So, with Jimmy Calderwood off away on his holidays abroad and already complaining about lack of board backing towards the end of his tenure, who will be next to take over as manager of Aberdeen?
Some had been tipping Mark McGhee as an early favourite to take over, though that looks a lot more doubtful now that he’s one of the favourites to take over at Celtic.
Still, his greatest career moment came as part of the Dons side that defeated Real Madrid 2-1 to lift the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup, so you can understand why he’d fancy a full-time return to Pittodrie.
Fans may also welcome McGhee after a successful time at Motherwell, where he guided them to third place in the SPL in his first season in charge, even if this season’s position wasn’t quite so impressive.
Neale Cooper is another well liked European Cup Winners' Cup winner and has had a successful season with Peterhead, almost guiding them to promotion. However, could the leap be too much from Second Division to the SPL? You’d think so, and fans still regret the appointment of Steve Paterson from a lower league, who was seen to lack experience of life in the top flight.
Looking towards other managers already in the Scottish top flight who may be tempted to decamp the North East, John Hughes and Jim Jeffries have to be considered strong candidates.
Hughes has had a stressful season, only just avoiding relegation with Falkirk on the final day on their campaign, and with limited resources he may welcome the chance to scale up his ambitions after six years with the bottom six strugglers.
Currently the longest-serving manager in the SPL, Jeffries has been at Kilmarnock since 2002. He has kept his side in a respectable position despite having to drastically reduce the club's wage bill.
He also reached the final of the CIS Insurance Cup in 2007, an important feat given that the fans are looking to get their hands on a trophy, or at least get a decent run in one of the knock-out competitions. Avoiding an early knock-out in the UEFA Cup will be an early priority.
Another name in the frame is Eric Black, who is currently assistant manager at Wigan Athletic, working with Steve Bruce. His Cup Winners' Cup medal with Aberdeen won't hurt his chances, and spells in charge of Coventry and Motherwell lend him enough experience to convince that he wouldn't be out of his depth.
For less likely candidates there’s Alex McLeish and Darren Ferguson - the former’s unlikely to revisit the SPL any time soon after guiding Birmingham back to the English top flight.
The son of Dons legend Fergie may also want to stick with his current side, in this case Peterborough United, having gained them automatic promotion to the Championship for the 2009/10 season.
Oh, and given that he’s already up north, could Terry Butcher be tempted to make the move over and stay in an SPL managers role? Given that he was a Rangers stalwart at the height of their rivalry with Aberdeen, it’s likely he wouldn’t find himself the most popular person in the Granite City...
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