Every manager thinks their team is the hardest done by when it comes to refereeing decisions, VAR non-interventions, bad bounces, unlucky breaks, injuries … the weather. But there’s no denying that Hibs boss Nick Montgomery has some grounds for feeling aggrieved over the decisions that have gone against his side this season.
The guy has only been in Scotland since September, yet already he’s been driven to the brink of bafflement, frustration and outright fury by the standard of officiating. Both on the pitch and at VAR HQ, with its banks of screens and endless replays.
The SFA’s own VAR Independent Review Panel highlighting two recent errors in Key Match Incidents involving Hibs, both penalty decisions that should have been reviewed and overturned, is unlikely to put Monty in a better humour. His only contribution to the debate will probably be a grimace and a muttered: “Only two decisions? Yeah, OK …”
Having received an apology from the SFA over a handball non-call earlier in the season, Montgomery isn’t much interested in retrospective admissions of error. Nothing said now will lift his team into the top six of the Scottish Premiership, a prize they missed out on by a single point.
The Yorkshireman previously answered a question about bad decisions evening themselves out over the course of a season by admitting: “I think that’s something you want to believe. Like a fairy tale …” Here we take a look at just some of the incidents that have caused most annoyance to the Hibs gaffer in less than eight months as an SPFL manager:
1. Offside … we think
Plenty of respected experts are beginning to question whether the frame rate on broadcast cameras is sufficiently quick to identify the precise moment when a pass has been played. Quite important in offside calls. Just a few weeks into the job, Montgomery had reason to complain about a tight call against Martin Boyle in his team’s Viaplay Cup semi-final loss to Aberdeen, saying: "I just watched it back now and there's one defender with his foot in the exact same point as Boyle. These are the disappointing things, when it's that tight, it never seems to go in favour of the attacker. If you're going to draw a line there and rule it offside then that's disappointing. I felt he was onside, and it was a goal when we were well on top.” Photo: Alan Harvey - SNS Group
2. Celtic need no help
Already 2-1 down at Celtic Park on December 6, Hibs saw any comeback hopes dashed when Video Assistant Referee Gavin Duncan spotted Hoops fullback Alistair Johnston being clipped by Lewis Stevenson. Montgomery, who admitted that his team had committed plenty of mistakes in an eventual 4-1 loss, said afterwards: “The player who actually went down didn’t even think it was a penalty. He didn’t think he got touched. He said that to the boys afterwards.” Photo: Rob Casey - SNS Group
3. Nicky Devlin gets away with one
Aberdeen defender clearly moved his arm to block a Jordan Obita cross in a 2-2 draw with Hibs at Pittodrie on February 1. Hibs later said they’d received an apology from the SFA over the incident, missed by match referee David Munro and Video Assistant Referee David Dickinson.
4. Double standards
Hibs boss Montgomery was left genuinely baffled by Martin Boyle getting booked for diving in a 2-1 home loss to Celtic – who were awarded not one but two penalties – on February 7, saying the Socceroos star had clearly been caught from behind. Monty said: “It was a penalty. If you are very quick and someone catches you it is easier to go down off balance. Martin is not someone who goes down. He is very quick. When he gets contact it is very hard to stay on your feet. He has been caught from behind and that has knocked him off balance and whether he goes down on one leg, two legs or head first if that is seen by VAR and the ref looks at it he has no option to give the penalty. Martin is nursing a dead leg and hopefully he is around for the weekend, but to get booked for it as well is more disappointment.” Photo: Craig Foy - SNS Group