Aberdeen seeking fourth boss of year after sacking Stephen Robinson
Robinson departs after eight months in the role of head coach.
Aberdeen are looking for a fourth manager of the year after sacking Stephen Robinson.
The former Northern Ireland international has lost his job following eight months in the post and after a 4-0 home defeat by Hibernian on Saturday left him facing severe criticism from fans.
Robinson finished on a 39 per cent win rate and with the Dons in 11th place in the William Hill Premiership with 11 points from 12 matches.
The club confirmed that they had “taken the decision to part company” with Robinson following a board meeting and that fellow coaches Brian Kerr and Stephen Craigan would also be departing.
A statement added: “Preparatory work to support the appointment of a new manager has been undertaken, and the recruitment process is ongoing.”
Stuart Duff will take charge of training while Aberdeen search for the eighth manager to occupy the dugout since Derek McInnes left in March 2021.
Aberdeen have since sacked Stephen Glass, Barry Robson, Jim Goodwin and Scottish Cup winner Jimmy Thelin, while Peter Leven has had two lengthy caretaker spells and Neil Warnock had a brief stint that was cut short.
The Dons recruited Robinson from St Mirren in March, more than two months after sacking Thelin, after a Scottish Cup defeat by Dunfermline under Leven and precarious league position forced the board to reconsider apparent plans to wait until the end of the season.
Three wins proved enough to steer the Dons away from play-off danger as they finished in ninth place, but they have only won three league games this season and sit two points off the bottom.
Robinson arrived with an impressive track record in the Premiership, having led Motherwell to third place and two cup finals while developing several players for big-money moves. The 51-year-old then guided St Mirren to three consecutive top-six finishes and the Premier Sports Cup.
Chairman Dave Cormack stated that Robinson was the right man to “re-establish a clear identity for our club, to become harder to play against and restore competitiveness”.
However, a number of fans were against the appointment in the first place and Robinson struggled to win them over.
A run to the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals and a 4-0 win at Motherwell eased the pressure, but four consecutive defeats has sealed his fate.
Robinson described Saturday’s defeat as an “unacceptable performance and an unacceptable result” but stated he would “keep fighting until told otherwise”.
Sporting director Lutz Pfannestiel was heavily involved in the recruitment process earlier this year and Norwegian Eirik Horneland and German Sandro Schwarz held talks.
This latest search will involve former Club England managing director Adrian Bevington, who replaced Alan Burrows as chief executive in September.