Former ref and Rangers fan Jeff Winter almost stormed OUT of Ibrox after just 20 minutes thanks to the Ibrox VAR "farce".
And he even claims he didn't care whether James Tavernier scored or not due to the lengthy delays. Ex Premier League whistler Winter travelled to Ibrox to watch Philippe Clement's side take on Kilmarnock in a key clash ahead of next Saturday's title showdown with Celtic. And Philippe Clement's side looked like handing Celtic the chance to win the league on derby day when they fell behind to a Tavernier own goal.
That required a VAR check, coming after an early one to see if the hosts should be awarded a penalty after just four minutes. They got one soon after conceding when Joe Wright was adjudged to have stopped Dujon Sterling scoring with his hand, and was sent off. That came after an initial check to determine whether Fabio Silva was offside or not. He wasn't, but Tavernier saw his penalty expertly saved by Will Dennis.
The extra-time for stoppages proved crucial as Silva levelled on the stroke of half-time and the Light Blues made their extra man count after the break, going on to win 4-1. But Winter revealed he was up for sacking it when Tavernier missed after becoming so fed up with VAR delays.
“I’m a Rangers fan, but when James Tavernier stepped up to take that penalty after 22 minutes, I couldn’t have given a damn whether he scored it or not because it had been a complete and utter farce," Winter told cryptocasino.ltd "I’m now officially past knowing and caring what’s going on with VAR.
"A lot of fans have come from far and wide to watch a game of football and after 22 minutes I could easily have got up and left the stadium because the paying fans don’t have a clue what is going on. The fans watching on TV at home are sending messages to pals at the game telling them what is going on.
“Football cannot tolerate this level of stop start. Two minutes into the game we’re sat there for the best part of three minutes. I looked up at the stadium clock and 22 minutes had gone when he had the delay over the incident which led to the red card and the penalty.
“The keeper pulled off an amazing save and there’s no goal but by that point a lot of the fans around me were equally turned off by it. I’m up here for the weekend and haven’t watched much telly so if you’re asking me was something offside or this and that, I don’t know.
“I was just the mug who paid good money to watch a game of football and the people who have got a little bit more of an idea are those who are sitting at home watching in television. At least they are getting the reruns and commentary. I’m not saying screens in the ground and more dialogue its going to make the problem go away because referees now are stopping making decisions. Why make a decision and look foolish when you’ve got the fallback of VAR?"
Winter reckons Scottish refs must now DREAD being handed the big games. He added: "If the referee had said b******s to this and thrown his whistle on the pitch and walked off, he’d have got a massive round of applause. He’s the experienced guy, and he’s not being allowed to referee a game of football.
“There used to be a time when you refereed with a smile on your face. We’ve moved on now and if a ref was smiling the players would be saying he wasn’t taking it seriously enough.
“I don’t see many of them looking like they’re enjoying it. Especially when players are quizzing them after an overruled decision and saying, ‘Are you sure, ref? You got the last one wrong'.
“I feel for the referees at times because they look like rabbits caught in the headlights. They’re under pressue and you can see the frustration and if that’s affecting your mindset are you really going to have a good game.”
