Neil Lennon mocked Kenny Miller by referencing the “unacceptable” incident in which Rangers captain James Tavernier was showered with missiles at Parkhead.
Following the 2-1 loss to the Gers on May 11, the former Celtic manager responded on Sky Sports, saying that it was “awful” and “angers” him to see objects being thrown from the bleachers as the Light Blues defender went to take a second-half corner [Yahoo, 11 May].
However, he later made fun of former striker Miller for both sides for his odd outburst at John Lundstram’s red card by using the fact that one of the missiles looked to be a weed grinder. “I don’t know what it was,” Lennon replied, drawing amusement from presenter Eilidh Barbour and James McFadden.
It was a marijuana grinder, or something similar, I’ve heard. Who knows, maybe Kenny threw it down. “But no, that’s unacceptable, and I don’t want to make light of it.”
Target James Tavernier as the Rangers’ championship run comes to an end at Parkhead While Lennon was obviously making light of the situation, the joke was actually pretty humorous, and although Tavernier was unharmed, there was much going on all around him.
When the positions are reversed, Rangers must take responsibility for their criticism, which has been justified in the past when comparable things have happened at Ibrox.
Although it is obviously unethical, throwing missiles at players or staff of any team seems to be becoming more common; in the Edinburgh derby, Hibs supporters even targeted Hearts star Lawrence Shankland.
Miller became an easy target when he insisted that Lundstram shouldn’t have been sent off by Willie Collum for his lunging, studs-up challenge on Alistair Johnston. If Miller wanted to bolster his argument against VAR, he should have instead concentrated on the soft penalty awarded for a light clip of Matt O’Riley.
As another Old Firm derby ended in disappointment, Rangers were, for the most part, their own worst enemies. Philippe Clement was also subject to criticism on this occasion.
A midfield that, looking back, was screaming for the skill of Dujon Sterling or even the calmness of Nico Raskin vanished as Mohamed Diomande toiled in tandem with Lundstram’s horrifying forty-five minutes.
There should be a lot of reflection on the title race at Ibrox, but there should also be consequences for throwing missiles at Tavernier.
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply