There are two ways of interpreting Ange Postecoglou’s sudden outpouring of VAR related prickliness. And after all the colour and positives he has brought to our game over the last 18 months, perhaps this relative newcomer deserves to be cut a bit of slack where this uncharacteristic bout of self pitying is concerned.
Yes, on Friday, when the normally laid back big Aussie began bumping his gums over some of the refereeing decisions made at Ibrox a week ago, it did all feel like a horribly familiar blast from the not too distant past. For a moment, he could have been borrowing Tom Boyd’s tinfoil hat. But indulging in spiteful irrationalism just doesn’t seem like Postecoglou’s style.
In particular, Celtic’s manager has found it impossible to fathom why his side were not awarded a penalty kick when Connor Goldson batted away Carl Starfelt’s shot with two hands inside his own box in what was deemed by John Beaton and Willie Collum to be a natural, reflex action. And, yes, the old ‘it wouldn’t have happened at the other end of the pitch’ stuff played perfectly into the well worn narrative of Celtic’s deep rooted distrust of authority.
