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Ian Maxwell was brilliant trying to help me- Mark McGhee on trying to beat his touchline ban

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Image for Ian Maxwell was brilliant trying to help me- Mark McGhee on trying to beat his touchline ban

Mark McGhee has revealed that Ian Maxwell was brilliant in his attempts to overturn a six match touchline ban that will see the new Dundee boss watch Sunday’s match from the stand at Celtic Park. 

During a 7-2 defeat against Aberdeen in February 2017 McGhee was caught on camera in an angry exchange with a Dons fan after being sent to the stand. Soon afterwards he left Motherwell with a six match touchline ban for his misdemeanour. 

Returning to England it looked like that punishment would never be enforced but events took an unexpected turn this week when Dundee sacked James McPake with Gordon Strachan’s sidekick parachuted into the job- and instantly reminded of his ban. 

Warning- contains sweary words.

McGhee was assistant manager to Strachan in charge of the national team at the time of his ban and had hoped to call in a favour or two from the Chief Executive of the SFA. 

Discussing his touchline ban, The Scotsman reports:  

He was handed a six-game ban in his absence after being sent to the stand during a game at former club Aberdeen shortly before he was sacked. 

Mobile phone footage of him clashing with home fans as he tried to find a seat in the main stand later went viral. He had been in trouble with the SFA earlier that season after an incident against Dundee at Dens Park when he clashed with a steward. 

McGhee admitted he feared the punishment would preclude him from managing in Scotland again. He hailed the “brilliant” SFA and chief executive Ian Maxwell in particular for looking at whether “there was a way round it”.

Although it won’t be in time to solve his and Dundee’s problem, McGhee believes the SFA might now draw up legislation to set out a timeframe after which such bans become dormant. “I think they will look at that for the future,” he said. 

McGhee has since spent time in the dugout at Barnet and Stockport County, where he was an assistant manager. His last spell as outright manager was at Sussex-based non-league club Eastbourne Borough. 

“I thought my six-match ban would possibly be a barrier to me getting another job in Scotland,” he admitted. “I wasn’t holding out a great deal of hope of getting another job up here. 

“But the SFA were brilliant. The attitude they took towards me when they realised what was going on. They have expressed that they now realise it doesn’t feel right and they now need to look at that. 

“I would expect they will look at that situation. It is a fairly rare one when someone is getting a job. There may be some provision in there because it has been five years. I have to say, a lot of it is my own doing. 

“Not because I got the ban because I didn’t deserve it, I don’t care what anyone says. I shouldn’t have been banned for what I did against Dundee and what happened to me on that dreadful night in Aberdeen. 

“But I didn’t go to the hearing. I’d left Motherwell and I more or less said ‘stick it’. I was too upset and had gone back down south. I didn’t go to the meeting and I got what I deserved in that respect. I should have dealt with it then but I didn’t. Ian Maxwell, though, was brilliant in trying to help me.” 

McPake left Dundee on the back of away wins against Hearts and Peterhead, the Dens Parkers are currently second bottom of the Premiership, a point above St Johnstone with a game less played. 

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