CHARLIE CHRISTIE: Caretaker Aberdeen boss Barry Robson was one of the best players Inverness Caledonian Thistle ever had

I was delighted for former ICT midfielder and Aberdeen caretaker boss Barry Robson when he managed to guide the Dons to a vital three points at home against Motherwell.

It was a first win in six outings for the Granite City side – a dreadful run of form that has seen a remarkable cup defeat to non-league Darvel, the departure of manager Jim Goodwin along with a slide to seventh place in the league table.

Inverurie born Robson was a hugely popular figure in Inverness with both his team-mates and the supporters having arrived as a product of the Rangers youth system and I still regard him as one of the finest players ever to have played up north. He took a while to settle in the area but he showed his true quality at ICT and that quality saw him go on to play with Dundee United, Celtic, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and the Dons along with achieving 17 full international caps. After his playing career finished, I was delighted to hear that Barry had undertaken his coaching badges as he always had an excellent knowledge of the game and a real determination as his playing career aptly displays.

Whether or not Barry is in the running for the job on a permanent basis is a decision for chairman Dave Cormack and the Dons’ board. One thing certain is that the Aberdeen support will want to see an immediate upturn in performances and results along with a swift return to the top half of the league table.

Down south, the headlines this week have centred on Manchester City and the charges brought against them by the English Premier League regarding the club’s breaching of financial rules.

The investigation has been ongoing for over four years and centres on artificially inflated commercial income along with falsifying the true expenditure of the club in relation to salaries and expenses. It is the second time City have been investigated having allegedly misled European football’s governing body UEFA in 2018. That investigation earned them a two-year ban from European competition although that ruling was overturned by the Court of Arbitration later that same year.

I have long been intrigued by the financial fair play regulations and have often wondered how UEFA, the EPL and other governing bodies can properly regulate them.

I am all in favour of every club throughout Europe trying their utmost to live within their means but when clubs are spending over £100 million on individual players and we hear of another foreign billionaire looking to buy or invest in a club I wonder if this upward spending curve will ever end and I don’t envy those trying to legislate matters regarding this spending.

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