Aberdeen remove Robinson after league slump

Stephen Robinson's Aberdeen reign is over inside eight months, with the head coach sacked after winning just three from 12 Premiership matches this season. The Dons sit second bottom and Saturday's 4-0 home defeat by Hibernian was their fourth straight loss in all competitions. Brian Kerr and Stephen Craigan have also left the club, with Stuart Duff placed in interim charge. Club hero Willie Miller described Saturday's result as "utterly embarrassing", going on to tell BBC Sportsound listeners that Robinson resembled "a man lost". The 51-year-old former Northern Ireland international previously managed Oldham Athletic, Motherwell, Morecambe and St Mirren. On the back of three successive top-six finishes and a League Cup triumph, Robinson left the Paisley side for Aberdeen in March, agreeing a contract until the summer of 2029. The sixth permanent manager since Dave Cormack took control at Pittodrie in November 2019, he steered the Dons away from relegation trouble last term before overhauling the squad with 15 signings. Across 28 games in all competitions, Robinson departs with a record of 11 wins, five draws and 12 defeats. 'Players not up to this level' The next manager will inherit a squad low on confidence, the joint lowest scorers in the league. Robinson chopped and changed between four and five at the back but that yielded just two top-flight clean sheets. Of the plethora of summer recruits, only goalkeeper Marius Muller and full-back Nesta Guinness-Walker have played in every league game. Top scorer Kevin Nisbet is the other player to have done the same and scunnered fans cheered when the captain was replaced at the weekend. "The players aren't up to scratch, not up to playing at this level and dealing with high-ish expectations," was the damning assessment from Miller. "I'm not talking about trophies, I'm talking about being in the top six and they're nowhere near that." After the international break, Aberdeen travel to face Kilmarnock on 21 November then visit Rangers three days later before their next home game against Dundee on 28 November. [SNS] Former Dons lament recruitment Former Aberdeen captain, manager & director Willie Miller You are looking at 15 payers out and 15 players in, so it is a huge turnaround of players, was that all Stephen Robinson? I would imagine probably yes but I don't know because I am not privy to that information. But at the same time, when you make that amount of changes, when you have assessed the squad and to be fair on Stephen as well he came in at a very uncertain time and relegation perhaps staring the club in the face so he managed initially to get the performances with the players he inherited. But then you make all the changes with the support from the board, you bring all these new players in and I think there was never a stable formation either. Former Aberdeen defender Alex McLeish The board have really worked hard over the years to try and get Aberdeen back to a kind of level, won a cup a couple of years ago. I don't blame the board for anything at all. Recruitment is absolutely key and if you've bought a bunch of players and then they're not performing then that is a real worry. There's a few players in there that are already at a good level but can the others jump on that wagon and get Aberdeen rolling again because it's a very difficult time for them. I'm not going to criticise the players because I'm not really sure what level they're at. You have to be a fairly good level to be in the Aberdeen team and to get back to that kind of level is going to be tough. Analysis: 'Robinson swimming against tide from start' The phrase rinse and repeat may apply to hair washing, but these days it also applies to Aberdeen's recruitment of managers. While no-one can fault the commitment chairman Dave Cormack has shown to the club during his tenure, the managerial success rate under his stewardship is low - and that is probably putting a positive spin on things. For the Dons, this procedure feels like a movie that has had a number of disappointing sequels. Barring last year's Scottish Cup win, there has been a general downward trajectory in fortunes for Aberdeen. Undoubtedly, the constant chopping and changing has been a huge factor. As for Robinson - it felt like he has been swimming against the North Sea tide since his appointment. He came in after a protracted search to find Jimmy Thelin's successor and his appointment was not greeted with much approval from the Red Army, who viewed it as one driven more by panic than anything else. The frustration and disgruntlement among the Aberdeen support has only grown, one which has certainly felt like it has long gone past any tipping point. Robinson has cut a beleaguered figure in the dugout, and post-match interviews during the dying embers of his tenure were difficult. Now it is over to recently appointed chief executive Adrian Bevington. Much has been made of the network of contacts both Bevington and sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel possess. Those will be needed as they aim to make an appointment whose first priority will be to stop an alarming slide that is threatening to plunge them in to the darkest of relegation mires. More to follow. Rampant Hibs off bottom as Robinson's Aberdeen gloom deepens Visit our Aberdeen page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views