Honest Mistakes - Weeks 25 and 26
This covers the decision from the Derby and the following round of fixtures. This brings us up to date with game weeks 25 and 26.
My thanks as always to the Yorkshire Whistler.
BACKGROUND - I outlined a framework to assess the impact of Honest Mistakes in the SPFL.
02/02/22 Celtic vs The Rangers
Referee Bobby Madden Game Minute 4th
Incident Hatate scores following a corner and 2 TRFC players go down in the box Outcome Goal to Celtic Evidence Celtic 3-0 Rangers | Hatate Scores Twice as Celtic Blow Away Rangers To Go Top | cinch Premiership - YouTube
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict Two Rangers defenders collide with each other and both fall to the floor injured as the ball arrives at Hatate’s feet. The Celtic player shoots and scores.
Rangers appear to remonstrate with the referee regarding the prone players. I’m confident they are not asking for a foul but more, should the referee have stopped play due to an apparent head injury.
Law 5 states Injuries
• allows play to continue until the ball is out of play if a player is only slightly injured
• stops play if a player is seriously injured and ensures that the player is removed from the field of play.
You will note there is no specific reference to ‘head injuries’ but one of the many unwritten rules of the game is that potential head injuries are classed as ‘serious injuries’ and as a referee you would generally be expected to stop the game as soon as it is brought to your attention that there is a potential head injury.
Personally, I feel the Rangers players are clutching at straws saying the ref should have stopped play. The time difference between the collision and the goal is between 3-4 seconds. Given the number of bodies in the box and short time between the two key points, I don’t believe the referee could have spotted in time the potential head injury.
Verdict: Correct decision to award the goal
Expected Points
Outcome
No impact
09/02/22 Aberdeen vs Celtic
Incident 1
Referee Willie Collum Game Minute 55th
Incident Ojo cross for Ramirez to score Outcome Goal to Aberdeen Evidence BBC iPlayer - Sportscene - 2021/22: 09/02/2022
At 04:30
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict Ramirez scores from a well worked free kick routine. There is a small question mark over Aberdeen’s number 10 being in an offside position as the shot is hit. But a quick view of the replay shows he is not in the goalkeeper’s immediate line of sight and is correctly adjudged to have been not interfering in play and remains inactive.
From the highlights viewed, I can see the Brown/Starfelt contact at full speed on the first clip. From this angle it appears to me that Brown leans slightly to create a yard of space but i cannot see a clear infringement on Starfelt. Similar to previous incidents reviewed today, it’s a question of at what point does mutual contact cross the line and become a foul.
For me Starfelt needs to be a little stronger and I don’t feel Browns movement was a clear infringement/foul on Starfelt.
Verdict: Correct decision to award goal.
Expected Points
Outcome
No impact
Incident 2
Referee Willie Collum Game Minute 62nd
Incident Jota scores after Ralston header Outcome Goal to Celtic Evidence BBC iPlayer - Sportscene - 2021/22: 09/02/2022
At 05:48
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict Initial on field decision: Goal awarded to Celtic
Jota scores but Aberdeen claim Abada, who is stood in an offside position, is interfering with play and prevents Bates from challenging for the ball.
This is an interesting incident and I can see argument from both sides to be fair. Aberdeen will argue that Abada blocks Bates in his attempt to get to the ball.
However, the Celtic player knows he is offside to makes to movement or attempt to the play the ball and simple stands still. He doesn’t seem to be aware that Bates is stood behind him and it is Bates that runs into him whilst his eyes are on the flight of the ball.
For me this is not a clear-cut decision. If the referee had decided that Abada was ‘active’ I could have understood how him and the assistant referee had arrived at such a decision. That being said, I also feel allowing the goal to stand was not a clear wrong decision either. Clearly, in that moment, the referee felt Abada had not become active.
Verdict: Not enough evidence to say a wrong decision had been made. Correct to allow goal to stand
Expected Points
Outcome
No impact
Incident 3
Referee Willie Collum Game Minute 65th
Incident Ferguson tumbles in box near O’Riley Outcome No decision Evidence BBC iPlayer - Sportscene - 2021/22: 09/02/2022
At 06:30
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict Initial on field decision: No foul committed
Celtic defender jumps to challenge with Ferguson. Ferguson goes to ground claiming a penalty.
My initial reaction here was that there was not enough to award a foul against the Celtic player. He jumps probably knowing he can’t reach the ball but more to prevent Ferguson from having a free, uncontested header. The defender turns his back at the last moment and doesn’t really connect with ball or man. Ferguson seems distracted by the challenge and as his body comes back down to the ground after his jump, there is minimal contact as he lands.
I do not believe a foul has occurred here.
Verdict: Correct decision to not award a penalty
Expected Points
Outcome
No impact
09/02/22 The Rangers vs Hibernian
Incident 1
Referee Nick Walsh Game Minute 4th
Incident Kent goes down in box from McGinn challenge Outcome Penalty to TRFC Evidence BBC iPlayer - Sportscene - 2021/22: 09/02/2022 and https://twitter.com/Zeshankenzo/status/1491676005638885379?s=20&t=B1RYLALufPkkbnDkRW4Q0A
At 12:43
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict Initial on field decision: Penalty awarded to Rangers
Kent shows quick feet and entices the challenge for the Hibs defender.
Quite a straight forward decision here, as McGinn gets nothing on the ball and catches Kent’s right knee with his outstretched right leg.
Verdict: Correct decision to award the penalty
Expected Points
Outcome
No impact
Incident 2
Referee Nick Walsh Game Minute 31st
Incident Bassey and Porteous go down in TRFC box Outcome No decision Evidence https://twitter.com/Zeshankenzo/status/1491836007221764102?s=20&t=B1RYLALufPkkbnDkRW4Q0A
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict Initial on field decision: Free kick awarded to Rangers
This is one of many comings together we see from set piece situations where both players are locked in a tussle and are trying to use their physicality to gain the upper hand.
As a referee, it can be difficult to determine and categorise the numerous incidents in these moments between mutual ‘contact’, 50/50 grappling where no clear foul is being committed and those incidents when a clear foul is actually committed by one player over the other.
On the field play, I’ve often justified not awarding a foul by using the phrase ‘you’re both at it’ to indicate I’m seeing the contact but often the player asking for the foul, is being as physical the other way!
On reflection with this particular incident, I don’t feel the referee had made a wrong call here. I fully appreciate that Bassey can be seen with his arms around Porteous and as the players are in motion, they inevitably tangle and end up on the floor together.
However, Porteous knows what he is doing, he starts the tussle with a little shove into Bassey to gain the upper hand as he starts to move goal-wards. He continues to run straight into his marker knowing what Bassey will do in an attempt to block his movement.
I would not have expected to see a penalty awarded here. Either a no foul decision either way (both at it approach) or as in this instance, penalise the incident of the Porteous shove right at the start of the play.
Verdict: Correct decision to penalise the initial infringement by Porteous.
Expected Points
Outcome
No impact
Summary
My thanks as always to the Yorkshire Whistler.
The Derby was relatively incident free, Celtic’s dominance leaving little room for decisions to impact the outcome.
And praise be to the Men In Black as all big calls this week are deemed correct!
Expected Points Table
The Expected Points table is therefore unchanged following these matches:
At the end of week 26, based on xPts, Celtic have 3.12 less points than expected due to Honest Mistakes and The Rangers have 1.55 more points than expected.
That is a 4.67 xPts swing.
Celtic are 1 point ahead in the league table.