Scott Allan believes Rangers are the first to lose out thanks to the timing of VAR’s introduction to Scottish football.
Gio van Bronckhorst’s side slipped two points behind Celtic at the weekend after their controversial 2-2- draw with Hibs on Saturday. John Lundstram was shown a straight red card with the visitors leading 2-1 at Easter Road, before Alfredo Morelos was later dismissed for a flailing arm on Marijan Cabraja.
Lee Johnson’s men eventually capitalised on their two-man advantage when Josh Campbell fired home a stunning stoppage time equaliser to ensure a share of the spoils in Leith. But Allan reckons VAR would have overturned Lundstram’s sending off had it been in place from the start of the season, rather than being introduced after the World Cup in December. The former Hibs star reckons Lundstram’s challenge on Martin Boyle was only worthy of a yellow, and compared it to a similar challenge by Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier, which was downgraded from a red to a yellow after a review.
And Allan pointed out the disadvantage that some teams could face in the early part of the season before VAR is rolled out across the Scottish premiership. He told Sky Sports: “For me, it’s never a red card. It’s a professional foul. You saw yesterday in the English Premier League game between Newcastle and Man City, it’s self explanatory. If you look at it with VAR, it’s a yellow card all day for me.
“The problem is with VRA getting introduced halfway through the season, these results will have an impact on clubs winning leagues, clubs going down and prize money for the Champions league. The sooner we get it in the better to even these things up.”
As for Morelos’ dismissal, Allan was less convinced than some other pundits. He added: “It’s debatable for me. It probably is a red card. At that time of the game, it definitely gave Hibs the impetus to go and get the equaliser and that’s what proved to be.
“These decisions have an impact on games, but from a Hibs point of view, the Youan-Boyle partnership is definitely a positive. Tom Lawrence again has been the shining light for Rangers in the last couple of weeks”
There could be further twists in the title race next weekend with Rangers travelling to face Ross County on Saturday before Celtic hosts Dundee United a day later. Allan admits he’s been surprised at how his former club have struggled under Jack Ross following their heavy home defeat to St Mirren,
“I have been surprised,” he said. “Looking at their squad from the outside they’ve got a good mix of experience and young players coming through. There's no question that the defeat against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League has had an impact on that team. They need to pick up results quickly. There’s a lot of grumblings amongst the fans up there. But in my eyes, they do have enough quality to turn it around.
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