David Edgar slams Willie Collum in four-word message after Rangers explanation

David Edgar believes Willie Collum is “not fit for purpose” after Nick Walsh and Andrew Dallas were backed for not sending off Auston Trusty as Rangers lost to Celtic.

Trusty caught Jack Butland on the head at Hampden Park on 2 November in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, with VAR backing the on-field referee’s decision of handing a yellow card for the offence.

Collum has surely angered the Ibrox hierarchy with his decision, as the Gers must’ve certainly expected a different explanation, with the Key Match Incident (KMI) asserting that the American centre-back should’ve seen a red card in Celtic’s 3-1 victory.

The Scottish FA’s Head of Referee Operations won’t have many fans in G51 as supporters have been on the receiving end of several wrong calls from officials in recent months.

Willie Collum explains why Nick Walsh decision was correct in Celtic vs Rangers

Collum admitted that Trusty’s challenge on Butland fell under violent conduct, but Walsh deemed the contact negligible.

The use of excessive force and brutality then comes into play as officials assess whether the foul warrants a sending off, which they didn’t at Hampden Park.

While debates will rage over whether the defender should’ve been given his marching orders, the Ibrox faithful will feel that contact to the head should automatically lead to a red card.

Speaking on Sky Sports Scotland on 14 November, Collum said: “This falls under violent conduct. But what the referee and VAR team then have to consider is excessive force, brutality, the hand or arm being used.”

The refereeing chief added: “Another keyword, though, is whether the contact is more than negligible. And the referee comes to the conclusion that there’s not enough force, it’s not brutality for him, and contact is negligible.”

Danny Rohl has been sensible to stay away from the controversy in Govan, focusing instead on his team’s performance.