adminTam McManus can scarcely believe ‘ridiculous’ Rangers incident as figure called out
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Rangers were forced to settle for a goalless draw against Hibernian, with former Easter Road favourite Tam McManus left scratching his head over one particular refereeing decision.
The Scottish Premiership title race remains finely poised, with Rangers trailing league leaders Hearts by four points going into the weekend’s fixtures.
Victory would have kept the pressure firmly on at the top, but their failure to break down Hibs has seen the gap stretch to six points.
The stalemate will have been a frustrating outcome for Danny Röhl’s side, although several players—including Tochi Chukwuani—can take encouragement from their performances.
McManus criticises Newell booking
One moment in the first half drew particular criticism from McManus. In the 35th minute, Hibs midfielder Joe Newell was shown a yellow card for a challenge on Nicolas Raskin—an incident McManus felt was harshly punished.
Posting on X, McManus wrote: “Ridiculous yellow card for Newell. That was a great tackle—he won the ball.”
He then added a sarcastic follow-up aimed at referee Matthew MacDermid, saying: “Apart from that, and missing two blatant corner kicks for Rangers, he’s having a storming first 35 minutes.”
While Newell may have been unlucky on that occasion, he did go on to commit two further fouls during the match and could easily have picked up a booking later on regardless.
Why Rangers can still believe in the title race
After a difficult start to the season under Russell Martin, a genuine title challenge once seemed unlikely. However, under Röhl, Rangers have re-established themselves as serious contenders.
Although the six-point deficit is far from ideal, there are still 14 league matches remaining, including a crucial showdown with Hearts on 15 February.
Rangers will also face the league leaders again in the post-split fixtures, meaning their destiny remains largely in their own hands.
If they can maintain momentum and secure victories in those head-to-head clashes, Rangers will give themselves a strong chance of closing the gap and mounting a serious push for a record-extending 56th league title.
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