St Johnstone legend Murray Davidson used to relish the ‘you kick me, I’ll kick you’ midfield battles with the likes Jim Goodwin and Graeme Shinnie.
But the latter’s struggles with VAR and the new tackling culture in football has left Davidson fearing about the direction of travel for the game he has just left behind.
After announcing his retirement at the end of last season, following a glorious McDiarmid Park career, the former Scotland international won’t have to change the way he plays to fit in.
But Aberdeen captain, Shinnie, and other central midfield warriors of his type, undoubtedly will.
Davidson believes that will be no easy task.
Nor do Scottish fans want to see it.
“The type of player I was doesn’t have a future in football,” he said.
'They're both a yellow and a half.'
Sportscene pundits Michael Stewart and Kenny Miller sympathise with St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson.
Murray Davidson was sent off in the 1-0 defeat to Hibernian, but should the visitors' Marijan Cabraja have been red carded too? pic.twitter.com/41to2GJLez
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) July 31, 2022
“A small part of the reason I decided to give up – maybe 5% of it – was after watching how the game has gone since they brought VAR in.
“There were lots of reasons for retiring but that was one of them – watching it just annoys me.
“I have always said if a player goes over the top of the ball or goes out to hurt someone, send them off.
“We don’t want people getting injured, so red cards for things that are reckless or dangerous are spot on.
“But I see some of the tackles that people are being sent off for in the last six, eight months and it’s crazy.
“So many of them aren’t even fouls and football has to be really careful because there’s a danger that contact is going out of the game completely.
“Nobody would say lets go back to the days of people tackling high and over the top of the ball.
“But going into tackles with a bit of momentum, going for 50-50 balls – that’s part of football.”
Shinnie’s struggles
Davidson, who made over 400 appearances for Saints before hanging up his boots after a late cameo against Livingston on the final day of last season, has taken note of Shinnie’s recent struggles to walk the tackle tightrope.
“Shinnie’s found it difficult,” said the 35-year-old.
“I used to love playing against him because I knew I could kick him and he wouldn’t moan.
“Just like he’d kick me and I wouldn’t make a song and dance about it.
“That’s football. It’s physical.
“Jim Goodwin was another one. I used to love playing against him.
“I can’t speak for Shinnie but he’s going to have to adapt.
“I saw the red cards he got earlier this year and I started laughing – one of them wasn’t even a foul.
“It went to VAR and the ref then looked at it before sending him off, so it’s obviously a red card under the rules.
“I just don’t know how football could have changed so much in just a few seasons that things we wouldn’t even think were a foul 10 years ago is a red card offence.
“Players need to adapt because the risk of getting sent off is so high now and it has a massive effect on your team.
“It’s going to be hard for the kind of player I was, that Shinnie is – a great midfielder who has had a fantastic career – and plenty of others.
“If they keep taking contact out of the game, people will be getting sent off three, four, five times a season unless they can totally change their game.
“And is that what people want? I’m not sure.
“I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about it!”
