Former Manchester City striker Shaun Goater
Former Manchester City striker Shaun Goater (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester City legend Shaun Goater has been announced as the new interim manager of Aston Villa Women. The West Midlands side, who have won just one of their opening nine Women's Super League matches this season, confirmed the sacking of Robert de Pauw on Wednesday.
Villa said in a statement that De Pauw has left the club with immediate effect. The 43-year-old was appointed ahead of the 2024/25 season but has not had the desired impact on the squad. Villa sit ninth in the table on six points from a possible 27, just one point above rock bottom Crystal Palace.
"We would like to thank Robert for his commitment during his time in charge and wish him well for the future," Villa said in a statement before finishing to confirm that Goater is expected to take charge until a new manager is appointed. The 54-year-old will be supported by the wider coaching team.
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Goater retired from professional football in May 2006 and decided to take the plunge into coaching from that point. He returned to his native Bermuda to begin his coaching career and spent several years there before making the move back to England to eighth-tier non-league side New Mills in 2015.
After spells at Ilkeston and Macclesfield, Goater re-joined Manchester City in October 2021 as part of the academy coaching staff. In this role, he was part of the Premier League's Coach Inclusion & Diversity Scheme (CIDS), a programme set up with the aim of increasing the number of Black, Asian and mixed heritage coaches working full-time in professional football.
18 months later, Goater arrived as part of Gareth Taylor's backroom staff at City Women. He spent just over a season with the women's team before moving on to Villa at the start of the season.