Ally McCoist namechecks Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson in Rangers ‘Paranoia’ claim
Ally McCoist has said Rangers should avoid doubting the genuine intentions of officiating following defeat in the Scottish League Cup final.
The Ibrox legend, speaking in the Daily Record [19 December], denied his old club should follow that path, with many supporters having previously accused Celtic of “paranoia” including by chief executive Michael Nicholson.
Philippe Clement’s side are still reeling from their agonising Old Firm defeat on penalties as they conceded the trophy, having now received acknowledgement from officials chief Willie Collum that the VAR team were wrong not to award the Light Blues an extra-time penalty.
“Rangers shouldn’t even go down the road of questioning the integrity of officials. If we do that then the game is gone. Michael Nicholson last year went on about VAR and all that sort of stuff. It’s a dangerous game when you go down that road and questioning the integrity of officials,” McCoist explained.
“We used to accuse Celtic of paranoia when they wrote and complained to the SFA over the years. Michael Nicholson made that quip and was probably trying to get a clap from the audience but you can’t be saying that.
“There was a time back in the day when Celtic were accused of paranoia and there will be a train of thought that some refereeing decisions are going against Rangers and for Celtic BECAUSE of that. But that’s not the case.”
Rangers endure feeling of injustice but must bounce back
Rangers are in pain following their final defeat which while memorable for the neutral, is a sickening blow to take from their bitter rivals.
The officiating did not help in that moment – everyone is aware. It almost makes it more painful to recover from when you get an apology or acknowledgement from the boss of the referees.
McCoist, however, is right. To question the integrity of officials then opens a can of worms which the Ibrox icon believes was already burst open by previous claims made by Nicholson and Celtic. Every decision would get questioned with that spite – it would filter down Scotland’s divisions.
Rangers on the whole are in their most positive run of form of the season. Having seen what Tottenham have done to teams in an attacking sense since their trip to Glasgow and 1-1 draw [12 December], Clement’s men can realise the magnitude of the task they overcame on that recent European night.
The league gap is huge, borderline unassailable, and supporters are painfully aware of the fact. But there remains plenty to make this campaign a successful one.
January is integral, the festive period even more so, and the Scottish Cup and Europa League can add some acquired interest to the progress of the team this season.
In other Rangers news, an in-form forward at Ibrox will command a sizeable fee to be prised from the club.
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