ALEX SMITH paid tribute to Aberdeen for holding their nerve at Hampden – while Celtic crumbled under the Treble pressure.
The legendary former Dons boss was delighted to see Jimmy Thelin lead the north east club to Scottish Cup glory.
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Smith was the last manager to bring the famous trophy back to Pittodrie in 1990.
And after watching his old club finally get over the finish line from his home in Australia, the revered Scottish gaffer believes Thelin’s men handled the big occasion better than the Hoops.
Smith told SunSport: “I was absolutely delighted to see Aberdeen lift that trophy again.
“I think Dons teams in recent years have played with a lot of pressure because of the success of teams in the past.
“When you look at the success Alex Ferguson had in winning four in such a short space of time, and me winning it in 1990, the fans almost became a bit blasé about winning the Scottish Cup.
“It had been so long but now this group has finally broken that 35-year pressure.
“The fact of the matter is Celtic weren’t just playing for the Scottish Cup, they were playing for the Treble.
“Those Celtic players were playing under a pressure you can’t really comprehend.
“The fact Celtic didn’t do that will be a huge disappointment for them.
“You could sense Celtic weren’t on song as the game progressed and that Treble pressure got to them.
“Cup finals always sit on a very precarious knife-edge.
“But for Aberdeen to come through it and win, it should help them go forward with confidence.
“This should be the start of their comeback.”
Smith knows just how much adoration Thelin will get from the Red Army after parading the trophy in the Granite City on Sunday.
The 85-year-old, who still coaches youth football Down Under, believes the Swede deserves huge credit for outsmarting Brendan Rodgers when few gave the Dons a chance.
Smith said: “I watched the bus parade going down Union Street and it did take me back to doing the same in 1990.
“I think there was an even bigger crowd at the weekend, because we had gotten a bit used to winning the Scottish Cup back then.
“This one was 35-years in the making. There were thousands there who weren’t even born when we last lifted the trophy.
How they rated
Dimitar Mitov – Saves from Callum McGregor and Alistair Johnston in the shootout plus denying Daizen Maeda late in regular time wrote him a place in Aberdeen’s history books. Is now a legend. 10
Alfie Dorrington – Didn’t know anything about it as Arne Engels’ corner kick cracked off his shoulder before sneaking in. Luckless stuff for the defender, who’d started well and had Adam Idah’s card marked. 7
Jack Milne – Shock inclusion as Jimmy Thelin moved to three at the back in a bid to outfox Rodgers. Was superb as part of their back three and showed he’s got a big future. 8
Mats Knoester – The most experienced of Aberdeen’s back three by far so was tasked with talking them through the afternoon and keeping them organised. Led by example throughout as the Dons dug in. 9
Alexander Jensen – Up against Maeda and kept the Japanese striker as quiet as anyone has throughout the first half here. Did deliver some good balls when he got high enough up. 9
Ante Palaversa – Asked to use his physical presence and cover the ground to block off Celtic’s midfield from bombing forward – which he did. Slammed a superb spot kick high into the net. 8
Graeme Shinnie – Slotted back into the middle of the park as part of Thelin’s tactical tinkering and brought the grit they needed in there. Great penalty in the shootout to win the cup. 9
Nicky Devlin – Brought back into the side as left wing-back in the Dons’ new formation and did his job stopping Nicolas Kuhn cutting inside. Did well until running out of gas late on. 7
Leighton Clarkson – Normally Aberdeen’s’ creative spark but saw far too little of the ball to make an impact with waves of attack coming the other way. Second half free kick easily saved. 6
Topi Keskinen – Tasked with injecting pace into Aberdeen’s rare attacks when they sprung forward but was unable to bring enough quality to the table to hurt the Hoops. Hooked for Pape Gueye. 5
Kevin Nisbet – Defended from the front as the Dons sat in for the first part of this game. Had a good chance from Leighton Clarkson’s free kick but headed over. Fed on scraps. 6
Subs:
Pape Gueye (Keskinen 56) – Sparked the Dons into life with his pace and energy, turned the game. 7
Dante Polvara (Dorrington 79) – Replaced crocked Dorrington at the back. 7
Shayden Morris (Clarkson 79) – Caused Kasper Schmeichel’s late OG leveller within seconds of coming on. 7
Oday Dabbagh (Nisbet 79) – Slammed his penalty in the top corner. 7
Jack MacKenzie (Devlin 89) – Will bow out a cup winner. 6
Kristers Tobers (Milne 93) – Replaced Milne in extra-time. 6
“Thelin deserves huge credit because not many believed he could come up with a plan to win on Saturday.
“But he did just that and he has now planted himself right into the hearts of the supporters.
“Thelin gambled by keeping it tight, staying in the tie and making it difficult.
“He then made great subs. He knew he had quick wingers to come on and make an impact later on and they certainly did.
“They came on and that gave Aberdeen the initiative.
“Celtic couldn’t lift it on the day and Aberdeen deserve great credit for standing their ground.”
Just like the final 35 years ago, fittingly Saturday’s showpiece between the two sides went to a shootout again.
Despite the pressure on both teams, Smith felt confident Aberdeen would come through on the winning side just from the way the Dons players approached the penalty spot.
Smith said: “The penalties were very similar to back in the 1990 final.
“I think that would have helped the Aberdeen players, knowing they did it in similar circumstances 35 years before.
“They were all very good penalties on Aberdeen’s side. They were emphatic and hit with control and confidence.
“I didn’t doubt any single player walking up. You can tell by body language with penalties and the player you really saw under pressure was the Celtic captain.
“There was so much pressure on his shoulders and ultimately it told.”
Still well-loved by the Dons support, Smith believes the huge turnout from the Red Army at Hampden made a telling contribution.
Smith said: “I think the fanbase during the whole game was fantastic.
“It looked to me like there were more Dons fans there than expected, given the way some people were talking about how easy a win it was going to be for Celtic.
“I think psychologically that was massive for the players.
“Seeing half of Hampden in red would have made a big difference.”
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