Football: Milne committed to revitalising Aberdeen

ABERDEEN'S CHAIRMAN, Stewart Milne, has pledged to find the necessary money to help the Pittodrie club improve their poor position in Premier League.

The Dons suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat - their worst home reverse in 38 years - to Celtic on Sunday, after which their captain, Derek Whyte, questioned Milne's desire to halt an alarming slide. Whyte claimed Aberdeen need to start buying players in the pounds 2m bracket if they are to regain their past status. But, so far Milne has sanctioned only the pounds 250,000 transfer of Andreas Mayer from Rosenburg in January.

While Milne insisted the players must share the blame for a run of depressing results, he confirmed that finance will be found to fund the plans of the manager, Paul Hegarty. "Money is not the problem," said Milne. "It is finding the right players. We badly need reinforcements, particularly in defensive areas. But I won't accept other players using that as an excuse for how things are going. The players must share responsibility for the position we are in."

Aberdeen have conceded 48 goals this season - the worst record in the Premier League - much to the concern of Whyte. "I feel embarrassed because I have rarely lost 5-1 in my career, let alone at home," he said. "The sort of players we need might cost pounds 2m, and it all now hinges on how ambitious Aberdeen really want to be."

Aberdeen's poor run of results have seen them slip into the bottom half of the table, just six points off the bottom.