Adams urges Vale to keep cool

Adams urges Vale to keep cool

Published Apr. 19, 2013 3:15 p.m. ET

Three Hibernian midfielders are fighting to be fit for Aberdeen's Clydesdale Bank Premier League visit to Easter Road on Monday.

Gary Deegan is having treatment on the foot injury which forced him to sit out last weekend's dramatic 4-3 William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Falkirk.

And Scott Robertson and Kevin Thomas are also nursing knocks but Hibernian boss Pat Fenlon will be hoping to have the duo available.

Defender Ryan McGivern misses out due to a ban but Matt Done is in the squad after a Cup suspension.

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Aberdeen team news to follow ...

Celtic manager Lennon triggered a suspended three-match ban after he was found guilty of an SFA charge following an incident involving St Mirren skipper Jim Goodwin in the teams' 1-1 draw in Paisley last month.

Butcher - who himself was cleared by the SFA of breaking a dugout window at Dundee's Dens Park on March 10 - and his side now travel to Celtic Park on Sunday, where the SPL champions-elect's manager will have to watch from the stands.

But Caley Thistle's plain-speaking boss claims swearing and other forms of industrial language are not the sole preserve of players and coaching staff.

He said: "I better watch my language in the dug-out as well. I better not punch any holes or dislodge the Perspex of the dugout like I did at Dundee either.

"My case has been dismissed because of a complete lack of evidence but not so for Neil and I feel very sorry for him.

"I don't know anybody, apart from (Ross County's) Derek Adams, who doesn't swear on the sidelines. Even some of the match officials swear, because it's appropriate at the time."

SFA compliance officer Vincent Lunny launched his investigation into Lennon's actions after receiving complaints from two fans.

But Butcher believes the Big Brother culture in Scottish Football has gone too far.

"It's now one of those situations where you don't know who is watching you, who is listening to you," he said.

"Managers and coaches are coming under far more scrutiny than they ever did before.

"It's unnecessarily so. It's a passionate game, an emotional game. Within certain boundaries people should just accept that there is going to be that type of language. You should hear the language that is directed against managers on the sidelines. That's pretty horrific.

"As soon as a manager steps out of line by saying one or two things then he gets done and I think that's wrong."

Butcher was involved in a flash point himself back in February when he had to be dragged away from a confrontation with a supporter following a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock at the Caledonian Stadium.

The Inverness boss insists he will be on best behaviour from now on but claims it should be down to the match officials - and not supporters - to police the dugouts.

He said: "I don't always swear. Sometimes I swear at my own crowd, which isn't always good. But those days are gone.

"You are trying to get your point across and sometimes you use language that enforces the point that you are making.

"Let's face it, the referees and the fourth officials have the situation well under control and they don't take any action. If they don't take any action then I don't see why anyone else should."

The Fleetwood manager clocked up 1,024 professional appearances during a career he called time on at the end of last season, before succeeding Micky Mellon at the Highbury Stadium in December.

The job has been far from plain sailing, with the Cod Army set to miss out on a play-off place that seemed for so long to be within their grasp, but the 41-year-old is determined to repay the faith shown in him by this season's League Two debutants.

"It's still football but in a completely different scenario," he said.

"I can still remember being a young footballer and being at the 20-game stage of my career, striving and scrapping and fighting to prove myself and show I was worthy of being a professional footballer.

"Now I have to do the same thing as a manager. I'm working every single minute of the day that I can to prove myself as a manager and prove to the club and everyone connected to it that the faith they've shown in me since coming here... I want to repay that.

"That's a big thing in my life - when people back me or support me I feel the need to pay that back and that's where I am now.

"I'll work tirelessly to make sure that this club and the people at this club get what they deserve. That's what I'm striving to do."

Vale can virtually assure promotion for the first time in almost two decades with victory against the Cobblers.

A crowd of around 15,000 is expected for the game, with the majority of them hoping it will be a promotion party.

Adams is keen for his men to give the supporters what they want but at the same time he insists it is just as important that they keep their heads and do not get carried away in the moment.

"We all know the enormity of this game," Adams said. "We all know what's at stake. The players have seen the queues for tickets and they know what it means.

"We have a fantastic chance to create a bit of history, and I want to make sure we do. That is the motivation. Not that they should need any motivation, if they can't get up for this one then they never will.

"But at the same time there has to be discipline. We need to stick to the game plan. We have 90 minutes to win the game, we don't have to do it in the first 10 or 20.

"It's going to be a terrific atmosphere, everyone will be revved up. But we need to keep 11 players on the pitch. We don't need anyone doing something stupid."

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