We were victims of the Glasgow long blink
HEARTS BOSS NEILSON’S CHEEKY EXPLANATION FOR WHY REFEREE MISSED RANGERS ‘OFFENCE’
ROBBIE NEILSON has vowed to keep standing up for Hearts in the face of suspect refereeing decisions — and says his team were victims of the ‘Glasgow long blink’ in last weekend’s draw at Ibrox.
The Tynecastle boss was banned for three matches after being sent off for protesting that Rangers midfielder Juninho Bacuna should have been red carded for grabbing Stephen Kingsley by the throat.
Neilson still believes official Don Robertson got the decision wrong but reluctantly accepted a one-game ban which triggered a further two-match suspension held over from last season.
However, he claimed it is nothing new to see match officials missing big incidents which favour the hosts at Celtic Park and Ibrox.
‘We’ve all been there before,’ shrugged Neilson.
‘It’s the old Glasgow long blink, where (referees) don’t see things, so we will just need to move on.
‘It’s done now, we are still not very happy about it, but we have to accept it.
‘Will it calm my passion on the sidelines? No, I don’t think so. I don’t think I showed too much passion on Saturday.
‘I was just letting the referee know my thoughts on it. There wasn’t any swearing.
‘But I think you have to show it means a lot to you and show we won’t go to places and just accept decisions. We need to fight for them as well.’
Neilson was cited by the SFA earlier this year for a clash with referee John Beaton following a 3-2 loss to Raith Rovers at Tynecastle.
He contested the charge but was handed a two-game ban with two further matches suspended, and says the experience put him off trying to overturn his latest punishment.
He will now sit in the stands for tomorrow’s visit of Dundee and the trips to St Johnstone and Aberdeen.
‘I got offered a ban last time, I didn’t accept it, and I ended up getting a two-match ban and two suspended,’ he said.
‘So if you get offered a one-match ban you know there’s the potential to get another two plus two.
‘And the way it works on the panel, you’re guilty until you prove your innocence, so there’s not really much point in going into it. Sometimes you just need to accept these things, as disappointing as it is.
‘But it should be alright. I will be able to communicate with the bench. The players know what they need to do. We don’t change much in what we’re doing.’
Neilson suggested that Tynecastle is not a bad venue to serve a ban because he can sit in the stand behind the technical area.
‘It’s the away games that are a wee bit different, depending on where they put you,’ he added.
‘But we just need to deal with it. There’s not much we can do. It’s just up to the players, as it always is, to go out and perform and they’ve managed to do that this season.’
Last Saturday, a rare mistake by Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor saw Craig Halkett score with a stoppage-time header and cancel out John Lundstram’s opener for the Ibrox side.
The precious point kept Hearts in second place, one behind Steven Gerrard’s reigning champions.
It can often be difficult for teams to maintain their level of performance after a fine display at Ibrox or Celtic Park, but Hearts are not lacking in motivation for tomorrow’s match against Dundee.
It is the first meeting — with fans — since Dundee’s casting vote saw the Edinburgh giants relegated to the Championship after the 2019-20 season was curtailed due to the pandemic.
And Neilson is not surprised that hostility towards the Dens Park club remains among Hearts fans 18 months after the event.
‘In football, these things can linger for a long, long time,’ he said. ‘It’s part of life, nothing goes away now.
‘We spoke about (the vote) last season when we played them in the Championship and we will touch on it again. ‘I think it’s very important there’s that bit of edge about the game and it’s good to have that within the game as long as it doesn’t boil over. ‘The players will be motivated and ready to go. And I’m sure the 20,000 Hearts fans will have the place rocking. ‘It was great to get a point at Ibrox and I would have loved to taken all three. ‘But now it’s about Dundee on Saturday and getting the three points.’