They may be riding high in the Premiership but Jimmy Thelin does not want Aberdeen resting on their laurels.
The Swedish manager and his Dons side are rightly winning plaudits from all angles after the most unexpected of starts to the season sees them tied with champions Celtic at the top of the table.
More remarkable is the fact they went their first 16 games unbeaten in all competitions, winning 15 of them.
They still haven’t lost in the league with the only blemish on their hitherto 100 per cent record being a very creditable draw away at Celtic.
Aberdeen boss Thelin still wants more
Aberdeen now look certs for third in the league at the very least this season.
Some are even making them favourites to finish second ahead of Rangers, over whom they currently hold a nine-point lead.
But, scarily for all of the other Premiership managers, Thelin reckons they can and will get even better.
The Pittodrie boss is demanding three things from his players after the break – that they are sharper, faster and stronger.
He said: “We know we have to improve things all the time and be a little bit sharper as a team in our decisions.
“Also we have to be a little faster in some parts, a little bit stronger in some areas.
“That’s the things we work on and hopefully it’s going to be a little bit better every week.
“That’s the only way I know and that’s the only way we work.
“And hopefully with each game we can show we are a bit better than before.
“It’s more about staying true to the journey we are into and how we want our team to play – and how we want to show our fans we are getting better.
“That’s a long-term process from the beginning.”
Thelin is ‘perfect’ Aberdeen boss
He may have lost that perfect record in the league.
But Aberdeen hero Brian Irvine still thinks Thelin is the ideal manager for the club because he is an all-rounder who has shown himself capable in virtually every aspect.
Asked if it is refreshing to see Aberdeen take games to teams like Celtic and Rangers, Irvine told Not the Old Firm: “Yeah, definitely. It does come from just the team having that momentum and confidence the results have brought from the early part of the season right through.
“They’re obviously working things on the training ground as well. But when they come to the games they look well capable.
“I remember the goal (Peter) Ambrose scored running from the half-way line, a goal out of nothing really. So there’s pace bursting through the team.
“There’s just that solidness in the team but that unexpectedness that players are capable of producing, and goals change games.
“So there’s a whole mix in there – stability, defensive solidness, good activity in the midfield with Shinnie driving on the team. And they’ve got the forwards to score goals.
“There has been a lot of late goals as well so that’s another thing that should be mentioned – a lot of character in the team.
“It’s a real mix and he also makes substitutions that win games. So he just seems like the perfect manager in terms of getting the players ready and in terms of what he does and changes he makes during the game.”
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