With Allan McGregor given the all clear to carry on kicking one youth team coach has made the logical conclusion to include off the ball kicking in his training programme.
After being excused his attack on Motherwell’s Peter Hartley the previous week the Sevco keeper decided to kick out at Kris Ajer with the SFA following the example of Willie Collum and assistant Frank Connor by deciding not to punish McGregor.
Hi @ScottishFA , asking for the lads I coach with were we can do the workshop for teaching 10/11 year olds to kick opponents on the ground and off the ball properly. It’s a new thing to us. We’ve quite a few do karate and Taekwondo so the boys are super excited at the crossover.
— Noody (@Noody69Noody) September 4, 2018
With each passing week the message is clear, put the boot in, injure opponents and as long as it’s not in a UEFA competition you will be in the clear.
In the unlikely event that you get sent off all that is required is an appeal, cite the Alfredo Morelos appeal after booting Scott McKenna and you’ll be in the clear to play in your next match.
This interpretation of the rules doesn’t just apply to Sevco players, Steven Naismith was able to kick out twice at a grounded Jonny Hayes, go over and yell at the player and escape punishment from referee John Beaton and the so called SFA review.
McGregor and Naismith are unlikely to find UEFA officials applying the same interpretation of the rules during Scotland’s matches against Belgium and Albania.
