Former referee Stuart Dougal has told critics of Graeme Shinnie's red card against Ross County to "move with the times" while Aberdeen launched an appeal.
The Dons claimed their sixth win on the bounce against Malky Mackay's relegation-threatened side as they continued their surge towards third in the Scottish Premiership, but the victory was marred by captain Shinnie's red card late in the game. Shinnie sent off for a challenge on Jack Baldwin after VAR Greg Aitken advised referee Euan Anderson to go to the monitor before the man in the middle deemed there was excessive force in the challenge.
Aberdeen boss Barry Robson fumed after full-time whistle as he insisted that Shinnie should not have seen red with the his player winning the ball and the club will now take the dispute to the SFA and appeal the call. However, Dougal BBC's 'The VARdict' that that didn't offer enough of a defence for the Aberdeen star to avoid his second sending off in as many games.
He said: "You can see the assistant is blocked so he couldn't assist the referee as he would normally do if he had a better angle. There is enough in that challenge if the referee has not seen it to merit getting the referee across to take a look at it again.
"If I was refereeing that match I would be grateful that VAR is allowing me to go over and have a look at that, because that is a red card all day long. For those who don't think it's a red card all day long, they have to move with the times.
"We have seen more than a few (red cards like this) already this season. The consistency that VAR has brought in my view is welcome."
Responding to claims that Shinnie played the ball and it should not have been a red, the former whistler went on: "He has indeed played the ball, but he has not won the ball cleanly and clear. That is the difference in the laws of the game now.
"When you go into these challenges you must win the ball cleanly. If you don't and you then follow through in the manner that Shinnie did there - and I thought the foot could have been brought down or withdrawn - the follow through left VAR with no option but to get the referee across.
"The referee then sees what we have seen there. That leaves him with no option, in my opinion, but to brandish a red card."
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