George Overhill

Sat 28 January 2023 20:40, UK

Michael Stewart and James McFadden were both unimpressed by Willie Collum’s decision to red card Nicky Clark against Rangers at Ibrox.

The St Johnstone man was sent off in the first half of the Light Blues’ 2-0 win on Saturday (28 January) for a heavy challenge on Ryan Jack, but both pundits said it was the wrong call.

They also were bemused by the involvement of VAR in the sending off, with a delay before the referee produced a card, but without a check by Collum on the pitch-side monitor.

Speaking live on BBC Sportscene on Saturday evening (28 January, 8.06pm) Steven Thompson asked if Collum had got the decision right and McFadden said: “He had some game didn’t he? No he didn’t [get it right]. Initially it wasn’t even given [as] a foul.

“[He] took a long time to make that decision that it was a red card, then that flashes up on the screen, ‘VAR Decision. Red card.’ He never looked [at the screen] and there was no initial decision to say it was under review either.”

Thompson asked Stewart why the official didn’t check the screen and he said: “It’s a very good question because it appears like VAR wasn’t involved, but it was. It was almost a minute from when the foul was given to then the red card coming out.

“We all know that Willie Collum is quick to pull cards out. He obviously wasn’t sure about what was going on.

“If VAR are saying to him, ‘That’s a red card’, then he should have been going to look at it on the screen. He didn’t and he’s just pulled the red card out.

“If it was his decision solely, then why has it come up on the screen? And by the way, whatever it was, it’s the wrong call. It shouldn’t have been given.

“So when you’re Callum Davidson, you understand why you’re a bit annoyed.”

Confused

It was a soft sending off but they are sometimes given, although the way it was reached did seem to make little sense between the officials.

VAR’s midseason introduction has already led to endless complaints about its use, and the way this incident played out won’t help with that.

It appears that Collum himself didn’t think it was worthy of a card, before the video assistant got involved and said that it deserved a red, leading him to immediately produce one and stick with it, but the lack of clarity means it is impossible to really tell.

If the challenge was being reviewed by VAR then it should have been clearly pointed out, and Collum should have been sent to the monitor to decide, then at least the process would have been right even if people disagreed with the eventual decision.

That he did go to the monitor for a later challenge by Jack made his failure to do so for the sending off all the more confusing.

Rangers looked good for the win because they started strongly and St Johnstone never posed a major threat, but given the visitors needed plenty of luck to get a win it didn’t look like that got much at all.

In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton reacted to confusion in the BT Studio with a sarcastic jibe at the Light Blues.