Johan Croneman: Jimmy Thelin’s team is inspiring what football could be

In the 74th minute, 22-year-old substitute Shayden Morris stepped forward and blasted home from close range and the sold-out Pittodrie Stadium erupted as the home side had decided the World Cup final.

The TV pundit shouted in wonderful Scots: “Jimmy Thelin‘s best!”

Time for us to start following Scottish football closely too? I will definitely be keeping at least one eye on the Scottish Premiership in the future.

Or as the BBC commentator said after Aberdeen had played their tenth consecutive league game without defeat (nine wins, one draw): “They are the real deal after all. “

And if Aberdeen coach Jimmy Thelin added the Scottish expert, talking about another successful late change of the Swedish coach that is to be revealed soon: “The man with the magic touch”.

A very sad Wednesday night in terms of televised sports. Round of 16 in the English League Cup. A hopeless remnant who have always lived in the total shadow of the FA Cup. Today renamed again after a new sponsor, an energy drink manufacturer. They don’t really want the pleasure of giving them additional advertising.

Some of you may remember when the League Cup was called The Milk Cup in the 80’s? The league cup used to be better.

I was tuning in Aberdeen-Rangers on Viaplay instead of the League Cup final, it was the best TV decision of the week.

Jimmy Thelin took over as manager last summer, and Aberdeen have not lost since, going 16 games without defeat. Aberdeen may be one of the top three or four clubs in Scotland historically, but in the last six seasons they have finished 4th, 4th, 4th, 10th, 3rd and 7th – a long way since the last golden era in the 80s when Alex Ferguson led them to two league titles and a European Cup Winners’ Cup win (DN’s Jens Littorin wrote very well about Aberdeen in particular here in DN on October 17th).

I saw him by the way where Nya Ullevi’s final was in May 1983. Aberdeen decided in extra time, 112th minute – and how the Scottish fans in central Gothenburg celebrated afterwards! Perhaps no one remembers the Real Madrid team they faced, except for German Uli Stielike, who was in the World Cup final with West Germany the year before, in 1982 .Damn German, if you say so, both midfielder and libero, or as they said at the time: Sweeper (good expression).

Aberdeen’s home ground, the historic Pittodrie Stadium, has just over 20,000 and under Jimmy Thelin they have sold out in the autumn for the first time in ages. After the 2-1 victory against Rangers, no one wanted to go home, everyone stayed for at least a quarter of an hour to pay tribute to the team and keep the atmosphere going. Everyone who knows knows.

It is an unstable feeling.

You will also definitely get a glimpse of what football could be like in Britain once and for all. With a few minutes left in the game, intoxicated Aberdeen fans chant the direction of Rangers’ French manager Philippe Clement:

“Your bag will go in the morning, your bag in the morning.”

After ten lie rounds Rangers are in third place, nine points behind Celtic and Aberdeen. It might already be over for them.

In 2015, Jimmy Thelin made Jönköping Södra allsvenskan for the first time in 46 years, then followed a good six years with Elfsborg, before taking over Aberdeen. Now there are already rumors about Wolverhampton and the Premier League.

I want WHERE, but three or four minutes to come speak against him, even in me. In the Aberdeen-Rangers game, we had a penalty situation after like 34.40 in the first half, the whistle came after just over 35 minutes – the penalty was awarded in the 38th, kicked in the 39th.

Not good.

Otherwise, it’s just fun to follow “The Revolution under Jimmy Thelin” as the reporter put it.

The playoffs are the TV puck also (SVT), starting today, finals Sunday. You have to look.

Read more history by Johan Croneman here.