Stephen McGowan’s Defence of Derek McInnes Sparks Backlash
Stephen McGowan has found himself at the centre of a row after appearing to defend Derek McInnes in the fallout from Celtic’s title-winning penalty against Motherwell, with the Herald journalist reportedly arguing that criticism of the new Rangers manager has gone too far.
The piece, attributed to McGowan, is said to have included the line that Celtic criticism should not become Rangers propaganda, a comment that has not gone down well with sections of the Celtic support online.
McInnes has been under scrutiny since branding the 96th minute VAR penalty awarded to Celtic at Fir Park “disgusting” while he was still Hearts manager. That penalty, converted by Kelechi Iheanacho, kept Celtic’s title hopes alive before they sealed the championship with a 3-1 win over Hearts on the final day. McInnes has since been hit with a Notice of Complaint from the Scottish FA under Rule 72, with a disciplinary hearing scheduled for July 16. If found guilty, he could face a touchline ban that stretches into the start of his Rangers tenure, potentially ruling him out of the Premiership opener against Dundee United.
The timing of McGowan’s comments has added fuel to an already heated situation. McInnes only left Hearts for Rangers last week, and his arrival at Ibrox was already facing criticism from Celtic supporters over past footage of him singing The Billy Boys, a song tied to Rangers’ history of sectarian associations. For many Celtic fans, the SFA charge and the wider conversation around McInnes’ comments are separate from that history, but McGowan’s framing has been read by some as an attempt to lump legitimate criticism in with something closer to club rivalry.
Reaction has been swift. Celtic supporters have pointed out that McInnes made the “disgusting” comments himself, on camera, and that the resulting charge came from the SFA, not from Celtic fans manufacturing a grievance. The argument from that side is straightforward: scrutiny of a manager who is already facing a disciplinary hearing isn’t propaganda, it’s just accountability.
Others have taken a more measured view, suggesting McGowan’s wider point may have been less about defending McInnes specifically and more about pushing back on the volume and tone of online criticism in general, something that has become a recurring theme in Scottish football coverage this season. Whether that nuance survives in a single quoted line is another matter.
Rangers, for their part, have stayed quiet on the matter, with all official focus currently on pre-season preparations. McInnes himself has not addressed the criticism directly since his move to Ibrox was confirmed.
What’s clear is that this story isn’t really about the penalty anymore. It’s become a proxy for a much older argument in Scottish football, about who gets to criticise who, and when criticism stops being criticism and starts being treated as something else entirely. With the SFA hearing still three weeks away, this is unlikely to be the last word on it.
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