Stephen Robinson was always wrong man for Aberdeen - what needs to change culturally and who next
Why Dons keep getting appointments wrong and who they should turn to now after Robinson sacking
Aberdeen have mercifully brought the axe down on Stephen Robinson’s ill-fated tenure as Pittodrie head coach.
The Northern Irishman arrived in the North East to what could at best be described as a mixed response from the Red Army. It was an appointment that smacked of desperation by Dave Cormack and the board, a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ scenario more than anything.
The decision wasn’t without merit. Aberdeen were in serious danger of relegation last season had they not done something and a head coach with Robinson’s extensive knowledge of the Scottish Premiership was a safe bet to navigate them away from that particular danger.
That alone was never going to be enough to endear him to the supporters who had been so vehemently against his arrival to begin with and, unfortunately, the former St Mirren boss did very little to win those boo boys over in the subsequent eight months. Unpopular signings who failed to hit the ground running and questionable comments to the press didn’t help but results were ultimately the deciding factor.
The biggest criticism levelled at the 51-year-old was that the Aberdeen job was simply too big for him. That has always been a bit of a vague statement but his tenure certainly didn’t do anything to prove it wasn’t the case.
It has also been said that chairman Dave Cormack doesn’t know what he’s doing when it comes to appointing head coaches. That certainly seems far closer to the truth.
The thing about all of the club’s post-Derek McInnes appointments is that most don’t share anything in common. It started with a young up and comer in Stephen Glass, followed by a flavour of the month appointment in Jim Goodwin and then giving the caretaker a shot after a string of good results with Barry Robson.
Then came the exciting foreigner with the bold tactical approach in Jimmy Thelin (let’s just pretend Neil Warnock didn’t happen shall we) and finally the safe hands of Robinson which proved to be anything but. Had Cormack been in a position to stick it out and hold on for Eirik Horneland - the apparent first choice prior to Robinson’s appointment - then you would have at least seen a pattern in the type of manager he had decided was what they wanted in the Pittodrie dugout.
Changing gaffers every year isn’t the problem, it’s the neck-snapping cultural shock in going from a Glass to a Goodwin to a Thelin to a Robinson that is the bigger issue. It almost doesn’t matter if the next manager and even the one after that doesn’t work out, what needs to be decided is the type of coach they want in the dugout and stick to that plan whoever it is.
Two Scottish Premiership names in the frame
So who and what will the Dons go for this time around? Will sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel pull an obscure name from the continent? Could recently appointed chief executive Adrian Bevington turn to his extensive contacts in English football?
In truth, they don’t need to look that far afield. In terms of who is out there in the Scottish top flight now, the talk of John McGlynn is completely warranted.
No, he’s not the glamorous name that is going to shift those mid-season ticket sales but it makes a lot of sense. He not only knows Scottish football but he knows the demands associated with a club of Aberdeen’s stature given his long association with Hearts where he also had a stint as their head coach.
Being in charge of Falkirk at their absolute lowest ebb in League One will have been a unique challenge as an almighty big fish in such a small pond and there will have been lessons from that he could take to Pittodrie. He’s got a great recent track record, a sensible head on his shoulders and doesn’t come with anything like the baggage that Robinson did surrounding his perceived negative tactics at previous jobs.
McGlynn’s Falkirk side, currently third in the league table, play good football. That’s not the huge sticking point that most people would have you believe is a non-negotiable for Aberdeen supporters but it does help.
Ask yourself though, if you were John McGlynn, would you trade your current job at Falkirk for the Aberdeen one? At 64-years-old he might not get many chances to manage a club of their stature again but, if I was him, I probably wouldn’t.
There’s another name that’s not being spoken about nearly as much that seems to tick a lot of boxes. St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari.
He’s got that combination of a strong understanding of the Scottish football landscape plus the overseas appeal to appease both sides of the supporters who are at odds over which they’d rather prioritise. He has developed a clear tactical identity for positive, front foot football which has earned him praise and seems to have cultivated an excellent dressing room atmosphere at McDiarmid Park.
Any time you ask a Saints fan or one of his players about the Finn their face seems to light up. Robinson had a likability issue as Aberdeen boss, that’s not something Valakari would struggle with.
No, he hasn’t got any experience with a club of Aberdeen’s size but what he can do is work miracles with a tiny budget and players who most probably wouldn’t have even considered Premiership standard before he got his hands on them.
If they’re looking to establish a brand for Aberdeen managers of the future then he’s the perfect patient zero. A positive character who wants to play positive football.
They needed an appointment last season to save them from the mess they had gotten into and this time around they have longer to steady the ship and push on. They have the luxury of some time to get the right man in, but not forever, so perhaps it’s best to ask the question now about what exactly they want their club to be and who is the right type of coach to enact that vision.
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