The Scottish Premiership is no stranger to a fiery contest and can often serve up plenty of shenanigans.
In recent years we’ve had a full on-pitch rammy involving Hearts and Hibs players and staff, Dundee boss Neil McCann clashing with St Johnstone’s Tommy Wright, and plenty others.
Aberdeen and Motherwell were the latest to get heated in the intensity of the battle as the former tried in vain to get their season back on track and the latter kept their own impressive campaign going with a 2-0 win.
A first half red card for Slobodan Rubezic didn’t help the Dons and it was a decision that former referee Dermot Gallagher agreed with as he pored over it for Ref Watch.
However, two other pundits were split on it as it was claimed Motherwell star Tony Watt ‘knew what he was doing’ in winding Rubezic up.
The incident came minutes before half-time and it would appear it spilled over into the break, with the Steelmen going 2-0 up in between which probably didn’t help Aberdeen’s frustrations.
Motherwell and Aberdeen clash at half-time
The Dons were furious about the sending off and Watt’s part in it and clearly let that emotion show.
It was known at the time that Aberdeen coach Peter Leven and Motherwell counterpart Ricky Foster had both been sent off at the break and it has now been revealed why.
Watt, appearing on the Open Goal podcast, has told how an angered Leven was waiting for him in the tunnel and that resulted in some argy-bargy with Foster.
He said: “Peter Leven is still waiting in the tunnel for me. He was waiting for me in the tunnel wanting a square go.
“He was standing there waiting. That’s why him and Ricky Foster had a wee ding-doing.
“I was walking in just like ‘what we going to do at half-time? I’m going to punch you and get sent off?’
“How stupid could you be?”
Expanding on the actual incident with Rubezic, he went on: “It was strange. First minute, I’ve went up for a header and he’s tried to leave one on me. But he’s bounced off me and fell down.
“So I said ‘get up stupid’. If you’re going to leave one on me, at least do it!
“After he grabbed me, I was like ‘what are you doing? Do you think you’re a hardman or something? I just don’t get it.’
“And then he’s dived before the headbutt and then I’ve thought ‘right, sound’. Headered me and I’ve went down.”
Watt ‘surprised’ by Dundee United exit
During the same podcast appearance, Watt explained how he was “surprised” by how Dundee United handled his loan exit for Motherwell in the summer.
He said: “I’m just surprised how it was handled. I spoke to Jim Goodwin at the end of last season and he was going to speak to people in the summer.
“And I said to him at the end of season awards, ‘do I need to speak to you over the summer?’ And he went ‘no’.
“We got a new head of recruitment and whatever and then we came back and the first couple of weeks, I thought I was going to be in about it.
“The manager speaks to us and says ‘everybody’s got to get minutes’ but they had told (Liam) Grimshaw that he had to go. But he was getting on (the pitch) before me and I’m saying, ‘what’s going on here? Something isn’t right’.
“And I knew. I just wish it was handled a bit better but look, we had a good time last year and I cannot complain. I’ve ended up back at Motherwell and I can’t complain.”