Rangers do more greeting than a Christmas card and they are undefeated when it comes to one thing – Hotline
VAR chief Willie Collum has admitted the officials got the penalty shout wrong at Hampden at the weekend.
That should draw a line under the whole episode then, eh? Perhaps not. The Hotline was still melting five days on with Rangers fans still fuming and some even demanding a rematch with Celtic. Gerard Reilly emailed: “I’m just wondering what is the date for the Premier Sports Cup replay? According to the SFA’s busy schedule, the only date available date at present is April 1, 2025.
John Dowdalls, via email, said: “Rangers do more greeting than a Christmas card. Yet they tell other clubs to dry their eyes when it's against them. It’s just petty.” Jim McClean, Isle of Bute, said: “When will Rangers accept a defeat graciously? You could go back year after year asking for replays for this and that, the new CEO should be trying to sort out their behind the scene shambles instead of writing letters to appease the fans once again.”
Steve McSherry, Uddingston, sad: “The hypocrisy of Rangers and their supporters about what they perceive to be a major injustice in not being awarded a dodgy penalty should be shocking, but in reality this is a club who benefited from many dubious penalties over the past few years, penalties that in several games allowed them to win. Yet when they don’t get one they scurry to the SPFL demanding answers, and not for the first time.”
James Logan, Glasgow, said: “There is no doubt Rangers should have had a penalty last Sunday. No one knows what the result would have been if it had been awarded. One thing is sure though, Rangers weren’t cheated. A mistake was made, yes, but to suggest that individuals were deliberately cheating to help Celtic win the game, is completely irresponsible.”
And Gers fan Gordon Blackwell, Glasgow, said: “I find it embarrassing that, despite appointing a new chairman and CEO, we continue to moan about decisions going against us. Nobody appealed for a penalty at the time and it is now being used to defend the manager, who was directly responsible for Sunday's defeat and the loss of two points against Spurs. Well on top in both games but sat back trying to defend a one goal lead. Shameful.”
Celtic are in the hunt to bring back Kieran Tierney but Gerard Milligan, Renfrewshire, said: “He's finished at Arsenal, not many would take him now with his injury record. I don't want him back at Celtic anyway, he's done.”
And Henry McCoy, via email, said: “I hope Celtic do buy Tierney as the only reason he was in Arsenal's team the other night was because half their first team were on the bench. Arsenal have tried to get rid of him since signing him, but no-one else is interested.”
Meanwhile Hearts are bottom of the league and crashed out of Europe after failing to beat minnows Petrocub. Fed up Jambo Frank Jackson emailed: “I have been going to Tynecastle since 1955 when I was six years old. Despite all the ups and downs, I have never felt as sick. Thursday’s result and lack of fight left me embarrassed.”
Bill Waddell, Loanhead, said: “How low can Hearts go (again) before the board are replaced en masse? This is a fans club, so surely they have the power. Pundits suggest we have quality players at Tynecastle. We don't. Neil Critchley is another disaster waiting to happen, if it hasn't already. My choice would be Dundee’s Tony Docherty.”
But Hibee Neil Renton, Leith, said: “I’ve just pulled a Christmas cracker and the joke in it said ‘Hearts are going to qualify for the knockout stages of European competition’. It’s the funniest one liner ever. The Jambos are in free fall and the so-called Tynecastle atmosphere is non-existent. I’m not sure what position their player ‘Boooooooo’ plays in but he got a lot of shouts from the crowd against Petrocub.”
