Aziz Behich has shrugged off the pelters he received from Rangers fans — with the Dundee United ace insisting he endured MUCH worse during his time in Turkey.
The 32-year-old was public enemy number one among the home fans on Saturday after hitting the deck as he closed down James Tavernier near the corner flag in the first half, claiming he was struck by a flailing arm.
The Gers captain was booked despite relatively limited contact.
Behich was also happy to get stuck into a few meaty tackles and clashed with Todd Cantwell.
But despite his every touch being booed, the former Bursaspor and Istanbul Basaksehir ace insists his afternoon in Govan was nothing out of the ordinary.
“It’s all part of the game,” Behich smiled. “I’ve had a lot more stick than that in Turkey!
“They (Rangers fans) were pretty friendly by comparison.
“Once the whistle blows and the game is finished, you shake hands and move on. Whatever happens in the 90 minutes is fine; we are competitors and fighting for our team and fans.”
Going the extra mile
Behich left the field to a cacophony of jeers when he was replaced by Ilmari Niskanen with 15 minutes left on the clock.
But the United full-back revealed that decision was due to slight fatigue following a packed schedule of three games in eight days, having started both of Australia’s friendlies against Ecuador in Sydney during the recent international dates.
And despite only arriving back in Scotland on Friday, Behich was determined to make himself available.
“It’s been a long year for myself — non-stop — and I only got back into Scotland 24 hours before the Rangers game,” he continued. “It was my third game in a short spell, travelling for about 60 hours!
“But I’m doing what I can to help the team and I’ll always put the team first. There’s not long left (in the season) and you’ve just got to grind it out.
“I felt alright until towards the end. For us Australian internationals, it’s not easy with the travel. Towards the end, there was a bit of fatigue and the gaffer said not to take any chances. There are big games coming up.”
Undimmed belief
The first of those big games is Hibernian’s visit to Tannadice next Sunday.
United are six points adrift of guaranteed safety with eight fixtures to play.
“A dressing room can go one way or the other — and with this bunch of boys, I can only see it going one way,” Behich insisted.
“I’ve been in relegation battles before and come out on top. We are a tight-knit group in this dressing room and I am very positive we’ll get out of this position.
“It will be a completely different game against Hibs. We’ve got to really get at them, at home.”
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