masters live on BBC Scotland, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website on Thursday, 14 November at 19:15 GMT.

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Aberdeen provided the perfect tonic for their Hampden humbling with an eventually convincing victory over Dundee at Pittodrie to continue this remarkable start to the Premiership season.

Their points haul of 31 out of a possible 33 is staggering. Celtic have obviously achieved it as well but only a handful of times in the champions’ history have they managed this sort of opening to a campaign, which shows you just how impressive it has been by the Dons.

There have only been a few examples of sides having won 10 of their first 11 games in a season and not going on to win the title.

That remains a tall order and some bookmakers still make Rangers second favourites behind Celtic, whose odds are anywhere between 1/12 and 1/20. It's up to the Dons players to show they can do what the likes of Leicester City, Montpellier, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli have done over the last decade or so in their respective countries and overcome those sort of odds.

The international break allows manager Jimmy Thelin to take stock of where Aberdeen are and what lies ahead and that is a tough set of fixtures.

Three away games follow at St Mirren, Hibernian and Hearts and all are venues Aberdeen have struggled at in recent seasons. The Dons are nine league visits to Paisley without success and while they won at Easter Road late last season, that is their only victory in their last seven trips to Leith.

Their record down Gorgie Road leaves a lot to be desired with no wins there since May 2017 and, despite the travails of all three of those sides at times this season, these will be tough assignments.

Once those games are done and dusted there comes a visit to Pittodrie from Celtic in early December. If Thelin can navigate the road trips that lie ahead, what a spectacle that could be.

Former Rangers and Aberdeen striker Billy Dodds ponders which club will finish higher in the Premiership this season, with the Dons currently nine points above Philippe Clement's men after 11 Premiership games.

Kevin Nisbet and Vicente Besuijen combine brilliantly for Aberdeen's third goal just 21 seconds after coming off the bench in Saturday night's 4-1 win over Dundee.

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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin has confirmed Jamie McGrath underwent surgery last week in a bid to limit the number of games the Republic of Ireland midfielder will miss. (Press & Journal - subscription), external

Aberdeen's form has put Celtic on alert, says the defending champions' captain Callum McGregor. (Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

If you want an example of substitutes making an instant impact, look no further than Jimmy Thelin's double swap during the second half of Aberdeen's 4-1 victory over Dundee.

Kevin Nisbet came off the bench to set up fellow sub Vicente Besuijen's goal with a wonderfully weighted free-kick within a minute of coming on, before getting on the scoresheet himself late on.

Could we see him force his way back into Steve Clarke's Scotland squad this season?

Honourable mentions too for Dimitar Mitov and Ante Palaversa, who were unfortunate not to make the cut for my team this week.

What would you like to ask Tom English about Aberdeen?

Our chief sportswriter is in the hotseat ready to answer your questions and offer his insight and opinion on your club.

Answers will be provided on Tuesday’s episode of the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast and on this page later in the week.

Put your questions to Tom here., external

Ante Palaversa had no doubt Aberdeen would bounce back from their League Cup humbling by Celtic, as the Dons got back to winning ways against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership. (Record), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

Watch highlights of Aberdeen's 4-1 win against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

(Available to UK audiences only)

We asked for your views on Aberdeen's 4-1 win against Dundee.

Here's what some of you said:

Steven: This was a big result and our manager has a knack of knowing when to make substitutions that make a difference in the second half of games. We also can't under estimate Dimitar Mitov’s contribution on the penalty save. After the international break we have tough matches but the Dons juggernaut keeps on going.

Lindsey: What a result! Finally a comfortable win. Once again the subs made an impact. Nisbet in particular was superb. Slobodan Rubezic was uncomfortable without Sivert Nilsen in front and made a few clumsy errors, would like to see if Angus McDonald could offer more composure. Nonetheless, with top players missing, our team is never compromised.

Marty: Another convincing win in the end. We possibly rode our luck a bit in the early stages of the game but we were much more clinical and composed in the second half. Again the substitutions changed the game. I can't help thinking how we would be with Bojan Miovski still in the team, although that said it's not like we are struggling to find the back of the net.

John M: Great to get back to winning games and by a good margin. Jimmy and the staff deserve a lot of praise for their work with the squad this week. However, we are giving easy chances to the opposition and again lost a cheap goal, our defenders are poor markers sometimes, Simon Murray should have never had a clear header for the Dundee goal.

William: A decent game of football, both sides trying to play a good game. Dundee were the better side first half but the Dons stuck to their game plan and got the rewards. Great goals and still looking for more, right to the last kick rather than the traditional Scottish way of holding onto what you have.

Fred: Mitov set us up with a great penalty save and again masterful substitutions produced the win. Overall an impressive performance by players and management. We definitely look like the best of the rest. A great match.

Keith: I thought it was a good answer to the question of how we handle a bump in the road. The bus is still motoring, and the wheels are still on. Happy days. It wasn't a complete 90 minute performance, but with Jimmy, we seem to only need 45 minutes most games. Who knows where this season is going, but I'm all in.

Mike: Great to bounce back after last week's heavy defeat with a convincing win. Could have been a different outcome if Dundee had converted their first half penalty though and we would then have had to come from behind. Although we've done that already this season against Hearts.

Daniel: Another Thelin win in the face of those who were at pains to drive home the 'embarrassing' nature of the loss to Celtic. This train isn't derailing that easily. Remember, this is only month five of a three year project.

Niall: A scintillating second half display from the Dons settled this tussle against a quality Dundee side. It's clear that there is such cohesion in this squad with another big impact from the subs, 42 secs for the Vinnie goal must be some kind of record. Comfortable and calm on the ball, intensity in transition and high press are key to success.

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Jimmy Thelin disclosed attacker Jamie McGrath missed Aberdeen's 4-1 win over Dundee after undergoing minor facial surgery.

The Republic of Ireland international was taken to hospital after a clash of heads with Ross County goalkeeper Kacper Lopata at the end of August.

The club and the player elected to have the procedure done last week so that McGrath will have time to heal during the international break.

"We had to make a decision after Jamie got a hit against Ross County," the Swede said after the big win at Pittodrie.

"They needed to fix some parts so he had minor surgery. We had to decide whether to do it before this game or wait until after the international break, when he's then going to miss maybe three or four games.

"So, we took the decision to get it done before this game instead and now after the break he'll be fresh to play again.

"It was a minor operation because of that hit in the collision at Ross County.

"There was no danger to Jamie, but we had to do it sometime and that was the perfect opportunity for us to do it.

"To be able to still get the victory without him says a lot to us about the squad.

"Some players have played a lot but then other players take the opportunities and responsibilities.

"So, a season is for a squad, not for a starting XI."

Image source, SNS

• Aberdeen have scored eight goals via substitutes in the Premiership this season, more than any other team.

• Aberdeen have scored four goals in a game for the first time since 15 May 2024 against Livingston (W5-1).

• Kevin Nisbet has scored his third goal in the Premiership this season, netting for the first time since 28 September 2024 against Dundee.

• Dundee have conceded six goals to opposition substitutes in the Premiership this season, no team has conceded more.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin says he was happy with Aberdeen's response to their League Cup semi-final defeat after they beat Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

Aberdeen bounced back from their League Cup semi-final humbling to move ahead of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a sizzling second-half showing at home to Dundee.

Ante Palaversa’s classy finish broke the deadlock at a sold-out Pittodrie, and within four minutes it was two when Topi Keskinen lashed the ball through the legs of Jon McCracken.

Dundee briefly rallied, and Simon Murray - who had a first-half penalty saved - glanced a header into the far corner.

However, their revival was doused just moments later when Vicente Besuijen - only on the pitch for just 42 seconds - raced onto a Kevin Nisbet through ball to finish.

And Nisbet added a late fourth himself, as his deflected shot evaded Jon McCracken.

Jimmy Thelin’s side - who suffered a first defeat of the campaign in losing 6-0 to Celtic in the League Cup semi-finals last weekend - were more like themselves as they extended their unbeaten league run to 11.

Dundee - the last team to beat Aberdeen in the league at Dens Park back in March - drop to seventh as their winless run at Pittodrie stretches to 16 games.

Aberdeen fans, whether you were at Pittodrie or following from home, we want your thoughts on the game., external