Stephen Halliday: Dave Cormack playing to the gallery with his Celtic tweet

Dave Cormack’s Christmas Day tweet has probably provoked exactly the reaction the new Aberdeen chairman was hoping for.

Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack. Picture: Ross MacDonald / SNS

The American-based businessman’s broadside about the failure of Sam Cosgrove’s appeal against his red card at Celtic Park last weekend was straight out of Donald Trump’s populist playbook, right down to the fully capped-up words and exclamation mark.

Cormack even managed to come up with a Trump-like malapropism when accusing Kristoffer Ajer of making a meal of Cosgrove’s challenge – it’s triple salchow, Dave, not triple salvo.

That would matter little to the Aberdeen fans who lapped up Cormack’s sentiments, regarding him as having the fortitude to stand up to the big bad Scottish football establishment in Glasgow and enhancing his credentials, which he is so keen to promote, as one of the Red Army’s own.

Cormack’s considerable investment in the Pittodrie club, which includes naming their new training ground after himself, certainly entitles him to have his say. But his position as chairman also carries a duty to conduct himself responsibly and not make scattergun character assassinations of players at other clubs.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon was right to suggest the SFA Compliance Officer should be examining Cormack’s tweet. The new Dons supremo’s next visit to Hampden may be to face a notice of complaint.