‘Pandemonium’ as Willie Collum blasted over latest Rangers controversy
Rangers have had their fair share of refereeing decisions go against them.
Rangers were the victim of an awful decision against Hearts, where Lawrence Shankland handled the ball in the lead-up to the second goal.
Against Dundee United last season, Rangers were on the wrong end of one of the worst VAR decisions, seen since its introduction, when Mohamed Diomande was sent off.
All of these decisions have led to frustrations against officials from Gers fans, who just want consistency in officiating.
Willie Collum defends ‘baffling’ decisions
Willie Collum has been at the centre of plenty of refereeing controversies surrounding Rangers in the past few seasons.
Writing in the Sunday Mail [Page 97, 21 September] Hugh Keevin was critical of Collum and his reassurance that the SFA was in control of the refereeing mistakes.
He said: “Last week, I nominated the SFA’s Head of Referee Operations, Willie Collum, for quote of the season. The voting for that has now closed.
Willie said, “It’s vital we eradicate decisions people just don’t understand.”
Keevin then went on to list the number of high-profile mistakes made since Collum’s statement, including the Shankland handball.
‘Pandemonium has broken out since then. An unfathomable penalty was awarded to Celtic at Kilmarnock. Tribunals held to adjudicate on baffling red cards.
Lawrence Shankland’s handball before scoring against Rangers. Etc., etc. Willie’s transparency has been applauded and not doubted. But it’s the number of times he’s required to be transparent that’s the problem.’
| Scottish Premiership season stats | Rangers |
| Fouls per game | 12.8 |
| Yellow cards | 14 |
| Red cards | 1 |
Rangers fans have seen some awful calls against their side, and it appears as though that trend is continuing based on recent evidence.
Rangers bounce back from Hearts disaster
Rangers defeated Hibs 2-0 on Saturday, in a vital win for manager Russell Martin and his team.
Rangers needed to react to last weekend’s defeat to Hearts, where, despite the awful Shankland decision, they were second best and deserved to lose.
The game at Ibrox was suspended momentarily as fans held up a banner saying “delaying the inevitable, Martin must go”, and threw plastic balls onto the pitch.
Rangers eventually did get the win that sees them into the semi-final of the Premier Sports Cup, with no real refereeing controversy.
Hopefully, this can be the spark to ignite the season; otherwise, the atmosphere at Ibrox will continue to be toxic.
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