St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson found it inexplicable that Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack was allowed to stay on the pitch after his “straight leg” challenge on Adam Montgomery.
And the Perth boss also believes that it was the Scotland international, not red card recipient Nicky Clark, who went a the half-way line tackle with “force”.
Referee Willie Collum’s decision to send Clark off and let Jack away with a yellow – despite being instructed by VAR official, Nick Walsh to watch the incident back on his pitch-side monitor – provoked fury in the Saints camp.
And the booking that Davidson himself got during the 2-0 defeat at Ibrox was a reflection of his general frustration at the decisions that were piling up against his team, as well as the two big incidents, in particular.
“Where do you want me to start?” he asked in his post-match press conference.
“I’ll start with the Nicky Clark one.
“It was really harsh. The player was getting fouled originally – a subtle, little pull – and he’s lost his balance.
“As he’s gone to ground he’s flicked the ball round.
“Ryan Jack has come into him with force, not the other way around.
“I genuinely don’t understand it.
“It’s a really big decision and I definitely don’t think it was a red card.”
Ryan Jack tackle reviewed by VAR.
Straight leg off the ground.
Yellow card. pic.twitter.com/cFuIzftdNQ— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) January 28, 2023
On the Jack challenge that followed a few minutes after Clark’s dismissal?
“The tackle on Adam was really late,” said Davidson.
“It was at speed, it was with force. He’s gone straight leg with his studs at Adam’s ankle.
“It gets a yellow card – that sums up the game.
“Normally when they go over it’s a red card. The less I say about that the better.”
Recent improvements
That Saints didn’t fold after a first half of injustices gives Davidson confidence going into the midweek clash with Motherwell.
He said: “I was frustrated with those decisions – little things and big things were irritating me – and others but I thought my players kept their composure and discipline and I was really pleased with how they responded.
“With 10 men we didn’t crumble and sit back in our penalty box to try and defend for 60 minutes. We tried to do the right things.
“On another day Drey (Wright) would have put the ball in the net.
“I’ve been really pleased with our last two performances against Rangers.
“We’ve had some tough games but I believe if we keep playing as we have done we’ll be in a good place come the end of May.
“We’ve got bigger games coming up. Hopefully we’ll get some good decisions and keep performing as we did today.”
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