Robbie Neilson interested in THREE vacant SPFL manager jobs as ex-Hearts boss says ‘it's just about making sure it fits'
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ROBBIE NEILSON wants a quick return to Scottish football after his American adventure was cut short.
The former Hearts, Dundee United and MK Dons boss came home last month after being sacked following an 18-month spell with second-tier outfit Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
Derek McGregor with Robbie Neilson
Credit: Willie Vass
2
Neilson was last in Scottish football with Hearts
Credit: Willie Vass
Neilson, talking exclusively to SunSport's YouTube One-on-One podcast, is hungry for a new opportunity.
And he's keeping a close eye on the vacancies at Dundee, Motherwell and Partick Thistle.
Asked if they were positions of interest, the 44-year-old said: 'Yes, definitely.
'I really missed the intensity of the Scottish game.
'When you've been out of it for a while you want to get back into it. So all these clubs would be very interesting.
'It's just making sure it's a fit. Do they see something in me they want, and vice versa.
'I'll see how it goes in the next couple of weeks. At this time I'm open to anything.
'I've got plenty to offer my next job. I've had promotions, title wins, cup finals and European football. I took the Tampa Bay Rowdies job for a change.
'I'd obviously been in Scotland and England all of my career, so I wanted something different and it was a great opportunity.
'I thought I could go and experience a different culture, a different style of football, a different lifestyle.
Legendary Hearts manager Jim Jefferies reveals he was dead for more than four minutes as he opens up on major health scare
'It was a great experience, cut short a bit as I was only there for 18 months. But all in all, it was something that I really valued and it's helped make me a better coach.
'What I really missed was the intensity of the game here.
'Everything there is more about the product you put on the pitch. Results weren't a massive thing.
'Whereas here, it's the No 1 sport.
'That intensity before the game, that's what I started to really miss.
'Getting back to that environment is something I'm looking forward to.'
Neilson insisted he had no problems dealing with the sack from Hearts in 2023 which abruptly ended his second spell in charge.
A 2006 Scottish Cup winner with the club as a player, he was axed after missing out on third spot to Aberdeen.
But the three-time Championship title winner admits it was probably the right decision for both parties.
He added: 'To be honest, it's part and parcel of the game.
'When I left MK Dons, that was the first time it had happened to me and it was really difficult. The second time, it's part of the game.
'I spoke to a lot of managers about it, like Alex Smith and Craig Levein, and you have to get used to it.
'If you can go somewhere for two or three years you've done really well.
'It had come to that point where we were both drifting, me as a coach and them as a club. It was probably the right thing to do.
'But you learn every time you come out of a job.
'You want to leave a club in a better place than when you took over and the majority of clubs I've been at I've managed to do that.'
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Press and Journal
Richard Gordon: Aberdeen's defeat at Tynecastle highlighted the need to bolster the squad before transfer window closes
The Dons' Premiership campaign got off to a sluggish and unconvincing start at Tynecastle, and they could have no complaints about heading back up the road pointless. Hearts were the more aggressive, more determined side right from the off, dominated the first half, and despite a brief mini-revival after the interval, the home were deserved winners. They had clearly benefitted from playing four Premier Sports Cup group matches and looked so much sharper throughout, while Aberdeen appeared undercooked after a pre-season which included just three warm-up matches. That might have been a mistake given how much more ready Derek McInnes' men were, but even another couple of friendlies might not have helped; there is no substitute for competitive action, and with the later start in Europe, there was no way round that for Jimmy Thelin. There was much focus on Kusini Yengi, naturally so given the two gilt-edged chances he spurned, and for the most part he looked like a striker who hasn't scored a club goal since April 2024. The Aussie is clearly bereft of confidence, and needs time to settle into his new surroundings, but he will not get a whole lot of that, because the Dons need someone capable of finding the back of the net now; they do not have the luxury of waiting a few months. While there have been success stories in recent times – Bojan Miovski and, eventually, Kevin Nisbet – too much money has been splashed out on forwards, some of whom are still at the club, who look anything but regular goalscorers. It is too early to make any real judgement on Yengi, but he looked less than convincing on his first proper outing, and has some work to do if he is to become Aberdeen's go-to centre-forward. There has been much talk about Marko Lazetic, who seems to be highly-rated, but remains largely unproven, and has no real track record as a goalscorer. That potential deal seems to have stalled, so it might well be that the Dons have to look elsewhere. They will need to act fast. As well as Hearts, Hibernian have started impressively and recorded a notable win in Europe; the opposition look in fine fettle at this stage. The first weekend left Aberdeen bottom of the table, the defeat following on from four straight losses to finish off the 2024-25 league season, and it extended the largely dismal run stretching back to last November. Given that, the visit of the champions is probably the last fixture they would have wanted, and while Celtic were nowhere near their scintillating best in the win over St Mirren, they will travel north, as they always do, in full expectation of securing the three points. While they have picked up a few draws along the way, not since February 2016 has there been a Dons victory at Pittodrie in this fixture. This would be the perfect time to end that run, but the performance will have to be considerably better than we saw at Tynecastle if they are to even give themselves a chance of doing so. Aberdeen were sanctioned by the SPFL this week after being held responsible for the actions of a group of fans who continue to put lives at risk with the senseless use of pyrotechnics and flares. For now, the punishment has been suspended, but if there is any repeat, the Merkland Stand will be partially closed. The Red Shed has been a welcome addition to the atmosphere at Pittodrie, generating colour and noise, but certain supporters seem to feel they are untouchable, above the law, and unless they rein in their behaviour, their actions could have serious repercussions. The Dons are by no means the only club affected; plenty others have been targeted by the authorities as a result of the mindless behaviour of some of their fans. It is a trend which has gathered pace in recent years, and it is going to have to be stopped. If it continues, someone is going to be seriously injured, or worse. I would hope the supporters in question come to their senses and eventually realise that.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Club Brugge manager in shock 'spaces' admission about Rangers defence
The Belgian club found themselves 3-0 up after 20 minutes in the first leg of their Champions League play-off double header thanks to some lamentable defending by their Scottish rivals. Russell Martin has been heavily criticised by pundits and supporters for the porousness of his team's rearguard in their competitive matches this season and the manager had his goalkeeper Jack Butland to thanks for preventing a mauling last night. Read more: Hayen, whose side reached the knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition last season, admitted he and his coaching staff had identified weaknesses they could exploit in the build-up to the encounter in Govan. However, Hayen stressed, after watching Danilo pull a goal back for Rangers in the second half, the tie was far from over and insisted that James Tavernier and his team mates could still come back and progress to the league phase of the competition. (Image: PA Wire) "We knew where the spaces were,' he said. 'We played here in the friendly game (during pre-season), and we showed also in that first half that if our players play at their best level, that they can hurt a lot of teams. Read more: "We said before the game, 'Okay, the atmosphere is incredible, but you have to embrace the atmosphere and not fight against it'. This is what they did in the first seven minutes perfectly and this is the way how you can get the silence into a stadium. "But as long as there is still 90 minutes to play, everything is possible. We don't forget that we are 2-0 down against Salzburg (Club Brugge came from behind to prevail also. So we have to be smart, we have to be intelligent, play our best football, like in the first half."
Press and Journal
2 hours ago
- Press and Journal
WATCH: Aberdeen's midfield pairing puzzle assessed - who should Jimmy Thelin pick?
After Aberdeen's first two matches of the new Premiership season, our sports journalists Ryan Cryle and Paul Third sat down to discuss Jimmy Thelin's midfield puzzle. Who are his best duo in the centre of the park? So far this campaign, where the Dons have lost 2-0 to Hearts and then Celtic, manager Thelin has deployed a central midfield pairing of Sivert Heltne Nilsen and Leighton Clarkson, and Nilsen and skipper Graeme Shinnie, respectively. In Sunday's defeat to the Hoops at Pittodrie, the Reds boss subbed off veteran pairing Nilsen and Shinnie for Clarkson and Polvara over the second half – with the latter, especially, a player fans are desperate to see get more opportunities as a starter. The Aberdeen gaffer also has Croatian former wunderkind Ante Palaversa – a regular last term – and Icelandic current wunderkind Kjartan Mar Kjartansson, among his options to fill two berths in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation (if we accept French loanee Adil Aouchiche is the first-choice no.10). What have we learned so far this season, including in the friendly loss to English Championship Ipswich Town, about (some of) Aberdeen's midfield candidates? Which individuals have attributes which our writers think mesh up well together in the middle of the pitch? Where do lesser-used options like the attacking Polvara and 'complete' defensive midfielder Kjartansson fit into the plan? And who would our writers pick as the Dons try to get up and running in a campaign where they have guaranteed European league phase football to look forward to? Let us know what you think in the comments!
