Barry Ferguson shares brutally honest Rangers truth after Mikey Moore controversy vs Livingston
Barry Ferguson can’t believe Ryan Lee didn’t call a foul on Mikey Moore in the final minutes of the game as Rangers drew against Livingston on Sunday.
Danny Rohl’s team travelled to Almondvale Stadium on 22 February, making a comeback after going two goals behind to secure a point in the 2-2 draw.
With the game level in the 94th minute, Moore ran in behind Livi’s defence but was taken out by Cammy Kerr, and footage later showed it should’ve been a foul, with the initial contact possibly outside the box.
While Ferguson realises that whether the referee should’ve awarded a penalty is debatable, what can’t be disputed is the fact that the Tottenham loanee clearly had a chance to score and was impeded, but the on-field official didn’t consider it a foul.
Willie Collum has questions to answer after VAR debacle in Livingston vs Rangers
David Dickinson, the VAR for the game, determined that the possible foul on Moore was outside the box and didn’t deny a goalscoring opportunity, and as a result, the on-field decision stood.
One can excuse Lee for not thinking Kerr illegally stopped the forward from going through on goal, but VAR could’ve surely taken things back and called for a free-kick considering what’s at stake in the William Hill Premiership.
Hearts have increased the gap at the top of the table, and Willie Collum will be in for a reckoning from fans in G51 to explain the standards of refereeing in Scotland.
Ferguson is rightly aggrieved by Lee’s refusal to award the Glaswegian outfit a foul, and is worried about what it means for the on-field official to miss something that was surely such an obvious decision.
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show on 23 February, the Gers icon said, “What blows my mind is that the referee doesn’t give a foul. I honestly don’t get it. It absolutely baffles me. It’s a clear foul. Whether it’s outside or inside the box is debatable, but for me, I just don’t understand why the referee hasn’t given a foul.
“For me, I think it’s just on the line. The worrying thing for me is that the referee doesn’t think it’s a foul. The referee is in a good position, in my mind. How he doesn’t think it’s a foul on Moore, I just don’t get it if I’m being brutally honest.”
Danny Rohl has to take blame for one decision after draw at Almondvale Stadium
Playing two strikers up top has been working well for Rangers in recent weeks, and while Ryan Naderi may not have been fit enough to start, Rohl had Miovski on the bench.
Youssef Chermiti was back to his usual self against Livingston, and the Portugal Under-21 international was anonymous in West Lothian.
The German manager has to take the blame for the Gers’ poor performance in the opening 45 minutes, with the Glaswegian outfit only coming to life later in the match.
There’s still a long way to go in the league, but consistency will be key if the Govan side want to end the season on a special note at Ibrox.
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