29 December 2020

Stephen Robinson condemns abuse of Alex Dyer and says football stands with him

29 December 2020

Stephen Robinson has told Alex Dyer that the football community is completely behind him after the Kilmarnock boss was subjected to racist abuse by letter.

Killie are working with Police Scotland to identify any individuals involved in the letter sent to the club in the wake of the 2-1 home defeat to Livingston on Boxing Day.

Motherwell manager Robinson, whose side host the Ayrshire outfit in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday, described the abuse as “simply not acceptable” and assured Dyer that everyone in the game is supportive.

The Northern Irishman, who received a death threat to his children four years ago when he was Oldham manager, said: “I find it incomprehensible that people do that kind of stuff.

“It’s the modern society we live in. Abuse in any form is not acceptable.

“I think in general football managers are seen as fair game for some reason. You can say what you want, do what you want and no punishment seems to happen in general and obviously the racist element is just not acceptable in this day and age.

“It is 2021 we are going into not 1821 and I find some of the abuse unbelievable. Hopefully we can stamp it out.

“We fully support Alex and the football community is completely behind him, but so should society be.

“As I say, it seems to me you can say what you want about football managers, their families, abuse them, do what you want to do. But no form of racism or abuse is acceptable.

“We are going into 2021 and it would be nice to start the year with some positivity and not with the mindless idiots involved.”

Killie have lost their last five league games while Motherwell have drawn their last two matches to make it eight games in all competitions without a win.

However, Robinson insists the signs are good.

He said: “The last three games we were very good. Defensively we were very, very good against Rangers (lost 3-1).

“It is amazing that other people do that and get lauded as tactical geniuses and we are the scourge of football when we try to be defensive.

“We had a great performance against Aberdeen who are in third place and a dominant performance against Dundee United who are in fifth place, if I am right in saying.

“(These are) Big budgets, big football clubs, so we are not too far away.

“If we keep playing like that, keep that desire and energy and hunger and create those amount of chances we will be fine.”

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