Aberdeen have every right to appeal the eight-game ban issued to manager Jim Goodwin by the SFA.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the appeal is won when the case is put forward.
It is a matter of consistency – Hearts’ manager Robbie Neilson was not sanctioned for similar comments about former Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson in March. That Neilson was not punished is a valid reason for Aberdeen to put forward in defence of their manager.
Most observers would probably think the length of the ban given to the Aberdeen manager was excessive.
Goodwin has been hit with a six-game ban with the possibility of eight as a further two are suspended until the end of the season.
However, the eight doesn’t come into play as long as nothing else happens.
My position has always been that, if managers are calling opposing players cheats, then I think the SFA have to take it seriously.
I don’t believe commenting as blatantly as Goodwin and Neilson did should be allowed in our sport.
That’s my stance and it goes for any manager that comes out and has a blast at an opposition player.
However, we have to ask why was Goodwin’s punishment so severe?
Only the SFA can answer that and I don’t think they will answer it.
When Goodwin made those comments, accusing Hibs’ Ryan Porteous of “blatant cheating”, I thought the SFA would look at it and a ban would probably come his way.
Although the ban is overly severe and Aberdeen have every right to appeal, I think some form of punishment was always coming Goodwin’s way.
As far as I’m concerned, any manager that calls an opposition player a cheat and conman deserves to be sanctioned.
So I’m surprised that didn’t happen with Hearts boss Neilson.
Serving the first game of his ban, the Aberdeen manager had to watch from the stands as his side lost 4-0 at Dundee United.
That must be a one-off performance.
I have previously said that the surprising aspect of this Aberdeen season is how well the rebuilt side has gelled after 11 new players came in during the summer.
However, they didn’t gel at Tannadice against a Dundee United team that were struggling and anchored at the bottom of the Premiership.
Aberdeen’s defensive performance at Tannadice must be rectified and must not be repeated.
It was not acceptable.
Aberdeen’s away form is abysmal. It was abysmal under the previous manager and that situation remains.
Something must be done about that and it is down to Goodwin to fix that away form.
The form at Pittodrie so far this season has been pretty good with a lot of goals scored and wins secured.
However, the Dons are still leaking goals.
When Aberdeen are away from home, perhaps more emphasis should be put on defending.
How Dundee United set up their formation made it difficult for Aberdeen to go forward.
The Dons only had one shot on target at Tannadice.
Dundee United totally blocked the threat of Aberdeen going forward and totally exposed their weaknesses at the back.
It was a tough night for the 4,000 Aberdeen supporters who travelled to Dundee United to cheer on their team on a Saturday evening.
In contrast, it was the perfect Saturday evening for Dundee United.
For Aberdeen, it was their worst performance for a long time and again highlighted the fact their away form is unacceptable.
Aberdeen have won just two of their last 23 Premiership games on the road. They have drawn seven and lost 14 in that run.
The Dons’ shut-out record has also been unacceptable.
The away form in the league and lack of clean sheets is something that should be focused on.
And something that must be fixed by manager Goodwin and his team.
Aberdeen do have threats going forward, but still look fragile at the back.
They were ripped open by Dundee United and any team that wants to be successful must have a solid foundation.
That foundation is defending and keeping clean sheets.
I can only hope that the fragilities that were shown at Tannadice are sorted out.
If that can be done, allied with the quality of player going forward, then I am still optimistic for the season.
Welcome return of Connor Barron
Aberdeen midfielder Connor Barron looks like he will return to the first team-starting line-up and become a key player again.
The 20-year-old made a welcome return to action when introduced as a substitute at half-time in the 4-0 loss at Dundee United.
Scotland Under-21s international Barron had not featured this campaign due to a knee injury suffered during a pre-season friendly.
Due to the midfielders Aberdeen now have, I did wonder if Barron would be able to come back into that starting line-up regularly.
Now I’m confident he will be a regular first-team starter immediately after showing his quality and aggression at Tannadice.
Barron made a difference in the midfield when introduced at half-time for Marley Watkins.
The Dons were trailing 2-0 when Barron came on for his first game time of the season.
His introduction brought a positivity as Barron always wants to be in possession and make a forward pass.
Barron displays a real appetite for the game and also has leadership qualities, which is great to see in someone still so young.
Being sidelined for four months was a set-back for Barron, but thankfully he is back.
Despite the result, Barron’s performance against Dundee United was really encouraging.
His return is a major boost for manager Jim Goodwin.
Barron is a top-quality player in the making and has shown he will be a real asset for the club this season – and hopefully many more seasons in the future.
Scots must embrace tough Euro 2024 qualifying draw
Just when you think moving up into the pot two for the Euro 2024 draw is the panacea and all the teams below Scotland would be easy meat… up pop Norway.
Steve Clarke’s side have landed a tough Euro 2024 qualifying draw with Spain, Norway, Georgia and Cyprus.
You do not expect to have a nation with the firepower of Erling Haaland in pot three.
However, the Scots will now face Manchester City’s goal machine Haaland having drawn the Norwegians.
Haaland has netted 19 goals in the last 13 games for Manchester City and is scoring at least once every match.
In one way, it is brilliant because the Tartan Army will be able to watch Haaland up close.
I am certainly looking forward to seeing him in action.
When you are playing at international level you want to be tested against the best, which Haaland certainly is.
To have a pot three team with that scoring power is incredible.
But Haaland’s incredible goal run is at club level with Manchester City, so hopefully the ammunition will not be there with Norway to bulge the net.
Scotland’s players should be relishing the challenge of keeping the shackles on the powerful forward.
With pot three, I was certainly looking to land a nation with less firepower than Scotland will face with Norway.
Georgia and Cyprus will certainly not be easy either, away from home in particular.
And we are not even talking about Spain yet.
Facing a team of the quality of Spain will be a fantastic challenge for Scotland.
It is a tough section, although the Scots have two avenues to qualify for Euro 2024.
There is the tough group route – however, the Scots also have the Euro 2024 play-offs secured, having topped their UEFA Nations League group.
The target I would imagine would be to finish second in their group and Scotland have a very good chance of achieving that.
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