I’LL STAY OUT OF TROUBLE
Robinson relishing Lennon’s visit
SHARING a touchline with Neil Lennon might not sound like the ideal environment for a manager who is trying to keep his nose clean with the authorities.
But Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson insists he’ll be on his best behaviour at Fir Park this afternoon as he sweats over whether he will be allowed to lead out the Steelmen in next month’s Betfred Cup final against Celtic at Hampden.
The Northern Irishman was sent to the stand with Pedro Caixinha after a confrontation between the pair during the Lanarkshire side’s stormy semi-final victory over Rangers last weekend.
Although Robinson is adamant he did nothing wrong in Mount Florida, he was previously sent off during two spells as Motherwell assistant boss, and Sunday’s flashpoint could yet deny him his place in the dugout for what would be the biggest game of his career.
Determined not to fall further foul of the SFA beaks pending a hearing into his alleged offence, a top-six clash with Lennon’s Hibs may not have come at the most convenient time for him. But the
“The managers have a respect for each other”
42-year-old assured Motherwell fans he will be keeping his emotions firmly in check, just as he did during Wednesday night’s 1-0 Premiership win over Dundee at Dens Park.
‘I’m not worried about a bustup with Lenny — me and him get on fine and I’m on my best behaviour,’ smiled Robinson.
‘Both of us want to win games, we are emotional and we want to drive our teams forward, but there will be no problem on the bench between me and Lenny.
‘I’ve seen the footage that they (the SFA) have got on me and there isn’t a whole lot in it.
‘We’ll go and speak to the SFA, but obviously mine isn’t quite the same as Pedro’s because there was a previous incident.
‘I was in a different capacity then and I had different responsibilities (discussing his two sendings-off as assistant manager).
‘I have been a manager now for 60 or 70 games and I’ve not got one single incident, and I’m sure that will be taken into account.
‘Neil McCann and Keith Lasley were having a wee argument on Wednesday but I was frightened to speak!
‘When you’re on the touchline, it’s an emotional game, decisions go against you or for you and, with the crowd there, it’s a pressure situation.
‘I heard Neil McCann afterwards saying you do everything in your power to stay calm. But sometimes it isn’t always physically possible to do that.
‘It’s always handbags, it’s never anything serious. The managers have a real mutual respect for one another.
‘The SFA asked me to go in and speak to them, so we’ll do that and see how it goes.’
Robinson’s players were slammed for what Rangers claimed was an over-physical approach in the Betfred Cup last-four clash. And Motherwell winger Elliott Frear fears the club’s reputation may have started to precede them after Dundee fans bayed for red cards during the midweek clash.
But he says the Steelmen are unlikely to change their robust style following a superb start to the season which has taken them to third in the Premiership table as well as securing that Hampden showdown with Celtic.
‘We’ve got ten players who are physical — and then there’s me!’ joked Frear. ‘We play to our strengths. Rangers have a way of playing and we had to stop it. It will be the exact same against Celtic in the final.
‘A lot was made of it but all that matters is we have a squad of players and staff who are looking forward to the final.
‘It’s a bit like a siege mentality. It was like that at Dundee on Wednesday. Every time we went in for a tackle the crowd were shouting for sendings-off.
‘It was good in a way because it means people are taking notice of us. It was also a bit of a relief that the referee didn’t get the cards out. He did a good job.
‘We won’t change. It’s the way we play.
‘It’s not over-aggressive. The gaffer said it the other day — just look at our yellow cards.
‘Ryan Bowman has only three bookings in two years yet Rangers had a man (Bruno Alves) banned for kicking out.
‘It’s just Motherwell’s way of playing — we’re not going to stand back and allow ourselves to get beaten like we maybe did at times last year.’