Barry Robson Rangers penalty jibe puts pressure on Viaplay Cup final ref as Aberdeen boss slammed for comments

John Brown slammed Aberdeen boss Barry Robson for using the latest Rangers penalty row to pile pressure on whoever takes charge of their Viaplay Cup final.

The Ibrox legend also believes the Dons gaffer’s post-match comments, after the Light Blues were awarded a last-minute spot kick for Stefan Gartenmann’s tug on Connor Goldson, were a diversionary tactic to mask his own failings. Whistler Nick Walsh missed the incident but VAR man Andrew Dallas brought it to his attention before James Tavernier fired home from the spot to grab a point for Philippe Clemont’s side.

Robson’s reaction brought the loaded comment: ‘It just doesn’t look good for me another VAR decision going Rangers’ way in the 90th minute’. But Brown is convinced that remark was designed to influence the man in the middle when the two clubs go head to head at Hampden next month. He said: “He knows he’s got a cup final coming up and he thinks if he can get that out there, they maybe get a decision or Rangers maybe don’t get a decision.

“What I would say is: is it taking the pressure off of him? Because if he’s disciplining his players, you can’t pull jerseys or do certain things in the box otherwise it’s going to go against us.

“There’s a discipline from him to his players to say ‘block the run, but don’t pull the jersey because it will be a penalty kick.’ But if it’s a clear tug of the jersey it’s a penalty kick.”

Brown knows Robson from his days coaching the former Scotland midfielder as part of the Ibrox side’s academy back in the late 1990s and he revealed his former pupil was no stranger to penalty box theatrics. The latest spot-kick controversy is an issue for Bomber as he also believes it’s making the job of referees more difficult and told Robson his focus should be on putting his own house in order.

He said: “Barry Robson was a youth player that I had – and he had a way of just falling over without any contact. To criticise a referee… it’s a hard enough job for referees now, especially with VAR. You need to give them a bit of space.

“But when I can see a jersey getting pulled in the box, that’s a penalty kick. There is no other way. He needs to sort his players out and tell them they can block a run or get up against a man in the box but you can’t pull a jersey. You can’t have that type of contact.

“For me, it’s a penalty. There’s too much getting made of these VAR issues. VAR’s fine. It’s the guys in the control room that need to understand it. “

Brown also insists it’s the nature of the beast for both Old Firm clubs to have a monopoly on penalty kicks being awarded in their favour. He said: “Rangers and Celtic get decisions because they will dominate the ball for large periods and have maybe 20 or 30 efforts at goal.

“They’re in the box. Defenders are going to make mistakes and the team with all the pressure will get penalty kicks. Look at Erling Haaland and Man City. How many penalty kicks do they get?

“The better teams in Scotland are Rangers and Celtic. They dominate the ball, get opportunities in the box and there’s going to be more decisions coming their way rather than if it was an Aberdeen with four or five shots at goal, hardly being in the box and hitting on the counter. They’re not going to get many opportunities for penalties.”