As reported by The Daily Record, former Scottish football referee Stephen Conroy reckons Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha was wrong to suggest Scott Brown should have been punished for a coming together with striker Alfredo Morelos.
What's the story?
At the end of the first half during Saturday's derby, Brown's outstretched arm knocked Morelos off his feet, causing the Rangers manager to have stern words with the Celtic captain as they headed up the tunnel at the break.
However, a former referee reckons the incident didn't even warrant a yellow card.
Writing in a column for The Daily Record, Stephen Conroy said:
Pedro Caixinha wanted Scott Brown punished for what he felt was an elbow on Alfredo Morelos. But I’m afraid the Rangers manager is talking rubbish. The incident that enraged him so much didn’t even warrant a yellow card for the Celtic captain. For me, it was a case of six and two threes. Brown certainly had his arm up but he was just marking his territory more than anything.
The incident was not punished by referee Craig Thomson at the time either.
Why then was the Rangers boss caught up in such a heated moment at half-time?
Man under pressure
While the game was level heading into the break on Saturday, Celtic had dominated possession and again looked like the constant threat that had punished the Light Blues so much last term.
Caixinha is a man under pressure after again failing to inspire his side to any sort of competitive performance against the Hoops and perhaps that's why he let himself get embroiled in a spat with Scott Brown.
After the derby defeat the Light Blues are now eight points behind Celtic with tough fixtures away to Hamilton and St Johnstone to come. It's a crucial period for the Rangers boss and he'd be better served keeping things cool on the touchline rather than opening himself up to more media speculation and negative headlines.
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