Former Dundee United midfielder Dave Bowman has joked that he would last about “five minutes” on the park were he playing today.
Bowman who was nicknamed “Psycho” by fans for his tough-tackling exploits was commenting in the wake of the Tangerines’ 4-0 defeat to Rangers, when they had three players sent off by referee Willie Collum.
United were left exasperated as first Mihael Kovacevic, then Sean Dillon and finally Morgaro Gomis saw red at Tannadice on Tuesday night, conceding a penalty apiece in the process. It moved manager Peter Houston to call into question the rigidity of the rules regarding sending-off offences.
Bowman has been inducted into the club’s hall of fame, is ranked 10th in United’s all-time appearance charts, was part of the side that reached the 1987 UEFA Cup final and also lifted the Scottish Cup in 1994. However, he feels those achievements would have been in jeopardy had he played under the modern interpretation of the laws.
“I shudder to think how long I would last on the park these days probably about five minutes if lucky!” said Bowman, who works as the schools development manager at United. “The game just seems to have become overrun by laws that make it almost impossible for players to stay on the park in certain situations.
“I have heard it said that the game has gone soft in recent times, and I couldn’t agree more. Surely common sense has got to come into play much more when referees are making decisions and judging whether it was a nasty tackle or a genuine attempt to play the ball?
“For me that is the most worrying thing players are on tenterhooks about going into challenges. If I were still playing, I honestly don’t know how I would cope.
“Basically, what chance have you got if you know that one mis-timed tackle could see you sent off in the early stages of the game to leave your team-mates with a mountain to climb?Fear”It is going to reach a point where players are frightened to make tackles for fear of being sent for an early bath. It is not a good direction for the game to be heading in.”
However, Bowman made it clear he did not blame referee Collum for the red cards as he technically applied the law to the letter.
“I don’t blame Willie,” he said. “In many ways he is just applying the rules of the game which state that if you deny someone a goalscoring opportunity then you are automatically sent off, no matter what effect it has on the overall game.
“Willie had to call it as he saw it in a split-second and, with all the pressure that is on him from supervisors in the stand, he is in a no-win situation.”
The United players had a day off on Wednesday to recover following the remarkable night at Tannadice.
Boss Houston will not have his selection worries to seek ahead of Saturday’s important match against Kilmarnock, with the red-carded trio being joined by full-back Paul Dixon in serving a suspension.