Dave Cormack is my friend and I know he'll be agonising over Aberdeen nightmare – two big factors are key to fixing mess

McLeish believes Aberdeen chairman Cormack is suffering over the club's crisis and identifies recruitment and player confidence as key factors to fix the mess.

Alex McLeish has sympathised with Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack over the club's current turmoil, saying the US-based investor will be losing sleep over the Pittodrie nightmare. The Dons have endured a miserable run of form with just three league wins in 12 games, leading to manager Stephen Robinson's departure.

McLeish, who knows Cormack personally, acknowledged the chairman's commitment to the club despite a succession of managerial changes including Derek McInnes, Stephen Glass, Jim Goodwin, Barry Robson, Jimmy Thelin and Robinson. He praised Cormack for standing by Aberdeen despite the struggles, though the Scottish Cup victory in 2025 has not translated to league success.

McLeish identified two critical factors for improvement: recruitment and player confidence. He suggested the problems may run deeper than just managerial issues, questioning whether the squad has the quality needed and whether players have lost their identity. While sympathetic to Robinson's position, McLeish felt the underlying issues at the club needed addressing beyond simply changing the manager.