Graeme Shinnie says fortunes of Aberdeen and Hearts show ‘mad’ side of football

Captain Graeme Shinnie spoke about the madness of football as Aberdeen look to turn the tables on Hearts on Sunday.

The Jambos finished in third place in the William Hill Premiership last season, 20 points ahead of the Dons, who had to settle for seventh place.

However, under boss Jimmy Thelin, who took over Aberdeen in the summer, the Granite City men have won 12 out of 12 in all competitions and, after six league fixtures, they sit second behind leaders Celtic only on goal difference.

By contrast, after a run of eight successive defeats that cost manager Steven Naismith his job, Hearts sit bottom. An Aberdeen win against the Jambos, who will be guided by caretaker boss Liam Fox again, will see the home side go 19 points clear of the Tynecastle side.

Shinnie said: “Football’s mad, isn’t it? Football is mad. Different seasons, different things happen.

“Obviously, the year before that, we finished third.

“So it can changes all the time. We’re focused on trying to continue our run and continue what we’ve been doing well, build on it and keep getting better.

“And that’s really where our focus has been. Football’s mad, mad things happen.

“We all know that, but what we know is Hearts are a good side, and we’re well aware of that, and we know what we’ve got to do to try and win.

“I think the league table now will be different come the end of the season.

“And like we said, football’s mad. Anything can happen. There’s a long way to go. We need to have full focus on what we’re doing, which is has been what’s been good for us so far this season.

“We’ve been focusing a lot on the style of play and what we’re trying to do and try to get better in each game, and I think at this stage of the season, it is trying to continue that and strive to keep getting better with it.

“And obviously, on top of that, winning games is also key as well.”

The Jambos have flickered back into life in their previous two matches. The Gorgie outfit salvaged a late 1-1 draw against Ross County last Saturday and in Azerbaijan on Thursday, substitute Yan Dhanda headed in with seconds to go to secure a 2-1 victory over Dinamo Minsk in the Europa Conference League .

Shinnie said: “A good team coming off the back of a very good result.

“The talent that they’ve got in their squad is very good, so we know it’s going to be a tough game, and these games between Aberdeen and Hearts always are.

“So we need to be well aware of that, and we need to be at the top of our game to win the game.”