Goodwin vows to repay faith shown in him by ‘ courageous’ board
JIM GOODWIN is determined to repay the faith of the Aberdeen board following their “courageous” decision not to sack him in the wake of Monday’s shock Scottish Cup defeat by Darvel.
Goodwin had frank discussions with the board after the humiliation in Ayrshire followed on from a 5- 0 thrashing by Hearts and made it seven defeats in nine games.
Chairman Dave Cormack confirmed on Wednesday that Goodwin would be in the dugout for today’s cinch Premiership encounter with Hibernian after being convinced that the players were behind the manager. But he added that Goodwin had been left “in no doubt that the board and the fans are seeking an immediate response”.
Goodwin said: “The board have taken a courageous decision. It would have been very easy for them to sack me on the spot on Monday night but they took time to consider the decision. They showed great faith in me.
“They have shown they still believe I am the man to take this club forward but I have to prove that to them all over again and I have to prove that to the supporters as well. I am as determined as ever to make a success of this.
“I’ve got a lot of making up to do with them, with our supporters in particular because I fully understand how let down they must feel about recent results. I want to earn their respect again, I want to prove to them that the board made the right decision in giving me this job. The only way I can do that is by getting results.”
Cormack’s statement has been interpreted in some quarters as an ultimatum that victory in Leith is necessary for Goodwin to keep his job. When asked whether that was the case, Goodwin said: “You saw the statement, they’re looking for an instant reaction from myself and from the players and that’s what we have to make sure we give them.
“We’re going to go into the game with a positive mindset and thinking about winning the game. I can only take it one game at a time, that’s where my head’s at at the moment. It’s always about the next game and the Hibs game is massive.”
When asked whether the statement had piled added pressure on the team, Goodwin said: “Listen, there is pressure on every game. The easy thing for the board of directors to do after Monday night would have been to part company with me. The easy thing for me to do would probably have been to walk away, but I’ve never shirked a challenge in my life.”
Meanwhile, Hibs striker Kevin Nisbet yesterday performed a dramatic U- turn over a proposed switch to Millwall just hours before Ryan Porteous sealed his move to Watford.
The Scotland striker was in London yesterday to discuss personal terms on a transfer that could have netted the Leith side up to £ 2.4m, a club record for Millwall. However, Nisbet – who has scored seven goals since returning from a ruptured cruciate ligament injury in December – last night made his way back across the border after opting to remain at Easter Road for the immediate future.
There was no such change of heart for Scotland cap Porteous as the centre- back signed a four- and- a- half year deal with the English second tier promotion hopefuls, with Hibs earning around £ 500,000 and negotiating a sell- on clause.
A statement from Nisbet’s representatives, Quanic Sports, said: “Kevin has thought long and hard about this move but remains unsure about making it right now. He’d rather focus on Hibs for the time being.”
Porteous, meanwhile, ended his 10- year association with Hibs after completing the formalities of his switch to Slaven Bilic’s side. Hibs manager Lee Johnson said: “Porto is a great example of how players from our excellent Academy can progress into the first team and make a real difference.
“He has a strong will to win, and we will miss him. I have no doubt that he will go on and have a really successful career. We wish him all the best at Watford.”