Smith sees red at Madjid dismissal

17 May 2009 08:52
But the Ibrox boss was also disappointed with the part Kyle Lafferty had to play in Charlie Mulgrew's dismissal earlier in the game. Both teams ended the Scottish Premier League clash with 10 men as a result of the controversial decisions. Mulgrew saw red after just 18 minutes for an alleged headbutt on Lafferty, which the Northern Ireland international appeared to make the most of. Bougherra then followed the Dons player down the tunnel for a challenge on goalkeeper Jamie Langfield shortly before half-time. Smith said: "I've seen both orderings-off on one occasion and I've got to say, first and foremost, I was disappointed with my own player's reaction to the first ordering-off. "I don't think there was any great contact made there at all and obviously we will have to have words with Kyle. "The second ordering-off was incredible. The linesman has stated to me that the player deliberately kicked the goalkeeper in the head, which I found absolutely incredible when I saw it [again] and even [when I saw it] from the stand. "For him to make that kind of assumption is incredible. We've lost a player for the majority of the game for a circumstance which is obviously not the case." Smith believes Mulgrew's dismissal did Rangers no favours either, adding: "It had a negative effect on what happened in the game. For a long period of the game, it wasn't as open as it was before the ordering-off." Smith and Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood both look set to appeal the sending-offs, with referee Stuart Dougal appearing to take advice from his assistant Graham Chambers on both occasions. "I've not seen it to be honest," Calderwood said of Mulgrew's red card. "The lads on TV said it was nothing. Seemingly, someone was saying big Kyle was feigning injury and could have been sent off but it was our boy who was sent off. "I like Stuart. Don't get me wrong, I've had a few run-ins with him over the years but he will admit if he has made a mistake. "I don't think it was his decision to be honest; I think the linesman gave it. If Stuart looks at it and says he made a mistake, hopefully Charlie can appeal and we can take it from there. "I don't know the rules; they are a wee bit too complicated for me." On Bougherra's red card, Calderwood added: "I didn't really see it but I thought it was harsh. It was just enthusiasm going in. "With both down to 10 men, it was just defence against attack. It was a great game for the neutrals but, for us, it was a disappointing result and I felt we could have got something from the game." An own-goal from Richard Foster and a Kenny Miller header sealed the win for Rangers, despite Michael Paton pulling a goal back for the Dons. The three points were enough for Smith's men to return to the top of the table, albeit top spot will be reclaimed by Celtic if they defeat Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday. "We were pleased to win the match," said Smith. "We would have hoped to have got one or two more goals but we didn't do so. We were pleased to win in the circumstances. That was the most important thing." The clash at Ibrox also saw Barry Ferguson come off the bench to make his first appearance since being stripped of the captaincy and banned by the club for his role in the 'Boozegate' affair. But Smith was keen to play down his deposed skipper's dramatic comeback. When asked about his thinking behind Ferguson's involvement, he said simply: "He was fit to play and I felt he was ready to play. "He hadn't played for seven weeks but he got some extra training over the last week. He was fit to play and that's why he was involved."

Source: Team_Talk