Aberdeen are right to appeal the red card shown to Graeme Shinnie in the 1-0 victory at Ross County.
The Dons have confirmed they have submitted an appeal against the dismissal of their captain.
Hopefully they are successful with the appeal – but I have my doubts they will be.
That’s because of the way tackles and challenges are viewed nowadays. And also how with VAR they can slow footage of a challenge down to watch it frame-by-frame – that can make a challenge look completely different from what happened in real time on the pitch.
What I saw from Dons skipper Shinnie was a perfectly-timed tackle where he accidently caught Ross County’s Jack Baldwin.
Shinnie was playing the captain’s role late in the game by going in for the challenge and won the ball.
Referee Euan Anderson saw the incident and didn’t do anything about it at the time.
The referee was in the perfect position in real time to see the tackle.
He didn’t give a yellow card and made no steps to censure Shinnie.
If that is how he viewed the tackle in real time, then I find it difficult to understand why he then thought a “clear and obvious error” had been made, which is what VAR is supposed to be there for.
The referee then went to study the pitch-side monitor in Dingwall, and it is only on the back of them slowing it down so much that the referee has then sent Shinnie off.
There are elements of VAR that are frustrating – and that is one: Where a situation can be taken out of context completely. Where a referee hasn’t seen anything wrong in real time and VAR decides on freeze-frame justice that Shinnie should possibly be sent off.
Unfortunately referees tend to go with VAR in most of these occasions.
That is ultimately not what VAR is there for – it is there for clear and obvious errors.
And I don’t think the situation surrounding Shinnie’s tackle was.
I think most commentators and players would be of the opinion that it was not a red card.
There has to be a case where the referee can adjudge whether there is any intent or if it was over-physical.
However, the unfortunate situation now appears to be if you take the ball and any part of your foot then catches the opponent it gives the officials an opportunity to brandish a red card. Whether it is accidental or not, that seems to be the case.
That will probably be the problem Aberdeen find with the appeal.
Shinnie’s was not an over-physical tackle and, as I said, it was perfectly timed.
It was not one of the tackles they are trying to ban where a trailing leg comes through and takes the opponent out.
It is difficult to see where the game is going if that is the level of VAR decision we will have to contend with.
The dismissal of Shinnie in injury time made it a nervous ending to the game in Dingwall, but the Dons held out for a sixth straight win.
Overall, the win against Ross County was certainly not one for the purists.
However, if you like your football focused on defence, it was a joy to watch at timed.
Defensively Aberdeen were outstanding with the amount of balls they had to deal with over the top.
They put their bodies in the way, won headers, tackles and one-to-one battles.
The Reds deserved a clean sheet and a win.
Now, they will have to wait on the outcome of the appeal to see if captain Shinnie will be available to face Rangers on Sunday.
No-fear attitude against Rangers
Aberdeen have absolutely nothing to fear going into the game against Rangers at Pittodrie on Sunday.
Rangers can blow hot and cold at times and have had issues defensively recently.
Manager Barry Robson will certainly not be blasé ahead of the game against Rangers.
However, the Dons will be thinking that this is the right time to get the Ibrox club.
It is a home fixture and the last game before the Premiership split.
In-form Aberdeen also face Rangers on the back of six straight wins.
The Dons will be looking for some revenge after the last game against Rangers at Pittodrie somehow ended in defeat.
Aberdeen were on course for a victory when leading 2-1 in injury time – only to concede two late goals to lose 3-2.
Rangers grasped victory from what was looking like a defeat.
Aberdeen have completely turned around their form under Barry Robson, though, and are in a good place ahead of the game with Rangers.
Manager Robson has approached games in a sensible way and has very decent players.
Under his guidance, the Dons are solid in defence and dangerous in attack.
They are now in a fabulous position to finish third in the Premiership.
Achieving that would constitute an incredible turnaround since the January transfer window and appointment of Robson.
The business done in the transfer window in a very simple and straightforward way has been fundamental.
Aberdeen signed two centre-backs who can defend in Angus MacDonald and Mattie Pollock.
They also signed a captain in the middle of the park in Graeme Shinnie, who plays with his heart on his sleeve.
Those three, along with Robson’s approach and attitude to the game, have helped change the Dons’ fortunes.
They keep it pretty simple and make sure the defence is strong.
That should always be the starting position for any team.
Future of key players a concern
The unresolved future of many of Aberdeen’s key first-team starters is a concern.
Aberdeen fans will be carried away on a wave of optimism after a six-game winning streak jumped the Reds to third in the Premiership.
However, if you look beneath that optimism there is the downside that there are a lot of loan players set to exit the club in the summer.
There are also first-team regulars set to go out of contract as well.
That needs to be resolved by securing some of those key players so that the good work of recent months isn’t squandered.
It is up to the board of directors to make some deals permanent, so that it isn’t a case of starting all over again in the summer.
There is work to be done by Aberdeen in the summer transfer window.
That is the problem when you bring in players on loan.
All three centre-backs who have been impressive in the recent winning run will not be at Pittodrie next season as things stand.
Mattie Pollock (Watford) and Liam Scales (Celtic) are both on loan, while Angus MacDonald’s short-term deal expires at the end of the campaign.
Loan deals for captain Graeme Shinnie (Wigan Athletic) and Leighton Clarkson (Liverpool) also expire at the end of the season.
Jonny Hayes’ contract is also coming to an end this summer.
A fair percentage of the squad have to be sorted one way or another – either to extend that loan deal into next season or to sign them on a permanent deal.
Securing players on permanent contracts is always the preference.
That lies with the board of directors as to whether it is possible to get these players on permanent contracts and to work out whether the club can afford it.
Conversation