Ryan Jack lucky not to be seriously hurt by Nicky Clark in Rangers vs St Johnstone – BBC Sport pundit
Ryan Jack was “lucky” not to be seriously injured by Nicky Clark in the Rangers win over St Johnstone, according to Stuart Dougal.
The Saints striker was shown a straight red card by Willie Collum in the 2-0 win at Ibrox on 28 January for a foul on the Gers midfielder, in a controversial sequence that saw confusing involvement from VAR before Jack himself escaped with a booking soon after.
The decision was subsequently overturned, with the foul being downgraded to a yellow card by the decision review panel, but ex-SPFL referee Dougal is absolutely certain it was a red card incident.
Appearing on BBC Sport’s The VARdict Dougal told Richard Foster that the review panel is usually not made up of former officials so their decision can be different to what referees will give, with former players and coaches plus some “lay people” from outside the game involved.
But he stuck to his assessment that Collum had been right in the first place, saying: “From a refereeing perspective, regardless of the overturn, [if] this happens next week, next month, [or] next year it’ll be a red card all day long.”
“The reason for that is it’s about protecting the players. The game doesn’t lend itself to players going in, in my opinion or the referee’s opinion, so high on an opponent.
“I think the Rangers player was just lucky he didn’t get a serious injury.”
Foster said: “We still don’t agree on that Nicky Clark one, doesn’t matter how many times we watch it.”
Dispute
There appears to be zero chance of a consensus on this challenge, as it was considered to be a harsh red following the game by Michael Stewart and James McFadden on BBC Sportscene (28 January).
The fact that Collum appeared not to make a decision until the video assistant belatedly made if for him, and that Jack immediately gave him a chance to even up the numbers which he did not take clouded the issue.
Clark’s challenge was the sort that is often given as a red and sometimes gets away with a yellow, so it is odd that it has been seen as clear enough of an incorrect decision to actually downgrade it.
That Dougal is so unequivocal and yet ex-players like Foster, Stewart and McFadden think the opposite shows why these arguments crop up so often.
Clearly, officials have updated rules so often that players, coaches and pundits don’t keep up with them properly, and even when they do the referees make such inconsistent decisions in different situations it undercuts it anyway.
Jack was lucky to come away without a proper injury, which made it all the more rash to risk causing one himself so soon after, on a day where the Light Blues recorded a comfortable win in the end.
In other Rangers news, one player who Michael Beale wants to keep in his team may not agree to stick around.