Robinson named Aberdeen head coach after St Mirren exit

Aberdeen have named Jimmy Thelin's permanent successor, 67 days after sacking the Swede; Stephen Robinson joins Aberdeen after four years at St Mirren, where he achieved three consecutive top-six finishes, plus won the League Cup in December; the Dons ninth in the Scottish Premiership

Scotland Bureau Editor @SahilJaidka

Thursday 12 March 2026 10:56, UK

Aberdeen have named Stephen Robinson as the club's new head coach.

The 51-year-old joins from Scottish Premiership rivals St Mirren, alongside assistant Brian Kerr, on a deal until the summer of 2029.

Robinson is Jimmy Thelin's permanent successor, after the Swede was sacked on January 4, with Peter Leven having been in temporary charge since.

The Dons won one of their nine league games under the interim boss, losing seven, and are eight points clear of the relegation play-off spot.

Leven's last game in the dugout was a 3-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat to Championship club Dunfermline.

Aberdeen's first game under their new head coach is at home to high-flying Falkirk in the top-flight on Saturday.

"When this opportunity arose, there was no way I could turn it down," he said.

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"I appreciate it has been a tough period for everyone, but players respond to positivity so we've got to stick together going forward.

"We will put a team out on the pitch to get the points we need to finish this season as strongly as we can.

"Aberdeen have clear ambition but it needs an identity, it needs direction and I aim to give the club that so we need everyone to get behind myself, the staff and the players."

While Robinson might seem like an obvious choice after leading St Mirren to three consecutive top-six finishes, plus the League Cup trophy in December, others were in the mix.

Sky Sports News reported last month that former Saint-Etienne boss Eirik Horneland was leading the race for the job. However, personal issues complicated matters, and it was revealed his move had stalled.

Following that, Sky Sports News revealed ex-New York Red Bulls boss Sandro Schwarz had been at Pittodrie for talks, and even watched their 2-1 defeat to Celtic.

However, it is believed he was not keen to join until the summer, and with Aberdeen facing the potential of a relegation fight following a poor run of results - they opted to bring in a new boss sooner, rather than later.

Sky Sports News confirmed last month Robinson was also on the club's shortlist, and it is believed the club heirachy believe he can add stability for the remainder of this season, as well as provide experience and knowledge of the Scottish game to help them build for the future.

Dons sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel added: "Results have clearly not been what we had hoped for or expected in recent weeks.

"The board and I recognised we needed a new head coach in position sooner rather than later and Stephen, who was part of this process from the outset, was the clear candidate to take on the role now.

"He is a highly experienced coach with a strong track record of delivering results in this league and we believe he will bring stability in the short term whilst also providing the vision to build success for this club in the future."

He began his managerial career with Northern Ireland's youth set-up, before assisting at senior level and at Motherwell.

Robinson then took charge at Oldham Athletic, before landing the permanent job at Fir Park, where he spent over three years and reached the final of the League Cup and Scottish Cup in the 2017/18 season.

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He resigned in December 2020 and was named Morecambe boss the following summer, following their promotion to SkyBet League One.

However, eight months later, he returned to Scotland and took charge at St Mirren, replacing Jim Goodwin who had departed for the Aberdeen job at the time.

While his near 34 per cent win rate in Paisley is less than the 42 per cent he achieved at Motherwell, Robinson achieved three consecutive top-six finishes, plus a return to European football.

He led the club to League Cup victory this season - beating Celtic in the final - while a Scottish Cup semi-final against the same opponents awaits next month.

However, in the league, they are one spot behind the Dons and just three points clear of the relegation play-off spot after winning just five Premiership games this season.

Robinson will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of another man who switched Paisley for Pittodrie, legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

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