Aberdeen have sacked boss Jim Goodwin following Saturday’s 6-0 loss to Hibs.
Goodwin was given a stay of execution by the Dons board, led by chairman Dave Cormack, in the wake of the disastrous defeat to sixth-tier Darvel in the Scottish Cup on Monday.
However, he did not face the media in the wake of Saturday’s barrage of goals from the Hibees, quickly leaving Easter Road after being told his time as Aberdeen manager was over.
At full-time, a club statement read: “Following an unacceptable run of results since the World Cup break, the club confirms it has parted company with Jim Goodwin and first-team assistant manager Lee Sharp with immediate effect.”
Chief Cormack went on to address the media.
In the capital, Goodwin and his team were nowhere close to finding the “immediate response” to their horrendous recent slump demanded of them by an earlier club statement on Wednesday in the fallout from the Darvel debacle.
The decision to give the manager more time and message from chief Cormack earlier in the week sparked disbelief and anger among the Red Army.
The league loss in Edinburgh means Aberdeen have won just once in the 10 games since the winter break – losing eight – in a run which has now seen them drop to sixth in the Premiership table and exit both cup competitions.
Their tally of 43 league goals against in the worst in the top-flight.
Goodwin is third Aberdeen boss to be sacked in two years
The Irishman is the third Aberdeen manager to be sacked in less than two years.
Goodwin joined the club from St Mirren less than a year ago, arriving last February following the departure of former boss Stephen Glass, gutting the squad and bringing in a raft of new faces in a £1.5 million squad rebuild over the summer.
There were promising attacking displays at Pittodrie in the early days of the Premiership season, in part to due to shrewd-looking attacking captures Bojan Miovski and Duk.
But the Dons’ longstanding vulnerability in defence and struggles to get results on the road have continued. Centre-back, and Goodwin’s club captain, Anthony Stewart is one of the players who has come in for heavy criticism for his displays this term.
Despite these pronounced problems, Aberdeen were secure in third with a League Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden and the Scottish Cup campaign to look forward to when top-flight teams went into the World Cup break.
A reasonably creditable performance against Rangers to lose their League Cup last-four clash 2-1 after extra-time was a rare decent performance point since the restart, though, and their dismal run has cast a negative light on the campaign, leaving the majority of Dons fans angry, disillusioned and demanding a change in the dugout.
In his final month as Dons manager Goodwin apologised for the performances in the Premiership defeat at Kilmarnock (3-1 on December 28), the 5-0 hammering at Hearts two weekends ago, and Monday’s cup exit at Darvel, describing the latter two showings and results as both “embarrassing” and “humiliating”.
More to follow.
Conversation