Robbie Neilson can’t say what he really thought of Colin Steven’s performance in charge of Dundee United vs Hearts or he’d be banned for “ten matches.”
The whistler twice changed his mind on penalty awards to either team after lengthy trips to the VAR pitchside monitor. He awarded Hearts a spot kick on the stroke of half-time when former Jambo Arnaud Djoum slid in as Cammy Devlin turned inside him, and blocked his attempted pass with both of his supporting arms. Steven gave the spot-kick, only to reverse his call after being called over to the monitor.
It happened again after the break, this time Steven giving a foul against Craig Gordon despite the Hearts captain beating Steven Fletcher to the ball before the two collided. Gordon appeared to suffer an horrific leg break as a result and was stretchered off receiving gas and air. Steven then took an age to watch the incident back. He finally came to the conclusion that most in the ground had done minutes earlier, which was that it wasn’t a foul on Fletcher.
The official was on for the hat-trick when Lawrence Shankland went down under Ross graham’s challenge in stoppage time. It looked soft, but the award stood and Shankland slammed home to rescue a point for the depleted Jambos, who also lost Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley to injury.
Eeven Neilson thought his side shouldn't have been given the chance to score at the death. But he was adamant that former player Djoum should have been penalised for handball.
“If I say what I really mean I'll end up with a 10-match ban,” he said. "I've seen Cammy's and he chops him, it's a penalty. His hand's down and he makes his body bigger.
“The one he gave against Craig was astounding. I've no idea what he was thinking. Even if Fletcher got a touch, Craig made the save and the ball went 90 degrees to the right. But Fletcher didn't even get a touch and Craig knocked it to the right and for some reason he gives a penalty. It's baffling.
"I don't think ours at the end was a penalty, to be honest. I think that was the wrong decision.
“I really don't know how they go to VAR. You talk about clear and obvious mistakes. If it's about that, the first one wasn't a clear and obvious mistake, it was a handball.
“The last one, I think it's a mistake and it doesn't get reviewed. Sometimes it can be exciting but when it's happening regularly it can be a bit of a shambles."
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