Another VAR shambles at Fir Park on Friday night. Should Willie Collum read the riot act again?
KEITH JACKSON: VAR wasn’t the problem on this occasion.The over zealousness of match ref Chris Graham was to blame for Dan Casey’s red card. Collum can’t go around gunning down all of his men in full public view but he needs to have a strong word in private with this one.
ANDY NEWPORT: We’ll have no-one left to officiate games if Collum carries benching under-performing whistlers at this rate. VAR was supposed to clear up the howlers but it only works if the men in charge of the remote controls are up to the job. Not enough are.
CRAIG SWAN: There’s nothing more Willie Collum can do. It’s down to those working the game to get their acts together.
FRASER WILSON: His honesty was a breath of fresh air last week but if it becomes a weekly recurring theme then the confidence of our officials could crash through the floor along with their credibility. It was the on-field ref this time rather than the VAR. He should read the riot act – to the offending officials.
Are Rangers back in the fight for this season’s title?
KEITH: Let’s see how the next week or so goes. If Rangers go into the New Year with nine points from the next nine then we may have to reassess things going into the second half of the season.
ANDY: They’ve improved – but nowhere near enough to topple a rampant Celtic side. Brendan Rodgers’ team will win the league at a canter.
CRAIG: Not at this stage. They are going to have to get much closer to Celtic for that to be the case.
FRASER: Not yet. Their form and performances have improved drastically but they need to deliver a big win on January 2 before they can claim to be truly in with a sniff of the title.
Are Aberdeen’s hopes of a second placed finish over already?
KEITH: It looks like it. We all knew there would be a bump in the road for Jimmy Thelin but this is turning into a car crash. They’ve surrendered second place and now that the momentum has switched it’s a case of holding onto third.
ANDY: This hectic period was always going to be the testing point for Thelin’s team.
They can recharge their batteries when things calm down in January but even if they miss out on second, the Dons have still made serious progress this season.
CRAIG: The hopes are not over. But it was a long shot to start with and it remains that case.
FRASER: Yes. I always said the big test was how they reacted from their first bump in the road after an incredibly good start. Unfortunately they’ve not reacted well at all. Third should still be a sign of progress though.
Can HIbs make a push for the top six?
KEITH: That there’s even a chance points to the progression David Gray is making now that the ship has been steadied. There’s still a lot of improving to do but making the top six has to be the target.
ANDY: They’re only six points off it so of course it’s a possibility. But David Gray’s team must show they can make their recent upturn stick and not slip back into the bad habits that had them floating about the relegation zone for most of the season.
CRAIG: Hibs can definitely burst into the top six. They have the squad to do it.
FRASER: It will probably depend on their January transfer business. David Gray still looks light defensively and while they have found some positive momentum they could suffer streaky form through to the end if they don’t bring in a couple of solid performers.