I should have been starting this week’s column full of hope and optimism for Aberdeen’s trip to Hampden to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, not reflecting on a chair-throwing idiot.
I find myself still processing one of the most disgraceful things I’ve seen on a football pitch.
Dons defender Jack MacKenzie was struck in the face with a chair which had been thrown from the section housing Aberdeen fans at Tannadice on Saturday.
It was moronic, totally unacceptable and downright dangerous.
I cannot bring myself to use the term fan, as nobody who would think that’s appropriate behaviour should be allowed to call themselves one.
Thug is more appropriate.
Whoever did this does not deserve to set foot in any football ground again.
It doesn’t matter whether MacKenzie was the intended target or simply the unluckiest guy to be in the vicinity when the chair struck him.
The point is, whoever threw the chair from the Aberdeen section did so with nothing but rage and a desire to hurt someone.
You pay your money, you are entitled to cheer, boo or jeer. But you reach the point of no return when you cross the line and get physical towards anyone.
Football still has work to do to clean up its reputation
Who can forget the images of the blood running down the face of referee Hugh Dallas after he was struck by an object during an Old Firm game?
I can also recall the bad old days of fans rioting in the stands and throwing seats on to pitches.
I hoped those days were in the past, but we still see players being pelted with objects when taking corners or having the temerity to celebrate scoring a goal.
Saturday’s shocking moment was the latest episode, and the worst in a while.
Things have gotten better over the years, but there is no doubt we still have a long way to go.
Let’s not understate how bad this was. An inch of a difference and we could be talking about MacKenzie being blinded in one eye and the possibility of his career being over.
That’s how close we game to a shocking incident producing a tragic end – and it’s why the person responsible must be dealt with in the strongest possible terms.
A message needs to be sent that this behaviour simply will not be tolerated.
Defence key to Aberdeen Scottish Cup final hopes – but I’m not writing them off…
This has been the strangest season for an Aberdeen team I can remember, but I’m not ready to write off the Dons’ hopes of Scottish Cup glory on Saturday.
All the metrics point to the outcome of the game against Celtic at Hampden being a foregone conclusion – but football doesn’t work that way.
If you had asked me in November where Jimmy Thelin’s side would finish, I would have said third at worst. Nobody saw a fifth-place finish coming!
The Dons have one draw and four defeats in their five meetings with Brendan Rodgers’ side this week.
Their most recent loss was less than a week ago when they were thrashed at home by Celtic’s second-string team.
So why do I think the Dons can pull off a shock and bring the cup back to Pittodrie for the first time in 35 years?
It’s the Scottish Cup, and anything can happen.
Celtic WILL offer Aberdeen chances
Aberdeen are underdogs on Saturday and it’s hard to see Celtic taking their foot off the pedal.
But the Dons have matchwinners in their side.
They’ve been so inconsistent for months – but they are capable of rising to the occasion.
The biggest question for me is whether they can keep it tight at the back.
The number of goals they have conceded is a cause for concern, but it’s how quickly a second tends to follow the first which I am most worried about.
That’s why I expect Thelin and players to try to manage the final in stages. Break the game into quarters and try to get through the first 25 minutes unscathed.
If you can do that then you can grow into the game and find the gaps to hit them on the counter.
It’s easier said than done given how strong Celtic are in midfield and going forward, but they do give you chances defensively.
If the Dons can get at Celtic’s defence then they’ve got a chance of pulling off one of the shocks of the season.
But this seems to be the year of the underdog – just ask Crystal Palace, who performed brilliantly to upset the odds and beat Manchester City in Saturday’s FA Cup final.
The big boys don’t always get their way and there is no better inspiration for the Dons than what just happened at Wembley.
This is Aberdeen’s chance to seize the day.
The play-off final I did not want
Good luck to Ross County in their Premiership play-off final against Livingston.
Something tells me Don Cowie and his players are going to need it.
I mentioned in my column a few weeks ago the team I wouldn’t want to face in the final is Livingston.
Davie Martindale’s side are well-drilled and a team who play in their manager’s image: Steely determination, organised, and a nightmare to play against.
These two teams are no strangers to each other and Livi showed what they are capable of by beating County in Dingwall in the Scottish Cup in January.
Livi were never behind in their 3-2 triumph and they’ll fancy their chances of ending County’s stay in the Premiership in the play-off.
It would be quite a feat for the Staggies to survive a play-off for the third year running.
We’ll find out in the next week whether that experience has made them battle hardened or ground them down.
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