McGhee: Pittodrie fallout is the most serious thing I've had to deal with as a boss

McGhee faces an SFA disciplinary hearing next month into his alleged misconduct against the fourth official, John McKendrick, following the horror night in the Granite City which saw Motherwell on the wrong end of an embarrassing 7-2 hammering.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, McGhee has had the video footage of his altercation with the Dons supporter plastered all over the internet and the film has been viewed thousands of times.

Although several viewers of the clip have enjoyed watching the exchange, McGhee takes no amusement at all from the incident.

The 59-year-old Fir Park gaffer told the Motherwell Times: “This is possibly the most serious thing that has happened to me in football.

“My sense of humour has not found anything funny about it.”

Motherwell assistant manager James McFadden branded the actions of the Aberdeen supporter “disgusting”, considering that McGhee served Aberdeen with distinction for several years as a player and was part of the team which famously won the 1983 European Cup Winners Cup.

But McGhee said: “I don’t care about that.

“The thing that disappointed me most was not the Aberdeen fan or the Aberdeen fans’ reaction. You have to be thick skinned and accept it.

“I can live with that.

“The disappointing thing for me was the behaviour of the fourth official when he sent me to the stand.

“I felt that was an outrage.”

McFadden has stated that the Pittodrie fourth official’s stern treatment of McGhee had merely stemmed from the Motherwell gaffer originally stating, ‘that’s embarrassing’, after Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes had claimed for a first half throw-in.

“That was right at the beginning,” McGhee added.

“He set the tone. We had no intention of being involved.

“I don’t know why I was later sent to the stand.”

Earlier this season, McGhee was handed a two-match touchline ban after admitting using “offensive, abusing, and/or insulting language” towards referee John Beaton and a steward after the 2-0 defeat at Dundee on November 5.

He potentially faces an even sterner sanction this time as a result of his alleged offences at Pittodrie.

McGhee has until Tuesday, February 28 to answer claims that he used offensive, abusing and/or insulting language to the fourth official on or around the 59th minute; and/or around the 60th minute of the said match, he adopted aggressive behaviour towards a match official.

The principal hearing against McGhee will take place at Hampden Park on Thursday, March 16.