The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘I’m not a dirty player' – Dark Blues striker Kenny Miller’s appeal over Ibrox red card rejected
DUNDEE: Striker will miss matches but declares ‘I am not a dirty player’
Dundee have expressed their disappointment after their appeal against the straight red card shown to Kenny Miller during the game with Rangers on Saturday was rejected.
Referee Kevin Clancy sent off the veteran striker following a tackle on Borna Barisic in the 78th minute of the match at Ibrox.
Miller’s manager Neil McCann insisted afterwards that the front man had won the ball but the SFA ruled yesterday that the referee’s original decision was the correct one.
The 38-year-old is now banned for the next two matches, meaning he will miss Saturday’s game at Dens with Hibs as well as the following fixture at Hamilton.
In a brief statement, Dundee said: “The club have received confirmation this morning that we have been unsuccessful with the appeal for the red card shown to Kenny Miller last Saturday.
“We are disappointed with this outcome, which will mean Kenny will miss our next two matches.
“The club will be making no further comment.”
Despite the ruling, Miller was adamant he had won the ball fairly and he expressed his disappointment that he would now miss the next two games for Dundee.
Speaking on BBC’s Sportsound last night, he said: “Anyone who knows me knows I am not a dirty player.
“My eyes were firmly on the ball throughout. I went wholeheartedly to win the ball. I did win the ball but on the follow-through there is always going to be contact.
“We have watched it back and I am actually pulling my leg away as soon as I touched the ball to try to minimise the contact. I never went in to harm anybody and I think the red was brandished too quickly.
“I have been in the game a long time but I have never gone in to hurt anybody.
“It was an honest, genuine attempt to play the ball which I did. So it is disappointing I am going to miss two games after just going to a new club.”
Meanwhile, Dundee’s on-loan Celtic wing-back Calvin Miller insists that, if the Dark Blues can cut out the individual errors that are costing them dear, then they can finally end their dreadful run of defeats.
McCann’s men have lost six on the bounce and sit bottom of the Premiership table without a point to their name.
Miller made his starting debut for his new club in the 4-0 defeat at Ibrox but he is hoping Dundee’s season will start to turn when they face Hibs at Dens on Saturday.
The 20-year-old said: “We are a wee bit low on confidence but we’re together as a group and working with each other to build a team spirit that can get us up the table.
“We need to put Saturday to the back of our minds and think about the next game against Hibs because we need the points. There have been individual errors that we need to get out of our system. Once we do that, we know the team can play, we work on it a lot and we’ll pick up points quickly.
“For me, personally, I was always going to come to Dundee. I needed game time and I knew I could get it here.
“As well as that I just want to come in and help the boys as much as possible and, once I’ve got a run of games in me, I’ll be getting fitter and fitter.”