Roy Aitken
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- For others similarly named, see the Robert Aitken navigation page
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Aitken in September 1982
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Sime Aitken | ||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Irvine, Scotland | ||
| Height | Script error: No such module "person height". | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1973–1976 | Celtic Boys Club | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1990 | Celtic | 483 | (40) |
| 1990–1991 | Newcastle United | 54 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | St Mirren | 34 | (1) |
| 1992–1995 | Aberdeen | 29 | (2) |
| Total | 600 | (44) | |
| International career | |||
| 1976–1984 | Scotland U21[1] | 16 | (2) |
| 1979–1991 | Scotland | 57 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1995–1997 | Aberdeen | ||
| 2006 | Aston Villa (caretaker manager) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Sime "Roy" Aitken (born 24 November 1958)[2] is a former footballer who went on to become a coach with clubs including Leeds United and Aston Villa. His position as a player was defence.
Born in Irvine, Ayrshire,[2] he grew up in Ardrossan. He signed for Celtic as a youngster.
Contents
Playing career
At Celtic, he was nicknamed 'The Bear' by the supporters due to his large frame and commanding presence. He later went on to play for Newcastle United, St. Mirren and Aberdeen.
He won 57 caps for the Scotland national football team, scoring once.
Management and coaching career
Aitken was appointed manager of Aberdeen in February 1995 after the sacking of Willie Miller.[3][4] At the time, Aberdeen were struggling to avoid relegation, and Aitken made a bright start by winning 2-0 against Rangers in his first game as manager.[4] Aberdeen finished second bottom of the league, but maintained their top league status by defeating Dunfermline Athletic in a two-legged play-off.[4][5]
The following season saw Aitken invest heavily in the transfer market; signing striker Dean Windass for £750,000 and midfielder Paul Bernard for a club record £1 million.[4] Bernard struggled to justify his expensive transfer fee,[6] whilst Windass' time at Pittodrie was hampered by his on-field indiscipline.[7] Nevertheless, Aitken led Aberdeen to silverware when they won the Scottish League Cup on 26 November 1995, beating Dundee 2-0 in the final.[8]
On being sacked by Aberdeen in 1997, Aitken turned his attention to coaching. After obtaining his UEFA Pro Licence at the Scottish Football Association's Largs training centre,[9] Aitken went on to become a coach with Leeds United before rejoining former Leeds coach David O'Leary at Aston Villa.[10]
On 20 July 2006, he was named caretaker manager of Aston Villa after O'Leary's departure the previous evening.[11] Aitken managed Villa to three pre-season victories before being replaced by Martin O'Neill.[12]
In January 2007, he was appointed as one of Alex McLeish's assistants with the Scotland national football team.[13] On 28 November 2007, he followed McLeish, newly appointed as manager of Birmingham City, to the club as first-team coach alongside Andy Watson.[14]
In July 2010, Aitken left Birmingham City to join David O'Leary in Dubai with Al-Ahli.[15] He left Al-Ahli in May 2011.
Honours
Individual
References
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External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Celtic captain 1987–1989 |
Succeeded by Paul McStay |
| Preceded by | Newcastle United captain 1990–1991 |
Succeeded by Kevin Scott |
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- Pages using infobox football biography with height issues
- Use dmy dates from June 2013
- 1958 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Irvine, North Ayrshire
- Scottish footballers
- Scotland international footballers
- Association football midfielders
- Celtic F.C. players
- Newcastle United F.C. players
- St. Mirren F.C. players
- Aberdeen F.C. players
- Scottish Football League players
- The Football League players
- 1986 FIFA World Cup players
- 1990 FIFA World Cup players
- Scottish football managers
- Aberdeen F.C. managers
- Leeds United F.C. non-playing staff
- Aston Villa F.C. managers
- Birmingham City F.C. non-playing staff
- UEFA Pro Licence holders
- People educated at St Andrews Academy
- Scotland under-21 international footballers
- Scottish Football League managers
