Aberdeen appoint Barry Robson as manager until end of the season

Barry Robson will continue as interim manager of Aberdeen until the end of the season, the Pittodrie club has announced.

Robson was asked to step up from a youth coaching role after Jim Goodwin was sacked due to a run of poor results.

The former Scotland international has guided the Dons to four wins from six games since, putting the team firmly in European contention.

Aberdeen have been conducting a wide search for a new manager, with new chief executive Alan Burrows leading the interview process after moving to Pittodrie.

The club’s hierarchy has now decided to give Robson more time to impress in the role and to continue with the challenge of finishing as high up the Premiership table as possible.

Robson said he was pleased to be given the opportunity to complete the job he had started and was aiming for a strong finish to the Premiership season.

“Both Steve and I are delighted and honoured to be asked by the board to continue in our current roles and to demonstrate our ability to lead the team in the longer term,” he said.

“We have had a tremendous reaction from the players, and they deserve a huge amount of credit for the way they have bought into the things we have asked them to do.

“I fully understand what our objectives are between now and the end of May, and I will work as hard as I possibly can, together with the excellent staff group at the club, to deliver on those expectations.”

Chairman Dave Cormack said Robson had only been given the chance after the board had seriously weighed up all their options.

He explained: “The club embarked on a clear and patient process where director of football, Steven Gunn, led the vetting of all inbound applications as well as managing an outbound search, teaming up with an external agency, to unearth candidates that matched our criteria.

“Once the potential manager pool was down to six candidates, Steven and chief executive Alan Burrows, together with non-executive directors Willie Garner and Stewart Milne, conducted interviews.

“Three candidates, including Barry, met with this group in person for further, in-depth discussions over the last week.

“The board subsequently met to debate the outcomes of these interviews and discussions. It was unanimously agreed that Barry should continue in his role initially through to the end of the season. We believe that continuing the momentum, high standards and energy that Barry has instilled in the squad, with only nine league games to go, is critical to the club achieving its goal of European football next season.

“Steve Agnew will continue as Barry’s assistant manager during this crucial stage. We look forward to Barry and his team building on the progress they have made through the rest of the season.”

Hours after his appointment, Robson was named as the Glen’s Premiership Manager of the Month for March.