I’ve had urine thrown at me and been spat on in dugout.. but attack on Neil crossed danger line SAYS DEREK McINNES
Derek McInnes has been spat on and had bags of urine thrown at him in the dugout in Europe.
But the Aberdeen boss insists the shameful sight of an assault on a manager in Scotland is one flashpoint too many.
The Aberdeen boss was quick to offer his sympathy and support to Neil Lennon after Wednesday night’s coin attack felled him at the end of a heated capital derby.
And as McInnes ref lected on the aftermath, he urged football chiefs and police to hammer the thugs responsible.
It’s needed not just to protect coaches from fans crossing the line – but to protect the image of the Scottish game.
The Dons boss reckons our reputation is tarnished by images he believes make us look thuggish and amateurish.
McInnes said: “Given the amount of abuse officials and managers get, you kind of harden yourself to it as that’s just the way it is.
“I managed in a European game over in Cyprus against Apollon Limassol last year and got spat at. Bags of urine were thrown at the bench and all sorts.
“That was a totally different level but while it is rare here, once is too many.
“I think the severest penalty has to be issued to anybody responsible for that type of behaviour.
“And we should make sure they are not welcomed into a football ground again.
“Whether it’s players or officials getting attacked – or in this case Lenny getting attacked – it’s just not on.
“I get that in football some fans don’t like certain people – but there must be a code of conduct.
“It says more about the individual than any club but I do think the authorities have to send out the strongest messages about these things.
“Bad behaviour at a match wil l dominate the talk-ins and the national TV coverage so, instead of hearing about the good things in the game, it comes across as thuggish and amateurish.
“That’s why it’s more than just a public order offence – we have the image of the game to protect.”
McInnes has experienced verbals from the Tynecastle stands and admits he occasionally gives back what he gets.
But he worries now a line has been crossed, there’s no uncrossing it.
He said: “I don’t know if it’s got worse but there are certain grounds where you are a wee bit more exposed to it.
“There’s a group of boys at Tynecastle who give it to you tight and some of it is really funny.
“You expect it and it’s all fine and well. You can maybe have a bit of banter back and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“Big games and especially derby games can bring out the best in people with the atmosphere and things – but it can also bring out the worst in people.
“When a line is clearly crossed as we saw on Wednesday and a few other times
this season, with officials being struck, then that’s not acceptable.”
McInnes insists that trying to tie in the argument against the introduction of alcohol to football grounds to the behaviour of the coin- throwers and punchers is a futile false flag.
He said: “Everybody is responsible for their own behaviour at a ground. The majority go with the intention of getting behind their team and enjoying the game.
“They pay money to be entertained and the social aspect of football is important too. Why can’t we be more grown up and mature about that side of it?
“There was no alcohol at Tynecastle but we still had idiots doing what they did.”
The Dons go into this afternoon’s clash with Kilmarnock lagging behind in an unfamiliar eighth spot in the table.
And despite only losing to the top three teams, McInnes insists the time is now overdue for his men to find form.
He said: “We’re into November now and we’ve only played 10 games. It has been really stop-start and our results have been somewhat similar. If you look at each game in isolation there have maybe been reasons why we’ve lost.
“Hearts and Celtic beat us fair and square. But against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie we were down to 10 men after three or four minutes, in circumstances we felt a bit aggrieved by.
“If we’re being really honest, our level of performance needs to improve.
“I’ve told the lads we need to get on a winning sequence.
“But teams are finding it harder to get those winning runs going this year. It’s really tight.
“I know what the league table is like but I don’t look at it too much .
“You don’t see the real picture panning out until the festive period when we’ve been through two rounds of games.
“That’s normally when you see the league play out how it’s going to be.”
Until the clash with Killie back in September, which saw Mikey Devlin red carded in the opening minutes and Killie use the extra man well in a 2- 0 win, Aberdeen were the one team Steve Clarke and his side hadn’t overcome.
But McInnes acknowledged the former Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle coach’s impact at Rugby Park.
McInnes said: “It says a lot when their result from Ibrox – a 1-1 draw with Rangers – came through on Wednesday night, you’re not surprised in the slightest.
“Since Steve went in just over a year ago, he has brought a structure there and a discipline.
“Their biggest strength as a team is their organisation, rather than depending on too many individuals. That’s a great thing to have.
“You might think it’s easy for them to just keep doing what they did from last season – but it’s not.
“What they get is familiarity of work and confidence from their structure and that pays dividends.
“They have been fantastically consistent and deserve a lot of credit. You can see there’s a lot of good work getting done there, both on and off the pitch.”