Second excuse emerges as Beaton bottles it over Ibrox penalty inclident

Marvin Bartley has opened up a can of worms over the non award of a penalty to Livingston at Ibrox.

Rising star Ross Hardie was the match referee with John Beaton appointed as an insurance policy on VAR duty.

For 20 days before the match the Ibrox messengers had been constant over the miscarriage of justice carried out in the League Cup semi-final on November 2.

HAMPDEN FALL OUT

Not the dodgy VAR lines and dodgier frame used to disallow an own goal from Nicky Raskin. Not the decision not to carry out VAR reviews and award Celtic penalties for the Reo Hatate and Michel-Ange Balikwisha incidents.

At Hampden, Auston Trusty was only booked for anticipating Jack Butland dropping the ball. It has been known.

Only one incident has been in the media eye over the last three weeks.

Whoever was next to face Danny Rohl’s side were facing mission impossible.

VICTIMS

As well as Hardie and Beaton, Willie Collum decided to give Douglas Ross and 350 mile round trip to Ibrox. When you have lost your Westminster expenses it is reassuring to know that the SFA are there to help out.

With the score at 1-1 Ibrox was rather nervy. It would have been more than nervy if a shot from Tete Yengi had put Livingston in front.

Manny Fernandez made sure that wasn’t happening. He swung his left arm at the ball, he blocked it, Hardie didn’t have the courage to award a penalty. He could be fairly certain that Beaton wasn’t about to contradict him.

TWO VERSIONS

And that’s when the ‘fun’ began.

BBC Scotland were given the excuse that the shot had struck Manny Fernandez’s body before his arm.

Tonight on Radio Clyde’s Super Scoreboard Bartley gave a different version. Fernandez’s arm was in a natural position!

There are shades of Dougie Dougie about this, they can’t find and stick to one version of events.

On Scoreboard Bartley added:

BLATANT

It’s a blatant handball. It’s not just because I am a coach at Livingston I am saying this.

If it happens against Livingston I’m going to tell you exactly the same thing.

Too many mistakes are being made.

Are we putting our officials under too much pressure in using VAR?

Because we are not capable of doing it.

John Beaton is one of the best referees we do have and for him to look at that and say it doesn’t need reviewed by the referee is quite alarming for me.

Beaton is one of the highest rated by Willie Collum but is a horrific referee. Check his UEFA appointments for confirmation of that.

A MISTAKE?

It’s happening week-in, week-out to various different clubs with different decisions.

Club are paying big money to have VAR and we are just not capable of using it clearly.

There’s no point Willie [Collum] coming out and doing a review. If he tries to defend this I will be really surprised and I think that will agitate more people.

Yes, it’s a mistake. I just don’t know how that mistake is being made.

Google check ‘John Beaton, Crown Bar, Ibrox’ and you might find a pattern.

BEATON HAS PREVIOUS

The fact that we are missing these things when we’re looking at a screen is the most worrying thing for our league.

Forget about Livingston v Rangers and who it was for or against. For our league going forward that is a huge, huge worry if we cannot get something as simple as this correct.

In February Alan Muir disallowed a goal for Celtic against Hibs by making up a decision. He ruled that the ball had crossed the line before Alistair Johnston crossed it to Daizen Maeda. He had no evidence for that.

At Ibrox Beaton was using the excuse that the ball struck Fernandez on the body before it hit his arm. That isn’t true. It didn’t happen.

Muir hasn’t been put on VAR duty since. It is highly unlikely that Collum will punish his Lanarkshire Refereeing Association colleague in the same manner.

On Tuesday the SFA will publish the match officials for two rounds of SPFL Premiership fixtures. It will be a shock if Beaton isn’t involved.