Roy Aitken

Last updated

Roy Aitken
Aitken.jpg
Aitken in September 1982
Personal information
Full name Robert Sime Aitken [1]
Date of birth (1958-11-24) 24 November 1958 (age 66)
Place of birth Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) [2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1973–1975 Celtic
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1975–1990 Celtic 484 (40)
1990–1991 Newcastle United 54 (1)
1991–1992 St Mirren 34 (1)
1992–1995 Aberdeen 29 (2)
Total601(44)
International career
1976–1984 Scotland U21 [3] 16 (2)
1979–1991 Scotland 57 (1)
1990 [4] SFA (SFL Centenary) 1 (0)
Managerial career
1995–1997 Aberdeen
2006 Aston Villa (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Sime "Roy" Aitken (born 24 November 1958) [5] is a Scottish former football player and manager. He made over 480 league appearances for Celtic, and later played for Newcastle United, St Mirren and Aberdeen. Aitken also made 57 international appearances for Scotland. His playing position was either in midfield or defence.

Contents

Aitken had become assistant manager at Aberdeen towards the end of his playing career, and was appointed their manager in February 1995. He led the Dons to a Scottish League Cup win in 1995–96, but was sacked in November 1997. He has since coached several clubs, including Leeds United and Aston Villa.

Playing career

Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, [5] Aitken grew up in Ardrossan. He signed for Celtic as a youngster at 16 and came through their youth ranks. Aitken was nicknamed The Bear by their supporters due to his large frame and commanding presence. Aitken broke into the Celtic first team as a teenager, first captaining the team in October 1977. [6] Playing as a centre back or defensive midfielder, Aitken made the third-most appearances in the club's history and was particularly noted for his contributions in the club's double-winning 1987–88 season. [7]

Aitken later went on to play for Newcastle United, joining the club for £500,000 in January 1990. He captained the side in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to gain promotion from the Second Division. Having been signed by Jim Smith, he was deemed surplus to requirements when Smith was replaced as manager by Ossie Ardiles and returned to Scotland with St Mirren. [8] He did not remain long at St Mirren, signing for Aberdeen for £100,000 to act as player-assistant manager to Willie Miller. [9]

Aitken won 57 caps for the Scotland national football team, scoring once. [5] He featured at both the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, captaining Scotland at the latter tournament and in 27 of his international appearances.

Management and coaching career

Aitken was appointed manager of Aberdeen in February 1995 after the sacking of Willie Miller. [10] [11] 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, [11] but then lost to part-time Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup by the same scoreline. [12] Aberdeen finished second bottom of the league, but maintained their top league status by defeating Dunfermline Athletic in a two-legged play-off. [11] [13] [14]

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. [11] Bernard struggled to justify his expensive transfer fee [15] whilst Windass' time at Pittodrie was hampered by his on-field indiscipline. [16] Nevertheless, Aitken led Aberdeen to silverware when they won the Scottish League Cup on 26 November 1995, beating Dundee 2–0 in the final. [17]

On being sacked by Aberdeen in November 1997 (after a 5–0 loss to Dundee United), Aitken turned his attention to coaching. In February 1998 he was appointed head coach of the Maldives national football team but resigned a month later over the poor facilities available to the team. [18] After obtaining his UEFA Pro Licence at the Scottish Football Association's Largs training centre, [19] Aitken went on to become a coach with Leeds United before rejoining former Leeds coach David O'Leary at Aston Villa. [20]

On 20 July 2006, he was named caretaker manager of Aston Villa after O'Leary's departure the previous evening. [21] Aitken managed Villa to three pre-season victories before being replaced by Martin O'Neill. [22]

In January 2007, he was appointed as one of Alex McLeish's assistants with the Scotland national football team. [23] On 28 November 2007, he followed McLeish, newly appointed as manager of Birmingham City, to the club as first-team coach alongside Andy Watson. [24]

In July 2010, Aitken left Birmingham City to join David O'Leary in Dubai with Al-Ahli. [25] Afterwards taking up the role as Director of Football at Al-Ahli.

Statistics

International appearances

Scotland national team [5]
YearAppsGoals
197920
198030
1981—
198210
198340
198410
198560
198691
198780
198880
198980
199060
199110
Total571

Honours

Player

Celtic [26]

Scotland

Manager

Aberdeen

Individual honours

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aston Villa F.C.</span> Association football club in Birmingham, England

Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have played at their home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England, having won the Football League First Division seven times, the FA Cup seven times, the League Cup five times, and the European Cup and European Super Cup once.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy McNeill</span> Scottish footballer and manager (1940–2019)

William McNeill was a Scottish football player and manager. He had a long association with Celtic, spanning more than sixty years as a player, manager and club ambassador. McNeill captained Celtic's 'Lisbon Lions' to their European Cup victory in 1967 and later spent two spells as the club's manager. As a player and manager, he won 31 major trophies with Celtic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stiliyan Petrov</span> Bulgarian footballer (born 1979)

Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Petrov joined Celtic from CSKA Sofia in 1999, and won ten trophies in his time at Celtic Park, including four Scottish Premier League titles. In 2006, he moved to Aston Villa in the Premier League, along with his former manager Martin O'Neill. Petrov became club captain at Villa Park, and was an inductee to the Aston Villa Hall of Fame in 2013 having made 219 competitive appearances for the club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex McLeish</span> Scottish football manager (born 1959)

Alexander McLeish is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps for Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David O'Leary</span> Football manager and Republic of Ireland international footballer

David Anthony O'Leary is a football manager and former player. The majority of his 20-year playing career was spent as a central defender at Arsenal, where his tally of 722 appearances stands as a club record. He played 68 times for the Republic of Ireland from 1976 to 1993, and was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Davis</span> Northern Irish association football player

Steven Davis is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made his full international debut in 2005 and made 140 appearances at senior level, scoring 13 goals, to become the most capped Northern Ireland player, also a record for any man from the British home nations. He captained his country at UEFA Euro 2016 where they reached the last 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Hutton</span> Scottish association football player

Alan Hutton is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a right back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary McAllister</span> Scottish football player and manager

Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Lambert</span> Scottish footballer and manager (born 1969)

Paul Lambert is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005–06 in Scottish football</span>

The 2005–06 season was the 109th season of competitive football in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaun Maloney</span> Scottish professional footballer

Shaun Richard Maloney is a Scottish football coach, who is the current manager of Wigan Athletic, and former player. Maloney played for Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic, Chicago Fire, Hull City and the Scotland national team as an attacking midfielder or winger.

Thomas Brooks Craig is a Scottish former football player and coach. Craig had an 18-year playing career as a midfielder, playing over 100 league games for English clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United. Towards the end of his playing career he became a coach, and he has worked for clubs including Hibernian, Celtic, Aberdeen, Newcastle and St Mirren.

John Eric Black is a Scottish former professional football player and coach. Black played as a striker for Aberdeen and Metz, winning major trophies with both clubs, and earned two international caps for the Scotland national team. He was forced to retire from playing at a relatively early age and became a coach, working as a manager at Motherwell and Coventry City.

Peter Grant is a Scottish football player and coach. During his playing career, Grant played for Celtic, Norwich City, Reading and AFC Bournemouth. He was awarded a testimonial match, played against Bayern Munich, by Celtic in 1997. Grant played in two full international matches for Scotland, both in 1989. Since retiring as a player, Grant has since worked as a football coach. He was manager of Norwich City for a year, and also briefly the caretaker manager of Fulham. Grant has also managed Scottish sides Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007–08 in Scottish football</span>

The 2007–08 season was the 111th season of competitive football in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Aston Villa F.C. (1961–present)</span> History of an English football club

The history of Aston Villa Football Club from 1961 to the current season covers the fluctuating fortunes of the club during the 1960s and 1970s, the European Cup victory in 1982 and the present day Premier League club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin O'Neill</span> Northern Irish football manager and player

Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish League, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham Forest. He won the First Division title in 1977–78 and the European Cup twice, in 1979 and 1980. He was capped 64 times for the Northern Ireland national football team, also captaining the side at the 1982 World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McGinn</span> Scottish Professional footballer

John McGinn is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa, whom he captains, and the Scotland national team.

Scott Fraser McKenna is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Las Palmas and the Scotland national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Doyle-Hayes</span> Irish footballer

Jake Billy Doyle-Hayes is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. He has represented Ireland as a youth international. Doyle-Hayes is a product of the Aston Villa Academy and spent six years at the club, making appearances in the Football League Cup in 2017 and 2018 before loan spells at Cambridge United and Cheltenham Town, he left Villa in June 2020. After a season with St Mirren, he signed for Hibernian in June 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Roy Aitken". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Roy Aitken (Player)". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Scotland Under-21 player Roy Aitken". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  4. ↑ On this day, back in 1990, a Scottish League XI beat Scotland 1-0 at Hampden Park in the SFL Centenary match with the goal coming from then Aberdeen Football Club star Hans Gillhaus, Scottish Professional Football League via Facebook, 18 August 2016
  5. 1 2 3 4 Roy Aitken at the Scottish Football Association
  6. ↑ McConnell, Alison (10 August 2017). "Roy Aitken pipped Kieran Tierney to Celtic's youngest ever captain accolade". The Herald. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  7. ↑ Al Ahli to gain from Roy Aitken's leadership values
  8. ↑ Happy birthday to the former Newcastle United captain nicknamed 'the Bear'
  9. ↑ Managers: Roy Aitken
  10. ↑ "Aberdeen sever all ties with club legend Willie Miller". BBC Sport. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "1995–1997 Roy Aitken". Aberdeen F.C. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "Stenhousemuir's historic moment". The Independent. 20 February 1995. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Play-offs and Test Matches 1891-date". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  14. ↑ Roy Aitken – "My biggest achievement at Aberdeen was avoiding relegation", AllyBegg.com, 9 February 2022
  15. ↑ "Bernard can leave Aberdeen". BBC Sport. 4 October 2000. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "A Dons Cult Hero – Dean Windass". Aberdeen F.C. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  17. ↑ McKinney, David (27 November 1995). "Dodds and Shearer end Aberdeen's wait". The Independent. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  18. ↑ Cameron, Neil (17 March 1998). "Aitken Leaves Maldives Post". The Scotsman . Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016– via HighBeam Research.
  19. ↑ Winter, Henry (29 November 2007). "England could learn from Scottish system". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  20. ↑ "Aitken ready to lead Villa until whenever". ESPNsoccernet. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  21. ↑ "Aitken at helm after O'Leary exit". BBC Sport. 21 July 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  22. ↑ Tattum, Colin (17 April 2008). "Roy Aitken: I want to win Aston Villa derby for Birmingham City". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  23. ↑ "McLeish unveiled as Scotland boss". BBC Sport. 29 January 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  24. ↑ "Birmingham unveil McLeish as boss". BBC Sport. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  25. ↑ "Roy Aitken quits Birmingham City for Al Ahli". BBC Sport. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  26. ↑ "Celtic player Roy Aitken". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  27. ↑ "Rous-ing win for makeshift Scots". Glasgow Herald . 27 May 1985. p. 15 – via Google News Archive.
  28. ↑ "Roy Aitken inducted into Scottish Hall of Fame". BT Sport. 21 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.