Barry Robson defends Aberdeen after Graeme Shinnie ban is extended

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson stressed the Dons were an honest club who would never submit a frivolous appeal as he expressed his disappointment over Graeme Shinnie’s additional suspension.

Aberdeen are in talks with the Scottish Football Association over Shinnie’s situation despite the fact there is no avenue to appeal against the four-match ban he emerged with following a failed wrongful dismissal claim.

Shinnie was sent off in Friday’s victory over Ross County after following through in a strong challenge on Jack Baldwin, the decision coming following a VAR intervention.

The on-loan Wigan midfielder faced an automatic two-match ban and an extra one-game suspension because he had been sent off, for the first time in his career, after being booked twice in his previous game against St Johnstone.

But the 31-year-old emerged from the SFA appeals process with a four-game ban after the independent panel decided the club had either been “frivolous” with their appeal or submitted it with no likelihood of winning.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s visit of Rangers, Robson said: “As a football club we have always done things the right way. We have always been honest, up-front and forthright about everything we do. We have got some good people here.

“It was frustrating what came back from the SFA so we are disappointed
but we have tried to appeal that, so the club is back speaking to the SFA. I am disappointed but it’s hard for me to comment on it too much at the minute while there is still some stuff ongoing.”

Robson remains convinced Shinnie was unfortunate to be sent off.

“You can all look at Graeme Shinnie as a player,” he said. “He has never, to my knowledge, been really aggressive or tried to hurt anyone in a game of football.

“He was disappointed he was sent off, I was disappointed, and he is not that type of person or player. He is whole-hearted, he wants to win. I am frustrated for myself, for him, for the team.

“We are a good, honest football club and we would never put in an appeal if we never thought we could get it overturned.”

Shinnie now faces missing the bulk of the run-in as Aberdeen bid to seal a European spot and can only return for the final two games of the season.

“Graeme is disappointed but he is all right,” Robson said. “He is a leader, he is back out there on the training pitch trying to get the other players going because he knows it’s a huge game at the weekend – running, working hard, making sure the standards stay the same in training every day, no matter if he is suspended or injured.

“That’s his job – to be on the training pitch and about the building making sure that everything still goes towards the game on Sunday.”