Former Grade 1 referee aims a stinging rebuke at Hearts manager Robbie Neilson with playing career jibe after his Celtic comments

Former Scottish FA Grade 1 referee Steve Conroy today aimed a stinging rebuke at Hearts manager Robbie Neilson over his comments at Celtic Park last night.

Conroy claims Neilson had a cheek to criticise match official Alan Muir for not taking action against Celtic’s Alex Bernabei. Neilson felt the Argentinian’s first-half challenge on Hearts defender Nathaniel Atkinson deserved a red card after seeing his team lose 3-1. He stated sarcastically that it would take “decapitation” for a home player to be ordered off at Celtic Park.

Conroy spent 19 years as a top-level official and referenced Neilson’s own playing days when answering back at the Riccarton coach. “I find Robbie’s comments rich,” he said. “He was hardly a shrinking violet when he played. It was the old adage, if it moves, kick it and if it doesn’t move, kick it anyway because it will move later.

“Maybe he’s trying to noise things up ahead of the [Scottish] Cup game between Hearts and Celtic this weekend and maybe put a seed of doubt in the ref’s mind. Many managers have tried this sort of tactic.

“I can understand why some people thought it might be a red card – but it certainly wasn’t akin to a decapitation. I think a yellow would have been the right call because I don’t think there was excessive force and I don’t think Bernabei was endangering Atkinson. It wasn’t an innocent challenge, but he was hardly trying to maim him either. VAR took a look and decided it wasn’t red, and they can’t advocate a yellow.”

Speaking to www.grosvenorcasinos.com, Conroy took issue with comments made by Neilson at full-time in Glasgow. Celtic won the match with goals from Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Sead Haksabanovic after Josh Ginnelly headed Hearts into a sixth-minute lead. The two teams meet again at Tynecastle on Saturday in the Scottish Cup quarter-final.

Although generally content with his team’s display on the night, Neilson stated with a degree of satire that a Celtic player would need to take an opponent’s head off in order to receive a red card at home.

“There was a really bad tackle and the referee didn’t book him [Bernabei],” explained Neilson. “It’s happened, I’m sure Alan [Muir] will be really disappointed when he looks at it. It’s not really his fault. I think he needs to at least book him but you would think VAR would tell him to have a look at it.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson was unhappy with some decisions at Celtic Park.

“I thought the whole thing was a shambles. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen no yellow card but it goes to VAR for serious foul play. I’m sure Alan will look at it tonight and firstly be disappointed with his own decision. Secondly, that he wasn’t asked to look at the VAR screen. If he sees it, I think it’s a different outcome.

“Usually, coming to Parkhead, you need decapitation before you will get a red card against you. It wasn’t to be today. There was nearly a leg off, but if the head came off we might have got it.”