Winger Topi Keskinen addresses fans' frustration at Aberdeen's damaging away league form
Winger Topi Keskinen understands the frustration of travelling Aberdeen supporters at the dismal away league form.
Aberdeen have won only two of their previous 15 away fixtures in the Premiership.
The Finland international accepts there has been little reward on the road this season for the expense and time outlaid by fans.
He is determined to change this in the next two away fixtures which are set to define Aberdeen's season.
The Reds face Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday in a showdown to finish fourth in the Premiership.
Then, next Saturday, Aberdeen go against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden.
The Red Army snapped up the Dons 20,000-ticket allocation for the final on the first day of sale.
Keskinen aims to deliver back-to-back away wins to repay fans.
He said: 'Of course the fans are disappointed at our away form.
'I would be disappointed if I'm travelling every single weekend to away games and your team is not getting the result.
'But trust me, the players are disappointed as well if we don't do well.
'When I came here, the first two away games against Dundee and Ross County felt like they were at home due to our fans.
'The fans have always been like that when we are away.
'We have to play well and give them a present for coming to the away games.'
Fourth-placed Aberdeen, who can finish at worst fifth in the table, have already secured European qualification for next season.
A fourth-placed finish is rewarded with a second qualifying round berth for the Europa League.
Fifth secures a second qualifying round slot for the Conference League.
Should Aberdeen win the Scottish Cup they will qualify of the Europa League play-off.
That brings guaranteed group action as there is the safety net of parachuting into the Conference League.
Last season, Keskinen faced Aberdeen in the Conference League groups with Finnish club HJK Helsinki.
He is relishing a return to the continental stage – but wants a Europa League slot.
The winger said: 'Helsinki is a smaller club and I think football here is an even bigger deal.
'The Finnish football culture is not that big.
'Here in Scotland, if we play a league game, we still have a lot of fans coming.
'In Finland, we only had big fans when we played European football.
'Playing in Europe is a different feeling.'
Aberdeen are on a three-game losing streak ahead of the biggest two matches of the season.
Keskinen insists he relishes the heat to deliver against Dundee United and Celtic.
The 22-year-old said: 'I always enjoy the game more when there is big pressure and much to play for.
'If these last two games were nothing, there's no motivation.
'There's some meaning in these last two games… and I like that.
'We're now fourth and Dundee United are fifth.
'It's going to be a big game.
'We go there to win the game. You cannot go to get a draw.'
Aberdeen beat off competition from clubs in Europe and the American MLS to sign Keskinen in an £860,000 deal from HJK Helsinki last summer.
The Dons will have to pick themselves up from heavy back-to-back defeats to the Old Firm.
A chastening 5-1 loss to Celtic at Pittodrie on Wednesday came just days after losing 4-0 away to Rangers.
How is the mood in the Pittodrie camp?
He said: 'It has been good.
'In football, if you win you cannot enjoy it too much as you always have to look forward to the next game.
'It is the same if we lose a game.
'There is no point just being sad and angry about it.
'We just have to focus on the next game.'
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They have had an unbelievable couple of seasons. For me, John should be getting far more recognition for what he has done.' Ferguson continued, 'I just think there's snobbery across the Scottish game. There are a lot of good players in Scotland, but the pathway is not there for them. The opportunities for them to play at the top are so limited it's incredible. 'There has been talk about a Scottish goalkeeping crisis recently. For me, there is a bit of snobbery there too. Nicky Hogarth at Falkirk is a far better goalkeeper than the lad Cieran Slicker at Ipswich Town. Now, that might not be the case in the future. But at this moment in time Hogarth has won back-to-back league titles and is a better player. (Image: Craig Williamson - SNS Group) 'Hogarth has been at Rangers and Nottingham Forest as a young player, Slicker has been at Manchester City and Ipswich Town. So they both have a good grounding. But Slicker, a player who has never played a league game, gets selected for the national squad. For me, that kind of belittles playing for your country. Why not give Hogarth a chance? 'I think there are players there now who could easily make the step up to the Premiership. Not every player is going to make the grade, that's just never going to happen. But there are a lot of players who will get recruited from other countries who will come and go in the blink of an eye. Fans will forget about them in a couple of weeks. 'But I don't think the fanbase helps things ether if I am being honest. People don't get as excited about signing a player or a manager from the Championship as they do about bringing in a foreign player or manager. The media is exactly the same.' 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What used to happen when three substitutes were allowed was there would be 14 players stripped, two in the stand and the rest would be playing somewhere else, in a reserve match or whatever. 'Now you've got 19 to 20 players stripped and another three sitting in the stands. Those players are nowhere near playing in a football match because they've got so many players in front of them. Squads are so swollen now. Even if you are a really good young player you need to get in front of four or five senior players to get in. 'It's difficult for any manager to say. 'I really like this 17-year-old, he's going straight in the team'. He needs to put that kid above three, four, five different senior players. Why would you want to have such a big squad and have a youth academy as well? That doesn't allow kids to progress. There are so many things that happen at the top level that don't make sense to me.' The Cooperation System which the SFA rolled out last week – which will see up to three Scotland qualified players at Premiership and Championship clubs move to lower league outfits freely on loan going forward – makes perfect sense to him. 'I love it,' said Ferguson. 'I love the concept of it. I also love that there is a plan there. I've always felt that the loan system, and I understand why this is, is very reactive. What generally happens is a club puts together a squad and then they need to get players in to cover for injuries. 'The Cooperation System is a bit more of a planned approach. It sounds as if loan players will be identified throughout the course of the close season, going into pre-season, when a manager or a recruitment team are building their squad. (Image: SNS Group Alan Harvey) 'I think it's a very, very good piece of work. I don't think managers will build their team around the loan player, it won't be as extreme as that. But I think a player will fit in straight away, They won't be trying to force their way into the team. It is a refreshing concept.' He continued, 'Will a young player who is number 21, 22 or 23 in a first team squad be considered for it? Or will they be kept at their parent club to make up numbers? That would be my concern. Will the guy who is 22 or 23 be allowed to go out and play? If he isn't, he could spend another season not playing. 'Is it best for the club in the long-term to get a player out, to get them experience of playing football, to get their name known, to hopefully have an impact? Massively. It should have a positive impact on the player and of course on the club. 'But a manager might want to hold onto him, just in case. He might have injuries and need to play a kid. That is how Forrester came through and established himself as a Premiership player. But, at the same time, six months could pass and a kid won't play. We will see how it works in practice. 'But we are very much on board with it at Stenhousemuir. We feel as though it's something that could be of value to us. Martin Christie, our head of recruitment, is speaking to clubs at the moment. There are ongoing conversations.' Ferguson is eager to see more Scottish players in the lower leagues getting the chance to show what they can do in the Premiership and more academy kids getting promoted into first teams than is currently the case. He fears the national team will ultimately suffer unless there is a long overdue change in attitudes and the trend he has identified is allowed to continue. 'Generally speaking, the first team manager at a club looks after the first team and that is it,' he said. 'That is the way it should be. But why is he not involved in looking at what the pathway into the first team looks like? 'There is an obvious issue. A coach knows he may not be in a job in four weeks' time if he doesn't get results. So why look four years down the line? The dynamics around football are different to any other sport. That is good and bad at the same time. 'The culture of football, the tribal nature of the sport, the supporters' demand for success in the here and now makes people focus on that. Understandably so. But I do think it is unusual compared to other sports, that failure to develop a strategy which can enable a club to be successful long-term. Don't get me wrong, many clubs will try to do it, but there is a massive disconnect between what they want to achieve and what they actually do.' Ferguson continued, 'We're already seeing a lack of depth when we've got injuries. We have quality players, John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Craig Gordon, Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney. But quite a few of these players are getting towards the end of their careers, they're in their late 20s or early 30s. 'Could getting five per cent of the Scottish players who are in the Premiership to follow Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay and move on to a bigger league in Europe be a target? If it can be then surely five per cent of 100 is better than five per cent of 30. 'My real worry is the talent pool is getting diluted. That is definitely the trend. It is on a decline, a continuous decline. Unless something changes, Scottish players will be making up just 20 per cent of the teams in a few years.'
