Aberdeen appoint Barry Robson interim manager after Jim Goodwin sacking
Jim Goodwin was sacked as Aberdeen boss after 6-0 away defeat at Hibernian in Scottish Premiership; Robson will be assisted by Steve Agnew, with whom he worked with at Middlesbrough, and development phase coach Scott Anderson as the club search for a new permanent manager
Monday 30 January 2023 11:54, UK
Aberdeen have appointed Barry Robson as interim first-team manager following Jim Goodwin's sacking.
Development phase manager Robson will be assisted by Steve Agnew, with whom he worked with at Middlesbrough, and development phase coach Scott Anderson as the club search for a new permanent manager.
The interim coaching staff will take their first training session on Monday ahead of the visit of St Mirren to Pittodrie in the cinch Premiership on Wednesday.
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Aberdeen, who sit seventh in the table, say "an update on the search for a new manager will be communicated in due course".
The statement added: "The club has acted swiftly to put in place an interim coaching team to oversee first-team matters until a new manager is appointed.
"In the meantime, everyone at the club will get behind Barry and his coaching team who are fully focused on getting the team back on track to achieving our goal of European football next season."
Goodwin was under huge pressure following an embarrassing 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat at sixth-tier side Darvel on Monday.
Goodwin had been warned by the board before Saturday's 6-0 thrashing at Hibernian that they were "seeking an immediate response" after the loss at the West of Scotland League Premier Division champions.
The club announced the 41-year-old's departure just 19 minutes after full-time at Easter Road.
A club statement said: "Following an unacceptable run of results since the World Cup break, the club confirms it has parted company with Jim Goodwin and first-team assistant manager Lee Sharp with immediate effect."
Sky Sports News reported that the Aberdeen board would meet on Sunday to discuss the future and direction of the club, which is when they made the call over the new interim coaching staff.
The transfer window was also on the agenda with the Dons trying to bring defenders and a goalkeeper to Pittodrie in this window.
Aberdeen have made a loan offer for Ajax goalkeeper Jay Gorter to join the club until the end of the season.
A bid for Go Ahead Eagles centre-back Jay Idzes was rejected, but Aberdeen remain in pre-contract talks with his agent.
Aberdeen, who have won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions, have fallen to seventh in the Scottish Premiership.
Goodwin departs after less than a year in charge at Pittodrie having joined from fellow Scottish Premiership side St Mirren in February 2022 to replace Stephen Glass.
But Aberdeen are now looking for their fourth manager in two years after the departures of Goodwin, Glass and Derek McInnes since 2021.
Reynolds: Give Robson time to prove himself
Defender Mark Reynolds told Sky Sports News his former Aberdeen team-mate should be allowed time to prove if he should be given the job permanently:
"The one thing Barry Robson had was fight and desire. Barry Robson's a great football player, but he always went out on a matchday and gave 100 per cent.
"He was ready to fight and give his all for the team and he will have 11 players who are ready to do that.
"Barry Robson's been preparing for this for the last five years. He wants to step into management and he'll be ready.
"My hope is it's not just a short-term fix. My hope is Barry gets a couple of games and they give him almost a trial by combat and see how he goes.
"Give him a month, give him four of five games and see how he goes and if he does well, and I hope he does, potentially gets the job long term."
Emotional Dons owner: 'I'm embarrassed, humiliated!'
Aberdeen owner Dave Cormack spoke to Sky Sports News following Goodwin's sacking:
"For somebody who doesn't get lost for words, I'm lost for words.
"I saw fans there again today, 1,700 of them supporting the team and singing the whole game. I've been a fan my whole life and like them, I'm embarrassed, humiliated and shocked by the results.
"Jim is a good man and he's given it everything here. I met him after the game and he came up to me and gave me a hug and said: 'I know Dave, it is simply not good enough'. So, we part company for obvious reasons.
"Since coming back from the World Cup our form, other than one or two games, has been poor. Some of the players also need to take responsibility.
"For me personally, I'm a Dons fan and I'm 64 now. I've been going for nearly 60 years. I take responsibility.
"At the end of the day, I'm the chairman of the club and I've overseen, on the football side, the changes we've made. It's no consolation for fans to hear how well things are going off the field commercially, with fan engagement or our youth academies.
"They deserve better than that. I'm absolutely determined to get this right and we will double down with the board our vision and our strategy across the club, right through to moving stadium which is the right strategy.
"The most important thing and critical thing in any business - and football is a business too - is actually making sure you have the right people in place to execute on all aspects, and unfortunately, since we came back from the World Cup, it's just been really challenging.
"At Hibernian, like the fans, I felt quite humiliated and I'm sorry. That's the message I want to give the fans. That's the message I want to give today and I'm quite emotional about the club. It means everything to me. It's our home city and I've been going a long time.
"As chairman, I'm rightly getting the pelters. I deserve it but I'm determined to get it right."
'Goodwin's sacking was inevitable'
Sky Sports News reporter Luke Shanley at Easter Road:
"It was inevitable. You could already see the 'Goodwin Out' banners before the game.
"So, when they were 2-0 down after 14 minutes, the fans weren't chanting his name with any great deal of pleasure. They were wanting him to leave the club and it just went from bad to worse.
"This is a Hibs team that has been struggling to score. They haven't been great themselves, but they played really well against Aberdeen. If you think Aberdeen lost 5-0 to Hearts and then there was the Darvel result, who are in the sixth tier of Scottish football.
"The statement then came out in midweek form Aberdeen saying that an instant response was required. Well, if that was an immediate response then it is not only Jim Goodwin who needs to have a long hard look at himself, but also the players as well.
"Hibs were excellent, but it says a lot about Aberdeen that they were just so poor. It was obvious.
"In the tunnel, he didn't speak to the media in any official capacity, but he came and said thanks for all your help before walking away. We knew then his time was up. The Jim Goodwin era was over."
Where could Aberdeen go next?
Sky Sports News reporter Luke Shanley:
"They have a game against St Mirren on Wednesday, so the games come thick and fast.
"There's a transfer window that also closes at midnight on Tuesday in Scotland, and they have other big games to come like Motherwell and Celtic.
"So, they really need to get a move on, but given that statement was made during the week, you would like to think that the Aberdeen board were starting to think about potential replacements, although they were willing to give Goodwin the chance to turn things around against Hibernian.
"They will have to get someone in quickly to save their season. The league is so tight in the middle area that you could easily make the top six, but you can also easily be in the bottom six. You could get fourth place and get a Europa Conference League spot but it is now very intriguing as to what happens.
"So many teams are of a similar standard but you'd think the likes of Aberdeen and Hibernian, who have not had great seasons given the money they've spent, want to kick on. Hibs with the result today will hope to do that, while Aberdeen need to get someone in quickly and someone who can get this squad performing better.
"They go back to Pittodrie on Wednesday evening and the home fans will demand a response."
