‘Dangerous’ – Andy Walker slams ‘Reckless’ Rangers star for incident v Ayr United

According to Andy Walker, Rangers defender Connor Goldson was fortunate to escape punishment for a “dangerous” tackle during the Light Blues’ Scottish Cup match against Ayr United.

Borna Barisic and Fabio Silva goals secured Philippe Clement’s team a 2-0 victory over Scott Brown’s team on Saturday, February 10, securing their spot in the fifth round. Brown, however, felt that the home team ought to have been reduced to ten men.

Walker, a pundit for Sky Sports, wasn’t convinced Silva should have received a second yellow card, but he was “surprised” that Goldson didn’t receive a warning for a “reckless” challenge that Willie Collum and VAR didn’t penalise.

“The Goldson one could have easily been a red when you’re lunging in the way that he did and you go above the foot or the ankle,” he remarked in an interview with The Go Radio Football Show on February 12, at 46:40.

“I believe that was more than irresponsible, and reckless would have been a yellow. I perceived it as dangerous, and since danger is a red, I saw it as such. The problem is that VAR exists to examine and draw attention to that, and I doubt that any player would take offence if that kind of challenge were eliminated from the game.

“It’s understandable that the referee might miss it in real-time given the tempo of the game, but this is one of the reasons VAR wasn’t introduced, so I’m surprised they didn’t consider that.”

Lucky “dangerous” Rangers Connor Goldson steered clear of red

It’s debatable whether or not you believe Goldson’s somewhat dangerous challenge warranted a red card, but it’s reasonable to say that all football fans have witnessed punishment for similar challenges.

A booking was undoubtedly the right call, but since it didn’t significantly affect the game, the Ayr forward’s continuous run made sure the referee didn’t stop play to punish Goldson.

Under Clement, Goldson has been a regular and has consistently played at the centre of defence, regardless of his partner. Rangers would have suffered a great deal if Goldson had been suspended for an extended period of time.

They may have been fortunate enough to get a call on Saturday, but they are certainly due for some good fortune given some of the other judgements Collum has made that have gone against them this season.

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