3 days Ago By [email protected] (Graeme Young)
Referee Colin Steven had VAR in his ear but the Sky presenter was left miffed Get the latest Celtic news sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest Celtic news sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Long-time Sky Sports presenter Rob Wooton jumped from presenter to pundit as he aired his frustration over the decision to award Celtic a penalty for handball and chalk one off for Hearts. Referee Colin Steven pointed to the spot for the Jambos after he adjudged Liam Scales to have handled, VAR asked him to check again and the decision was reversed. And it was a different story for James Penrice, as the match official pointed for a corner before the video replay team urged Steven to the monitor before a second half penalty was awarded to the Premiership champions.
Gallagher – who noted last season that the Scottish Premiership were harsher on handballs than leagues south of the border – has noted a shift but reckons the reverse on both decisions show how difficult it is for match officials. The former grade one referee, speaking on his weekly Sky Sports show, said: "I think this falls into line with what we talked about earlier. You look at that (Scales handball claim), it would have definitely been given as a penalty, is it a penalty? I think not.
His arm is in a position you expect it to be. He wants balance. I think it's quite to drop the ball rather than give a penalty.
"This is the problem, isn't it? This is the hole we dig ourselves, sometimes, as referees, in this one, he says the arm is outstretched to block the cross. You can see from the way (Penrice) reacts. he is trying to get his arm in very quickly.
I think that is given because his arm is outstrecthed. But Wooton – usually a neutral element on the show starring Gallagher, Sue Smith and Stephen Warnock – couldn't resist having his say. He countered: "All we ask for is to be consistently wrong or consistently right.
Just be consistent. Why was one given?" Wooton was backed up by Warnock who reckons Hearts star Penrice was unfairly dealt with..
