Ex-Scottish top-flight whistler Bobby Madden delivered his verdict on three major incidents at Rugby Park…
Goals from skipper Callum McGregor and red-hot Nicolas Kuhn sealed the points in Ayrshire for Celtic who had to deal with a Kilmarnock onslaught for majority of the match.
Derek McInnes’ side will have been disappointed not to have taken anything from the game, and Brendan Rodgers had Danish stopper Kasper Schmeichel to thank for keeping his team ahead in the encounter on Sunday.
Nick Walsh had a busy afternoon
Referee Nick Walsh had a busy afternoon producing six yellow cards. Post-match, three incidents have been analysed as possible red cards that the officials both onfield and in Clydesdale House adjudged to have been only cautionable offences.
The first talking point was after four minutes when Kilmarnock defender Joe Wright [who has already been sent off three times this season]smashed his left arm into the face of Hoops striker Adam Idah. Subsequently, Idah was left with a bloody nose, but Walsh only opted for a yellow card.
Bobby Madden has his say
Taking to Instagram, Bobby Madden who left Scottish football for the English Football League in 2022, said, “consideration for the referee is does the Kilmarnock player [Joe Wright] use his arm as a weapon or as a tool? I think you can see he never once looks at the Celtic player [Idah], using his arm for leverage, therefore the yellow card is correct.”
Only Reo merited a red according to Madden
Reo Hatate’s lunging challenge on Liam Donnelly has garnered much commentary over the past few days. Madden, commenting on his Instagram account, believes that Don Robertson should have recommended an onfield review, and the yellow card should have been upgraded to red.
“Here you see the Celtic player [Hatate] misjudge the ball, and then lunges in and makes contact with the studs on the knee. Undoubtedly, this should be a red card for serious foul play as it endangers the safety of the opponent. The contact is there, so a red card should have been recommended by VAR.”
Finally, Liam Donnelly was shown a yellow card himself after attempting to elbow Kasper Schmeichel but failing to make any contact. The act by the Killie midfielder angered Celtic’s Great Dane who was visibly raging with Donnelly’s actions.
However, Madden backed up his former colleague Nick Walsh, “yellow card is correct,” he said. “[Donnelly] shows a disregard for his opponent [Schmeichel]. Strike or attempt to strike was removed from the law as a red card 10 years ago. So, a yellow card for disregard is correct.”
The VAR Review show will be entertaining
It will be interesting to read the SFA’s KMI report on all three incidents. We will no doubt get to hear VAR audio, and Head of Referee Willie Collum deconstruct why no red card’s were shown on ‘The VAR Review’ show which is aired every month on the Scottish FA YouTube channel.
Madden fails to mention the kick in the head Anthony Ralston received, it’s still only Yang who gets sent off for that one. Watch this…
Conor Spence
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It’s becoming concerning that people are concerned about players heading balls in matches yet the same people see no issue with a player being elbowed in the face or head in general.
Even in rugby, any contact with the head, is a minimum of ten minutes off the park and a maximum red card.
I guess if you ask enough people eventually you get one who finally gives you the answer you wanted to hear! No matter how wrong it was or is!
Bobby and leopards never change their stripes.
Like asking the Pope if he’s a Catholic.
Surprisingly a Rangers supporter thinks it was a red card, I wonder what Kris Boyd thinks?? Says its a red because he didn’t try and pull out whereas Dermot Gallagher says it wasn’t a red because he did try to pull out. Really concerning that two referees looking at a replay under no time constraint opt for two opposite opinions, what chance do referees during a match have??
Elbow was a clear red card as well, apparently it wasn’t because he didn’t look at the Celtic player beforehand, but Celtic were defending a free kick on the edge of the box, where else is the Celtic player going to be coming from??? Apparently a natural movement for a player jumping, except the other elbow, not on the side Celtic players were coming from, didn’t get thrust back!