Michael Stewart and Kenny Miller clash on Sportscene as footage of Rangers v Hearts controversy emerges
Michael Stewart and Kenny Miller disagree over whether Steven McLean was right to disallow Scott Arfield’s goal as Rangers won 4-0 against Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.
While the disallowed goal had no bearing on the outcome of the Scottish Premiership showdown, Miller feels Arfield was robbed of a goal for a supposed foul on Craig Gordon by Rabbi Matondo.
Miller maintains it was Gordon who ran into Matondo but ex-Hearts midfielder Stewart feels it was Matondo who impeded the goalkeeper.
“I disagree,” Miller said on BBC Scotland’s Sportsound show on Saturday night (1 October, 17m29s).
“Scotty had another good afternoon. He’s always in the box, he’s always looking to score.
“Craig Gordon’s momentum takes him into Matondo, rather than [Matondo into Gordon]. It’s not Rabbi Matondo doing anything there.
“He can’t move. When you see it from another angle, there’s nothing there and it falls perfectly for Scotty. He could’ve had a couple of goals for himself and I’ve got to say, I didn’t agree with the decision.
“I know this man here (Stewart) is going to jump in.”
Stewart said: “How’s he not impeded the goalie?”
Miller replied: “Well, there’s nothing he could’ve done. He’s standing and holding his ground and Gordon’s momentum takes him into [Matondo].”
Stewart continued to disagree, saying: “It’s a foul all day long. I’m not surprised.
“But look, to be perfectly honest, it had no effect on the game. None whatsoever. Rangers were by far the better side and thoroughly deserved their victory.
“But there’s no doubt that the referee got that one right.”
Nonsense
It was never a foul.
If it was the other way around, you know that Stewart would be having a go at McLean’s decision.
But a good, grounded pundit like Miller would have no doubt seen it for was it was.
Gordon went into Matondo, it’s as simple as that.
If Gordon didn’t run into Matondo, Arfield still would have scored.
It was the Hearts man’s poor goalkeeping that led to the goal because he came charging out of his six-yard box to win a ball that he was never going to reach.
If he stayed on his line, he would have saved it.
Arfield was robbed of a goal but one thing Stewart got right is that the result of the game wasn’t effected by McLean’s poor decision.
Rangers were back in great form against the Jam Tarts in Edinburgh and we hope they can follow that up with a respectable performance and result on Merseyside on Tuesday when they play Liverpool in the Champions League.
In other Rangers news, this star player has rejected a new contract at Ibrox.