Jimmy Thelin on what is next for Aberdeen after 'best moment of my life' Scottish Cup win
Jimmy Thelin has admitted lifting the Scottish Cup win as Aberdeen manager was one of the best days of his life.
It is also a major inspiration for him and his players to build on that and try to bring further success to Pittodrie this season.
The Swede currently has his new-look squad in Portugal for their pre-season camp, as the Cup holders kick-off preparations for the 2025-26 season.
It is just over five weeks since the Dons beat Celtic at Hampden to lift their first trophy in 11 years. It was also Thelin's first major success in management.
He has seen what it has meant to everyone connected with the Dons and believes it will be a driver for his team to try to bring even more success going into this campaign, which will also offer European group stage football.
Thelin emotionally said: 'I think it was one of the best moments in my life. When you see all these happy faces, not only the players but staff and everybody around.
'The emotions, the chairman, Dave Cormack, Alan Burrows and Steven Gunn, all the people who are working around the club. 'Sharing this together was one of the best moments of my life.
'When you think about it, it is always there in a really good spirit. 'I also know we need to keep working and improving.
'Now we need to look ahead and prepare for a new season. That inspires everyone to try again.
'We know it will be really difficult but we need to try and believe to be the best we can be.'
Aberdeen go into the play-off round of the Europa League and regardless of the result will get European group stage football in that or the Conference League.
Thelin knows the key is to get the balance right because Aberdeen needs to be competitive on all fronts.
The last time the Dons reached the group stages, under Barry Robson, they struggled and that is something Thelin is keen to avoid a repeat of. He can also lean into his experiences with Elfsborg.
He said: 'Our away support is incredible. You see how many people come and support us and now we are going to add one more competition. We are going to need them more than ever.
'There are so many competitions to fight for and this extra they give is like a 12th player and is so important.
'I'm so excited for the games in Europe. It is about being as good as we can be so we can be that team that copes with all the competitions and still be competitive in the league every year.'
The good thing for Aberdeen is that they will get the chance to get a couple of league games under their belt before they step into the European arena.
They kick-off away to Hearts on the opening day. 'It is an exciting start,' Thelin told RedTV. 'It is coming quickly now. Everyday is coming closer.
'Right now we need to focus on the game. It is a good game to start with away. I can imagine some of our fans will be there and it will be a good game.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
16 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Leah Williamson relieved to let go of anxiety ahead of England's Euro opener
The Arsenal defender was forced to miss England's first run to a Women's World Cup final two summers ago in Australia after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury and she is now relishing the opportunity to lead the Lionesses in another major tournament after captaining them to European glory in 2022. England boss Sarina Wiegman, meanwhile, hinted Chelsea forward Lauren James could be more involved against France after marking her comeback from a long hamstring-related absence with an assist in her 30-minute second-half cameo in their Jamaica send-off friendly. 'I've probably held some anxiety, I suppose, up until this moment,' said Williamson, when asked if missing the World Cup and her recovery had given her a new appreciation for this opportunity. 'Just because I wanted to be here and I wanted to be with the team, I wanted to be here with the team, I wanted to experience another tournament for England, and being away from home is special. 'When you come to another country to represent your country and just take everything in. It's a bit different to England in 2022, so I'm just taking everything in. I'm very excited. Obviously so much has changed, so I'm intrigued to come back and enjoy that tournament football.' Wiegman and her team have embraced the mantra of this being a 'new England', with seven fresh faces in this 23-player squad featuring in their first major tournament and many of her returnees from the 2022 triumph playing much bigger roles. 'It's a new territory, and we're not necessarily looking at it as a defence, but a new challenge and an opportunity to do something new,' added Williamson. Williamson does not take the travelling English fan support, who have come out in big numbers, for granted. She added: 'I think when they look at us they see a team that would give everything for them, and I think they keep coming back for that reason. I hope that continues.' Wiegman said that while the team will 'never forget' the 'lifetime experience' of lifting the trophy at Wembley: 'You have to move on, and you have to be on top of it. Things are changing very quickly, so we have to do it too. 'We came together in February, and we came to this, saying it's a new challenge. The approach was there anyway, but we called it a new England.' Wiegman confirmed James, who scored three goals and added as many assists at the World Cup, was in a 'good place'. The 23-year-old was out of action for three months before making her long-awaited return in the 63rd minute against Jamaica last Sunday. Asked if James was fit to start, Wiegman replied: 'We're not going to give you the line-up, but she played 30 minutes last week, so she can play more than that. I think that will say enough.'
Scottish Sun
23 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Lucky Scots collector finds UK's most valuable trading card EVER worth £100,000 – could you have one?
The card is now being held securely at the UK Grading lab DREAM PULL Lucky Scots collector finds UK's most valuable trading card EVER worth £100,000 – could you have one? A LUCKY Scots collector has managed to pocket the UK's most valuable trading card ever, with experts estimating it's worth a whopping £100,000. Ryan Gordon, from Aberdeen, opened up his very first pack of Topps Inception collector's cards only to find a one-of-a-kind autographed rookie card featuring FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal. 2 The one-of-a-kind Lamine Yamal card is worth an estimated £100,000 Credit: MGC 2 Topps Inception is renowned for its limited-edition sports cards Credit: Topps This coveted pull is a rookie autograph card which means it's from Yamal's first official year in professional football and bears his genuine signature. Topps Inception is renowned for its limited-edition sports cards. The card was submitted to Majesty Grading Company (MGC), a prominent UK-based card grading service, where it achieved a perfect 10 grade. Upon discovering the "once-in-a-generation card", the firm's director, Jake Kirkham, took a 16-hour round-trip to collect the card. He told the Collector Club: "When we heard about the 1/1 Lamine Yamal rookie autograph, we knew it was a once-in-a-generation card. "I personally took a 16-hour round trip train journey to Aberdeen to collect it because at Majesty Grading Company, we don't just grade cards, we go the extra mile for customers!" Jake added: "It's now officially the most expensive card ever graded by a UK grading company. "It's a milestone moment for the UK sports card community and proof that collectors no longer need to send their high-end cards abroad for world-class card grading. "MGC is raising the bar for UK card grading, authentication, and collector trust… We're just getting started." While the current valuation exceeds £100,000, similar Lamine Yamal cards have already raked in prices of up to $395,000 (just shy of £300,000) in the United States. I went to the UK's biggest football trading card show - watch how to spot value in your collections However, despite receiving several sizable offers from private buyers, Ryan has decided to keep hold of the card. It is now being held securely at MGC's UK Grading lab. Given Yamal's footie success, which includes the young Spaniard, 17, winning Euro 2024 with Spain and lifting the La Liga title with Barcelona last season, his market value in the card trading sphere is expected to continue soaring. Reflecting on his life-changing find, Ryan said: 'At the time of pulling the card, I was in complete shock, I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks with me. I also didn't know how big the card was as it was my first ever box I had opened. I can't thank MGC enough for their help, they've been amazing!'
Rhyl Journal
32 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Leah Williamson relieved to let go of anxiety ahead of England's Euro opener
The Arsenal defender was forced to miss England's first run to a Women's World Cup final two summers ago in Australia after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury and she is now relishing the opportunity to lead the Lionesses in another major tournament after captaining them to European glory in 2022. England boss Sarina Wiegman, meanwhile, hinted Chelsea forward Lauren James could be more involved against France after marking her comeback from a long hamstring-related absence with an assist in her 30-minute second-half cameo in their Jamaica send-off friendly. 'I've probably held some anxiety, I suppose, up until this moment,' said Williamson, when asked if missing the World Cup and her recovery had given her a new appreciation for this opportunity. Our opener awaits 👊#Lionesses | @NuffieldHealth — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 3, 2025 'Just because I wanted to be here and I wanted to be with the team, I wanted to be here with the team, I wanted to experience another tournament for England, and being away from home is special. 'When you come to another country to represent your country and just take everything in. It's a bit different to England in 2022, so I'm just taking everything in. I'm very excited. Obviously so much has changed, so I'm intrigued to come back and enjoy that tournament football.' Wiegman and her team have embraced the mantra of this being a 'new England', with seven fresh faces in this 23-player squad featuring in their first major tournament and many of her returnees from the 2022 triumph playing much bigger roles. 'It's a new territory, and we're not necessarily looking at it as a defence, but a new challenge and an opportunity to do something new,' added Williamson. Williamson does not take the travelling English fan support, who have come out in big numbers, for granted. She added: 'I think when they look at us they see a team that would give everything for them, and I think they keep coming back for that reason. I hope that continues.' Wiegman said that while the team will 'never forget' the 'lifetime experience' of lifting the trophy at Wembley: 'You have to move on, and you have to be on top of it. Things are changing very quickly, so we have to do it too. 'We came together in February, and we came to this, saying it's a new challenge. The approach was there anyway, but we called it a new England.' Focused. ➡️ — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 3, 2025 Wiegman confirmed James, who scored three goals and added as many assists at the World Cup, was in a 'good place'. The 23-year-old was out of action for three months before making her long-awaited return in the 63rd minute against Jamaica last Sunday. Asked if James was fit to start, Wiegman replied: 'We're not going to give you the line-up, but she played 30 minutes last week, so she can play more than that. I think that will say enough.'
