The Scotsman

Rangers fury as Flanagan ‘singled out’ over elbow

● Ibrox club say SFA charge ‘shocking’

- By ANGUS WRIGHT

Rangers say they are shocked to see defender Jon Flanagan “singled out” for retrospect­ive action by the SFA following Sunday’ s Old Firm match while Celtic’s Jozo Simunovic has escaped punishment.

Flanagan, below, threw an elbow in the face of Celtic captain Scott Brown just before a corner early in the second half of Rangers’ 2- 0 win at Ibrox. Referee Kevin Clancy booked the full-back but yesterday SFA compliance officer Clare Whyte decided the incident warranted further investigat­ion.

Three former cate - gory one match officials all agreed Flanagan was guilty of violent conduct, meaning he faces a two-match ban – Sunday’s trip to Kilmarnock and the first game of next season. Rangers, though, have vowed to “vigorously defend” their player at tomorrow’s hearing.

In a statement last night, Rangers also questioned why Celtic defender Simunovic has not been handed a notice of complaint. The Croatian centre-back was involved in an offthe -ball collision with Ibrox striker Jermain Defoe midway through the first half but no action was taken by Clancy.

“Once again, there seems intent to change the decision of a referee in a match involving R angers,” said a spokespers­on. “There seems to be a steady erosion of respect for Scotland’ s referee sand the authority they are meant to enjoy under rule five of the laws of the game. The deci - si ons of referees regarding facts connected with play are meant to be final, but referees are now routinely invited to change their decisions after a game has finished.

“It is particular­ly shocking that another R angers player has been singled out for retrospect­ive action and issued with a notice of complaint, while Jozo Si mu no vic, the Celtic player who used an elbow to fell Jermain Defoe, has escaped any kind of censure. Why did one incident escape punishment while the other is now deemed worthy of a red card?

“It seems as if Rangers’ players are being held to a different code of conduct from players at other clubs. We shall vigorously defend Mr Flanagan and have asked for full transparen­cy on what matters are brought forward for retrospect­ive action. Are those decisions being made even-handedly?”

In February, Rangers goalkeeper Allan Mc greg or was retrospect­ively punished for a kick at Aberdeen’ s Lewis Ferguson that was seen at the time by referee Bobby Madden, while I broxw in gerRy an Kent got a retrospect­ive ban for striking Brown in the previous Old Firm encounter at Celtic Park in March.

Celtic declined to comment on Rangers’ statement.

Greg Docherty has warned Jake Hastie he will have to develop a thick skin if he is to make the cut at Rangers next season.

The Mother well youngster will join up with Ste - ven Gerrard’s squad this summer having agreed a four-year deal at Ibrox.

The 20- year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Alloa but earned his Rangers switch with a string of stunning displays after returning to Fir Park in January. Hastie was even nominated for PFA Scotland’s young player of the year award despite star ting just 12 games for Stephen Robinson’s team.

But midfielder Docherty has warned his new teammate he will have to perform at close to his b est for much longer if he is to win over the Ibrox faithful. Docherty knows how hard it is to make the step up while coping with the pressure of playing in front of 50,000 fans and struggled to find the required consistenc­y after clinching a £675,000 move from Hamilton 18 months ago. As a result he was forced to head out on loan last summer to find game time at Shrewsbury.

“It’s great that Jake has got his move,” said Docherty. “It might take him time to adapt as Rangers is such a big club. When I made my move from Acci es, the thing that I had to get used to was making sure I got that consistenc­y of performanc­e.

“The club requires that you perform as close to maximum as you can at all times. The competitio­n is so fierce that if you don’t manage that, you’ ll lose your jersey. Being mentally strong is massively important. There will be a lot more opinions voiced about Jake than he will have been used to at Motherwell. You have to develop a thick skin when you play for a club like Rangers.”

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 ??  ?? GREG DOCHERTY “Being mentally strong is massively important”
GREG DOCHERTY “Being mentally strong is massively important”

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