LMA chief Billy hopes no return of Draconian days

League Managers Association chairman Billy Brown suffered more severe punishments from the SFA than Jim Goodwin, writes EWING GRAHAME.

But he’s still angry about the eight-game touchline ban handed out to the Dons boss for claiming that Ryan Porteous conned referee David Dickinson into awarding Hibs a penalty, which led to their equaliser and Aberdeen defender Liam Scales being dismissed in Hibs’ 3-1 win at Easter Road last month.

Brown knows how Goodwin (inset right) feels – he was banned for a year and fined 10 weeks’ wages for a minor offence by the Hampden chiefs.

“I remember when I was No. 2 to Jim Jefferies at Berwick Rangers in 1988/89 and we were both sent to the stand by the referee in a game at Links Park for disputing a throw-in which should have been ours but was given to Montrose,” said Brown.

“We just stepped over the barrier and sat in the front row of the stand – which was about a yard away from the dugout – and continued to shout advice to our players.

“Then we were suspended from the touchline for 12 months by the SFA and we were also fined £100 – Berwick were only paying me £10-a-week. “When we took over at Falkirk the following season we had to sit in the director’s box every week until the suspension ran its course. I’d like to think we’re not going back to those Draconian days.”

“I go to games every week and see some shocking challenges and the men guilty of making them wouldn’t be put out of the game for that length of time.”

Aberdeen’s appeal will cite that Hearts boss Robbie Neilson wasn’t punished when he accused Dons midfielder Lewis Ferguson of diving to win a spotkick at Tynecastle in March, and that Celtic’s Aleksandar Tonev was banned for fewer matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Aberdeen fullback Shay Logan in 2014.