Players let McGhee down, but not as much as the fans did

Last Saturday Aberdeen produced a fantastic comeback to draw 4-4 against Celtic in the SPL. That draw kept the club in a comfortable mid-table seventh position in the league.

Goals

The Aberdeen fans have certainly seen their share of goals this season with the ball hitting the net on thirty-one occasions in the thirteen games played at Pittodrie. OK, they have lost six of those thirteen games but you would have to say that Aberdeen are doing OK.

Ten days ago they had a narrow escape in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup when they needed a late equaliser at First Division Raith Rovers to take the game to a replay. It is certainly fair to say that Aberdeen should have comfortably won the replay on Tuesday evening but they didn’t. They lost 1-0 in what was not the first and won’t be last cup shock.

Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee was absolutely fuming with his players.

“Raith were thoroughly deserving of their result. They battled for every ball and won every header. There’s no doubt about it, it’s the worst result of my managerial career, and that’s no disrespect to Raith Rovers. We didn’t compete for the first ball and never won a header. On a night like this, on a pitch like this we had to at least win the battle and we never won that. Raith won the battle and got the breakthrough with the goal. We’re out the cup and I’m embarrassed, humiliated.”

Those were strong words from McGhee who clearly felt let down by his players who had performed so well just three days earlier.

“I’ve told the players I think they should be ashamed that they’re capable of the sort of performance that they displayed on Saturday, the battling qualities and the effort, commitment, and to come here tonight and not reproduce that, in a game as important as this, is just scandalous.”

So, just like the fans, McGhee was devastated by what he witnessed. I’m not surprised he has spoken out in the way he has. However, it was not these words of criticism for his players that caught my eye, it was what else he said.

“There was heckling, which you expect; some spitting. I’ve never experienced anything like that. Walking down the track there I’m getting people throwing stuff at me.”

After a game of football the manager of the side, who are doing OK and just the other day forced an entertaining draw with Celtic, has been spat on and had things thrown at him by the fans of his own team.

What sort of scum are the people who do this?

Spitting

Passion is a great thing for football fans and is what the game is all about. You can shout and sing and express your pleasure or displeasure in any number of ways that are all acceptable. Throwing things at the manager and, particularly spitting at him is simply wrong and disgusting.

Football managers like Mark McGhee put in seven days a week, eighteen hours a day trying to produce a successful side for the fans of the club. When fans are as fickle and obnoxious as this, I wonder why they bother.

Scum

Mark McGhee does not deserve that sort of treatment and the scum who spat on him don’t deserve to be let within a mile of a football ground.

That’s it, rant over. These people just make me angry. Football doesn’t need or want them.