Scott Brown scornful of referee McDonald as they meet again

CELTIC captain Scott Brown feels referee Dougie McDonald may have a personal grudge against him as the pair prepare to come face to face this afternoon for the first time since last month's Old Firm showdown at Ibrox.

Brown was controversially sent off by McDonald as Celtic lost 1-0 to Rangers, a result the midfielder believes laid the foundations for Tony Mowbray's dismissal as manager this week.

McDonald dismissed Celtic's appeal against Brown's straight red card for what he judged a headbutt on Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty. It earned the player a three-match SPL suspension from which he will return this afternoon as Celtic entertain Kilmarnock in interim manager Neil Lennon's first match in charge.

Lennon yesterday confirmed that Brown will retain the captaincy under his tenure and the 24-year-old made it clear relations between himself and McDonald during the pre-match formalities will be frosty.

Asked what he will say to the official when he steps forward for the coin-toss, Brown replied: "Nothing whatsoever."

He was equally curt when asked if he felt it was strange for McDonald to be placed in charge of a Celtic game again so soon.

"I bet he's glad," said Brown. "(Is it] a test of my patience? I think so. The referee is the referee. He has got to do his job and I have got to do my job, but hopefully he does a better job this time than he did the last time. My red card was a big factor in us losing the game at Ibrox. If the referee had seen it properly and spoken to his linesman, he could have got the decision right. As it happens, he didn't want to look at the evidence."

Asked if he felt the referee had it in for him, Brown replied: "I don't know, could do. Some players niggle at each other, some refs niggle at some players and some players have a go at refs. If your face fits."

Brown also expressed scorn at the SFA appeals system which allows the referee to be the first point of referral before the incident can be passed to a video review panel.

It was this procedure which allowed McDonald to re-assess the red card at Ibrox before sticking by his original decision. "I think that is embarrassing," he added. "I wouldn't say I have a rage about what happened, but I was a little bit disappointed he couldn't look at it himself and see that I have not fully grabbed Kyle Lafferty or headbutted him as I supposedly did. The ref can say to himself it doesn't matter, because he is not going to change his mind and show he was wrong."