Aberdeen

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Stephen Robinson was in the frame for the Aberdeen head coach role "from the outset," insists sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.

The Dons had held talks with Eirik Horneland and Sandro Schwarz, but have now appointed Robinson from St Mirren to end a search lasting 10 weeks.

"Results have clearly not been what we had hoped for or expected in recent weeks," said Pfannenstiel.

"The board and I recognised we needed a new head coach in position sooner rather than later and Stephen, who was part of this process from the outset, was the clear candidate to take on the role now.

"He is a highly experienced coach with a strong track record of delivering results in this league and we believe he will bring stability in the short term while also providing the vision to build success for this club in the future."

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Stephen Robinson says there was "no way" he could turn down the Aberdeen job and vowed to bring "identity and direction" to the club.

The 51-year-old Northern Irishman has ended his four-year St Mirren reign to become the Dons' new boss on a deal until summer 2029.

Robinson, who takes assistant Brian Kerr with him to Pittodrie, told the Pittodrie club's website: "When this opportunity arose, there was no way I could turn it down.

"Aberdeen has a tremendous history and there's no mistaking it is a huge club.

"The facilities and resources that will be at my disposal are excellent and more importantly, the fanbase is tremendous so I'm excited to work for a club of this size and strive to take it forward.

"I appreciate it has been a tough period for everyone, but players respond to positivity so we've got to stick together going forward.

"We will put a team out on the pitch to get the points we need to finish this season as strongly as we can.

"Aberdeen have clear ambition but it needs an identity, it needs direction and I aim to give the club that so we need everyone to get behind myself, the staff and the players."

It's been 67 days since Jimmy Thelin was sacked by Aberdeen but finally they have a new manager.

Stephen Robinson has signed a contract until summer 2029 in the north east and leaves St Mirren after four years.

The 51-year-old's first game will be on Saturday when Falkirk visit Pittodrie as the Dons look to scramble further away from the relegation scrap.

Dons fans, what do you make of the appointment? Are you happy with Robinson? And what should his priorities be?

Have your say on Robinson's appointment via this link

Andrew Southwick
BBC Sport Scotland

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Stephen Robinson's expected appointment as Aberdeen manager is almost five years to the day since Derek McInnes departed Pittodrie.

Five years and five permanent managers later, there appears to be a puzzling lack of consistency in what the club are looking for, leaving fans questioning what the strategy is meant to be.

Stephen Glass was initially a big change from McInnes. He had nowhere near the same experience as a manager, but was described by chairman Dave Cormack as "the outstanding candidate" because of his desire to play an exciting, attacking style of football, as well as developing young players.

His coaching background in the USA, along with decorated former Celtic captain Scott Brown beginning his coaching career in the north-east, promised a different direction.

Glass lasted less than a year, and was replaced by experience and pragmatism in Jim Goodwin.

When that too didn't work out, Barry Robson's interim spell as boss soon led to him being appointed on a permanent basis. Again, Cormack stressed Robson's work on creating a pathway from the youth team to the first team as evidence he should be trusted long term.

Following Robson's departure, there was the ill-fated experiment with Neil Warnock, who failed to win a single league game.

On 11 March 2024, exactly two years before Aberdeen's approach for Robinson became public, the club announced they had instructed a consultancy group to conduct a "holistic review of our football operation" to finally get the model of management and recruitment into some sort of workable structure.

Jimmy Thelin made the move from Sweden that summer promising a three-year plan, and won the Scottish Cup in his first season, but the promised sporting director didn't join him until October last year when German Lutz Pfannenstiel arrived. Their partnership lasted three months before Thelin was shown the door.

For two months, Pfannenstiel has been leading the search for a new head coach. Interviews were conducted, with Norwegian Eirik Horneland emerging as the favourite.

Just last week, Sandro Schwarz sat in the Pittodrie stands as a guest of the club, with Cormack revealing the German was one of a few names they were considering.

And yet, here they are with Robinson, a man they perhaps could have approached two months ago, or even two years ago, and is probably as close to McInnes in terms of personality and style of play as anyone.

Aberdeen legend Willie Miller believes now is the right time for Stephen Robinson to take charge at the club.

The Dons have been searching for Jimmy Thelin's managerial successor since the Swede was sacked on 4 January.

Norwegian Eirik Horneland and German Sandro Schwarz - who was at Pittodrie last midweek to watch the defeat by Celtic - have been linked with the job but the Dons have now opened talks with St Mirren manager Robinson.

With Aberdeen not clear of relegation trouble - they sit eight points above Kilmarnock in the relegation play-off spot - Miller believes getting him in now makes sense in the short and long term.

"The appointment of a manager should be pretty simple and straightforward," the former defender told BBC Radio Scotland.

"You're not always going to get it right. On this occasion Robinson must have been a candidate right at the beginning.

"If there is a fan reaction, and it's negative, Stephen has got to come in - I think this is the right time to come in, not in the summer - have a look at the squad, decide who's going to stay and do his wishlist for the summer window.

"He's not going to be judged on the final games we've got to play in the league.

"He's going to be judged on the decisions he makes and the results he gets going forward.

"He's got a proven track record, he knows the Scottish game, he's enthusiastic. I think the fans will be hoping he can bring that energy and start getting results and repay the fans.

"The fanbase have been magnificent, almost 17,500 who turn up even when performances have been so poor. Hopefully Robinson can repay them and start getting results and start allowing fans to be more positive moving forward."

We asked for your views after Aberdeen were given permission to speak to St Mirren's Stephen Robinson about becoming the new Dons manager.

Here's what some of you said:

Mike: Can't argue that he hasn't done well at St Mirren (except recently), however it all feels a bit panicky. Surely if he's first choice it should have happened three months ago.

Andrew: We could've gone out and got Robinson a day after Jimmy Thelin was sacked. The whole process has been a mess. A bit of passion on the sidelines and he won't accept players not putting in effort, maybe that's what we need.

Stefan: Two months on from sacking Thelin and we've arrived at Robinson. Candidate number who knows. It feels as though Lutz Pfannenstiel's entire process and shortlist have been pushed aside, with Dave Cormack panicking about drifting toward a relegation fight. The club looks completely rudderless, both on and off the pitch. The players left Thelin out to dry, now the board are doing the same to the supporters.

Larry: A panic move by the board, understandable given current league trajectory. I think, however, that the current coaching set-up should have had enough to keep the Dons clear of the relegation places and we'd have been better to wait until the summer - if of course our original target(s) were still interested. Would Thelin have done any worse?

Anon: Disgusted, zero ambition from the club. All these false promises about what a new manager would bring. Are we actually looking to sign a manager with five league wins all season? His team can't score either. Long-ball tactics. He'll be gone by January.

Malky: Under Robinson, Aberdeen will get back to being a hard-working, honest team, and that's the bare minimum required. For too long this club has been a soft touch on the pitch and he will not allow that. Has he had a poor season? Comparable to Thelin, won a trophy but horrific league form. Maybe with our resources and facilities he can get Aberdeen motoring and then Darren Mowbray is back as well, so recruitment will be more astute I'd hope. He knows the league, will work his socks off and make sure the players follow.

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

The imminent appointment of Stephen Robinson as Aberdeen manager will surprise many.

Not so much the appointment itself given what Robinson has achieved at St Mirren with a tiny budget compared to the riches handed to predecessor Jimmy Thelin at Pittodrie.

The timing and the process that has ultimately led to it is what has left heads being scratched.

Robinson led Saints to three top six finishes in a row, European football for the first time since 1987 and of course, the League Cup in December, just a fortnight before Thelin was sacked.

If this had happened in January few would have been taken aback, but St Mirren are now on the same trajectory as the rudderless Dons with one win in 13 Premiership games. So, why not make the move two months ago if he is the right man?

Dons sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel has been leading the recruitment process and names like Uwe Rosler, Eirik Horneland and Sandro Schwarz were all linked with the job as the club's search dragged on amid the backdrop of dire results culminating in their Scottish Cup exit in Dunfermline.

How many of Pfannenstiel's targets have looked under the bonnet and thought better of it?

Chairman Dave Cormack has been a fan of Robinson for some time and has made the move to land his man but it feels panicky with interim Peter Leven looking like he had seen a ghost after full-time on Saturday.

Robinson has earned his move personally but the Pittodrie board appears to have many questions to answer about the journey they have undertaken to come up with this solution.

Aberdeen have been given permission to enter formal talks with St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson.

The Dons, currently led by caretaker boss Peter Leven, are still searching for a permanent manager after Jimmy Thelin was sacked at the start of January.

Aberdeen have been linked with former St Etienne boss Eirik Horneland and ex-New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz in recent weeks but have now turned to Robinson.

The Northern Irishman, 51, has been at St Mirren since 2022 and has guided the club to three successive top-six finishes as well as this season's League Cup success.

Dons fans, what do you make of Robinson's potential appointment? Is he the kind of manager you'd like to see at Aberdeen?

Have your say via this link

New York Red Bulls expert Mark Fishkin has hailed Aberdeen managerial candidate Sandro Schwarz as a strong tactician who always strengthens a team with his substitutions. (Press & Journal), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Glen Schreuder
Fan writer

Graeme Shinnie and Peter Leven both had harsh words to say after we were brushed aside by Dunfermline in an embarrassing end to our Scottish Cup defence.

Talk is cheap. It is time for action from this group who have consistently let down the fans, no more so than last weekend.

Sixty six days have now passed since Jimmy Thelin left and there is still no sign of a replacement.

Leven said "we are in trouble". With no goals away from home in 2026 and five games without a win it's hard to argue.

Apathy has set in among the fanbase, players look uninterested in a fight. The parallels between ourselves and the Hibernian team who went down in 2014 under Terry Butcher are galling.

We now have a huge four games pre-split. It's time for this team to step up or we could be in serious trouble.

Glen Schreuder can be found at Red Tinted Glasses, external

Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou insists he has no plans to leave Fir Park any time soon and is planning for the future with the Scottish Premiership high-flyers. (Sun), external

Former Scotland forward Kenny Miller believes Aberdeen could find their own version of Askou in Eirik Horneland, who has been linked with the Dons. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

A "disgrace."

"Horrendous."

"Unacceptable."

"We are in serious trouble."

Just some of the damning statements that came directly from the beleaguered Aberdeen dressing room in the wake of their mortifying Scottish Cup hounding in Dunfermline that underlined the need for a revolution at Pittodrie.

The supporters, 3,800 of them who made the trip to follow their team, made statements of their own which can't be published here, but they were well within their rights to make them.

Aberdeen have never before been backed by the numbers they have been in recent years with such regularity. Even the all-conquering side of the 1980s struggled to get regular home attendances near the 17,500 average the current Dons' side do.

And despite insipid performances of alarming regularity, they turn out in their numbers to back a team that isn't just failing, it is threatening to implode completely.

As was noted here a few weeks ago, 11th place is a real, clear and present danger. This Aberdeen team is heading in one direction and if Kilmarnock, eight points behind them and St Mirren, five points adrift, pick up one or two wins, the heat will be on and there has to be doubts as to whether they'd be able to handle that sort of duress.

With their Scottish Cup defence over, hopes of the top six extinguished and assuming Livingston have left themselves too much to do when it comes to escaping automatic relegation, how do the ninth-placed Dons' pre-split fixtures look compared to the two sides directly below them, including Saints.

While Aberdeen host top half-bound Falkirk next, a side that has beaten them twice already this season, St Mirren will take on Rangers at home and Kilmarnock welcome league leaders Hearts to Ayrshire.

The Dons go to Rangers the following Saturday with Killie hosting an increasingly doomed looking Livi when Stephen Robinson's men go to Falkirk.

Aberdeen will then go to Saints after the international break in what looks like a key fixture with Neil McCann's team going to Hibs at the same time.

Then on match-day 33 before the league splits in two, the Dons welcome Hibs to Pittodrie, Saints go to Celtic and Killie host Dundee.

What follows could be a bloodbath and the Aberdeen fans are right to be concerned about whether the current, expensively-assembled squad is capable of fighting to retain their unbroken top flight history.

A play-off final, which will include a visit to the likes of East End Park, where they were absolutely obliterated by Dunfermline, looks extremely trepidatious right now as the Dons continue to fumble their way through the second half of the season without a manager or a single away goal.

A selection of views from Aberdeen supporters following their 3-0 Scottish Cup defeat by Dunfermline Athletic...

William: The players and management team have to take responsibility for the performance in this cup tie but it's now time for Dave Cormack to look at his position as chairman and the way he is running the club. The on-field performance of the club over the last five years has been mediocre at best and is leading the club slowly and painfully to Championship football.

Ian: Disgraceful.

Paul: Every player barring the youngsters that have been given an opportunity needs their P45. No desire, no fight and apparently no interest. Never been this annoyed. Cormack can head out the door too. Farce of a club.

Andy: Good grief. How bad can this get? Sincere congratulations to Dunfermline.

George: Can't defend and can't score. Kinda basics needed to be a footballer!!! That said, I am not sure who decided this squad were footballers.

Marti: Utter embarrassment, not fit to wear the shirt, every single one of them needs booted out the club, Cormack too, again Scottish football's biggest joke, go now all of you.

Dunfermline Athletic eased past beleaguered Aberdeen to advance to their first Scottish Cup semi-final since 2009 with a dominant victory at East End Park.

MATCH REPORT

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Aberdeen intermim manager Peter Leven: "Frustrated, angry, disappointed. They scored and then we just capitulated.

"Embarrassing. They wanted it more, first and second balls, our quality in possession was really, really poor.

"And I apologise to the fans because it's nowhere near acceptable. I had a chat with them there, I can't defend them anymore. They've got to take responsibility and we're in trouble."

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Aberdeen "could be getting dragged into relegation", says interim manager Peter Leven following their Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Dunfermline Athletic. (Sun), external

Leven admits "atrocious" Aberdeen "absolutely crumbled after the first goal" at East End Park. (Record), external

Sunday's Scottish gossip

Dunfermline Athletic stun holders Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals (UK only).