Willie Miller reckons the negatives of Scottish teams playing friendly matches abroad always outweigh the positives, and recalled his own experiences at Aberdeen where non-competitive fixtures have gone badly.
The Aberdeen legend was speaking in the aftermath of the abandoned friendly between Almeria and Hearts in Spain on Sunday, which was called off before the first half had even ended. In a heated affair, Jambos defender Alex Cochrane and Almeria's Rodrigo Ely got involved in an on-field bust up, with resulted in red cards for both players. The referee quickly lost control of proceedings, and around 60 people from both teams charged onto the pitch to start a massive brawl.
And Miller argues that there is always a risk for games to go 'over the top' when Scottish clubs take on European sides in friendlies on the continent. Miller also feels the level of officiating of such games also can result in the match becoming unsavoury. Speaking in his column for The Press and Journa l, Dons icon Miller said: "In my experience as a player, then a manager and director, I always think the risks involved in these friendly games can outweigh the benefits if you aren't careful.
