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Levein furious with ref after Rangers defeat

11/05/2008

Dundee United manager Craig Levein was left fuming with referee Mike Curry following his side's 3-1 defeat to Rangers yesterday.

The Tangerines were denied a penalty and had a goal disallowed in strange circumstances at a crucial point in the match and Levein put the blame firmly with Curry.

Levein says the referee should have been stronger but felt the importance of the result to Rangers' title bid meant his side were never going to get decisions going in their favour.

David Weir fouled Noel Hunt in the area before Danny Swanson's long-range effort was ruled out despite the deflection which took it into the goal clearly coming off Weir.

Following the disallowed goal Levein confronted Curry and fervently asked for an explanation for why it had been ruled out.

After the match Levein described his conversation with Curry: "I said to him that we were as well not turning up. What was the point? We were as well going home.

"It's impossible to win here in important games. The referee has bottled it at the penalty - that was my thoughts if you want to know the truth. He knew, if he had given the penalty, he would have had to send Davie Weir off."

Levein says he is aware the Scottish Premier League (SPL) will fine him but he says he is willing to accept the reprisals if it highlights what he believes are continued injustices to other sides when they take on the Old Firm.

He said: "I tell you what will happen now, I'll get my wrists slapped for having a go at the referee."

But Tangerines chief executive Stephen Thompson has told his manager he will back him "all the way".

The defeat also ended Dundee United's hopes of qualifying for next season's Uefa Cup.