Marvin Bartley has shut down Stuart Kettlewell for his claims that the red card issues to Motherwell sinner Liam Gordon against Celtic was “so harsh”.
It was a tough day at the office for the Steelmen as goals from Luke McCowan, Alistair Johnston and Adam Idah ensured a comfortable win that helped the Hoops move back to the top of the Scottish Premiership. Things would go from bad to worse for Motherwell as Gordon’s lunge onIdah was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review at the pitchside monitor after referee David Dickinson originally issued a yellow.
Kettlewell insisted after the full-time whistle that a yellow would have been a fair outcome stating: “We’ve all got an opinion on that type of challenge. I just feel it’s so harsh to give the red card. I think, at the time, the referee has a look at it, he can see that Liam has made contact with the Celtic attacker, but the first thing you see on a screen is still images and it looks bad, of course.
“I spoke to the referee after it in a calm fashion, just to ask what he saw in the challenge. He spoke about hinging the Celtic player’s ankle. But my counter-argument to that is your talking about Liam at full stretch at that point, not really with any force whatsoever trying to get a toe-end on the ball. I acknowledge he doesn’t get that toe-end on the ball, but I don’t think he’s come in with any reckless intent or trying to injure the Celtic player.
“We can look at these things a million times on the screen. I think the referee got it right at the time when he gave a yellow card.”
Speaking to BBC Sportscene after the full-time whistle after the game the ‘Well boss would float the idea of launching an appeal: “If you are going to appeal something you have to believe that the people at the other end of it are going to take your points and see it the same way. I’ll have a conversation with the hierarchy here and decide what we will do.”
But unimpressed Bartley reckons that Kettlewell will feel differently after rewatching the flashpoint, with the former Hibs boss stating: “I think when he sees it from different angles he will understand exactly why it’s a red card. I must admit from first seeing it live I thought it was just a booking but you look at it from different angles and you realise it’s a terrible tackle.
“As soon as you leave the floor and catch someone at the height he has caught Adam Idah you have to be sent off. I don’t think they will be putting an appeal in because it would be a waste of money in my view.”