St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin has warned other Premiership managers their public criticism of clubs’ protocol shortfalls are not helpful.
On the back of Neil Lennon’s stinging remarks earlier in the week, which were rebuked by St Johnstone and Hamilton Accies, Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes admitted he also had concerns about the way some clubs were adhering to the guidelines laid down by the game’s governing bodies.
It has led the SPFL to write to Premiership and Championship clubs to check how the procedures put in place are being stuck to, with the top two tiers the only active leagues in Scotland at the moment.
Goodwin, speaking at his Friday press conference, took issue with managers publicly shaming other clubs and said any concerns should be brought up privately.
He said: “I think we need to be careful within football. I listen to managers talking other clubs down in the media – I don’t think it’s healthy, I don’t think it’s positive. If they are the concerns they have, go and speak to the people higher up in their own clubs and get them to relay the message back to the clubs involved.
St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin has taken a swipe at Neil Lennon and Derek McInnes after accusing them of “publicly shaming” fellow Premiership clubs over their Covid safeguards pic.twitter.com/hOioSgYfIl
— Andy Newport (@AndyNewportPA9) January 22, 2021
“I don’t think we need to go public shaming anybody. Every club in the league and the country is doing the very best they can with the facilities available to them. From our own point of view we haven’t changed a great deal on a matchday.
“The opposing team come and use the away dressing room and we’ve given them a couple of extra rooms off the back of it. Some teams, because they haven’t got that facility or haven’t got as big a dressing room as we have, are using parts of the stand. I’ve got no issue with how other teams are doing it.
“As far as I’m concerned guidelines are being followed and experienced people within the game need to be careful how they put things out in the public. We’re working very hard, with the SFA, SPFL and government to keep the game alive and I can’t understand why some managers feel the need to go out and shoot ourselves in the foot like that.
“I’m not saying don’t raise the concerns, but raise the concerns differently.”
St Mirren face Livingston in the League Cup semi-finals this weekend.