Willie Collum got his angles wrong when sending off John Lundstram at the weekend, according to former English Premier League ref Dermot Gallagher.
The Rangers midfielder was shown a straight red for a cynical foul on Martin Boyle during their 2-2 draw with Hibs at Easter Road. The Ibrox club have today appealed the decision in the iope that it is retrospectively downgraded to a yellow and his case will be heard by an SFA disciplinary panel this week.
A similar challenge by Jake Doyle-Hayes on Lundstram earlier in the match didn’t result in a red card, which prompted a furious reaction from the visiting players after Lundstram was handed a harsher punishment. Gallagher, who was reviewing Collum’s calls on Sky Sports, believes that the angles the man in the middle saw both tackles from was the reason he saw one as being worse than the other, when both should have been cautions.
And he drew comparisons with Kieran Trippier’s overturned dismissal in Newcastle’s 3-3 draw with Manchester City to highlight the importance of the referee’s position.
“I think they’re carbon copies,” he said. “You look at the referee’s view and where he is, they are almost carbon copy incidents. I can understand why the referee has given a red card on the day but if he looks back on that, he will think the same as Jarred [Gillett] did with Kieran Trippier; that it wasn’t the tackle he thought.
“Lundstram was very, very unlucky and a yellow card would have been enough. It’s cynical, not dangerous and it’s not serious foul play.”
An earlier challenge on Lundstram from Jake Doyle-Hayes avoided similar punishment. That stoked the ire of Rangers, and Gallagher believes they have a fair point.
He added: “Here, it’s as the referee sees it as well and that’s the difference between the two tackles. They;re both yellow cards,but I think he sees that as lower. The one where he’s got the different angle, he thinks Lundstram is much higher. It’s a glancing blow rather than a kick out at the knee, but for me they’re both yellow cards.
Fellow pundit Stephen Warnock agreed, but believes Lundstram’s challenged looked worse. He explained: “The big thing on both challenges is the position of the referee and that is what makes your mind up. It actually looks worse in the way that it’s been carried out. Both challenges are yellow cards but the second challenge looks worse.”
Gallagher could make no excuses for Alfredo Morelos, however. The Colombian was given his marching orders for an elbow on Marijan Cabraja, and the former whistler was in full agreement with that decision.
He added: “I don't think he can have any complaints whatsoever. He feels him out the first time then goes in the second time. He’s had one go and it’s quite deliberate. When you see the picture he [the assistant] is very, very close and he’s got a great view of it. He sees it sideways and that’s key in these incidents. He flags immediately and relays to Willie Collum that he’s caught him in the face with his arm. He thinks it’s deliberate, which I do. Red card.
“The clenched fist is when you throw your elbow as a weapon. Morelos has almost thrown his forearm and hits him with that rather than the elbow itself.”
Warnock offered the theory that the Hibs players knew they could rile Morelos up. He said: “They know it’s Morelos so they’re trying to aggravate him, almost like what we saw with Darwin Nunez last week. Try and get in his face, rile him up and get him frustrated. He has a feel, then goes slightly too high on it. I don;t think he’s trying to be too aggressive but once you raise your arms, you leave yourself in a vulnerable position and open to the referee to make a decision.”
Collum’s decision to award Rangers a penalty after Rocky Bushiri was adjudged to have fouled Antonio Colak in the box as he closed down David Marshall has also been criticised. Lee Johnson wasn’t happy with the call on the stroke of half time, but Gallagher wasn't on the same page.
“He grabs him round the waist and if referees aren’t going to penalise that kind of thing, then you give the defender a free role to do whatever he wants. You see clearly he grabs him round the waist so it’s a penalty and a yellow card.
People ask why isn't it a red card? But if you look, the forward isn’t in possession of the ball. That’s the first criteria. Would he gain possession? I think not because it’s going through to the goalkeeper.”
As to whether Hibs should have had a spot kick of their own after Tavernier’s challenge on Bushiri at the other end, Gallagher said: The difference here is that there were only two players involved. One can quite clearly see that in this instance, there’s actually two hibs players around Tavernier and one is all over him. The referee doesn’t take sides. Does he penalise the Hibs player for Tavernier or does he penalise Tavernier? He decides to play on and I thought it was a good call.”
There were also two red cards when the other Glasgow and Edinburgh sides did battle the following day. Hearts ended their 2-0 defeat to Celtic with nine-men after Alex Cochrane and Toby Sibbick both collected double yellows., which were clear cut in Gallagher’s opinion.
“Already on a yellow card, you just can’t do this, can you?” he said of Cochrane. “Why do it in that area of the field? The same for the other player as well. He’d also had a yellow card earlier on.
“They ended up with nine men, which is a pity really as you don’t want to see that but I don’t know how you can defend that. They’re on yellow cards, there’s no need to do it. I don't want to see teams reduced to nine men but, I don’t think the referee has any choice."
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