Glasgow Rangers fans will likely be fuming after a photo of Willie Collum from the Old Firm derby emerged.
On Sunday, the Gers suffered a disappointing blow at Ibrox in their quest to retain their league title as they succumbed to a derby defeat despite taking the lead through Aaron Ramsey.
Goals from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers completed their fierce rivals’ comeback. As it stands, Celtic lead at the top of the table by six points with as many games to play – it looks a long way back for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men.
Should Collum referee another Old Firm derby?
Yes
No
With 12 minutes remaining, Rangers fans may have thought they should have been awarded a penalty when Carter-Vickers grabbed Connor Goldson’s shirt. Collum ultimately decided against pointing to the spot, and a photo of the official following Rogic’s equaliser will only contribute to supporters’ frustrations.
As the Celtic players celebrated the strike, an image posted to Twitter clearly shows Collum smiling, as if delighted by the turn of events.
TIF Thoughts on Collum’s reaction…
A picture is worth a thousand words, or so the saying goes. It may just be perspective or unlucky timing on the photographer’s part, but there is no denying the man in black appears pleased with Rogic’s effort. Perhaps we will never know exactly what he was thinking at the time.
The incident will likely not increase Collum’s popularity amongst the Gers fanbase. The 43-year-old is already a controversial figure at the club, with Rangers picking up a £6,000 fine in 2018 after complaining about his performance during their 2-1 win over St. Mirren, when Daniel Candeias was controversially sent off.
This latest result may even fuel the arguments of conspiracy theorists. Rangers have not beaten Celtic since 2010 with Collum in charge of proceedings, a run spanning eight games – six of those matches have ended up in defeat for the 55-time Scottish champions. Add the fact that the referee was removed from officiating the previous Old Firm derby in February prior to the match, and there is certainly cause for suspicion.
However, at the end of the day, Rangers have no one else to blame but themselves for the defeat. They already found themselves behind by the time the Goldson moment occurred, and Celtic could perhaps point to Allan McGregor’s challenge on Daizen Maeda with the game poised at 1-1 as an example of Collum judging in Rangers’ favour.
Now, the Gers and their supporters must concentrate on the rest of the campaign – with the Europa League quarter-finals just around the corner, they have plenty still to play for.