Debatable Decisions SPL – Week 13

We have eight decisions to review this week with Simon stepping in as judge for the absent Paul. It proved to be another tough week for the referees, with three of the major decisions proved wrong.

Inverness v Hearts

Hearts penalty shout for handball

Ryan – It comes off his back from what I see. Never handball. Correct decision.

Gary – Nope, it has hit off the defenders back. – Correct decision.

Robert – Yeah, I can see why they claimed for this, the defender is turning his body and it does look like it may have struck the back of his arm. Given his attempt to move I’ll give him – and the ref – the benefit of the doubt and say it hit his back. Correct decision.

Dave – Just no. Clearly hits Raven on the back, no handball, no foul.

Simon – Hits the defender on the back, no penalty.

Overall verdict: Correct decision

Hearts penalty

Ryan – Saw this live and agreed with it. He only has eyes for the ball but does take a bit of the player as he goes. Correct decision for me.

Gary – Yeah it’s a penalty, he’s just not saw him coming in and has caught him – Correct decision.

Robert – No chance. Tudor-Jones is trying to clear the ball and Paterson runs in on his blind side, Paterson at fault for getting caught, never a foul. Incorrect decision.

Dave – Certainly was a penalty, as Tudor-Jones did foul Paterson, but very unlucky. Clearly focussed on the ball and his attempts to kick it clear, but kicked the man first.

Simon – Not a penalty for me, it’s more Paterson running into Tudor-Jones than Tudor-Jones kicking Paterson.

Overall verdict: Correct decision

Kilmarnock v Ross County

Free kick from which Kilmarnock scored

Ryan – What was this for? Advantage that eventually ran on too far? Horrible decision. You can tell by the reaction of the players that no-one was looking for a free-kick at that moment or had felt like they had done anything wrong. Wrong decision.

Gary – I see what the ref’s done, In fact I think I do. He’s tried to allow play on after the defender bumped into the Killie man, there was no advantage so brought it back – Correct decision.

Robert – I think Harkins possibly was impeded and the ref attempted to let Killie play on before pulling back. So correct decision.

Dave – Took a few views to see it, but the County player has got a hold of the attacker by his shorts, the kinky sod. Referee did well to spot that. Correct call.

Simon – There was (just about) a foul, but I’m with Ryan in that I think the advantage had been played too far to then be called back, so I’m saying this was an incorrect decision.

Overall verdict: Correct decision.

Motherwell v Dundee

Ramsden possible foul/red card

Ryan – Ramsden should have been sent off for that tug. Milne is clean through on goal. He has no reason to fall like he does. The referee has got it wrong. Ramsden should have gone.

Gary – I think the ref’s got this wrong, the defender has just got caught out and had a little tug of the attackers top. – Incorrect decision.

Robert – Ramsden does seem to have a hold of him and yes, by the book it would be a foul. But on the other hand if we saw these given every week few teams would finish with 11 men on the pitch. The ref called it right.

Dave – I’m not sure Ramsden did anything wrong here. Milne basically fell down once he fluffed his shot, looking for the foul. Nothing wrong here.

Simon – Ramsden clearly tugs at Milne and should have been sent off for it.

Overall verdict: Incorrect decision

Higdon goal disallowed for offside

Ryan – Sadly no lines cut in the grass or an alternative angle to see this one. Looking at the shadows of the players, I’m inclined to give the assistant referee the benefit of the doubt. Higdon looks to have got a little ahead of the play when the original shot is hit. Correct decision.

Gary – Hard to see from the angle, but he did look offside when the ball was hit – Correct decision.

Robert – Big Higdon looks to be about a foot offside hear. He seems to be a step ahead of the Dundee defender so I reckon this was a good decision.

Dave – Half a yard offside. His leading leg is in the offside position when the original shot was fired towards goals, another good call by the officials.

Simon – Just, but just enough. Higdon was offside and this was a good call.

Overall verdict Correct decision

St Mirren v Aberdeen*

St Mirren penalty shout

Ryan – It’s a clumsy one. I don’t think Hayes meant the trip nor does it look like Imrie has gone down looking for the spot-kick. I think the referee has got it wrong. It would have been a harsh one but I think it’s a penalty. Incorrect deicsion.

Gary – Nope, not for me. His hands or feet don’t touch the defender and he’s just went down. – Correct decision.

Robert – If anything, this was the momentum of the two players carrying themselves forward. What way Hayes supposed to do? Stop dead and turn back? Never a penalty.

Dave – Irmie was fouled, although he made sure everyone saw it. That was a stonewall penalty, and St.Mirren would have won 5-4 if the ref had made the correct call. Fitba’s shite anyway.

Simon – A definite penalty. It may only be a tangle of legs, but Imrie is impeded, it doesn’t matter whether Hayes meant it or not.

Overall verdict: Incorrect decision

*We wanted to include Marc McAusland’s potential red card tackle on Ryan Fraser, but neither the BBC online nor the SPL Official highlights on Youtube showed the incident, and therefore we could not review it.

Hibs v Dundee United

Skacel goal disallowed for offside

Ryan – He’s onside. It should have counted and the assistant referee has got it wrong because he’s seeing the orange shirts first and not the Hibs defender. Poor decision and a real let-off for Hibs.

Gary – It’s simply the wrong call, he’s onside – Incorrect decision.

Robert – Easy to get it wrong as there was one player coming in as the other came out – however Skacel timed it to perfection and the assistant got it wrong. Incorrect decision.

Dave – Don’t even need to go back and view this. Skacel was onside, the goal should have stood and we should have saw some sort of humourous celebration involving that squad number.

Simon – I do have sympathy with the assistant ref as with one player moving out and another in, it’s a difficult call to make, but the fact is that Skacel was onside and Hibs got away with one.

Overall verdict: Incorrect decision

Celtic v St Johnstone

St Johnstone penalty shout

Ryan – It looks like a free-kick on first viewing so I think the referee is wrong to wave it away as a corner. The contact is outside the area so I don’t think it was ever likely to be a penalty. As a penalty shout, it’s a correct decision but perhaps there should have been a free-kick.

Gary – I think it’s a foul, but I also think it’s ‘just’ outside the area. So corner kick was incorrect decision for me on that one.

Robert – It was a foul, so in that case the referee got it wrong. I’m confident, though, that it was outside the box so not a penalty kick.

Dave – How the officials didn’t see this foul, God only knows. It wasn’t a penatly despite the Saints’ claims, but Ambrose was a week late with the challenge and St Johnstone should have had a free kick in a dangerous position.

Simon – I’m going the other way from these guys, I’ve freeze framed the incident and the contact was on the line, therefore it should have been a penalty.

Overall verdict: Correct decision (though free kick should have been awarded)