Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack should take as long as he feels is necessary to appoint a new manager.
I know Dons fans will be eager to see a new man in the dugout as soon as possible but after two failed appointments it is crucial the club gets it right at the third time of asking.
The last thing we need is to take a chance on the Scottish managerial merry-go-round. Aberdeen are in need of a shake-up; something fresh, new and different.
I don’t want another appointment who has struggled to make an impact at another club in Scotland.
That’s why I’m encouraged by some of the names being mentioned as it shows the club is casting the net wide.
After the disastrous tenures of Jim Goodwin and Stephen Glass, Aberdeen needs a strong character at the helm who is going to shake the club up.
Glass came in with all his coaching badges and a reputation from his time at Atlanta United but the club regressed badly and he was gone in less than a year.
Goodwin, on paper at least, had experience of Scottish football after enjoying relative success with Alloa and St Mirren.
But his recruitment was poor, the defence he assembled was leakier than a sieve, and the final weeks of his time in charge were horrific.
In the end he was well backed but left the club having a near identical record to Glass before him – and that wasn’t good enough either.
Robson has done well but Dons need another overhaul
We’ve had two huge summer turnovers under the last two bosses and I’m expecting a third one at the end of the season as too many of the players who have come in have simply not been up to the task.
Barry Robson is the man at the helm for now and in a matter of weeks he has proven himself capable of getting a better tune out of the squad than Goodwin did.
The St Mirren defeat in his first game in charge was disappointing but the 10 men gave their all after Ross McCrorie’s early sending off and even though the team lost the fans recognised the players had worked their socks off.
The team then went back out at Pittodrie against Motherwell and did it again. They battered the Steelmen, bullied them all over the park and ran out deserved winners.
Those two performances have shown Barry, who was a very good player, can be trusted to work with the players until a successor is found.
He has an experienced assistant alongside him in Steve Agnew and the players look to be responding to what is being asked of them by the interim management team.
That is what matters most in the short term but I still think there are big calls to be made in the summer.
We need better players. Aberdeen is a great club to play for and I’m not surprised players want to come here. They are well paid, well looked after and it’s a nice lifestyle here.
But playing for the Dons should not be the height of your ambition. Winning trophies and bettering yourself are the reasons you should want to be at Aberdeen.
We need a manager who can not only find players who want to do that but help them and the club achieve those goals.
That’s why getting the next appointment right is vital – no matter how long it takes.
Show the referees respect
It is concerning to hear the SFA’s head of referees Crawford Allan express his fears about the rising levels of abuse towards officials in Scotland.
Allan says the SFA is losing as many referees as it gains every year as officials pack in the game due to the flak they receive.
It comes at all levels from the professional game down to spectators and parents at youth level – and it’s down to everyone around the refs to cool down a bit.
There’s so much pressure in high profile games now and football has become a big business. I think a lot of people follow what they see on TV and think it’s acceptable.
Well, clearly it is not.
I don’t think VAR is helping, especially when you are seeing decisions being made which leave you scratching your head in disbelief.
Maybe ex-players as part of the VAR team would help but I don’t see officials being happy to do that.
But I know, as frustrating as it can be for players and fans, we have to respect the refs.
Referees when I played were stern but fair.
I think back to when I played and men like Tom ‘Tiny’ Wharton were officiating games.
He was a larger than life character on and off the pitch but you did not dare mess with him during a game.
He was the man in charge, his word was final and we all knew it. He did not tolerate any nonsense.
Huge weekend for Cove in the Championship
Good luck to Cove Rangers tomorrow when they take on Arbroath at Balmoral Stadium.
The Championship encounter is a one with huge repercussions at the bottom of the division.
Victory for Paul Hartley’s men will move them seven points clear of the Red Lichties with 11 games remaining but a win for Dick Campbell’s side will move them to within a point of Cove.
The stage is set for a huge afternoon and this weekend feels as if it could be one of the most important of the season for Cove in their efforts to secure their place in the second tier for next season.
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