6th April 2025 Craven Cottage, Fulham, London, England Premier League Football, Fulham versus Liverpool Mohamed Salah of Liverpool pursues Antonee Robinson of Fulham PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK ActionPlus12772026 IanxStephen
Aberdeen manager Stephen Robinson has signed an entire new starting XI at Pittodrie and insists the overhaul will deliver results quickly this season.
Robinson points to his track record at previous clubs as evidence that large-scale squad rebuilds can work from the very first campaign.
The Dons boss brought in 17 players during his first season at Motherwell, a move that delivered two cup final appearances for the club.
He followed that up with 14 signings at St Mirren, guiding the club into European football in the process.
Robinson stated: “My first season at Motherwell, I brought 17 in and we got the two cup finals and I think I brought 14 in at St Mirren and we got the Europe, so it’s been okay so far.”
The manager has been deliberately targeting players who already understand the Scottish Premiership level or have strong experience elsewhere to shorten the adaptation period.
Robinson explained: “What I’ve tried to do is bring boys in that know the level or have played at a very good level and so you have more chance of them hitting the ground running.”
Despite the volume of arrivals, Robinson acknowledges the squad is currently too large and expects players to depart Pittodrie in the coming weeks.
He said: “I want a squad of around about 23 or 24 outfield players, at the moment it’s too big, but I’ve made those players aware of that.”
Robinson also highlighted the compressed Scottish football calendar as a key reason for making signings early and decisively before the season begins.
He noted: “We start very early so, in Europe and even in England, the leagues don’t start for a long time yet, we have three weeks and we need to hit the ground running.”
Aberdeen opened their Premier Sports Cup campaign with a win over Brora Rangers, with Kevin Nisbet scoring twice to give Robinson’s new-look side a winning start.
The manager was encouraged by what he saw, particularly in the first half, saying: “We should have been seven or eight up, it was incredible goalkeeping, some incredible misses and a little bit of luck.”
Robinson added that the performance showed a competitive edge that he felt had been missing from the club before his arrival mid-season last year.
He said: “We competed really well, which I’m not sure could have been said of an Aberdeen team last season, so lots and lots of things that were good.”
Aberdeen now face Queen’s Park in the Premier Sports Cup, with Robinson demanding clinical finishing and continued improvement from his squad.
He warned: “No game’s easy, all teams now are well coached, teams are very, very hard to break down, so you’re looking for improvements every game.”
Robinson is candid about the limitations he faced when initially taking charge of Aberdeen during a difficult mid-season relegation battle at Pittodrie.
He reflected: “It’s always difficult for a manager to take over in mid-season in a relegation battle, you’re maybe not able to do everything you want because of the personnel or the situation.”
The Aberdeen manager believes supporters will now begin to see a team that truly reflects his footballing philosophy as pre-season progresses toward the league opener.
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