Derek McInnes believes managers need a stable working environment to deliver positive results and should do due diligence on clubs before accepting jobs.

The Aberdeen boss turned down the opportunity to work at English Championship side Sunderland in the summer, preferring to remain at Aberdeen.

The Black Cats have struggled this season after relegation and sacked manager Simon Grayson earlier this week.

The Dons manager expressed his sympathy for Grayson and said the structure and stability of a club behind the scenes was key to making the best of any appointment.

"I think it was really sad when you see Simon losing his job so quickly," he said.

"You can see how these things happen in England and I think Scotland itself is in danger of following suit in the way a lot of English clubs are hiring and firing.

"We've already lost a third of the managers in this league and we're only just into November. I think it's just a reminder to all managers that working in a good environment is always advantageous to getting good results."

He added: "Results play out on the pitch but it's managing circumstances and what happens throughout the club that normally gives the manager the best chance.

"Managers aren't blameless when they don't get results, of course, but whether a manager is deemed a success or not can be far more difficult if it's not a stable environment.

"That's par for the course. I think you see so many instances where managers who are allowed to do their job and focus on the job at hand under a good structure then results have a better chance of following."

McInnes concluded: "Based on Simon's situation, I don't know the ins and outs but obviously results aren't what he would have wanted.

"But there's no doubting Simon Grayson is a good manager. He's proved that but unfortunately he hasn't been able to get the results that record he's had in the past has indicated.

"You maybe need to look a bit further than just the manager, at times."

McInnes said he believed in doing due diligence but could understood why coaches looking for employment may take on jobs that are not ideal.

"For a manager that's in a job, and a job that he's happy with, [you do your due diligence]," he said.

"Sometimes managers can rush into a situation when they're not in employment or not in a good situation and they might think something else is better.

"That's standard across the board for managers. We all back ourselves and want to do a great job and you've got to back your way of working."