‘You don't see it at Rangers or Celtic' – Aberdeen hero slams Dundee Utd pitch invasion which led to MacKenzie incident

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ABERDEEN legend Willie Miller reckons Dundee Utd and other Scottish teams must do more to stop fans invading the pitch.
The Pittodrie hero is at pains to point out that he's NOT excusing the Dons supporter who left Jack MacKenzie blooded and bruised when he threw a chair onto the Tannadice playing surface on the last day of the season.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
Jack MacKenzie was left blooded and bruised
Credit: Andrew Barr
2
Dundee Utd fans invade the pitch
Credit: Andrew Barr
But speaking to SPFL chief operating officer Calum Beattie on BBC Radio Scotland Sportsound, Miller said: "Can I suggest something and I don't want Dundee United fans to have a go at me fiercely.
"For me, pitch invasions should be banned, they're not allowed.
"I was there. I'm sitting there and United have done great, they've qualified for Europe.
"But the gates just opened, nobody tried to stop the fans coming on the pitch.
"Now I'm not making any excuse for the person who threw the seat.
"It hit Jack MacKenzie and it could have been much worse. But at the same time nobody tried to stop the whole pitch being covered with Dundee Utd fans.
"Now, the Aberdeen players have every right to go to their fans and have a celebration or some sort of recognition that the fans have made the journey down in their numbers.
"They made their way over to where the Aberdeen players are going to celebrate with their fans.
"There's no condoning it [the seat throwing] but that's what happened.
"For me if you stop that pitch invasion that doesn't happen.
"You don't see it at Pittodrie, you don't see it at Ibrox, you don't see it at Celtic Park. Why are there some clubs that just seem to accept it?
"Other clubs as well seem to be accepting it. I would just like some sort of campaign NOT to accept it."
While admitting "it is difficult", Beattie replied: "For what it's worth I agree with that".
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scotsman

44 minutes ago

• Scotsman

Ian McLauchlan: The Mighty Mouse of Scottish rugby with a 'heart bigger than his body'

Former Scotland and Lions great dies aged 83 Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ian McLauchlan, who has died aged 83, was one of the hardest men and most inspiring leaders ever to play rugby for Scotland. He captained his country 19 times in his 43 appearances, but whether officially skipper or not, he was always in the front line – literally, as a loosehead prop, but also metaphorically, as a competitor who never took a backward step. At around 5ft 8in, he was on the small side even then for a front-row forward, and gave away a lot in weight to some opponents. But he never gave an inch in the scrum or in the loose, and, as a result, he earned the nickname Mighty Mouse after a popular cartoon character of the time. In other words, his standing in the game was in inverse proportion to his stature. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Born in 1942, he knew nothing of rugby during his early childhood in the Ayrshire village of Tarbolton, where, as he wrote much later in Mighty Mouse, his autobiography, 'sport meant football, racing pigeons, whippets, pitch-and-toss and more football'. But once he took up the sport, at Ayr Academy aged 11, that was it. Scottish prop forward Ian McLauchlan of the British Lions peparing for their summer tour of Australia in May, 1971, at the revolutionary pre-tour training camp at Eastbourne. (Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/) | Getty Images 'I was hooked straight away,' he continued. 'I loved the physicality, the brutality and the camaraderie of it. Before long the game had become the be-all and end-all of my life.' Although to the naked eye McLauchlan might not have cut a particularly imposing figure as he ambled across the pitch, in his lack of height and sheer indomitability he was the perfect choice to captain a small nation such as Scotland which often had to battle against apparently overwhelming odds. With the benefit of hindsight, then, it is odd that it took the national selectors so long to give him his debut. He was almost 27 and playing for Jordanhill when the invitation came to join the Scotland squad. 'The fact that I had to wait so long before winning my first cap against England in 1969 made the achievement all the more satisfying,' he wrote. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Much of that day is a haze, but I remember sitting in the changing room at 2.50pm. 'Open the doors', I thought. 'Let me get out there and at them'. I had waited all my life for that moment.' Ian McLauchlan pictured at Murrayfield Stadium in 2017. | SNS Group / SRU If that phrase 'let me at them' hints at an almost sadistic eagerness to dominate his opponents, at times he could also display a kind of masochistic glee as he played through the pain barrier. That attitude was most evident during the 1973 Five Nations Championship, when, playing just his second match as captain, McLauchlan had to leave the field early against Ireland with a suspected broken leg. He seemed certain to miss the Triple Crown decider against England just three weeks later, but some semantic quibbling saw him retain his place. 'It turned out my leg wasn't broken,' he said. 'Although the bone was cracked.' At the time Scotland's players and supporters alike may have been glad to see McLauchlan take to the field at Twickenham, and he showed extraordinary courage to do so. But in retrospect, his decision to soldier on was perhaps too risky. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As Andy Irvine, a Scotland and British & Irish Lions team-mate and also a former SRU president, wrote later: 'They said that it was a cracked fibula – but no matter how you dress it up it was a broken leg, and who can play rugby with a broken leg? 'I suppose it's a testament to the kind of guy he was – how hard he was – that he was able to make it through the match at all, and I can't even begin to imagine the pain he was in when he was scrummaging.' Ian McLauchlan in action for Scotland against New Zealand at Murrayfield in 1978. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Speaking on the SRU website yesterday after the news broke of his former team-mate's death on Friday, Irvine said: 'He was some character and some player. He was smaller than most props he came up against, but I never saw anyone get the better of him. 'He was so tough, almost indestructible. What a fantastic career he had for Scotland, and the Lions. It's very, very sad.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Off the field, McLauchlan was blessed with a wry sense of humour, but there was no doubt that his on-field ferocity could strike fear into the opposition - and maybe into some spectators too. As his late team-mate Gordon Brown once quipped: 'I always had a picture of McLauchlan on my mantelpiece to keep my kids back from the fire.'

Scottish Sun

2 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Former Championship manager, 44, now working at Bristol Airport as picture of him in uniform goes viral

Gaffer has done a whole host of interesting and different jobs over the years TAKE A SECOND LUKE Former Championship manager, 44, now working at Bristol Airport as picture of him in uniform goes viral Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FORMER Championship manager has swapped wingers for wings - by taking a job at Bristol Airport. And fans could barely believe their eyes as he opted for a high-viz instead of a high line. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Luke Williams was dismissed as Swansea manager in February Credit: Getty 2 He has taken on a new job helping those with mobility difficulties at Bristol Airport Credit: Ex-Swindon and Notts County chief Luke Williams was Swansea boss from January 2024 until his sacking in February 2025. The London-born gaffer, 44, was placed on gardening leave. But despite no doubt receiving a pay-off from the Welsh club when axed four months ago, he was keen to do something worthwhile during his time out of the game. So much so that as he awaits a new stint in a dugout, kind-hearted Williams has undertaken a gig helping disabled and limited-mobility passengers around the Bristol Airport terminal, as reported by The Athletic. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL MARC MY WORDS Man Utd outcast Rashford says he wants to join Barca in come-and-get-me plea He started the job two weeks ago. And it did not take long for a photo of him at his new workplace to go viral. The snap showed humble Williams wearing his yellow reflective vest uniform and lanyard coming out of the lift in Bristol. An X user wrote: "Luke Williams gone from managing the Swans to working in Bristol Airport, someone check VAR." CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS One replied: "He's just doing this because he's bored, he genuinely doesn't care about others' opinions and you have to respect it." Another commented: "Fair play to the guy." Former Premier League manager is told 'f--- you' by his own player before he shushes him in furious Club World Cup row A third joked: "Managing in the top flight." A fourth added: "Cardiff City fan here with nothing but respect for this. Call me woke if you want. (*best believe I'll turn up in full bluebirds kit when I fly out next week)" And a final person typed: "Clearly has a massive work ethic. Good luck to him!" Williams told The Guardian in 2024 that he places a strong emphasis on commitment and dedication, declaring: "In my opinion, motivation in life is everything." He also revealed how he loaded lorries for BHS and drove minibuses to and from nightclubs and airports to fund his early coaching career. In those days, he collected £1.50 for every player who attended his sessions. Williams also applied for an electrician course when he left his coaching role with Swansea under Russell Martin in 2022.

Daily Record

2 hours ago

• Daily Record

SPFL chief insists Scots football yobs must feel 'full force of the law' after Sinisalo perpetrator served justice

Andrew Watt was jailed for eight months and banned from grounds for six-and-a-half years on Friday for launching a Buckfast bottle at Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Simisalo last month SPFL boss Calum Beattie insists the lengthy banning order for the thug who threw a Buckfast bottle at Celtic's Viljami Sinisalo must be the norm to beat the hooligans wreaking havoc on Scottish football. Yob Andrew Watt was jailed for eight months and banned from grounds for six-and-a-half years on Friday for launching the bottle at the Celtic goalkeeper in last month's Old Firm draw at Ibrox. ‌ It was just one instance of a growing element of disorder in Scottish grounds last season. Former Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie was hospitalised by a seat thrown by one of his own fans as Dundee United fans invaded the Tannadice pitch on the final weekend of the season. ‌ Now Beattie, the SPFL Company Secretary and Director of Operations, has joined SFA chief Ian Maxwell in vowing to crack down on the yobs. Strict liability and deducting clubs points for the behaviour of their fans is an option open to league chiefs but Beattie insists they DON'T want to go down that road yet. Instead he has called on a united front from all stakeholders - and for the courts to come down heavy on the perpetrators. Beattie said: 'Some the scenes at the end of the season were wholly unacceptable. The Jack Mackenzie incident was absolutely appalling. 'We believe in individual responsibility first and foremost. That person who threw the chair that hit Jack was identified by the club who passed his details to Police Scotland and he is going through the criminal justice system. We want him to get a lengthy banning order. 'A good example happens on Friday. The individual who threw the bottle at the Old Firm match was jailed for eight months and has received a six-and-a-half year football banning order. 'Thats's how the system should work. If you're going to throw something at a player who is at their work then you deserve to feel the full force of the law. ‌ 'I spoke this week at a round table with the cabinet secretary for justice Angela Constance and every stake holder there - us, the SFA, police, Crown Office, fans organisation, the PFA - agreed this issue can't be addressed by one individual organisation. It needs everyone working together.' Points deductions remains an option for league chiefs - but one they are keen to avoid. ‌ Speaking on BBC Radio Sportsound, Beattie said: 'A points deduction is a possibility under any SPFL complaint that is taken against a club. 'We don't like to run towards points deductions. We want football to be played out on the pitch and for competition integrity we want it to be determined on the pitch. 'That touches on strict liability. Our position on that for many years has been we believe in individual responsibility. ‌ 'That does not mean that clubs cannot be sanctioned for issues with their supporters. But they have got to do everything reasonable and practical to address it. 'We know how challenging it is for clubs. These are societal issues. We have seen it across society since covid. 'There's been a lot of talk recently about the rise in violent crime across Scotland. ‌ 'You have seen across Europe the issues off the back of the Champions League final which should give us all pause for thought. 'We don't thin it's right to then leave the clubs themselves and say 'if you don't deal with this' you are getting a points deduction. 'We don't think that's proportionate. We need them to do everything they can, work with us to demonstrate that and work as part of the wider criminal justice system so that football isn't left basically picking up the tab for what are really problematic behaviours across society at the minute.' ‌ The Tannadice pitch invasion was mirrored a day later at McDiarmid Park where Dundee fans flooded onto the pitch after escaping relegation. Beattie added: 'It's an uncomfortable one for clubs. They don't want to be seen not welcoming their support celebrating and achievement at the end of the season. But what about the opponents? If you're standing there watching a full length pitch invasion and you're the losing team you're going to be fearing for your safety. 'It only takes one idiot for there to be a real issue. There's no place for them. 'It's an area of concern for the game. We are concerned something might happen. We have seen issues down south where things have got really close to being a significant incident. All our clubs have to do everything they can to prevent it. 'If you are a safety officer in charge of that match you are faced with a decision, if they are coming on anyway you have to ensure the safety of everyone in the ground and that might mean opening some gates to let people come out.'