Celtic manager Neil Lennon criticises Old Firm referee
Celtic manager Neil Lennon believes that referee Willie Collum had a poor performance in the Old Firm game on Sunday 24 October.
Rangers ran out 3-1 winners to extend their lead over their Glasgow rivals by three points.
Lennon questioned Collum’s decision in awarding Rangers a penalty and on not sending off Rangers midfielder Lee McCulloch for obstruction on forward Georgios Samaras.
The Celtic manager said, “I want to know why McCulloch was still on the pitch, it was blatant obstruction when we were breaking. It was a second yellow and they should have been down to 10 men in the second half."
Lennon had stated that Collum’s appointment was a huge decision by the Scottish Football League considering the referee was making his debut in a Celtic-Rangers match.
The Celtic manager believes that his lack of experience in dealing with the pressure of refereeing a big match was the reason Collum awarded a penalty to Rangers.
"I feel let down on the penalty incident for sure. It's a big decision. I have seen a replay of the penalty and it looked soft. I'm not sure he saw it and I'm not sure why he has given it,” said Lennon.
The Celtic manager was critical of his own team’s performance as well and suggested that his side should not have lost the match having taken the lead against Rangers.
However, Lennon believes that Collum’s poor refereeing was a crucial factor in the Scottish Premier League match.
"I have problems with my team but you have to get the big decisions right. I'll be asking for an explanation," said Lennon.
The Celtic manager did not believe that the referee did his side any favours and on Collum’s overall performance Lennon said, "He has got a lot of questions to answer."
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