Stephen Robinson (born 10 December 1974) is a Northern Irish football manager and former player who currently manages Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.
During his career, he played for Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient, AFC Bournemouth, Preston North End, Bristol City, Luton Town and internationally for Northern Ireland.
Robinson has managed Oldham Athletic, Motherwell, Morecambe and St Mirren before being appointed Aberdeen manager in March 2026.
Early life Robinson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He played for Lisburn Youth as a child and started out as a forward.
Club career Robinson began his career with the Tottenham Hotspur youth system as a trainee, signing a professional contract in January 1994. He joined AFC Bournemouth due to the lack of first team opportunities at Tottenham. After a highly successful time at Bournemouth, Robinson joined Preston North End in 2000. After failing to force himself into Preston's starting XI, he joined Bristol City on loan until the end of the 2001–02 season.
After this he joined Luton Town for a fee of £50,000 in 2002. He was forced to play on the right-wing by then manager Joe Kinnear, despite his position being an attacking centre-midfielder in his Bournemouth days. New manager Mike Newell soon reverted Robinson to his favoured central-midfield role, and he was rewarded with a League One championship in 2005, and a tenth-place finish in the Championship in 2006. During the 2006–07 season, Robinson captained the side in Chris Coyne's absence and was handed a new two-year contract by Hatters boss Mike Newell. On 26 July 2008 Robinson agreed to a mutual termination of his contract at Luton.
International career Robinson was capped internationally by Northern Ireland on seven occasions from 1997 to 2007. He also played for the under-16 (one cap), under-18 (two caps, one goal), under-21 (one cap) and B (four caps, one goal) teams.
Coaching career Motherwell assistant Robinson joined Motherwell in February 2015, to assist manager Ian Baraclough. He also assisted the Northern Ireland national team, working with Michael O'Neill, that qualified for UEFA Euro 2016. Robinson was previously manager of the under-age Northern Ireland squads, working for the Irish Football Association.
Oldham Athletic Robinson was appointed manager of Oldham Athletic in July 2016. He was replaced as manager by John Sheridan on 12 January 2017.
Motherwell Robinson returned to Motherwell in February 2017, this time to assist Mark McGhee as first team coach. Less than two weeks later, Robinson took over as interim manager following McGhee's departure from the club. He was subsequently appointed as manager on a permanent basis in March 2017. On 13 October 2017, Manager Robinson extended his contract with Motherwell until May 2020.
On 22 October 2017, Robinson guided Motherwell to the Scottish League Cup final after defeating Pedro Caixinha's Rangers 2–0 at Hampden. The game saw both managers sent to the stands for their behaviour on the touchline. They were defeated in the final 2–0 by Celtic. In April 2018, Motherwell won in the 2017–18 Scottish Cup semi-finals, overcoming Aberdeen 3–0, to set up another final with Celtic the following month; this was the first time the club had appeared in both domestic finals since the 1950–51 season.
On 27 September 2019, Robinson said clubs had a duty of care in relation to players' mental well-being if they were injured.
On 31 December 2020, Robinson resigned as Motherwell manager, after over three years in charge of the Lanarkshire side.
Morecambe On 7 June 2021, Robinson was named as manager of newly promoted League One side Morecambe on a three-year deal.
St Mirren Robinson returned to Scottish football in February 2022, becoming manager of St Mirren. In December 2025, Robinson and St Mirren lifted the Scottish League Cup defeating Celtic 3-1 at Hampden Park. Robinson left St Mirren in March 2026 to take up the vacant position at Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Robinson was appointed as head coach at Aberdeen in March 2026, after Aberdeen met a compensation clause in his contract with St Mirren.
Personal life His son Harry is also a footballer.
Robinson was accused of assaulting and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards his partner, Robyn Lauchlan, on Waverley Bridge in Edinburgh on 13 December 2019. He was found not guilty after a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in February 2020.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsTottenham Hotspur1993–94Premier League2000000020AFC Bournemouth1996–97Second Division4071010004271997–98461132205056131998–98421341413153161999–20004093140204910Total1684011411110120046Preston North End2000–01First Division2210030002512001–022010100040Total241104000290Bristol City2001–02Second Division6100000061Luton Town2002–03Second Division2912020103412003–043424100204032004–05League One3142010003442005–06Championship2631000002732006–073803010004202007–08League One271303010341Total18511151504021112Overall3855327520114144859
International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsNorthern Ireland199710199800199900200010200120200200200300200410200510200600200710Total70
Managerial record
+ Managerial record by team and tenureTeamFromToRecord Oldham Athletic9 July 201612 January 2017Motherwell28 February 201731 December 2020Morecambe7 June 202122 February 2022St Mirren22 February 202212 March 2026Aberdeen12 March 2026PresentTotal
Honours As a player Bournemouth Football League Trophy runner-up: 1997–98
Luton Town Football League One: 2004–05
Individual PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99 Second Division
As a manager Motherwell Scottish Cup runner-up: 2017–18 Scottish League Cup runner-up: 2017–18
St Mirren Scottish League Cup: 2025–26
Individual Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month: February 2019, August 2023
References
External links