Simon Jordan hits out at Rangers explanation request claiming Old Firm statement is an Ibrox 'deflection' tactic
Rangers released a statement on Monday night seeking an explanation for an incident involving Jack Butland and Celtic defender, Auston Trusty.
The former Crystal Palace Chairman believes the Rangers statement is just trying to distract fans from the ongoing issues at Ibrox.
Celtic defeated Rangers 3-1 in last weekend’s Hampden to go through to the League Cup final where they will face St Mirren. Johnny Kenny scored the opener before Thelo Aasgaard was sent off for a challenge on Anthony Ralston. The 10-men of Rangers rejuvenated in the second half and got their equaliser through a James Tavernier penalty, however a Callum McGregor wonder-strike and Callum Osmand tap-in then sealed the win for Hoops.
While the Aasgaard sending off was a no-brainer, Rangers fans were angered when Auston Trusty didn’t receive the same fate, after the USA International appeared to catch Jack Butland in the face when the stopper had the ball in his grasp. Trusty was only cautioned for the incident, then to add insult to injury for Rangers fans, was awarded Man of the Match.
Rangers have now released a statement asking for an explanation for the ‘inconsistencies’ in decision-making from referee, Nick Walsh, however talkSPORT regular, Simon Jordan believes there is a different reason for the inquiry.
Rangers statement a ‘deflection’ tactic from hierarchy
Speaking on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan show, he said: “if the refereeing standard is not high, and the other clubs in the league concur with that then they have every right to start saying to the governing body that deals with the refereeing standard, whether it’s the PGMOL or its alternative in Scotland, we’ve got to get our standards higher.
“I often think that is not the motivation. The motivation is a deflection from something that’s not happening in their world. If Rangers were going great guns, winning games and the team was flying at the top of the league, we probably wouldn’t hear these noises. But it has to also be considered in the rounds, it’s very easy in an isolated conversation to say this is nonsense.”
It is not the first time Rangers have issued such a statement, as a similar explanation request was sent to the SFA in last season’s League Cup final also against Celtic, when the Gers weren’t awarded a penalty for a Liam Scales shirt pull on Vaclav Cerny in the box. For this, they were eventually issued an apology by Head of Refereeing Operations, Willie Collum.
The statement
The Ibrox statement read: “club representatives met with the Scottish FA this evening to seek explanations for major decisions in the match, including the incident involving Jack Butland and Auston Trusty.
“Following that meeting, we remain unsatisfied with the explanation of the referee’s decision in that incident, the application of the Laws of the Game, and the VAR review itself, which we do not believe was sufficiently robust or thorough.
“We recognise that refereeing decisions can impact both sides in a game, but too many important matches continue to be influenced by calls that are inconsistent and difficult to justify. These decisions have real consequences, determining results, impacting fans, and affecting the livelihoods of players, coaches and staff whose work is judged by outcomes on the pitch.”