Gordon Parks questions Stephen Robinson's fit at Aberdeen
On The Football Show, Gordon Parks argued Stephen Robinson is the wrong man for Aberdeen, while Peter Martin made the case for giving managers time.
By PLZ Soccer,
Stephen Robinson's position at Aberdeen came under scrutiny on Friday's edition of The Football Show, as the panel previewed Dundee United v Aberdeen against the backdrop of a virus going through the Aberdeen squad.
The panel noted Robinson had announced that the virus had gone through the whole Aberdeen side and that he would wait until the last minute to pick his team.
"In the wrong movie"
Gordon Parks believed Robinson is under pressure. "I just think he's in the wrong movie," he said. The criticism came with a caveat from the panel: "Stephen's a terrific coach." Aberdeen's recruitment was also questioned, with the view that the club "recruited really poorly."
The counter-argument was that Aberdeen had won last week. That was met with the response that the performance had been poor, and that results alone did not settle it.
The debate turned to what Aberdeen should expect. The panel recalled that "they won the Scottish Cup without having a shot on target" before asking: "is that good enough for Aberdeen?" The view put forward was that supporters want more: "Aberdeen fans want to raise the bar." It was also claimed that "the collective Aberdeen support, to a man, almost wants Stephen out."
The case for time
Peter Martin argued that managers need time. "People need time," he said. The discussion also covered the pressure on a manager arriving at a big club, with the panel stating: "A manager's at his most powerful, right, when he first arrives at a football club." It was argued that the threat to a manager does not come from supporters alone: "it's players that spit the manager out first of all for not having them."
The discussion also touched on Alfred Johansson and Marink Reedijk.
Malua beside Nisbet
Joe Harper has gone on record as saying he wants Robinson to put Ayub Malua into the starting line-up, and the panel considered whether Aberdeen might go two up front with Malua beside Kevin Nisbet. One view was clear: "I must admit, every time I've seen him, I've been impressed with him."
The programme also looked at Jim Goodwin's Dundee United ahead of the match.