Since their formation in 1903 Aberdeen FC had a first team and a reserve team, a rigid set up that had been in place and similar to all the bigger Scottish League clubs. The reserves were simply there to be called upon when required to make the step up to the first team. There was no real 'breaking in' period for younger players, the first team was paramount and usually it was a like-for-like change with the corresponding reserve player in a certain position being elevated to first team action after injury, suspension or drastic loss of form.

Dave Halliday was arguably the first Aberdeen manager who broadened the methods of looking at new players. Halliday was a player of some considerable quality and spent most of his days playing in England. Latterly as player/manager of Yeovil Town he had built up an impressive network of contacts, all keen to pass on a name of a player they had seen that was perhaps that bit special. Halliday would then make the effort to follow up such leads and see the player in action.

Like so many other manager at that time he relied heavily on his contacts and that was the first indication of Aberdeen taking on a nationwide approach to unearthing new talent. Bobby Calder was one of the most respected referees in the game and perhaps along with Aberdeen's Peter Craigmyle, Tiny Tom Wharton and Jack Mowat, they were the best known and respected whistlers in the game. Calder was also the referee when Aberdeen won their first Scottish Cup when they beat Hibernian 2-1 at Hampden in 1947.

While the club took on former player Jock McHale as perhaps their first scout, it was still crucial that former players would recommend players for the club. In 1936 Eddie Swan came across a young South African winger called Billy Strauss and he went on to become an Aberdeen great in the 1930's Black & Gold era.

The club also came across another South African Stan Williams while on tour and he went on to fame in the 1947 Scottish Cup Final when he scored the winning goal against Hibernian. After he retired from refereeing he took up the post of manager at Dunfermline Athletic and following a disagreement with the East End Park board East End Park board he became chief scout at Aberdeen FC in 1949. That began an association with the club that was to last for more than 30 years and also bring a succession of young talented players from the west of Scotland to Pittodrie. Calder epitomised the stereotypical scout of his era; quiet and reserved he would almost stalk the playing fields at weekends and go about his business almost unnoticed. He had a keen eye for raw talent and he could see attributes and potential that others perhaps could not. That, along with a charming manner allowed Calder to tempt some of the finest young players to make the move to Aberdeen.

When told in 1979 that he had been 30 years with the club Calder reflected on his time and career. "To be frank, I have loved every minute of my time with the Dons. I think I have signed some of the finest players in Scottish football although the competition has been very difficult at times. Mind you I have missed a few and I have also been wrong about some as well.
"In January 1949 I joined Aberdeen and that was that. My first signing was Archie Glen who went on to play for Scotland which made me very proud. George Hamilton had seen him play so I went down to watch him in Ayrshire and I signed him that day. Not long after that I brought in Joe O'Neil and Ian McNeill together from Bridgeton. Not long after that I went to see a centre half who was regarded as too old and too small. I saw a real player in Alex Young and he went on to become an Aberdeen great in the side that won the title in 1955."

The conveyor belt of players that came through Calder increased through the years and as his network of contacts grew, so did the Dons' reputation. Aberdeen as a club were becoming well known for bringing through young players and giving them a chance at an early age. Charlie Cooke was a real talent that Calder persuaded to come north and that continued in the 60s and 70s with the likes of Jimmy Smith, Tommy Craig, John McMaster, Alex McLeish and Willie Miller all being taken to Pittodrie to begin memorable careers in football. Calder never waned in his efforts to bring the best to Aberdeen although latterly in his Aberdeen days he found it more difficult - "I don?t think there is as much talented kids around these days. In years gone by, our youngsters went out with a ball and they practised keeping it up for hours on end and worked on their dribbling and ball control. The young lads these days get so much tactics thrown at them that they don't get the chance to express themselves."

The fact that Calder could persuade players to move away from their home at such a young age spoke volumes for his powers of persuasion. Most of the players he brought north were also supporters of the clubs he was asking them to turn their back on. Perhaps the most famous occasion was the signing of Arthur Graham from Cambuslang in 1969. Graham of course went on to play a huge role in the Aberdeen success in the 1970 Scottish Cup, only weeks after turning professional with the Dons. Calder approached Celtic daft Graham, full in the knowledge that Celtic boss Jock Stein was arranging a meeting with the young winger the following day. Calder tempted Arthur with a professional contract and a £500 signing on fee. Six weeks later 17-year-old Graham was in the Aberdeen side that defeated Celtic 3-1 in the Scottish Cup Final.

After Bobby Calder retired the torch was taken up by Jimmy Creswell but by that time the scouting structure had been totally revamped. Alex Ferguson placed a huge emphasis on getting the structure right not just in the west but also on his own door step - "It was a crime that the likes of Denis Law was never allowed to pull on an Aberdeen shirt. We must never allow that to happen again. If there is another player like that around we want him first."

Ferguson broadened his scouting network to cover all areas of the country as Aberdeen continued to pluck some of the best young players around from right under the noses of the Old Firm. Aberdeen will continue to meet that challenge on their own and the decisive factor is that Aberdeen have gained a reputation that is second to none when it comes to developing young players and making sure they adopt good habits both on and off the field. With the promise of first team football at an earlier stage than many others will offer, Aberdeen will certainly remain in the forefront of developing the football players of the future.