JACKIE MCNAMARA has called for calm ahead of Sunday's League Cup Final.

 

The Dundee United manager was speaking as he prepared to put in motion an appeal against the red card shown to Paul Paton during yesterday's Scottish Cup quarter final draw with Celtic.

The United midfielder was one of three players sent off by ref Craig Thomson - Virgil van Dijk went with him for his part in the same early melee, while Paul Dixon was shown red for preventing a goal by the use of an arm - in a game which crackled throughout.

The fear there may be a carry over of emotions to Hampden next weekend is recognised by McNamara.

But he wants everyone to take a deep breath and said: "We need cool heads for next week.

"It is an important game. And, once you take it all away, the discipline side needs to be better.

"What happened yesterday should not impact on next week. It's a chance for silverware and for the lads to create a bit of history.

"To be honest, taking away that side of things, we should be talking about the football rather than the ugly scenes."

McNamara is not only convinced Paton was wrongly identified and punished - it was Calum Butcher who tangled with van Dijk - but that the initial challenge by Scott Brown on Nadir Ciftci was the worst part of the early flash point.

"Paul feels a bit hard done to for being sent off for nothing," said the Tannadice boss. "He wasn't involved in the incident.

"I think the referee should have dealt with the original challenge.

"It was a bad challenge which sparked the whole thing off, and which went unnoticed.

"I thought it was a two-footed challenge off the deck. But it didn't get dealt with properly."

McNamara was also not in agreement with Ronny Deila's assessment of the penalty which gave United the lead, Aidan Connolly going down after a slight coming together with Anthony Stokes.

The Hoops boss claimed it was simulation, but his United counterpart said: "I don't think he dived.

"I think he has caught him, although he hasn't caught him on the leg.

"He has jinked past Bitton, and Stokes has come in. It has been thigh-on-thigh, and Aidan has gone down as he got in front of him.

"If it had been outside the box, would it have been a free kick? Yes.

"It might have been soft, but it was a penalty."