Ross County manager Malky Mackay hopes there are serious discussions about the use of VAR in Scottish football this summer – but he fears they could come too late for his side.
Mackay was frustrated to see his side get a penalty award rescinded at Fir Park on Saturday after referee Euan Anderson blew quickly following Calum Butcher’s challenge on Connor Randall just as George Harmon was about to shoot.
And his mood was exacerbated when Keith Watson was penalised for handball to allow in-form Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen to net the only goal 10 minutes into stoppage time, which kept County in the cinch Premiership bottom two.
The ball brushed off Watson’s hand as Jonathan Obika was looking to get a shot away but Mackay feels his side have been the victims of a series of harsh calls.
“Common sense seems to have gone from the situation,” he said.
“We got one against us at Dundee United that skims a pinkie – it was ridiculous. When we played Celtic, we got one against us that skimmed a shoulder and nobody claimed for.
“The bar has been changed in Europe because there was an appeal in the Champions League that wasn’t even looked at.
“But here, every time the ref goes to the monitor they don’t stand by their decision. They are changing it and there is nobody saying, ‘I’ve seen it in real time’.
“I would hope there are internal discussions between the refs, the supervisors and the SFA. The referees’ reputations are being spoken about every week.
“And I would hope the clubs are involved as there is a lot of discord and the clear and obvious thing isn’t working properly.
“Could it come too late for us? Yeah, completely, and there’s nothing I can do about that.”
County were edging out of the danger zone until the penalty but they have a chance to take advantage of relegation rivals Dundee United and Kilmarnock playing each other on Wednesday while they host St Johnstone.
County then travel to Rugby Park and Motherwell could have a major say in who goes down when they host United next Sunday.
The Steelmen have already beaten Kilmarnock since the split and manager Stuart Kettlewell is delighted to see his side maintain their standards.
“I would never want anyone to label at me or the club that we have taken our foot off the pedal and start trying to swan about a football pitch and think we are owed something in this game, because that can come back and bite you,” he said.
“We have worked hard all week to make sure that’s where our mindset is and I can assure people that will be the same for the last two games as well.
“It’s going to be a tough fight at the bottom and we have to play our part so the natural order takes its place and if we do that we can finish off a difficult season well.”
Postecoglou praises Pochettino's success at Spurs
Ange Postecoglou says Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Tottenham was a success despite him not winning any trophies.
Spurs will face their former manager’s Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, with both teams needing points in the race for a top-seven finish.
Pochettino led Spurs to a Champions League final and three consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League during his five-year spell between 2014 and 2019.
The Argentinian failed to lift a trophy in his time at the club, but Postecoglou thinks it is unfair to use that as a baseline for Pochettino’s success.
"I mean it's a funny one you know because if all we measure sort of success on is just trophies, then okay. You know, but I don't think that's what life's about,” he said.
"I think anyone who doesn't think that Mauricio's five and a half years here were successful, doesn't really appreciate, I think, football for what it is because, you know, to get to the Champions League final, to, you know, come runners-up in the toughest league in the world.
"There's no silverware but in my mind, particularly the way he developed that group, I think he was a success.
"This is the business we're in and we get measured by – most of us get measured by other things so we've got to accept that."
Spurs have not won a trophy this season, but they are still in the race for a Champions League spot and sit seven points behind Aston Villa with two games in hand.
Asked about his own success in his first season at the club, he added: "They're not questions I need to ask, or I need to sort of investigate.
"As I said, I go by what I see now, today, what's important to me today. What's important to me is how the lads train and get ready for a big game."
Rangnick turns down Bayern to stay in Austria job
Ralf Rangnick has confirmed he will remain in charge of Austria's national team beyond Euro 2024, having turned down Bayern Munich's interest.
Rangnick confirmed last week that Bayern had been in touch regarding the possibility of him taking over ahead of next season.
Bayern are aiming to fill an impending void, with current coach Thomas Tuchel set to leave the club at the end of the campaign.
But Rangnick has now confirmed he will be staying put, though he insisted he did not "reject" Bayern.
"I am national team coach of Austria with all my heart," he said in a statement released by the Austrian Football Association (OFB).
"This task brings me a lot of joy and I am determined to continue down the road we have started.
"I want to clearly stress that this is not a rejection of Bayern Munich but rather a decision for my team and our common goals."
"We are fully focused on the Euro. We will do everything we can to go far."
There have been calls from some Bayern fans for Tuchel to stay in charge, with some going as far as to sign a petition.
Bayern wanted to appoint Xabi Alonso as Tuchel's successor, but the former midfielder has elected to stay with Bayer Leverkusen.
While Leverkusen stormed to the Bundesliga title to end Bayern's 11-year dominance of the competition, Tuchel's team can still salvage silverware in the form of the Champions League.
Bayern head into the second leg of their semi-final tie with Real Madrid on the back of a 2-2 draw in Munich in Tuesday's first leg.
Dortmund boss Terzic not surprised by Sancho's quality
Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said he was not surprised by Jadon Sancho's quality after the on-loan forward helped the German side to a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg tie of their Champions League semi-final.
Sancho joined Manchester United from Dortmund for 85 million euros ($91.11 million) in August 2021 but failed to hold down a regular spot and returned to Germany after becoming embroiled in a row with manager Erik ten Hag.
After impressing on the right wing against PSG, Terzic said he always sees Sancho's quality in training.
"It's maybe not so easy to bring it onto the field, especially when you haven't had rhythm for a while," he told reporters.
"We know his quality, and we saw it again today. We knew we needed a performance like that from Jadon."
Dortmund bagged the winner in the 36th minute through Niclas Fullkrug to take a slim advantage going into Tuesday's return leg in Paris.
Despite winning the first leg, Terzic knows that the tie is still all to play for in the second leg.
"We showed a very good game, a narrow win but a deserved one. It was a great teamwork performance that got us there. We wanted that small advantage. We know next week will most likely be tougher than today," he said in a press conference.
"This is just half-time and next week will be a different story. It won't be easy to deal with their power play in front of a home crowd. We felt it today from the 45th to the 60th minute.
"We felt their quality. We showed our best game against PSG, but next week they will have a euphoric backing of their fans, and they will want to turn the tie around.
It is a victory that, coupled with Bayern Munich’s draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday, secures Germany a fifth automatic Champions League spot next season.
"We wanted to qualify for the Champions League through the Bundesliga and not this way. But the fact that it will be enough to qualify as fifth is also partly down to our success, our contribution," Terzic added.
"Our minimum goal was to qualify for the Champions League. Now it [added spot] does not improve our Bundesliga season, but it does offer a softer landing."
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