Steven Thompson has slammed Rangers defender Nikola Katic for his reaction to the challenge that saw Aberdeen defender Andrew Considine dismissed on Sunday afternoon.
The Gers ran out 2-0 winners thanks to two penalties from James Tavernier, with the second one coming after an apparent elbow from Considine on the Croatian.
But BBC pundit Thompson was less than impressed with the 22-year-old.
As quoted by the Daily Record, he said: “I don’t think he had to go down, it was theatrical, he’s basically had his hair brushed by Considine.
“It’s embarrassing. It was over the top from him and certainly not a penalty kick.”
OPINION
Looking back on the incident, you have to say that Thompson makes a fair point. There is definitely contact from Considine, without a doubt, but his arm seems to go over the top of Katic’s head more than anything else, and certainly doesn’t look as if it is carrying enough force to justify the melodramatic reaction offered up by the Croatian. Obviously in those situations the only two players who can properly judge what has happened are the two involved, but you would be surprised if Katic can honestly say that the incident justified his reaction. You have to wonder whether the referee was at all influenced by some of the previous meetings between these two sides this season. There have been some decidedly full-blooded affairs, and perhaps, somewhere in the back of his mind, the man in black immediately assumed that Katic’s reaction was a consequence of clash more befitting of some the bad tempered affairs we have seen recently.