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Duncan Shearer: I feel for Funso Ojo and Bobby Madden following controversial red card at Tannadice

Funso Ojo was sent off at Tannadice on Saturday
Funso Ojo was sent off at Tannadice on Saturday

I’ve got a great deal of sympathy for Funso Ojo following his red card at Tannadice on Saturday but I also feel for referee Bobby Madden who made the decision to send him off.

The Dons are backing their player, who they say has been left shaken by the exchange with a fan and his subsequent dismissal, but the sad truth is had he walked away then Madden would have had no decision to make.

The player feels he let his team-mates down and I can appreciate why he feels like that.

Aberdeen had the advantage of an extra man due to Callum Butcher’s dismissal minutes earlier for United only for it to be levelled up by Ojo’s second bookable offence.

We’ll never know whether the second half would have turned out differently had the Dons still had 11 men on the pitch, but we know losing Ojo did not help Aberdeen’s cause.

Football is a passionate environment and emotions can run high, but players have to keep their composure.

We saw Eric Dier wading into the stand to confront Spurs fans following his side’s FA Cup exit last season.

The comments towards him and his team-mates was far from pleasant following the penalty shoot-out loss to Norwich, but it does not excuse his reaction and he was rightly banned for four matches and fined £40,000 as a result.

Had he ignored the jeers and walked down the tunnel then nothing would have happened.

Dons defensive woes are costing them dear

The Ojo incident was the major talking point of an eventful encounter at Tannadice, but the bigger concern for Dons boss Stephen Glass is the fact his side suffered another defeat.

Following the encouraging week where they beat Hibs, drew with Rangers and beat Hearts, Aberdeen have suffered back-to-back defeats either side of the international break and they find themselves needing to start all over again.

The challenge is not getting any easier with Aberdeen set to make the trip to Celtic Park on Sunday.

I have a lot of sympathy for Stephen in that he must be tearing his hair out at times wondering what his players are going to give him on a given weekend.

Aberdeen have been so inconsistent this season it beggars belief, but the most pressing issue facing the manager is the lack of fit and available recognised defenders he has to call on.

Dean Campbell and Scott Brown were the central defensive pairing at one point on Saturday and, even though Stephen expects his defensive crisis to ease a little for the weekend, he will still have to field some square pegs in round holes against Celtic.

I hope Brown is restored to midfield as he can have a bigger influence on the game from the middle of the park against his former club.

Crucial period ahead for Ross County

Malky Mackay.

Ross County come out of cold storage tomorrow against League Cup finalists Hibernian and it has become a massive game for the Staggies.

Malky Mackay has been upbeat about his team, insisting the performances have been good, despite not getting results.

The terrific victory at Dundee was almost a month ago with County having played just once since, the 4-2 loss to Rangers at Ibrox on November 7.

The 5-0 win at Dens Park was the club’s first of the campaign and it must be frustrating that they have then practically sat idle due to a combination of positive Covid tests in the Hibs camp, the international break and the League Cup semi-final.

Hibs will have a spring in their step following their incredible 3-1 win against Rangers in Sunday’s semi-final at Hampden, but the challenge for County remains the same this week as it was a month ago – they need to shut the back door.

The Staggies are bottom of the table, not because they can’t score goals, but because they struggle to stop the opposition from scoring.

I think they have enough goalscorers in their side to push up the table, but only if they can find a drastic improvement defensively.

Tomorrow’s match is the first of 10 games before the winter break for County and they have to make them count.

Championship is the place to be for thrills

Is there a more exciting league this season than the Scottish Championship?

Caley Thistle are back to within a point of Kilmarnock at the top of the table with Raith Rovers also joint leading the division. With Partick Thistle and Arbroath only a point behind Inverness, it means there are just two points separating the top five clubs in the title race.

It is no less competitive in the bottom half of the division with five clubs separated by one point.

We effectively have two leagues within one division now and the stage is set for a fascinating campaign. With Kilmarnock due to visit Caley Jags next week and Raith playing Arbroath, we are likely going to see the title picture change on a weekly basis.

For the neutral it’s fantastic, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this race is going to unfold.