Calderwood urges fans to stay calm and focus on football

SCOTT DAVIE

JIMMY Calderwood has appealed to the Aberdeen and Hearts supporters to forget their self-appointed role as moral arbiters concerning Graham Rix's sex offence conviction and concentrate on the football at Pittodrie tomorrow.

The Aberdeen manager is looking forward to confronting the Tynecastle side's new first-team coach when he takes charge of his first fixture, but only as far as getting the upper hand on the pitch is concerned.

Behind-the-scenes the Pittodrie club are concerned that not everyone will be as welcoming as their manager given the furore stirred by the appointment of someone who served a jail sentence following a conviction for sex with a girl under the legal age of consent.

Special arrangements have been put in place, which range from vetting the choice of music being played over the tannoy to giving Rix his own bodyguard in the technical area.

That is probably sensible given the depth of feeling generated ahead of this match at a venue that has seen it's fair share of trouble down the years, albeit usually when Rangers travel north.

Calderwood is well aware of the controversy surrounding the fixture, he just simply believes it is not relevant to the occasion and he certainly has no qualms about welcoming Rix, even if it is with the expected caveat.

The Aberdeen manager said: "Sunday is all about what happens on the field and I hope that the supporters appreciate that and keep calm.

"I don't think this baggage will make any difference and hopefully it won't as it should be about two good teams who, if they perform to their best, will produce an excellent game.

"That is what should concern the fans, not a man's past or all the stuff that has been said about him and what I want to see is a football occasion. I know he's got to prove himself to both sets of fans and I believe he has the qualities to do that.

"If we are winning then our supporters will forget about everything else except our performance and the result.

"Whatever happens, I look forward to having a drink with Graham and his staff in my office afterwards because we are all football people."

Calderwood admits Rix got the better of things in their head-to-heads as players with Birmingham City and Arsenal respectively in the 1970's and their paths have crossed as coaches since then.

The Aberdeen manager believes that Hearts have unearthed someone with the qualities needed to carry on the good work started by George Burley.

And with money so tight at Pittodrie, he can only look on in envy at the strong position Rix is inheriting at time when 18 points separate the sides. "I played against Graham several times," added Calderwood. "He was a better player than me and I can't remember properly but I probably tried to kick him.

"I met up with him a few years ago when I was in charge at Dunfermline and he was the manager at Portsmouth and, though there's been no contact since, it's good to see him back in the game after a spell out of it.

"He has been given a fantastic opportunity and in a few weeks, he might get another £2 million thrown at him to strengthen Hearts again.

"Everything I've read and heard coming out of Tynecastle is positive. He's a good coach and a good football man. The players will be determined to back him to the hilt and they have the bit between their teeth. They are going to have a real go in the league which makes Hearts even more dangerous."

Taken from the Scotsman