Miller surprised by quality of applicants for Aberdeen job

Published on Tuesday 2 June 2009 22:49

ABERDEEN have received applications from former Scotland players, former international managers and coaches from England's top flight as they seek a replacement to Jimmy Calderwood.

Director of football Willie Miller has been "pleasantly surprised" by the standard of applicants. Miller has been whittling down the list of potential managers and is keen to launch the club's move this week. Motherwell manager Mark McGhee remains the favourite but the uncertainty surrounding the vacancy at Celtic could be a stumbling block for Aberdeen.

Former Ipswich manager Jim Magilton, Falkirk manager John Hughes and Wigan assistant Eric Black, whose future is uncertain as Latics manager Steve Bruce negotiates with Sunderland, have also been linked with the job.

Miller said: "We've had applications from former international managers, former Scotland players, ex-international players from throughout Europe, people currently working in the Premiership, and applicants with Uefa Cup winners' medals, and many have arrived from outside the United Kingdom, including Holland, Poland and even the Faroe Islands.

"On top of that, there has been a considerable number of former Aberdeen players interested and it's obvious just what a high regard they hold the club in and what fond memories they have of their time here.

"The high quality of applicant only underlines the fact this is one of the top jobs in Scottish football and again I would emphasise that, while we want to make an appointment as soon as possible, it is absolutely vital that we undertake all the due diligence required to ensure the appointment is the correct one for Aberdeen Football Club."

Calderwood left the club hours after leading them into the Europa League with a 2-1 victory over Hibernian in the final game of his five-year reign.

The former Dunfermline manager finished in the top six of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League each season, and only once fell outside the top four. So Miller knows he is under pressure to make sure the club appoint a replacement who can take them to the next level. Miller said: "It's been quite a lengthy task simply going through the dozens of applications that have appeared on my desk over the past week or so.

"And, to be fair to anyone who has taken the trouble to apply, the club has been undertaking extensive background checks, which has also understandably added to the timescale."

Aberdeen players will return to training on June 29 with a pre-season tour of Austria pencilled in. Their season begins in the Europa League qualifiers on 30 July.