Rangers penalty at St Mirren was soft, says Tam McManus
Alex Rae and Tam McManus questioned the penalty Rangers were awarded at St Mirren, though the panel agreed Derek McInnes' side created numerous chances.
By Peter Martin,
The penalty Rangers were awarded in St Mirren 0-2 Rangers came under scrutiny on The Football Show, with Alex Rae and Tam McManus both unconvinced by the decision.
The incident involved James Penrice, and the central question for the panel was whether he went down too easily. McManus gave his verdict plainly: "I thought it was a soft penalty."
Rae framed it in terms any supporter would recognise. "If that was against my team, I'd be raging," he said.
The amount of contact was at the heart of the debate, with the phrase "minimum contact" used on the show. One member of the panel went further, suggesting that "Penrice has anticipated a touch" and adding: "I think he's bought it."
Were Rangers worth the win
On whether Rangers deserved the result, the panel agreed that they "created numerous chances" at St Mirren. The view was that they should have been more clinical with those opportunities.
The discussion also took in the wider picture for Derek McInnes' side, who are unbeaten in a dozen games.
Praise for the goalkeeper
Rangers' goalkeeper was also discussed, and the assessment was a positive one. "I think he's been brilliant," was the view offered on the show.
The debate over the penalty is likely to continue among supporters. The panel's message was that Rangers had enough chances to make the decision matter less, but that the award itself was a generous one.