Former Hibs Edinburgh Derby hero joins Aberdeen in key role as Dons fill new permanent manager vacancy
The Pittodrie side have appointed their new gaffer two months after the dismissal of Jimmy Thelin.
Former Hibs midfielder Brian Kerr has joined Stephen Robinson’s coaching staff at Aberdeen as the Northern Irishman joins the club on a three-year deal.
Kerr made 25 appearances during his year at Hibs and will be remembered for scoring the winner in the Edinburgh Derby at Tynecastle in August 2007. He has served as Robinson’s assistant at St Mirren for 18 months and will have the same role at Pittodrie under their new gaffer. The pair helped The Buddies earn their first piece of silverware in 13 years last December, when they defeated Celtic 3-1 in the Premier Sports Cup final.
It’s been a long wait for a permanent Jimmy Thelin replacement in the the Granite City, as interim boss Peter Leven has taken charge of 12 matches since early January. However, after Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline hammered Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup last weekend, Sporting Director, Lutz Pfannelstiel and Chairman, Dave Cormack have been forced to act.
Robinson on Dons switch
Since last season’s heroics in the Scottish Cup, it’s been a difficult 2025/26 campaign for The Dons, who currently sit ninth in the Scottish Premiership and still have the chance of being dragged into a relegation battle. Joining Kerr in Robinson’s backroom staff will be Ian Burchnall and Darren Mowbray.
Upon his arrival, Robinson said: “When this opportunity arose, there was no way I could turn it down. Aberdeen has a tremendous history and there’s no mistaking it is a huge Club. The facilities and resources that will be at my disposal are excellent and more importantly, the fan base is tremendous so I’m excited to work for a Club of this size and strive to take it forward.
“I appreciate it has been a tough period for everyone, but players respond to positivity so we’ve got to stick together going forward. We will put a team out on the pitch to get the points we need to finish this season as strongly as we can. Aberdeen have clear ambition but it needs an identity, it needs direction and I aim to give the club that so we need everyone to get behind myself, the staff and the players.”
Cormack on Robinson and Kerr appointment
The Chairman said: “We are pleased to welcome Stephen and Brian to Pittodrie. “Stephen is a proven leader with a strong track record of overachieving at Motherwell and St. Mirren, where he delivered three Cup Finals, including winning the Scottish League Cup this season, multiple top six league finishes, including a third place and qualifying for Europe twice.
“He has demonstrated he can consistently deliver strong results, punching well above the resources he’s had to work with, during the last eight years in Scottish football and proven he can build resilient, competitive teams with solid foundations. There is a strong desire to re-establish a clear identity for our club, to become harder to play against and restore competitiveness in our matches. For those reasons we believe Stephen is the right Head Coach to deliver exactly that. He has also developed a number of young players at previous clubs which fits with our overarching ambition to be the best developer of young talent.
“Solidifying that pathway for our young players will be vital to his success here at Aberdeen. Nobody within the football club would dispute that performances and results this season have been unacceptable and well below that of what is expected here at Aberdeen. However, during these testing periods comes an opportunity to sharpen focus and re-evaluate where changes are required and given recent results, we recognised the need to make the permanent appointment quickly.”