Former Celtic star Kris Commons has been left concerned about the refereeing of Willie Collum after the Hoops’ defeat to Livingston on Sunday, The Scottish Sun report.
Collum showed no hesitation in sending off midfielder Ryan Christie during the first half.
While there can’t be much argument about that decision, Christie clearly had his studs up and was late with his challenge, Commons feels that Collum later missed another red card incident.
Keaghan Jacobs clattered Jonny Hayes late in the match with a challenge that could be argued was also a straight red.
Although it had no bearing on the outcome of the game, Commons feels it was a concerning series of events.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said: “My concern would be the pace at which Willie Collum goes towards Ryan Christie. He’s got the red card out before he’s even had the chance to think about it.
“He’s 10 to 15 yards away from this [Jacobs] tackle. It’s the casual stroll over to it. There’s got to be consistency with referees in Scotland.
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“That’s the worrying sign. Ryan Christie, red card? Definitely. So is this one on Jonny Hayes. To see that as a yellow card is a disappointment from my perspective looking at Willie Collum’s reaction.”
Does he have a point?
Commons certainly wasn’t the only one to raise the issue. Captain Scott Brown also questioned Collum’s decision making on his post-match press duties (The Daily Record).
Collum seemed to have his hand out of his pocket within milliseconds of Christie’s challenge but then didn’t show the same concern in the wake of the challenge on Hayes.
Referees aren’t going to get everything right all the time, but the least we can expect is consistency, like Commons mentions.
Yesterday’s poor decisions may not have had a bearing on the outcome of the match, but that’s no reason to sweep it under the carpet.
He’s right to use his platform to raise the issue. The only way refereeing in Scotland is going to get better is if more people acknowledge the problems, potentially putting pressure on the Scottish FA.