Willie Collum hailed after speaking out on decision that contributed to Russell Martin sack at Rangers
Rangers were on the wrong end of a controversial decision in their recent defeat to Hearts.
It has been a dreadful start to the season for Rangers, who, after seven games, have picked up just one win in the league.
Rangers suffered a 2-0 defeat against Hearts back in September, which was one of several awful results under Russell Martin’s tenure at Ibrox.
However, the defeat wasn’t without controversy, with Willie Collum praised for what he had to say about the incident.
VAR error clarified after Rangers vs Hearts controversy
Given the 2-0 scoreline, the controversy didn’t necessarily change the result, but it certainly contributed to it.
Gordon Duncan was covering the clash for Sky Sports and described how Rangers fans were “furious” at the time, with a lot of that anger directed towards Martin for the way he masterminded the Light Blues’ demise.
Lawrence Shankland appeared to have handled the ball in the build-up to Hearts’ opening goal, with Collum admitting that the goal should have been disallowed.
Now, former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has praised Collum for attempting to clarify the mistake.
Speaking exclusively to Ibrox News, he said: “I support Willie Collum in his approach to his role by giving clarity to an incident.
“His approach of transparency will educate and inform the referees under his control on what he expects in future in similar situations. It educates and informs all participants in the game.
“There is a great deal of subjectivity in law interpretation, but in this particular incident, it is evident that this goal should have been ruled out.
“You cannot allow a goal to stand even if the ball has accidentally come off the hand or arm.”
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Russell Martin should have been sacked after Hearts defeat
Rangers have little to no hope of finding success in the league this season, and a lot of that is down to how long it took them to remove Martin from his position.
There is already an 11-point gap at the top of the table, though that could have been reduced significantly had the 49ers listened to the Ibrox support.
It was clear very quickly that his tenure was going to end in misery, and that was only amplified after the defeat to Hearts.
With Danny Rohl in line for the Rangers job, among several others, they face a near-impossible task of rebuilding a side that had been stripped of their identity under Martin.
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