As Motherwell supporters stood at Hampden, arms aloft in triumph, they must have thought that Sunday was as good as it gets for a fan of a provincial club. Knocking out one of the big boys in a semi-final at the national stadium, convincingly so too. What could be better?
Well, the subsequent fallout will have kept smiles on faces at Fir Park throughout the week.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, the narrative was already being set. The big bad cloggers of Motherwell had bullied their way to the final, with Pedro Caixinha casting his Rangers side as noble football purists, prevented from playing the game in the proper manner by the thugs in claret and amber. Please.
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So Motherwell have a physical style. They get in opponents’ faces (literally in the case of Ryan Bowman on Sunday, granted), they run hard, and they tackle harder. When they have possession, they get it up to the frontmen and swarm around them to pick up the second balls.
I’ve heard these tactics described as simple by Caixinha, whose own side weren’t averse to the long ball at Hampden, but it is difficult to execute well. It only succeeds with total commitment from each player. When a manager gets that, as Stephen Robinson has, it can be a devastatingly effective strategy.
It has been amusing watching some of those who are calling for Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill to take charge of Scotland rail so much against Robinson for adopting similar tactics to get the best from his own limited resources. At times, their physicality crossed the line, and Bowman should have received another yellow for his second elbow on Fabio Cardoso. But Louis Moult would raise an eyebrow at the notion of Cardoso as the innocent victim, had it not been burst open by the Portuguese defender’s elbow, that is.
Read more: Pedro Caixinha: I don't fear for my future but I hope the Rangers fans stick by me
Cardoso’s battered face was then plastered over social media for all to see in the biggest deflection from a Rangers player since Scott Nisbet’s goal against Brugge. I’m not sure that players bleating about injuries on Twitter does them any favours after poor performances. Fans are savvy enough to see when their focus is being manipulated.
The next day, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers waded in to cast Bowman as a modern-day Terry Hurlock because he got away with a shocker of a challenge on Kieran Tierney last season too. He should have been ordered off for that, no question, but as Robinson pointed out, his three cautions in 46 games hardly point to Bowman being a one-man wrecking ball hacking and elbowing his way through the division.
Motherwell might take it as a backhanded compliment that the Celtic boss felt the need to apply a little pressure on the match officials already ahead of the final.
Robinson’s defence of his player and his team was pitch-perfect for his fans, and his line about Caixinha not having to worry about the final would have had Motherwell supporters punching the air with the same gusto that greeted Moult’s second goal.
Rangers’ statement after Bruno Alves was cited by the SFA compliance officer for his kick at Moult, while the two Motherwell strikers escaped any further punishment, contains a decent point, but the defence of Alves certainly isn’t it.
Alves has been offered a two-match ban because he deliberately kicked an opponent. Moult could also have been pulled up despite his booking at the time, but it is exceptional for a compliance officer go against a referee’s judgement of an incident he has seen for fear of undermining the official.
And Bowman wasn’t cited because the question of intent is hugely subjective, and one that only he really knows the answer to. It would therefore be judged as reckless, and worthy only of a yellow in isolation.
The compliance officer has followed protocol. Perhaps a review of the compliance structure is in order. But don’t forget, it is one that was shaped by the clubs themselves.
What shouldn’t be lost this week is that Motherwell fully deserve to be in the Betfred Cup final. And no sleight of hand should prevent further examination of the reasons why Rangers do not.
AND ANOTHER THING
A bad week for referee Steven McLean got even worse on Tuesday night as he missed a blatant handball by Hamilton’s Dougie Imrie that denied Partick Thistle a penalty in the drab goalless draw at the Superseal Stadium.
That led to Thistle manager Alan Archibald accusing the whistler of just trying to get through the match without controversy after being thrust into the spotlight since Sunday.
Luckily, McLean’s next appointment is sure to be a low-key affair as St Mirren and Morton go head-to-head in the Renfrewshire derby. What could possibly go wrong?
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