Neil Warnock: Aberdeen hire experienced Premier League boss as manager
By Daniel Macleod
Aberdeen have appointed former Premier League boss Neil Warnock as manager, replacing former Dons midfielder Barry Robson in the Pittodrie dugout.
The former Leeds United head coach has been given a deal until the end of the season, with Aberdeen intending to confirm a long-term management team after the 2023-24 campaign.
75-year-old Warnock last managed Huddersfield Town in the EFL Championship, guiding the Terriers to safety last season before being relieved of his duties in September.
It is Warnock’s 17th managerial role since his coaching career began in 1980, having managed the likes of Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers, Crystal Palace, and Cardiff City in the Premier League.
Aberdeen sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership, with caretaker boss Peter Leven guiding the Dons to a 1-1 home draw with champions Celtic at the weekend.
Warnock was previously rejected to replace Ebbe Skovdahl in the Pittodrie dugout in 2002 and has never managed in Scotland in his long career in management.
The Englishman said: “I’ve made no secret of the fact I’ve always wanted to manage in Scotland so when I spoke to Dave [Cormack] and Alan [Burrows] and they asked me to help out it just felt like the right opportunity.
“Aberdeen is a big club with clear ambition and I’m hoping that during my time here the supporters will get behind the team and I can put a smile on their faces.”
The former Leeds United boss revealed an allegiance to another SPFL club however, with Warnock and his family having personalised bricks in Greenock Morton’s Cappielow Park, where he has been seen watching games in the past.
Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack said: “From the moment we first spoke with Neil his enthusiasm for managing Aberdeen was infectious.
“He has had an incredible career in management, not only in terms of volume of games and winning promotions, but also of coming into clubs at short notice and making an immediate impact.”
Cormack has sacked four managers in the last four years as Aberdeen chairman, with Derek McInnes, Stephen Glass, Jim Goodwin, and Barry Robson facing the axe.
