SFSA BLUE PLAQUES LAUNCH FIND OUT MORE
Date: 19th February 2026
2026 02 14 Translate that
Donald C Stewart
A sketchy and humorous look at the outpourings of the great, the good and the not so good of Scottish fitba’ by Donald C Stewart. Readers are warned that if they take this seriously then therapy is available – just let us know where you find it so we can pass it on to others…
Reports have emerged from the northeast that negotiations with the Norwegian to be placed at the helm of Aberdeen FC have stalled. There has been no news with regards to a full-time and permanent appointment at Aberdeen FC since Jimmy Thelin left the Pittodrie club. However, in what has been described by some as a reverse masterstroke, they have brought in someone who knows the club inside out, according to sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.
in the meantime, Pfannenstiel claims that there is an announcement with regards to a permanent appointment that is due, “imminently”. Just how imminent has been put to one side as future translation into Norwegian may be handled by the revelation that the assistant going in to help Peter Leven, who is the interim man in charge, is Tony Docherty.
Having previously been at the helm of Dundee and Ross County, Docherty spent eight seasons at Aberdeen FC, therefore, as was described by Pfannenstiel, he knows the club inside out.
Just exactly how inside Tony Docherty is going to be allowed to get his feet under the table has been revealed – he is only there until the end of the season.
There is no suggestion that Docherty is there to become the permanent head coach. However, he may well allow Peter Leven, the opportunity, to stake his claim to himself become the head coach. When the new head coach, rumoured to be Eirik Horneland, the former Rosenberg, Brann and Saint-Étienne head coach, who is a leading candidate following the sacking of Thelin, which happened just after Ne’er day, is to be announced, will no doubt be imminently … announced.
The Doc, as he has become known, may then remain within the coaching set-up. That has not been suggested, nor indeed confirmed by anybody, basically, because nobody has asked, though some expect it will be announced … imminently. Fans, however, would want to know, perhaps not now, but basically, by May. That question, of who is going to be the Head Coach, is imminently and almost permanently be on the lips, thoughts and minds of many Dons supporters as they head towards increased oblivion following a year where they bagged the Scottish Cup. They did, during the week manage to carpet bag Motherwell by ending up with one less red card than they got.
The league is however more of a priority. Thelin’s successor shall come in with Aberdeen currently and imminently languishing in the Premiership, but The Doc, more than anybody, knows just exactly what languishing means. After all, if you chat to supporters of both Dundee and Ross County, languishing is a word that The Doc seems to be largely associated with. Both clubs took on The Doc after he was Derek McInnes’s right-hand man at both Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, hoping that some of the McInnes magic currently being seen at the Jam Tarts would spread around their clubs.
The sacking of The Doc in Dundee came as an absolute surprise and their slow resurgence under Stephen Pressley, as slow as a Pressley press conference answer, seems to have turned the tide that people at Dundee felt was slowly receding under The Doc. His time, however, at Ross County was not successful. In fact, the idea of the Ross County period being not successful is something that supporters scream and bawl and shout at continually, not using, of course, the phrase not successful. The rapid transition and stalling, with Stuart Kettlewell at Ross County, returning as he was to his hame comforts, has demonstrated that The Doc was unable then, either imminently or over a short period of time, to get the tune out of the fiddle at Ross County in Dingwall that was needed to see them mount a resurgence back up the championship table. They face imminent threats, well, imminently…
Aberdeen supporters shall hope that they get the Dundee Docherty rather than the County one, as they are beginning to feel that there is a slide that has not been halted by Leven, but, hopefully, shall be halted by the double act. Perhaps they shall be the new Chuckle Brothers up in Aberdeen, however, given Docherty’s demeanour, that is more than unlikely.
In the meantime, we all wait for the news some expect it will be announced … imminently..
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Tags: Aberdeenfc, oor Donald, Scottish football