For Aberdeen it was a season of so near yet so far, as they finished second in the league behind unbeaten Celtic and lost the finals of both cups to the Glasgow side as well.
With Rangers back in the league the challenge for the Dons was to finish above the Gers and challenge Celtic for the title if they could but from early on that looked impossible as Celtic were simply unbeatable. The challenge against Rangers was much more manageable and a victory over them in their first meeting of the season set the tone with Rangers struggling and the Dons doing well. Rangers made a late rally to recover near the end but Aberdeen finished the season comfortable in second place and well deserving of their Europa League slot for next year. They had to go through three rounds of qualifying last year, falling to Maribor, but this year they will go in at the second round stage, giving them some extra resting time over summer.
The cups were the most disappointing moments of the season for the Dons as they failed to overcome Celtic twice, with many fans complaining about manager McInnes’s record in big games such as these. A last minute defeat in the Scottish Cup when they had been impressive throughout the game was particularly hard to take.
Several players are on their way out, with captain Ryan Jack a definite to leave and others such as Jonny Hayes set to be subject of intense speculation. If they can sign Ryan Christie permanently from Celtic following his impressive loan spell it would be a major coup.
