‘Doesn’t Scream’ – Ex-Attacker Makes SD Pick Claim On Aberdeen Appointment
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Former Scottish Premiership attacker Tam McManus has claimed that the appointment of Stephen Robinson as Aberdeen manager is unlikely to have been the preferred choice of sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.
At the beginning of the year, Aberdeen parted ways with Jimmy Thelin after a five-match winless run, placing first-team coach Peter Leven in interim charge, with Pfannenstiel stressing that identifying a manager who met the club’s desired attributes and skills would not be rushed.
Leven managed only one league victory for the Dons during that period, with the side slipping to ninth in the table on 29 points from 29 matches.
Aberdeen were thrashed 3-0 by Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park on Saturday in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, before the club moved to confirm the appointment of Stephen Robinson as manager shortly afterwards.
McManus cast doubt over the club’s recruitment direction and how it will mesh with the arrival of Robinson, suggesting the former St Mirren boss’ track record of unearthing talent in England’s lower leagues may not necessarily align with Pfannenstiel’s background working in Germany and the United States.
He noted that the contrasting recruitment profiles could leave questions over how smoothly the partnership will function and hinted that the 51-year-old’s appointment may have been accelerated following the club’s Scottish Cup exit.
The 45-year-old added that Aberdeen CEO Alan Burrows may have moved swiftly to recruit the Northern Irish tactician as the club’s form has become increasingly worrying, with no win in six league matches.
McManus said on PLZ Soccer (8:09): “I think it [recruitment] is open to question.
“I think that Stephen Robinson will still be looking in the lower leagues in England, and that’s where he’s had his success.
“I don’t think Lutz Pfannenstiel got a real grasp in that area.
“I think he’s probably more Germany; he’s obviously worked in the MLS, players in America.
“I don’t think they’re going to align with each other, so it’s interesting to see how that one develops.
“Because I think that Alan Burrows, after that Dunfermline game, has just gone, ‘We need to go and get Stephen Robinson now, because we are sinking fast.'”
McManus indicated that Robinson’s appointment may not have been Pfannenstiel’s first choice, noting that the 52-year-old had been exploring options abroad, with several managers linked to the role.
“It just doesn’t scream that a sporting director of Lutz Pfannenstiel has gone to go and get Stephen Robinson.
“I think he’d been looking abroad, and there’s been several managers linked, several managers in the stand, and I don’t think that Stephen Robinson was his first pick.”
The Dons face Falkirk next and, with just four matches remaining before the split, will be eager to secure a positive result to widen the gap over St Mirren, who sit just five points behind them.
Aberdeen will then face a stern test against title challengers Rangers before meeting the Buddies, Robinson’s former side, following the international break.
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