GER KIDDING
Rangers star Nico Raskin claims ref CHANGED HIS MIND about sending off Celtic hero Callum McGregor in Ibrox flashpoint
The Rangers ace will miss the next match - but McGregor is free to play
NICO RASKIN says ref Don Robertson let Celtic skipper Callum McGregor off with a red card as the Old Firm clash boiled over.
The stand-in Rangers captain was booked after clashing with his opposite number as the half-time whistle blew.
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But he was stunned when Robertson then allowed McGregor – already on a yellow – to walk away from the incident.
Raskin had to be pulled away from the whistler in the aftermath and said:
“I just didn’t understand what was happening.
“McGregor and I made contact, you know? And I think the referee wanted to book us both, but then he looked at McGregor and remembered he’d booked him, so just booked me.
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“It was a bit unfair, because if you book me you have to book him. It’s the same thing by both of us. It was just a bit weird.
“I was calm, I was just explaining to the ref that it was unfair, that he had to book us both.
“The ref explained that he didn’t really see it, but I said you either book both or no one.”
In the end, though, it was an incident that didn’t affect a game totally dominated by an inury-ravaged Ibrox side who could have won by four or five.
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The 23-year-old Belgian – watched by family members including his dad Thierry – was beaming with pride as he emerged from a delirious home dressing room to talk about the day when he led his mates to a win that restores some pride to a season that seemed to be falling apart.
He said: “This has been a really special day for me. My father hadn’t been in the stadium for a long time – I think this was only his second time, so it was great that he was here.
Jack Butland has been hospitalised ahead of the Old Firm Derby (2)
“I was really proud. The game was perfect, we all enjoyed it so much.
“It’s a day I’ll remember my whole life and I’m very proud.
“The fans deserved a performance like that. We deserved a performance like that. I know the last two games weren’t great, we all know that, so we all enjoyed this one so much.
“We’d looked good in training, we got confidence from that and we knew Thursday night was always a good night for us, so we just came in feeling good.
“Every game is not played before we play, so we just go and give everything. We also knew we had been so close to winning the cup final, so we just had the confidence to go for it.
“We’ve had good results on Thursdays before. If you can move the next Old Firm game to a Thursday, no problem!”
This Rangers performance was night and day from the sluggish, disjointed mess of their Boxing Day defeat away to St Mirren and then on Sunday at Motherwell, when they scrambled back from 2-0 down to earn a point.
Those two results all but ended their title chances and Raskin says they need to start winning that kind of game if they’re to get closer to the champions.
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He said: “We need to understand that those games compared to this one are not the same.
“Here, you play a team where there is a lot of space, where you can counter-attack. Even when you have the ball, there is space.
“But when you play Motherwell or other teams like that, you face teams who defend a lot and give you no space.
“So there’s a big difference between those games and playing Celtic or a European game.
“Now, it’s about us finding the small details that make us good in boths kinds of game.
“We know where we want to be and we’re working hard as a team and as a club to get there. When I see and hear the fans out there, it was so loud, it just feels amazing playing here.
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“So at the end of the day, this is only three points and we have to repeat it in three days and then again after that.
“It’s about the details that make us better so we can win every single game.”
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