OTHER SPORT

STRACHAN TO CLEAR HIS NAME

ROW: Gordon Strachan

Thursday August 23,2007

By Jim McLean.

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(0)

GORDON STRACHAN has vowed to fight to clear his name after being charged with misconduct in the dug out for the third time in a year.

The Celtic manager was sent to the stand on Sunday by match referee Charlie Richmond following a dust up with an Aberdeen official.

Last night the Strachan broke his silence of the ugly scenes at Pittodrie for the first time and insisted: “I didn't say a dickie bird to any fan anywhere and that will be backed up by anyone there.

It's an incredible situation where the referee had sympathy for me after the game and so did every official, they said they'd would put that in their report.

If anyone looks as it they'll find it confusing I was sent off.

"If anyone looks as it they'll find it confusing I was sent off.

“But I can't get too much into it as I'll have to wait for the report and then reply to that."

The SFA moved to charge the Celtic manager after they received official reports from both match referee Richmond and fourth official John Underhill.

The football bosses now go through the formalties of writing to Strachan to ask him for his version of events.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has already come out strongly in support of the club's under fire manager and he declared : “We back him one hundred per cent.”

However, before the Pittodrie incident is dealt with by the SFA's Disciplinary Committee, the same committee has to consider Strachan appeal against a pending four match ban following a touch line incident during the game against Hearts towards the end of last season.

That hearing was due to be held earlier this week but was postponed when the match referee Stuart Dougal was unable to attend due to business commitments.

A new date for the appeal hearing has still to be fixed.

Should Strachan fail in that appeal he willbe hit with a four match ban and if the football beaks find him guilty of the Pittodrie offence he will suffer a further six match ban.