Who are the main candidates to replace Stephen Robinson at Aberdeen?

Aberdeen parted company with manager Stephen Robinson on Monday, leaving the Scottish Premiership club to begin a search for a new head coach. Steven Pressley, John McGlynn and Steve Clarke have emerged among the names linked to the job.

Robinson's exit is the fifth managerial departure at Aberdeen since the spring of 2021, following Stephen Glass, Jim Goodwin, Barry Robson and Jimmy Thelin. Most of that quintet lasted less than a year in charge, although Thelin ended the Dons' 35-year wait to win the Scottish Cup. Derek McInnes, now with Rangers after spells at Kilmarnock and Heart of Midlothian, is described in the piece as the last Pittodrie boss to regularly deliver consistent top-flight results and European qualification.

Two candidates mentioned immediately after Robinson's departure are Dundee's Steven Pressley and Falkirk's John McGlynn; both have attracted attention for their style of play and results in the Premiership over the past 17 months. Falkirk sit third in the division, two places above Dundee, and McGlynn's side finished sixth last season—again two places higher than Pressley's team. Former Aberdeen defender Richard Foster called them "the two that stand out for me domestically" and said of Elgin-born Pressley on BBC Radio Scotland's Breakfast: "I know he's got a quiet, laid-back demeanour, but I think in the dressing room, he commands respect. The players at Dundee seem to love playing for him. He knows the game very well. Having played at Hearts, having played at Celtic, he knows what it's like to be at a huge club."

Support for McGlynn's credentials came from former Hearts, Hibernian and Scotland midfielder Michael Stewart, who praised his recruitment work on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound. Stewart said: "John McGlynn puts the miles in. He's up and down the road down south. He's up and around all over Scotland. He knows what the players are that are perhaps not in the eye of many others. He knows them intimately before they arrive at Falkirk. So it's no great surprise that his success rate with recruitment is pretty, pretty good. I would not be surprised if, whenever one or two of the bigger jobs start coming up... rather than being sort of an outsider, I think he'll be right in the hunt for some of those jobs." Former Celtic and Hibs midfielder Scott Allan added: "very tactically astute" and said: "I love everything that John McGlynn does. Everybody in Scottish football can respect the job he's done there, the consistency. He's one of the most prepared managers, if not the most prepared manager for any sort of set-up that he faces week-to-week and he's shown that. It's a fantastic job he's done over the last three or four years. He deserves all the credit that comes his way."

Steve Clarke is another name being discussed after stepping down as Scotland head coach five months ago. The 63-year-old has previous Scottish experience including a two-year spell with Kilmarnock, and his CV in the piece includes qualifications to three major tournaments with Scotland, managerial spells at West Bromwich Albion and Reading, and coaching roles at Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United. The article notes: "Appointing Clarke would be a statement by Aberdeen and the challenge of restoring the club to competitiveness may be a compelling one for the man himself," while adding that geography could influence his and McGlynn's candidacies depending on personal circumstances.

Wigan Athletic boss Gary Caldwell, a former Scotland centre-half, has also been linked to the role; the piece records that he "cut his managerial teeth with the Latics and returned there earlier this year after spells in charge of Chesterfield, Partick Thistle and Exeter City." The write-up also examines Aberdeen's track record with overseas coaches, noting Jimmy Thelin is Swedish, Goodwin and Robinson come from Ireland and Northern Ireland respectively, and the only other non-Scottish manager at Pittodrie was Dane Ebbe Skovdahl from 1999-2002. With German sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel now in place, the article points to a recent trend in the Premiership of appointing foreign managers—listing Hearts, Hibs and Motherwell as examples with Belgian Wouter Vrancken, Dutchman Marink Reedijk and Swede Alfred Johansson in recent months—and adds: "Should Pfannenstiel unearth the next Jens Berthel Askou, formerly of Motherwell, Dons fans will be delighted."

Former Aberdeen defender Stuart Duff has been appointed interim boss following the departures of Robinson, assistant Brian Kerr and coach Stephen Craigan, with the club second bottom of the Premiership and two points above Kilmarnock. The article records Aberdeen have suffered seven league defeats so far this season and states confidence is low, but adds the tightly-packed middle section of the league means the Dons are only a couple of wins off the top six.

Unless Aberdeen make an appointment during the international break, Duff is due to take his side to face Kilmarnock on 21 November before visiting Rangers three days later, with the next home match against Dundee scheduled for 28 November.