Former Aberdeen striker Duncan Shearer believes the Dons are right to give Jim Goodwin a final chance to get it right at Pittodrie.
Dons chairman Dave Cormack met with the rest of the Dons board on Wednesday afternoon to determine Goodwin’s fate following their disastrous Scottish Cup exit at the hands of non-league Darvel on Monday.
A statement from the Dons confirmed that Goodwin, who was appointed as Stephen Glass’ successor in February 2022, will be in the dugout for Saturday’s meeting with Hibernian but added that “the board and the fans are seeking an immediate response from him and the players.”
Shearer, a former player and assistant manager at the club, felt Goodwin deserved more time to transform the club’s fortunes.
The Press and Journal columnist said: “As an ex-coach and ex-manager I’m happy that he has got more time.
“The 5-0 defeat against Hearts was awful and the way he lined up against Celtic at home recently was all wrong.
“But I don’t think for one minute that anybody who knows anything about football could blame Jim Goodwin for the Darvel game.
“The reason I’m saying that is that they could have played 5-a-sides every day leading up to the game, not even talked about Darvel and still won that game.
“They should have been able to go down there without any tactics and won the tie.
“That is not being disrespectful to Darvel, that is just the gulf between the teams.
“Pundits put too much onus on tactics, but when you play a team like that you don’t need tactics, it is all about heart, desire and commitment.
“That coupled with your ability should see you through quite comfortably.”
Shearer was surprised by the time taken by the club to come to a decision.
He said: “It had all gone on a bit too long and that made me think he would get a little bit more time.
“Normally when someone gets sacked, they are called in for a two or three-minute talk, thanked for their service and away they go.
“I can understand it was a difficult decision for the board. It was a real 50-50 one that could have gone either way.
“We look back at Stephen Glass last year when he was on a similar points total and suffered a cup exit at the similar time of year.
“Cormack and the board have been under pressure on social media, but they have decided to give Jim a bit longer to see what will happen.
“In a way I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was sacked or if he stayed.
“It was a really strange one.”
Shearer says it is imperative the players who performed so poorly at Darvel on Monday night must make amends with a strong display against Hibernian at Easter Road on Saturday.
The striker went through a similar experience when he was part of the Dons team beaten by third-tier Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup in 1995.
He said: “When we lost against Stenhousemuir, I remember Stewart McKimmie getting us together and saying we owe the manager something.
“If they don’t react on Saturday then there is clearly something wrong.
“I would be majorly surprised if the Aberdeen captain Anthony Stewart hasn’t got the players together at a time when Jim and the coaching staff aren’t in the room.
“He should be saying that the Darvel game was a disaster and they owe the manager and the fans a big improvement.
“He should be reminding the players that it was the manager who brought them to the club and backed them to perform.
“They have to pay it back – not just for one week, but the next week and the next week and the week after that.”
If Goodwin had been sacked it would have followed the departure of Derek McInnes in 2021 and Stephen Glass in 2022.
But Shearer feels it is important managers are given time to implement their methods and make the necessary changes.
He added: “I always think you should try to give a manager at least two years.
“They need a chance to show what they can do.
“Jim has been here less than a year and suffered a really bad result.
“But if he can get a couple of wins in the league, they can start turning that around and push into the top four.
“Now they are out of the cups, the full focus will be on that.”
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