Old Firm: Celtic fury over Scott Brown's dismissal

Published on Sunday 28 February 2010 23:01

CELTIC manager Mowbray refused to use Scott Brown's red card as an excuse after the odds on his side clawing back Rangers' lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League lengthened yet further yesterday. But Celtic have appealed the dismissal, and a statement on the club's website last night said "any fair-minded person ... could see it wasn't a red card".

&#149 Celtic captain Scott Brown clashes with Rangers midfielder Kyle Lafferty, earning himself a straight red card Picture: SNS

Mowbray did accuse referee Dougie McDonald of "making life difficult for himself" after he gave early bookings to Madjid Bougherra and Marc-Antoine Fortune in Celtic's 1-0 defeat at Ibrox.

Fortune did not last the 90 minutes after being substituted, but Bougherra survived further incidents where he could have collected a second booking to play an increasingly influential part in the match. Celtic skipper Brown, meanwhile, was handed a straight red card for a tussle with Rangers' Kyle Lafferty. Rangers snatched victory with a Maurice Edu goal in the third minute of injury time, giving Rangers a ten-point lead at the top and a game in hand.

Mowbray spoke with reporters before he had viewed re-runs of the incident, and so was cautious when commenting. But he did broadcast the views of those members of the Celtic backroom staff who had watched video pictures of the Brown-Lafferty clash. They had informed Mowbray that Brown's red card was a "very harsh decision" and, given the nature of the bristling statement released by Celtic last night, it should be assumed that Mowbray is now in agreement with this assessment. The Parkhead club's complaint to the SFA about refereeing performances in recent games where Celtic have been involved, which was leaked last week, framed the run-up to the penultimate Old Firm league clash of the season. The club now believe they have further reason to be unhappy with their treatment.

"Referee Dougie McDonald sent off the Celtic captain following a tangle with Kyle Lafferty, with the Rangers player unpunished for his part in the incident," said the statement. "It immediately seemed to be a controversial decision to everyone in the ground, and certainly, any fair-minded person looking at the incident at the time or subsequent TV replays could see it wasn't a red card. It was a decision which had a major impact on the game and Celtic will now appeal against the red card.

"Certainly, the Celtic support were left mystified and angry at yet another refereeing decision in a derby game this season which has gone against the club."

The statement went on to reference specific examples, including a "blatant penalty" denied Celtic in the first Old Firm clash of the season. But in the direct aftermath of the game, Mowbray was restrained when reflecting on decisions which went against his team. "It's not just this game, it's every country, every game you see," he said. "I watched the Premiership yesterday and there were lots of decision which changed football matches. It's part and parcel of football. You have to take it on the chin and get on with it. But I thought today the official made life very difficult for himself with two very early bookings. There was a sense early on that the game was not going to finish with 22 players on the pitch. But maybe that was his tactic – to try and stamp his authority.

"He gave himself a difficult job by making those early bookings because there were probably one or two challenges worse than the one he (Bougherra] got his booking for."

Mowbray did not look to shy away from the ramifications of Rangers' win. He knows the Ibrox club are now firmly in the driving seat, and that his side did not do enough to win the game yesterday.

"I think it's fair to say it's there for Rangers to lose – but stranger things have happened," said Mowbray. "We have to go and win all our games starting next weekend against Falkirk.

"We are all sensible enough to know we need Rangers to slip up on the way. We have to get back on the horse and go and win next week." He applauded his side's performance in difficult circumstances. Celtic lost yet another centre-half to injury just after the half-hour mark when Thomas Rogne limped off. Darren O'Dea took over at the heart of the defence, alongside 18-year-old Josh Thompson.

"I think in the first half we were generally the team in the ascendancy, and probably created the better chances," Mowbray said. "In the second-half they started strongly and that was compounded by our sending-off. They pushed on from there. I thought we defended resolutely. But, ultimately, it was not to be."

More on yesterday's Old Firm match:

Celtic fury over Scott Brown's dismissal

Match Report: Rangers 1 - 0 Celtic

Walter Smith slates Celtic protest on referee standards

Alan Pattullo: Dougie McDonald fuels Celtic's pre-match disquiet with contentious red card for Scott Brown