Jimmy Thelin to kickstart Aberdeen FC fan hype like Ebbe Skovdahl as 'different culture' pinpointed

When it came to reconnecting Aberdeen with the Red Army then few managers were more colourful than Ebbe Skovdahl.

The late Danish boss’ three years at the Pittodrie helm after leaving his beloved Brondby in 1999 brought the good, the bad and the downright bizarre in equal lashings to the north east. Aberdeen may have finished bottom of the table in his first season after Skovdahl lost his first seven games.

But a 6-5 win at Motherwell to end the winless streak followed by two cup finals and a book full of quotes not least comparing statistics to mini skirts “because they give you good ideas but hide the most important things” saw him win the supporters’ hearts. That’s when the experienced boss’ brilliance shone through as he led the Dons into Europe two years later. Kevin Rutkiewicz lived and breathed that era after being handed his debut as a teenager by the chain-smoking Dane. He loved the freshness that the club’s first ever foreign boss brought to the club.

And he hopes the arrival of Swede Jimmy Thelin, the first Scandinavian to take the Pittodrie hotseat since the late Skovdahl, can have exactly the same effect. Rutkiewicz senses there’s been a growing disconnect between the stands and dug out due to a spate of sackings that have seen Thelin become the fifth boss since Derek McInnes left the north east three years ago.

But he also reckons there’s an excitement growing for the arrival of Thelin which could light a fire under the Dons. Not least because the former Elfsborg boss could well tap into a market that he knows better than most right now - much like Skovdahl did when he took over 25 years ago.

Rutkiewicz said: ”I think it's a very interesting move, particularly coming off the back of Ange Postecoglou who