Dundee chief executive Scott Gardiner has revealed talks have taken place with John Brown to ensure he stops getting into trouble with the SFA especially over his comments about Rangers.
The outspoken Dens Park manager will appear at Hampden next Thursday to contest two notice of complaints over remarks made in the media.
As well as being pulled up for accusing former Dundee goalkeeper Robert Douglas of telling lies about their fall-out, the 51-year-old has been cited for making “offensive” comments “suggesting the use of violence” regarding an interview about his former club Rangers and one-time Ibrox chief executive Charles Green.
After Green said manager Ally McCoist faced a problem if he did not win a major cup this season, Brown said: “If my own directors had said that about me, I would have taken every one of them by the throat.”
However, Gardiner is keen to improve the club’s image on the back of investment from American group Keyes Capital.
He said: “We’ve had a conversation with John and the Americans have been part of that. It wasn’t negative and we discussed our position. We didn’t say ‘you must not say this’.
“You’re trying to set the standards and parameters. John knows his part now and how we intend to conduct ourselves as a football club.
“Unfortunately, he can’t be the go-to-guy for Rangers stories now because it’s nothing to do with him.
“For Dundee fans, it’s very important that his focus is only on Dundee. That’s a big problem for us. Dundee fans have to fully believe that their manager is only concerned about the well-being of their team.
“I’m working hard to get the club back to where it was off the field, earning respect and behaving in a certain manner as it once did and was respected for.
“John knows his part now and how we intend to conduct ourselves as a football club.”
A favourite during his playing days on Tayside, Brown’s fighting qualities were part of the reason the club appointed him initially as interim manager in February.
Gardiner said: “John is John. I’ve known him for a long time so we knew we weren’t bringing a shrinking violet into the club. In the position we were, the last thing we needed was a shrinking violet.
“Sadly you’re not able just to tell people what you think and it’s not acceptable to the SFA for a manager just to tell you what he thinks. So we have to address that.
“Your truth is someone else’s disrepute charge.”