For the third time in less than two months referees have failed to offer basic protection to Celtic players.
Today it was Callum Butcher delivering a brutal attack on David Turnbull’s lower leg. Donald Robertson saw it cleanly, there were no other players nearby and decided that it was worth a yellow card. The ‘tackle’ was on the same side of the pitch as assistant referee David Roome.
Butcher was returning from a two match suspension after being sent off against Aberdeen 15 days earlier. In his last seven appearances Butcher has been booked five times and sent off once, today’s attack on Turnbull was 10 minutes after he had come off the bench.
Wonder what Crawford Allan will say about this. pic.twitter.com/3HXII11bZC
— The Ayrshire Separatist. (@DanielJMath1) December 5, 2021
On October 20 Nick Walsh watched Chris Kane twice kick out at the grounded Cameron Carter-Vickers. The referee decided to book both players.
A month later at Hampden Shaun Rooney planted his elbow into the jaw of Stephen Welsh, after a few minutes treatment the Celtic defender was substituted. Walsh, again in charge decided that a yellow card was sufficient punishment.
On Saturday referee chief Crawford Allan decided to discuss a marginal offside decision on Radio Scotland, it seems that player safety is a lesser concern.