The Celtic defender Alistair Johnston has called for consistency in the use of VAR but insisted the fuss over Connor Goldson having handled the ball would have been irrelevant had the champions taken their chances or defended better as they dropped points in the Old Firm game.
Many Celtic fans are adamant their side should have had a penalty when Goldson raised his arms as Carl Starfelt fired the ball at him but neither referee John Beaton nor Willie Collum, the VAR, agreed. Clubs regularly contact the Scottish Football Association’s head of referee operations, Crawford Allan, seeking clarity on why decisions are made and Celtic privately indicated they would do so over the Goldson incident.
But the new signing Johnston, a Canada international who made his debut in Monday’s clash at Ibrox, felt they had to look at themselves too. He said they could have taken more chances and defended the Rangers goals more effectively in the 2-2 draw, and also took responsibility for his own role in Ryan Kent’s strike.
When asked about the Goldson incident, the 24-year-old said: “The one on Monday was one where you go: ‘OK, I’m not really sure how two hands in front of your face is considered a natural hand position’. Obviously there’s been discussion about it. We would have loved it to have been called and we might think it should have been called.
“But there were other chances in the game where we could have scored or we could have done better, like at both the goals for example. I could have been tighter to prevent Kent cutting in. If you do that, you don’t need to think about the potential penalty or VAR. There are so many other moments within a match.
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“Of course we’d like VAR to be as consistent as possible. At the same time we understand it’s something that’s out of our control. We can’t rely on something that’s out of our control.”
Johnston made an impressive debut in the toughest of circumstances and yesterday, speaking at Hampden to promote the new 2022-23 SPFL Match Attax collection, he appeared to have bought into the Celtic squad’s relentlessly committed mindset under Ange Postecoglou. Their priority now, he said, was to build on the derby draw by focussing on tomorrow’s Premiership game against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park.
“I am not surprised that we are sitting here three days after and we are still talking about that match because I know how big it is for the fan bases. [But] we also understand it is just one league match and there are so many more points that you could potentially drop and that will decide the title. As big as that game was, we now have the full focus of what is coming up and each training day.”
There was no chance of complacency, he said. “That comes from the competition in the squad. If you are going to be complacent there are two other guys in the same position who will be chomping at your ankles every single day to get the chance to play. The manager and his staff take a huge pride in training. They also reward training. If guys are going to be half-assed then they are not going to be playing at the weekend. That drives us to a higher level.
“You look at guys like Callum McGregor, who could take it easy or coast a little bit but he is one of the hardest trainers I’ve ever seen. He puts in tackles all over the place and it’s really cool to see and be part of. You simply can’t have complacency. It can be so dangerous.”
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Meanwhile, Adam Devine, the young Rangers full back, has admitted that his driving ambition in training every day is to remove James Tavernier from the first team.
The 19-year-old right back, who has broken into the squad this season, is full of praise for the Rangers captain who has advised and inspired him on his rise.
While Devine says that Tavernier is his “role model” at Ibrox, he admits that his aim is to perform so well in matches and in training that he becomes a regular at the Englishman’s expense.
Michael Beale, the Rangers manager, has already said that Devine, who has deputised for Borna Barisic at left back, will be 25 per cent better when he moves to the other side of the defence and that Tavernier should be “looking over his shoulder”.
That remark has given Devine the belief that an opportunity is there for him. “It fills you with confidence,” he said. “I just need to keep my head down. Tav’s in the team but ultimately that is my aim — to try and get him out of the team.
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“That’s my drive in training every day. I want to be playing. I want to be starting games. But he’s a big role model for me. He’s been helping me.”
Devine started three straight games after the winter break and, despite dropping to the bench in Rangers’ last two matches, is hungry for a quick return. “You just don’t want to stop. I can’t wait to get my next chance. Hopefully I’ll put on a good performance and stay in the team. Wherever you play you need to be ready to take your chance. If you show that you’re capable of doing it in training then there’s no reason why [the manager] won’t pick you.”
