If you looked up the definition of a ‘brass neck’ in the dictionary, you’d probably see the picture of a Celtic fan, especially if you look at some of the refereeing decisions that have gone against Rangers in this season’s Old Firm derbies.
Penalty calls and a disallowed goal have all favoured the Parkhead side which has made the narrow margin defeats even harder to take.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement would probably have wanted a couple of more players back in his squad, but at Ibrox on Sunday, he will be hoping that the Old Firm doesn’t hinge on what we have seen already this campaign.
Rangers haven’t had any Old Firm favours from referees this year
Starting with the beginning of the end for Michael Beale.
The first derby of the season and with the score at 0-0.
Rangers had started well and when Cyriel Dessers caught Gustaf Lagerbielke napping to play in Kemar Roofe, it looked as if a turner had finally been turned.
The goal was controversially disallowed and when Kyogo capitalised on a mistake from the Light Blues defence, the points, and Beale’s fate, were sealed.
Neil McCann, at the time, wasn’t happy with the call:
“I know we are going to see a slow motion from another angle here where Dessers gets in front and the law would suggest if you stop a players forward motion in the kick then it’s a foul. I disagree with that because he is getting himself between ball and man. He’s muscled Lagerbielke off the ball and I think the goal should stand.
“Lagerbielke has actually kicked Dessers just by getting himself in front. That happens 20 times a game and whether the law is there or not I don’t think that should have been given a foul and it was a legitimate goal in my opinion.”
Even Charlie Mulgrew admitted that, had Dessers gone down, it would have been a free-kick to Rangers, work that one out.
The law about defenders being in a kicking action is pretty clear, but Lagerbielke wasn’t trying to kick the ball, he was just changing direction.
As McCann said, if this is a foul, so is almost every tackle.
Next up, the controversial derby before the winter break.
Not so much because of why Alistair Johnston wasn’t penalised for a blatant handball but the how.
Subsequent statements by the SFA have shown that Nick Walsh should have been referred by Willie Collum to look at the incident again at the monitor before checking for offside in the build up.
Instead, a goal kick was given to Celtic.
Johston was also responsible for fouling Dessers in a similar way to which the striker was punished at Ibrox and that’s before we consider that the Celtic right back seemed immune to a second yellow card despite elbowing a Rangers player in the face – an incident that was seen by the referee.
Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports ref watch adjudged him to be a very lucky boy.
“There’s a few issues. Alistair Johnston rode his luck on Saturday because he was fortunate not to give a penalty away and he could easily have been sent off later in the game but that’s the nature of the game.”
Rangers haven’t had a single big decision or refereeing mistake going in their favour in any of the Old Firm derbies this season, and yet, you would think we were getting penalties every game and Celtic were getting players sent off.
Either way, you just know by full-time on Sunday, that John Beaton’s ears will be ringing.
