This is my response to the angry reaction from Dons fans in the wake of our cup defeat by Dunfermline.

Many of you have asked the question; what is going on at Pittodrie?

I will also explain why it's vital that we stick together at this crucial stage of the campaign.

I will provide a summary of the work done over the last five years.

I've also given you details of how the club performed in the five years prior to that to help you fully understand what has happened at Pittodrie since 2004.

You are right to be furious that we lost at home to Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup. But I reckon our problems actually kicked off when we lost to Queen of the South last season. When we couldn't beat them to get to a cup final the enormity of that disappointment convinced me we could face problems this season. I knew the season was going to be a challenge on the back of that.I hoped that we might enjoy another good Scottish Cup run, perhaps get to a final, to put that ghost to bed.

The chances of that happening appeared good when the competition opened up spectacularly for us. I can imagine some fans booking their trips to the semi, or maybe even the final, early. It would have been disrespectful to Falkirk and Dunfermline, but I can understand the thought process. That's because it was going on in my mind as well. I looked at the draw and anticipated that we had a marvellous chance to make up for what happened a year ago. The fact that we didn't - and that we compounded the disappointment by again going out to lower league opposition - was devastating. I understand why the fans are so angry because I feel exactly the same. It's why I feel the need to speak to you today. Some people have questioned other things, such as quality of football and level of entertainment at games. But if they step back and look at things in the clear light of day - take a look at the facts and figures - they will see it's the extreme disappointment felt about our domestic cup performances that has sparked such a frenzied reaction.

It's what has prompted fans to send letters and express their anger and disappointment in a whole host of other ways. Unfortunately, we can't put that right this season now.

It is something we are going to have to make a priority next season, the reaction from our fans has made it blatantly clear that is what they want. But those cup defeats should not be allowed to cancel out all of the positive things done at the club over the last five years. I would also remind you that we still have a big target to go for this season - a place in Europe.

Before that we face the tough task of securing our place in the top six, we haven't done that yet. As far as the league goes, that is where we want to be every season.

If we want to be there this time we are going to have to deal with the disappointment felt about the cup defeat, no matter how hard that is. All of us have to find a way of focussing on what we have left to go for this season. We have a huge target to play for because making Europe, and the extra finance that could be gathered from a run similar to the one we enjoyed last season, would be a massive boost for the club.

It would also be some payback to the fans for the hurt felt because of our cup exits. That's what I've asked our manager to do. He is now doing all he can to get the team focussed on securing that top six place and claiming one of those European spots. But we are going to need every Aberdeen fan to the same because it's going to be nip and tuck, we are not the only club in with a chance of getting those places.

We face a real challenge over the next few weeks.

If we had lost in the cup to someone like Celtic or Rangers, rather than Dunfermline, I'm convinced our fans would have immediately turned their attention to helping us grab one of the European places via the league. It's important that they help us now because it would make a massive difference to our chances. If all of our fans could react in the same manner as the 1,200 who were at the game against Hibs at Easter Road it would be a real asset.

The supporters in Edinburgh were fantastic.

They got behind the team from start to finish and even gave the substitutes warming up behind the goal in front of them loads of encouragement. I can tell them that was greatly appreciated by the players and everyone else at the club. We know they could have reacted a lot differently because it was played so soon after the cup defeat.

We need the rest of the fans to stick by us now as well if we are to have a chance of getting the points we need to make the top six and maintain our challenge for Europe.

Would you prefer we just chucked that all away?

We need to stay together until the final point of the season. That is when we should all then sit back and look at what went on during the campaign. It's when we will make judgements and decide what we need to do to give us a better chance of making up for any disappointments.

The figures shown below give reassurance to the Aberdeen fans that their club will still actually be here in three years' time. We are all worried that might not be the case for a lot of other Scottish clubs. What we have done is ensure any extra money that was made over the last five years was put back in to prepare the club for coping with the bad times ahead.

The directors deserve credit for anticipating that.

Football is not immune from the credit crunch, but we are in good shape to survive and hopefully come out stronger at the end of it all. The players and other staff at Pittodrie won't have to worry if their wages will be paid into the bank. That's because we have done the sensible thing.

People within the football world know that, so it will help us when it comes to attracting other players in the future. That's why it annoys me when anyone points to Hearts as an example of how Aberdeen should be doing things as a club. That is unfair.

As I pointed out, we have actually finished ahead of them in the SPL in three of the last four seasons.

Do the Aberdeen fans really want us to take their club down that route?

We have chosen a different road because we believe the Dons fans want their club to still be in existence in the tough years ahead. They also want it to be one that can still sustain a challenge in the cups and qualifying for Europe.

We have ensured that will be the case.

The figures show we have worked hard to keep our finances in order. At all stages, we have made sure enough funds are directed into the football budget to deliver a competitive product on the park.

Financial Performance

Thankfully, the other directors fully back this. Our record over the last five years shows we do the right things. We have managed to sustain a sensible football budget and competed at a high level in the league. It has worked because we enjoyed a good European run and got to two cup semi-finals, which brought in much-needed extra finance.

It also irritates me when people say we should make more money available for the manager to buy bigger-name players. If we bought a £1m player, we would have to pay him a £1m player's wage. It would end up costing the club more than £2m for one player. The sensible Dons fans know that is something we just cannot do.

We are always endeavouring to get better players, but the manager knows that has to be done in a sensible fashion.

With the help of our scouting system, we are confident he will make more interesting signings. But it will never be at the cost of putting the club's financial position under threat. The fact we have sold some players over the last period as well has helped. The club didn't take in a major transfer fee for anyone in the five years prior to that. Stephen Glass, who went to Newcastle United for £600,000, was the last one and that was outwith that period. We've since sold Russell Anderson for £1m and gained decent fees for Michael Hart and Chris Clark. We also received almost as much for John Stewart, a reserve striker, as we paid out for Sone Aluko, a player who will eventually become a major star. Every effort is being made to ensure we have a strong squad without putting the club's long term future in jeopardy.

I would ask the fans to review all that I have just said and make up their own minds about whether what we are doing is right. I hope it will help them understand what is going on at their club. It's not about Willie Miller, Jimmy Calderwood or even Stewart Milne. Managers and Directors come and go, so take the personalities out of it. It's about being happy with where their club is at the moment and looking to the future.

The figures show we are on the right track.

Football Performance

Season 1999-2000: Aberdeen finished in bottom place in the SPL with a record 83 goals conceded, while reaching two domestic finals.

Aberdeen have managed to reach 277 points in the last five season, including the current season which has still eight games to go, in comparison the previous five seasons only brought in 216 points in the SPL.

League Placings 2004 to Present in Comparison with Others

Support On Squad Re-Vamp

We have made significant changes to the structure of the playing staff to ensure we can stay in a position of strength. We anticipated that might create problems for us this season, especially if some of our experienced group picked up injuries. It is one of the main reasons why some of our performances haven't been as good as we would have liked. The manager knew that could happen, but was happy to go along with it because he knows it's the best thing for the club. What we have put in place is unique to Aberdeen and we are convinced it's the best way to move forward. We have to get back to producing top quality young players on a regular basis.

That's what sustained the squad in the 1980s and we have restructured things in an effort to do it again. That's why we now have a group of younger players incorporated into the first team squad. The manager has what we call an unrestricted squad of 16 players. They are ones aged over 21 and the manager is free to make changes to that group as he sees fit. But it will mean others leaving if he wants to bring in experienced players.

There may be a little leeway to push that group up to 17 or 18 if the finances allow, but on the whole that group will contain 16 players.

The first team squad now also contains a group of nine under-21 players. That group contains Chris Maguire and Sone Aluko, who are now first team regulars. The final group is made up of youth players. Five of them, Fraser Fyvie, Mitchel Megginson, Ryan Jack, Callum McRobbie and Nicky Low, were with the Scotland Under-17 squad in Austria last week. They can now see there is a path up to the first team if they want it enough. The changes mean we now have one of the youngest squads in the country.

Now the structure is in place, it will make it easier for the manager when it comes to planning for the future.

Support on Europe

We lived a European dream in the 1980s, just as Nottingham Forest did when Brian Clough was in charge. But no one would be able to take a small club and make it a major force in Europe now. Every league in every country has been reshaped to ensure the bigger clubs get the bulk of the cash.

Europe is all about money now. Our best hope is to at least qualify for Europe on a regular basis and hope the experience gained from that helps our players gradually get up to the stage where they are able to compete strongly.

We knew it would take the management team a little time to get us back up to that position. It was great when we finally qualified for Europe last season and I reckon most fans would agree we over-performed by making the last 32 in our first UEFA Cup campaign for several years. The result in Dnipro was fabulous because we overcame a team that had dismantled - not just beaten - Hibs two seasons before.

The European run also brought back the sort of excitement we all yearn to be experiencing every season.

It eased the disappointment felt at our continued failure to make the impact we would like in the domestic cup competitions. The victory over FC Copenhagen was brilliant, I will remember that one for the rest of my life. The 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at Pittodrie was also special, especially when you look at what they have done in the Champions League.

It's only a year since a lot of the same Bayern players were trooping off the pitch at Pittodrie grateful not to have lost. The target now is to get the club up into a position where qualifying for Europe is achievable every season. Getting back there as fast as possible after what went on last season is important.

Waiting another five years before qualifying for Europe again is not what we want. That's why it's important the fans stick behind us for the rest of this season.

UEFA Cup

Aberdeen will be Scotland's third ranked team next season after reaching the last 32 of the UEFA Cup and taking over from Hearts.

UEFA Cup match results for season 2007-08 were as follows: