Aberdeen dismiss Stephen Robinson after eight months as winless run deepens relegation fears
Aberdeen have sacked head coach Stephen Robinson after a fourth consecutive defeat left the club second bottom of the Scottish Premiership, with Stuart Duff taking interim charge.
Aberdeen have parted company with head coach Stephen Robinson less than eight months after his appointment, following a run of three wins in 12 Premiership matches this season. The Dons sit second bottom of the table, and Saturday's 4-0 home loss to Hibernian was their fourth straight defeat in all competitions. Brian Kerr and Stephen Craigan have also departed, while Stuart Duff has been placed in interim charge.
Robinson, a former Northern Ireland international who previously managed Oldham Athletic, Motherwell, Morecambe and St Mirren, arrived at Pittodrie in March on a contract running to the summer of 2029 after three successive top-six finishes and a League Cup triumph at Paisley. He guided Aberdeen away from relegation trouble last season and then overhauled the squad with 15 signings, but departs with a record of 11 wins, five draws and 12 defeats from 28 games. He is the sixth permanent manager since Dave Cormack took control of the club in November 2019.
Club great Willie Miller called Saturday's result "utterly embarrassing" and said Robinson looked like "a man lost". Miller also questioned the squad, telling BBC Sportsound listeners the players were not performing at the required level or handling expectations. Former Aberdeen defender Alex McLeish said he did not blame the board, instead stressing that recruitment is critical and that underperforming signings are a serious concern.
The incoming manager inherits a side joint-lowest scorers in the league and short on confidence. Robinson alternated between back fours and fives but managed only two top-flight clean sheets, and of the summer arrivals only goalkeeper Marius Muller and full-back Nesta Guinness-Walker have featured in every league game. Top scorer Kevin Nisbet has also played throughout, though supporters cheered his substitution at the weekend.
Miller noted the scale of the squad turnover and said the lack of a settled formation was a factor, while acknowledging Robinson had taken over at an uncertain time when relegation loomed. Analysis of the club's recent history points to constant managerial change as a significant influence on Aberdeen's decline. Attention now turns to recently appointed chief executive Adrian Bevington and sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel, whose contacts are expected to be important in making the next appointment.
Aberdeen return after the international break with a trip to Kilmarnock on 21 November, followed by a visit to Rangers three days later and a home meeting with Dundee on 28 November. The new manager's first priority will be halting a slide that is threatening to pull the club deeper into relegation danger.
