Joe Rothwell could have been sent off in Rangers win vs Alloa after new footage
Russell Martin has again come under fire at Rangers despite a 4-2 win over Alloa in the Scottish League Cup on Saturday.
The Light Blues took an early lead in the first half through Nedim Bajrami’s fine strike before being pegged back by a Joe Rothwell own goal.
Rangers eventually won the game 4-2 thanks to goals from Emmanuel Fernandez, James Tavernier, and Findlay Curtis, either side of dubious defending.
Supporters were disappointed with the performance against the League One side, with Rothwell particularly lucky to remain on the pitch after a moment to forget.
Ibrox News presents the exclusive opinion of former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee Keith Hackett.
Rothwell avoids red card vs Alloa thanks to ‘amazing refereeing’
Rothwell has come under a lot of fire for his performances in recent games.
The former Leeds United midfielder replaced Nico Raskin for their Scottish Premiership opener with Motherwell, where they were lucky to come away with a 1-1 draw.
Amid a scrappy equaliser for Alloa against the Gers in the 25th minute, Rothwell blocked a goalward shot with his hand before helping the ball into the back of the net.
Should referee Dan McFarlane have blown his whistle and given a penalty, there was no doubt that the midfielder would have been given a red card.
Ex-referee Keith Hackett– speaking exclusively to Ibrox News – believes the referee did well to let the play continue, in turn saving Rothwell.
“This was an excellent piece of officiating with the referee delaying his whistle, and the outcome was a goal,” he said.
“If the referee had awarded a penalty kick for the handball offence, he would have had to red card the player for denying an obvious goal.”
The incident was just another example of how much Martin’s side are getting away with, and the Gers boss must sort things out quickly.
Raskin to be back in the side against Club Brugge
Rangers face a quick turnaround with their Champions League game against Club Brugge on 19 August.
Martin could replace Rothwell with Raskin for the fixture, given the 30-year-old’s poor form.
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Nicolas Raskin | 184 | 11 | 16 |
| Joe Rothwell | 398 | 24 | 42 |
Martin has so far been keen to thrust his new signings straight into the line-up, which has proven costly when you have assets such as Raskin ready to play.
The Belgian has widely been regarded as one of the Light Blues’ best players, and it is about time that the Rangers boss sees that.
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