Kevin Nisbet will lead Aberdeen into their William Hill Premiership season opener against Hearts, with Stephen Robinson saying the club’s leadership is being shared across several players rather than resting on one pair of shoulders.
Robinson made the point on Friday afternoon as he met the media ahead of the new campaign, explaining that Aberdeen have brought in a number of new players and want a wider leadership group to help set the standards. Kevin Nisbet will have the armband, but the manager was clear that the captaincy is only one part of how the team will operate.
Robinson: leadership is shared
“I don’t think the captain is maybe as big a deal as everybody makes it,” Robinson said.
That is not to say the role is unimportant. It is simply that Aberdeen, with so many new faces coming into the squad, want more than one voice driving the dressing room and the pitch.
“As I said, there are four or five people who organise things and lead the standards at the football club,” Robinson added.
That approach also explains why Graeme Shinnie was mentioned so prominently. Robinson described him as a previous captain who did everything on and off the pitch, setting the kind of example Aberdeen want to preserve even as the squad changes around him.
Why Nisbet gets the armband
For Robinson, Nisbet’s knowledge of the club and its expectations was a major factor. He said Kevin Nisbet knows Aberdeen and understands the standards required, which mattered with so many new players coming in.
“Kevin (Nisbet) knows the football club, and he knows the standards of this football club, which I thought was very important with so many new players coming in,” Robinson said.
That also ties in with the striker’s start to the season. Robinson pointed out that goalscorers are “very, very hard to find”, and said Kevin Nisbet has started the season well enough to be trusted with added responsibility. He will not just wear the armband; he will be expected to help lead Aberdeen’s performance against Hearts too.
That matters in a game like this because Aberdeen are not only trying to start well, they are trying to do it with a changing squad and a new leadership balance. The manager’s message is that the standards must come from multiple places, even if Nisbet is the man with the captain’s armband on Saturday.
Fitness update before Hearts
The press conference also touched on squad fitness and transfer outgoings. Robinson said Aberdeen are due to have a fully fit squad by Saturday apart from Mats Knoester.
Emmanuel Gyamfi will go down on Wednesday and have an injection into his thigh, leaving Aberdeen to manage one more fitness issue before the opener. It means the build-up to Hearts is largely positive, even if there are still a couple of moving parts to settle.
For Aberdeen, the story of the week is simple enough: Kevin Nisbet will wear the armband, the leadership group is being widened, and the club go into the William Hill Premiership season opener with Robinson clearly wanting responsibility spread across the squad.
That framework has already been central to Aberdeen’s summer, and it also adds context to Kevin Nisbet's six goals and Aberdeen's new-look lineup make Aberdeen Vs Hearts a fresh Scottish Premiership test. If Nisbet can combine goals with leadership, Aberdeen will hope the opening day sets the tone for much more than just one match. His recent form has also been a talking point after Kevin Nisbet's hat-trick powers Aberdeen to 4-1 win - Queen Of The South F.c. Vs Aberdeen F.c. Standings now point one way.
