Andy Walker’s paranoia about VAR has not only gotten the bigwigs at the SFA threatening Sky over the dodgy pundit’s claims, but it highlights how Celtic are already pressuring the officials to give them the right calls in advance of Saturday’s all-important Old Firm clash.
The ex-Celtic striker who has been a scourge of Rangers for quite a long time, while also managing to get himself banned from Parkhead for anti-Celtic sentiment (yes really), was critical of the VAR officials and claimed he’d heard the following outside the VAR room:
“And I heard the VAR say ‘the easiest way out of this, is if it’s offside’. That to me is really poor language. There should be no idea that we get an easy way out. You have to look at what’s happening on the pitch and apply the laws of the game – don’t look for the easy way out.”
Referees already have a tough job without the likes of Walker lumbering in with his size 12s and making it even harder – the refs are suggesting he misheard what he thinks was said.
See, fans will always be like this – the embarrassing rage from Rangers supporters who reckon Kevin Clancy is ‘one of them’ (same ones accuse Collum of similar but go oddly quiet when his calls benefit our club) and this is up against 13 men from the start.
But for the pundits with influence employed by the biggest sports broadcaster in Scotland to then say the same thing, to suggest the VAR refs are biased one way or the other or incompetent is pressure they don’t need.
We already know they’re not the best, these guys are part time after all, so incompetence is part of their repertoire till they’re paid and better trained.
But to call them out publicly on what you think you heard through a closed door during what was a slightly private conversation is poor conduct and heaps more pressure on Clancy and his colleagues.
It’s no-win for them, frankly. Rangers have to go to face Celtic at Parkhead, and we could do without Celtic pundits heaping more aggro on the officials thank you.