Hearts boss Derek McInnes slammed for ‘insinuating refs are cheats’ with Celtic tears

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Celtic are in at title race with Hearts and Derek McInnes looks like he is already cracking under the pressure.

That’s the view of former SFA referee Steve Conroy who slammed the Hearts boss for his daft Celtic comments at the weekend.

McInnes was fuming as Hearts dropped points in their 1-1 draw with Dundee United as Celtic closed the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a big win over Kilmarnock.

The Hearts boss was not happy with the amount of added time at Tynecastle and claimed that if it was ‘Celtic or Rangers’ then he could guarantee that there would have been more time added on at the end of the game.

And that has annoyed Conroy who says McInnes is accusing the SFA-appointed referees of cheating with his Celtic reference.

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Derek McInnes told Celtic ‘pressure is getting to him’ at Hearts

With Celtic breathing down Hearts’ neck and the gap closed to seven points, Conroy believes McInnes is cracking under the pressure of the title race.

Conroy said on The Ref’s View, “He’s insinuating that refs are, and I may be putting words in his mouth, but from what he’s saying there, he’s saying that refs are cheats.

“Yep, that’s what he said. And it’s amazing to say at this time of year, I think the pressure is building on him that his lead is being whittled away already.

“He could have been 12 points clear at this point, and now it’s been pulled back, and I think the pressure’s getting to him.”

McInnes warned about ‘cheat’ comment as Hearts boss reminded of rules

With McInnes’ words, comes a dire warning from Conroy as the former referee reminds him of the rules of the game when it comes to added on time at football.

Conroy continued, “And you’re allowed to say daft things at the time, but don’t call people cheats just because you don’t like the amount of time that they’ve put on.

“And according to the laws of the game, he’ll be very upset to read that the referee is the sole arbiter of time.

“Derek might want 10 minutes added on, if the ref says it’s one, two, three minutes, it’s end of discussion.”

With the international break well under way, McInnes has a lot to think about as Celtic get closer and Hearts’ game at Parkhead nears.