No complaints from Levein or Smith over call-off

Published on Sunday 1 November 2009 22:39

RIVAL managers Craig Levein and Walter Smith united yesterday to back referee Mike Tumilty's decision to abandon the SPL fixture at Tannadice between Dundee United and Rangers at half-time.

The official ruled that an increasingly sodden pitch, with rainfall incessant throughout the day, had become dangerous for the players and was threatening to turn the match into a farce.

Rangers were leading 1-0, through a 29th-minute goal from Steven Davis, as they sought the victory they needed to move to within a point of leaders Celtic at the top of the SPL. The abandonment leaves them in third place, four points behind their great rivals and a point behind Hibs, with a game in hand.

"I don't think we can complain at the end of the day," said Rangers manager Smith. "I thought there was the possibility of the game being called off during the first half because there was a lot of water starting to gather in the goalmouths.

"We are obviously a bit disappointed after working so hard to go 1-0 up and I always feel there is an advantage for the team going down the hill at Tannadice, as we would have been in the second half. But we can't argue with the referee's decision.

"It was just one of those circumstances today. I don't think it would have been justifiable not to start the match and the referee got that right too. In fact, I thought he also handled the game well, considering the conditions.

"There was a lot of water coming up, more and more as the game went on. The referee doesn't want to call the game off. Everyone is frustrated and we have to accept the decision."

Levein, who had seen his side perform well despite finding themselves a goal down in the 45 minutes played, echoed Smith's sentiments.

"I think the decision was correct," said the United manager, "but it's not often you find the manager of the team who were behind being disappointed at a game being called off. Our players are gutted, because we were on top of our game today and felt we could have won it. We had the better chances and more of the play. I'm not saying we would have gone and won the game, but if we had continued to play like that, we would have had a chance.

"In the first half of the first half, the water wasn't really holding the ball up, but after that it was becoming a little bit of a lottery in terms of passing the ball. You have to have a degree of sympathy with the referee."

The announcement of the abandonment was predictably jeered by the travelling Rangers fans, something Tumilty was keenly aware of.

"It wasn't an easy decision," said the referee. "We went out on the pitch at half-time and I was aware I wasn't the most popular person in the stadium. I could sense the fans wanted me to keep the game going.

"I would have to say the players reacted fantastically well in the conditions in the first half. But what sold it for me was one particular incident just before half-time. Allan McGregor dropped the ball down from a corner and it clearly never came back up again.

"Thankfully Allan got the ball but if you have a whole raft of players going into Allan or any other players then we could have had a serious injury. First and foremost was the safety of the players and then the farcical conditions of the game.

"You could see as the first half went on the rain was getting a lot heavier. At the start of the game there was a little bit of water on the pitch but I was hoping it would disappear when players ran over the top of it. As the rain got heavier the water was holding the ball up.

"From my own point of view I was concerned players could get injured. You can't wait until somebody does get injured before you call off the game. You need to be pro-active and to prevent players from getting injured. The other thing that I was concerned about was the game becoming farcical. I just felt it was just common sense to call it off.

"Nobody seems to have complained at all. I spoke to officials from both clubs and briefed the match commander. A lot of fans travelled a long way and we had to take that into consideration. I think everybody in their heart of hearts could see it was unplayable.

"The score doesn't come into it. Rangers were winning 1-0 but for me, the players' safety was the most important thing."

Rangers goalscorer Davis, however, expressed his reservations over Tumilty's decision.

"I have played in worse, I know that much," said Davis. "We could have done with the decision being made before the game, because we feel aggrieved now. In the middle of the park, it wasn't too bad. There is a danger with tackles, but you are always going to have tackles in a game, especially on a slippery surface."

Rangers last night urged their supporters to hold onto their ticket stubs from the match in the event they may be valid for the re-arranged fixture. No new date has been scheduled yet and it will be at Dundee United's discretion whether those who attended yesterday will be allowed free entry.