The referee sent off Pedro Mendes and Manuel Pascali and showed a total of 11 yellow cards in a goalless contest that could hardly be described as feisty or fiery. Weir went to great lengths to avoid criticizing Conroy personally but believes that the scrutiny match officials are under from SFA observers in the stand puts undue pressure on them to flash yellow cards.
“Steve Conroy is a top referee so I’m not going to criticise him as it’s a difficult enough job,” the Rangers captain said. “We all make mistakes every week so why should referees be any different? There has to be a bit of common sense somewhere, though.
“They’ve got to do what they are told [from the SFA]. They’re not making decisions based on what they think. They’re doing it based on the rules of the game and on the directives they’re getting from the SFA.
“There wasn’t a bad tackle in the game and there were 11 yellow cards. How can that be right? If you mis-time a tackle or make a bad tackle you deserve to be booked. Sometimes, though, there are yellow cards for things that aren’t yellow cards.
“A yellow card should be a last resort rather than getting them out early as it meant people walking on a knife-edge for the rest of the game. People come to watch 11 versus 11 and hopefully the best team wins. You don’t come to see 11 versus 10 and people missing games after they have been sent off.
“It was a competitive game. Kilmarnock have a strong side and were up for it and we matched that. That’s how football should be. It’s what the Scottish public wants; aggression and people making tackles. But I don’t think there was any malice or dirtiness in the game.”
Mendes was sent off just before half-time for two fouls on Kilmarnock’s Craig Bryson but Weir felt both bookings were soft and unnecessary.
“For his first booking I had a good view of it and Pedro’s going for the ball,” he added. “He’s not tried to kick the man. He maybe made a bit of contact with him although it was unintentional. For the second one I don’t even know if he touched him. It’s very harsh to be sent off for something like that and people who know Pedro will know that’s never his intention.
“I don’t think it was indiscipline. We were going for the ball and I don’t think the manager is going to be telling us not to go for the ball. There wasn’t any maliciousness in any of the bookings. Football is a contact sport so we can’t start telling players not to go for the ball.”
Weir, who passed a late fitness test to take his place in the side, had Lee McCulloch alongside him in central defence. The former Motherwell forward was filling in for the suspended Madjid Bougherra and Weir feels McCulloch’s versatility could prove vital as the season progresses.
He explained: “Obviously I try to help him but Lee’s an experienced player. He played in that position last season and has done it very well this season. He can play in a number of positions which is one of the benefits of him.
“You have to give him great credit as he never moans, he just gets on with it. He’s played holding midfielder, wide midfielder, up front and centre half; he’s just that kind of lad. He’s athletic and comfortable in a number of positions and is happy to slot in wherever for the team. We’ve lost a few players from last season so that versatility is going to be very important to us.”
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