Are Rangers right to rage over some of the calls in Saturday’s Old Firm defeat?
KEITH JACKSON: Yes. Unfortunately, Kevin Clancy simply isn't up to the job. But when his VAR is even less competent then what chance does the guy have? The decision to chalk off the Alfredo Morelos 'goal' reflects horribly on our officials.
DAVID McCARTHY: Absolutely. Morelos' goal should have stood and the first goal in these games are almost always crucial.
MICHAEL GANNON : Rangers are entitled to feel hard done by. The ruled out goal was harsh but the ref’s view made it understandable. They had a decent case for a penalty but there was no sign of handball for the second.
FRASER WILSON: Most weeks some club or other will contact the SFA over a refereeing decision or two. What good it does I’m not sure. The Morelos disallowed goal was harsh as both players had hands on each other. But I can’t see anything wrong with Celtic’s second goal.
Is the pressure now on Gers boss Mick Beale to get past Celtic in the semis and win the Scottish Cup?
KEITH: Of course it is. Beale has done a terrific job in his first few months in charge. But he's had three shots at Celtic in that time and failed to land a significant punch. Another KO in the semi final would give him a huge credibility problem ahead of next season.
DAVID: It certainly is. If Rangers lose that one, Celtic are 90 minutes from a Treble and for all the progress that Beale has made against every other team in the league, he needs to put one over their biggest rivals.
MICHAEL: It’s one he’ll be desperate to win but I think most Rangers fans know the manager needs a chance to build his own squad in the summer. If Gers remain competitive in the remaining Old Firm games, Beale will be given slack.
FRASER: Very much so. The Englishman has been praised for his record outside the Celtic games since returning to Ibrox but we all know the Old Firm matches are where managers are properly judged. Lose at Hampden and end the season trophyless would be a huge step backwards.
How do Celtic and Rangers resolve the away fans shutout shambles?
KEITH: They start behaving like adults and businessmen and do the right thing. The atmosphere and rivalry of the Old Firm derby is this fixture's USP. If people are left to focus on the quality of the actual football then they might find themselves seriously out of pocket before very long.
DAVID: There has to be a willingness to do so from both sides and I don't see much sign of that. Perhaps the change of chairmanship at Ibrox will bring a new perspective but the days of 7000 visiting fans are gone forever.
MICHAEL: It doesn’t look like being sorted any time soon. A compromise might be the best way forward, with a European style allocation of about 2500. Don’t bet on it happening any time soon though.
FRASER: I’m not sure if the authorities can play a part by knocking their heads together so it’s going to take them both to see sense and realise the atmosphere has never been the same since the away allocations were cut from around 7000. Hopefully one of them takes the lead.
Are Hearts right to call time on Robbie Neilson’s reign at Tynecastle?
KEITH: No. Results have been poor and the fans have been restless for some time but Neilson deserved stronger backing from the board. They may live to regret pulling the trigger at the first sign of trouble.
DAVID: I think the job he'd done at Tynecastle entitled him to a little more time to arrest the slump that Hearts were going through, so no, I reckon the call has come too early.
MICHAEL: It’s incredibly harsh. Hearts clearly haven’t learned their lessons from the last time they nuked Neilson, when he was in the hunt for second. He deserved better. If Hearts don’t have someone lined up, it will be even more crazy.
FRASER: It's a bold move just days ahead of a derby. Neilson appeared in with the bricks in terms of the management structure and while results have been woeful for the last two months he had built up plenty of credit in the bank. I'd have thought they'd have stood firm rather than going for a change at this pivotal juncture.
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