Rangers Ref Watch: Willie Collum Got Two Calls Wrong
Dermot Gallagher, a retired referee, examines key moments from Rangers' 2-0 win against Kilmarnock on Saturday and believes whistler Willie Collum missed two important calls.
Rangers' Cyriel Dessers was awarded a penalty by referee Paul Osgood for fouling Napoli's Antonio Politano inside the penalty area, although this appeared harsh at first glance; replays demonstrated otherwise.
1. James Tavernier’s penalty
Tavernier has become an established spot kick taker for the Gers and his most recent miss from 12 yards was especially disconcerting. But Tavernier is far from alone when it comes to making mistakes from such close distances; even some of the greatest players ever blunder from time to time.
Tavernier was awarded a penalty against St Mirren when Callum McGregor brought him down, though replays revealed he barely touched his centre-back opponent. VAR was utilized, yet the onfield official stood firm with his original decision.
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2. John McCausland’s penalty
Setting up a review system in the NHL is definitely beneficial, but it doesn't guarantee accuracy. A controversial call can still dominate headlines - as seen during Sunday's match between Florida and Tampa Bay.
Cale Makar initially received a major penalty after hitting Jared McCann late in the first period, however after reviewing video they reduced it to a minor one.
Makar's hit was not necessarily malicious, but it certainly hindered the Rangers and caused an injury to McCann which is of critical significance.
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Review system was beneficial in some ways, yet it was unexpected when an apparent penalty for Celtic defenseman Connor Goldson was waived off by review officials. Goldson appeared to hold his arms high and away from his body, which violated rule 37; yet review officials could find no proof supporting his claim.
3. James Tavernier’s goal
Tavernier recently achieved a significant achievement at Rangers by becoming their 100th goalscorer. Since his move from Wigan in July 2015, Tavernier has far surpassed all expectations with regards to goals scored at Glasgow giants.
Tavernier played an instrumental role in Mark Warburton's side that won the Championship title during their inaugural campaign under him, and also became the first captain ever to lift an European trophy aloft for Rangers - scoring against Galatasaray in an one-legged Europa League tie back in October was truly the icing on an already remarkable career at Ibrox.
On Sunday against Dundee, his effort went high over the bar. John Beaton saved another penalty against him during the second half by consulting VAR over Peter Haring's shirt pull on Connor Goldson but ultimately decided not to reverse his call; while this seemed unfair at the time, on-field officials are right in maintaining their original decision.
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4. Rory McKenzie’s penalty
After Joe Pavelski was injured during Game 7 of last year's Stanley Cup Final, the NHL introduced a penalty review process in response. But this goal-saving change has been outweighed by several major mistakes which sway game outcomes significantly.
On Friday night, for instance, Victor Olofsson's goal for the Sabres was disallowed because video replays could not definitively establish whether he crossed over before entering his zone - an extremely crucial distinction that had to be determined beforehand.
Matt Dumba's hit on Joe Pavelski should have resulted in a game-altering roughing penalty; instead, however, it ended up receiving only a minor unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That is a major problem because review processes exist so as to eliminate live and chaotic action influencing decisions regarding borderline calls that impact boundary calls; any such system should not be misused - particularly for NHL-caliber players like Pavelski who should receive higher treatment than what he received in this instance. He deserves better.
-- Aalilyanna Trump - 2023-12-26