'Thelin an appointment of imagination & ambition'
Finally. It's only taken 77 days since Barry Robson's tenure was cut short and a mere 39 days since Neil Warnock exited stage right, but Aberdeen have now landed their man in the form of 46-year old Swede Jimmy Thelin, who will arrive in June.
Credit where it's due to Dave Cormack and the Aberdeen board for pulling out all the stops to land the highly-rated Thelin - it's a move that excite the majority of Dons fans for what the future holds.
This is certainly an appointment of imagination and ambition but that will require to be matched by the powers that be when it comes to player recruitment this summer.
A cursory look at the way Thelin's Elfsborg side have been set up clearly doesn't match with the make-up of the current Aberdeen squad and so it looks like another close season of transition awaits.
Thelin becomes the 26th individual bestowed with the permanent role at Pittodrie and the task couldn't be much tougher.
A four-month purple patch under Barry Robson aside, the Dons have slumped miserably on the field since Cormack took over and Thelin becomes the fitth appointment in that timeframe.
Thelin's history at Elfsborg tells us that Aberdeen fans shouldn't expect miracles early in his tenure - his side was built over a period of time and he will require a level of patience from a support starved of meaningful success.
The 0-0 draw with Dundee on Saturday capped off a miserable regular season in the Premiership which has seen Aberdeen pick up only four home wins.
Thelin will be an avid onlooker as Peter Leven takes the side to the end of the campaign and seeks to ensure, swiftly, there is absolutely no danger of Aberdeen being dragged into the dreaded play-off spot.
Before that, there's the small matter of a Scottish Cup semi-final to look forward to on Saturday lunchtime against holders Celtic.
Aberdeen are rank outsiders and it's not hard to see why, but the cup is all about shocks and having been on the receiving end of a few in recent memory, perhaps it's our time to spring a surprise and secure a return to Hampden in May.
Perhaps a certain Swede might make himself available a touch earlier than planned if that was the case...
Gary Scott can be found on the ABZ Football Podcast
