Aberdeen announce McGhee as new boss

Mark McGhee has today been named as the new manager of Aberdeen following the recent departure of Jimmy Calderwood from Pittodrie.

McGhee has been in charge at Motherwell for the past two seasons and guided them to third place in the 2007/08 Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign but the Steelmen just missed out on the top six last time round. He has also bossed Wolves, Reading, Leicester and Brighton.

The 52-year-old is a former Aberdeen player from the glory era of the early 1980s and was part of the side that famously beat Real Madrid to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1983.

Aberdeen Director of Football Willie Miller told the club website: "The board was unanimous in the choice of Mark. We are delighted that Mark and Scott (Leitch) have agreed to join us and, with the return of European football, these are exciting times.

"Mark is well known to most Aberdeen supporters and having been here as a player, he also knows what the club means to them and he's itching to get started."

McGhee said: "I had great times here as a player and here I am, managing to fulfil an ambition to come back as manager - it's unbelievable for me. We are going to try and put together a team that plays attacking, attractive football that is winning football and entertains the supporters.

"Aberdeen was a huge part of my career. We had the European Cup Winners' Cup win, three Scottish Cup final wins in a row with Alex Ferguson and I've got great friends from that era. Success would be third place but winning something or getting to a final is always a huge bonus."