Tom English confirmed last night what many of us were well aware of; the media was playing an active role in trying to tap Derek McInnes. They had been briefed that he was the number one target, which has led to weeks of speculation.
As per usual, they managed to screw it up.
Instead of forcing McInnes to confront his own board and demanding they waive the compensation fee, it has led to a show of unity at Pittodrie where the chairman and manager are now telling everyone that the Aberdeen boss is going nowhere.
That should have closed the door on the matter. Indeed, I thought yesterday that it had. It seemed pretty definitive because surely Sevco were not now going to try and drag this into next week and the double header against the second placed team?
But incredibly, in spite of Aberdeen’s warning to the press that they wanted the matter set aside, Chris McLaughlin and the national broadcaster was still willing to string this thing out. He claimed to have talked to an insider “very close to the situation” at Ibrox who told him that nothing has changed and McInnes remains the club’s top target.
So in spite of the clear potential for even deeper humiliation, Sevco appears to be ready to roll the dice on a plan to try and unsettle their opponents on the eve of this double header, and the BBC is still going along with it.
McInnes may or may not be an Ibrox target, but it’s clear the club is attempting to use the situation to try and mess with Aberdeen’s cohesion and this has already worked to a certain degree. The first of those games is on Wednesday night and the club will have to make some kind of official approach in the next few days if it’s to have maximum effect.
It is astonishing that they are playing such petty games whilst dragging this situation out. If McInnes is their number one target they know the price-tag (as the media has helpfully broadcast that for them) and what they have to do.
But this is the level they operate at … and BBC Scotland last night confirmed that they are a willing accomplice.
It is disgraceful.