Tango And Cash

Last updated : 12 June 2008 By Stand Free Ed

ABERDEEN bosses have assured Dons' supporters that the club will help manager Jimmy Calderwood bolster the squad during summer.

After agreeing a record two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Team Recruitment, Dons managing director Duncan Fraser said the team would be strengthened.

He said: "We're investing £1m more in the football budget than when Jimmy arrived in 2004.

"We always look at ways and means of strengthening the squad.

"We can see for the foreseeable future that sort of money being ploughed back into the product."

Fraser is also confident of matching last year's season-ticket sales figure - and explained why the likes of Hearts and Hibs appear to have far higher attendances than the Dons.

Due to Pittodrie's high-tech card system for season tickets the club is able to count exactly how many fans attend the matches - unlike other clubs.

Fraser said: "At the moment the season-ticket sales figure is almost identical to this time last year.

"A lot of clubs have bandied around season-ticket sales figures recently but we will not.

"I'm satisfied with the progress we're making and, in general, last season's attendances were on a par with the previous year.

"The other issue we have, and it is something we will be discussing with the SPL, is the vast majority of clubs, if not all of them, include season-ticket holders in the attendance figure for each match, whether they are there or not.

"We only count people going through the turnstiles, so we will look at that for next season."