SEYMOUR SKINNER wasn't the first to notice, but, he perhaps said it best when he told Groundskeeper Willie that the Scots were a contentious race. Generations of us born, brought-up and living in God's Country could have told him that lang syne. We love to fight, principally with the English, but, if nobody else will humour us with “a square go” - well, we quite happily fight among ourselves.
Brendan Rodgers may have been born in County Antrim – close to Scotland but not Scotland, However, he appears to have, in his two spells with Celtic, picked-up our penchant for arguing with authority. Or, is his outburst against John Beaton, which has earned him an invitation to come into Hampden for a dressing down, another example of the entitlement which appears to afflict the movers and shakers on both sides of the Old Firm divide.
OK, received wisdom has it that Rodgers and Beaton have “previous” but it seems to me, inside both Celtic Park and Ibrox there is a belief that their team should get every decision, every benefit, and not have to pay for it.
Of course, it doesn't help that, in introducing technology, apparently to assist referees, football got it badly wrong. But, when it comes to on-field discipline, “The Beautiful Game” has been an ugly place for years.
Rugby Union's TMO system isn't perfect, but it has Football's VAR system beaten all ends up. If Football had the same system as Rugby Union, here's how the Red Card incident which so-upset Rodgers would have played out.
Yang and Cochrane have their coming together, Yang is seen to kick Cochrane in the head
Don Robertson runs over and shows Yang a yellow card
YANG LEAVES THE FIELD FOR TEN MINUTES IN THE SIN BIN
John Beaton says “Review” - then tells Robertson: “I am going to show you another angle on this incident.”
They then review the incident as they deem necessary. They establish:
There was contact
Assess degree of force
Assess Yang's duty of car to an opponent
THE REFEREE then decides if the yellow card was sufficient punishment, or if the penalty should be upgraded to a red card
All of this decision-making would be done via the big screen at the ground, visible to the crowd. Those fans who had purchased the “referee mike” option would have heard the entire exchange between referee and TMO and would be aware of how the final decision had been made.
Yang might still have rceived a red card, however, since he was going off for ten minutes either way – the spectators would have had clarity.
Alex Cochrane would, in Rugby Union, also have to leave the field for an HIA (Head Injury Assessment), this would mean him being off the park for up to ten minutes, but, he could be temporarily replaced during this time.
I have long argued, Association Football is the most free-form of all the various types of football played, as such, certainly at elite level, played discipline should be stricter to allow the game to flourish. The current system whereby players who are cautioned and shown a yellow card are allowed to remain on the park is a nonsense and ought to be tightened-up.
The way players get away with cynical fouls, which go against the spirit of the game – jersey-pulling, blatant trips etc – yet are allowed to remain on the field, it makes Football a laughing stock. Get them off the park for a spell, to reflect on their failings, it just might make for a cleaner, better game.
And, those coaches who refuse to discipline their players, I reckon, after a while and a few losses, they would be forced out of the game. For instance, in Rugby Union, it is rare to see more than a couple of yellow cards per game. In football, sometimes it is normal for more than half of one formation to be carrying yellow cards.
If each yellow card offence meant time off the pitch, you would see games of 8 v 11, with the side with more players scoring more goals. It would be a very-dumb board of directors not to take action to improve team discipline and make for a better game.
So, it's down to the game's movers and shakers.
Sort out the operation of VAR
make it clear and concise
let the spectators know what is happening
then back the officials. Of course, mistakes will happen, that's the human element
Go back to “The referee is the sole judge of fact”.
Accept the decision
Tell the clubs – that's the decision, if you don't accept it, if your manager/head coach or any of the player dissents, we will punish them
Then, we might have a game worth watching, a healthier game.
And remind the press – “Facts are sacred but comment is free.”
VAR was again an issue on Thursday night, during the Benfica v Rangers Europa League meeting. Rangers conceded a penalty goal, following a VAR intervention, but, for once, this goal didn't overshadow what was a terrific match.
Some of the individual skills, particularly from the Portugeuse side, were of the highest order. Rangers bent a few times, but, they didn't buckle, took their chances and emerged with a draw. The second leg ought to be a cracker.
But, about that penalty.
No doubt, the ball hit John Souttar's arm, so, that justified the penalty. However, to my mind, just as in the Celtic game on Sunday, while the decision was correct “In Law” it again demonstrated, the game's lawmakers haven't got it right. They really need to sort-out this whole business about “Arms in an un-natural position.”
If players are going up to head the ball, almost invariable their arms go out to help stability, so, that makes an outstretched arm “natural” I would suggest. In both penalties, the ball came quickly off another legal part of the body, which seemed unfair – the players had only a split-second to react, which is impossible.
Surely it would be possible to re-write the Laws so that, for instance:
Straight ball to arm – a penalty every time
Ball to arm via another part of the body – no penalty play on.
OK, I accept, there would probably be occasions when a penalty via protocol 1 was unfair, but, everyone would have clarity, and, we could prevent most of the whining and moaning from managers and coaches, and perhaps save a few trees from the over the top press reaction.
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