Rangers star accused of ‘practicing’ St Mirren flashpoint as former referee blasts ‘appalling overreaction’
Rangers were awarded a first half penalty in controversial circumstances in Paisley
Rangers left back James Penrice has been accused of an ‘appalling overreaction’ for going down in the box against St Mirren by former referee Steve Conroy, who thinks it wasn’t his first rodeo.
In their 2-0 victory in Paisley, the Scotsman hit the deck following a challenge from Buddies midfielder Thomas Ramos. Referee Nick Walsh instantly pointed to the spot, however replays showed that there was minimal contact on Penrice. Despite this, VAR chose not to intervene and the penalty was scored by striker Ryan Naderi. A second half deflected goal from midfielder Dan Neil then ensured Rangers left Paisley with all three points.
The decision has since divided opinion among former officials and pundits alike. While some are suggesting that there wasn’t enough in the challenge for Penrice to go down and it should’ve been overturned, others claim that VAR can’t intervene due to the fact there was contact, however minimal it may have been. Conroy is in the former camp and believes the defender has successfully played the officials.
Penrice accused of ‘practicing’ simulation
He told The Ref's View podcast: “If that level of contact - everything is a sliding scale. You go from absolutely [a penalty] to minimal contact. I have a doubt that it is even a fraction of minimal contact. His toenail must have hit the side of his foot. If that level of force is enough to put a fit, healthy professional athlete down then he needs checked out.”
The ex SFA whistler then went one step further in his assessment, claiming Penrice must have worked on his perceived theatrics. Conroy continued: "That was an appalling overreaction. If something is hurt, the last thing you want to do is move it. The minute someone rolls around like that you know they are at it. I am not going to use the cheat word because there was that featherlight touch on his foot.
“But if that is a level of contact that is acceptable now, you can’t tackle in the box. See that reaction from Penrice, that reaction to the featherlight touch, that reaction has to be practiced. That is not a normal reaction to that level of touch, that is practiced.”
St Mirren vs Rangers flashpoint highlights VAR grey area
While analysing Saturday night’s incident, pundit Andy Halliday made the point on Sportscene that the challenge perfectly highlights an issue with VAR. He believes the incident itself shouldn’t be given as a penalty - but also feels it falls below the ‘clear and obvious’ VAR threshold to intervene. The former Rangers midfielder said: “I've always had a bit of a grievance with the ‘clear and obvious’ stigma.
“I think it's a hindrance for referees. And I don't necessarily blame Nick Walsh for giving the penalty in normal time, because initially I also did think it was a penalty kick. But for me, I think the threshold has to be so much higher for this type of contact to be given as a penalty. I don't think there's anywhere near enough. Whether there's a slight glance with thigh-on-thigh contact or a little flick on the boot, I don't think that's enough to be a penalised offence.”
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