Scottish Premiership fan views: Defeats have Old Firm supporters concerned about title hopes

Another controversy and shock-filled weekend in the Scottish Premiership and the responses from fans have been flying in to our mailbox.

Here's a taste of what you have been telling us:

• Monday's Scottish Gossip

Heart of Midlothian prevented Celtic going back to the top of the table following a 2-0 victory in which the visitors had a penalty saved by Zander Clark, had winger Yang Hyun-jun sent off for a high boot then conceded a spot kick themselves. Celtic fans were unhappy with the decisions - not only of the officials but also manager Brendan Rodgers.

Billy: Thought we battled really well, given the circumstances. Thought the ref got it right on the yellow card for Yang Hyun-jun. Then again, no-one saw [Tomoki Iwata's] handball - not the ref, nor linesman, no Hearts player - never a penalty. VAR is supposed to be for obvious errors, which this wasn't.

Peter: Players like Adam Idah, Liam Scales, Tomoki Iwata and Nicolas Kuhn would never have got a game under Ange Postecoglou. The quality of our squad has dropped, so it's no great surprise to see us struggle. We have lost quality players and the two we have - Reo Hatate and Liel Abada - are not in team. Very despondent.

Graham: What are we doing with VAR? I thought the officials got all three big decisions wrong, including the penalty given against Hearts. The Tomoki Iwata penalty is baffling. I always judge by the opposition's reaction and not a single Hearts man motions to the ref. Celtic played poorly with 10 men and Hearts were deserved winners.

Andy: One of those days that anything that could go wrong did. Referee/VAR didn't help, though. I still question the manager - why does he never change things? We were chasing the game but persisted with a strategy that's not working. I don't get it.

Danny: Officials make mistakes and VAR is a mess at times, but when a manager can't see the other team took two chances and scored and we took none then he is clutching at straws. Brendan Rodgers seems to have killed the spirit and the never-say-die attitude in the team. To say he has changed nothing is nonsense.

Hearts fans' mood has, meanwhile, changed since last week's hammering by the other half of the Old Firm.

Paul: We played to our strengths and, to be fair, both penalties were soft. To a man, awesome.

Steve: Great result. Top performances in particular from Stephen Kingsley, Calem Nieuwenhof, Zander Clark and Lawrence Shankland. Alex Cochrane was not at the races - slow, poor man marking and ineffective tackling, but Tynecastle was rocking.

Norrie: Our penalty that was a penalty. Ball hits Alistair Johnston on the right arm elbow area before deflecting on to other Celtic players arm. His arm is out away from the body and is similar to the one Rocky Bushiri conceded against us at Easter Road that VAR spotted.

James G: Red card changes the game, but it was a red. Hearts showed great composure after half time and showed patience to get a second. Only issue is I fear for the team after Lawrence Shankland does leave, but for now let's just enjoy him!

Fraser: Hearts well and truly deserved the victory. The red card was blatant - studs in the face cannot be excused regardless of the intent. Disappointed with Rodger's comments post-match as it seems to continue this dangerous rhetoric of pinpointing referees by name and not addressing the real issue, which is the laws of the game.

Ian: Time every other team went for it against the Old Firm instead of sitting back. Hearts were up for it.

Alan: It wouldn't be Hearts if we didn't do things the hard way, but Steven Naismith's star continues to rise. I'd hoped we'd get four points from the games against Rangers, Hibs and Celtic - just didn't expect it in the games we did. A cup win at Morton and another four very winnable league games before the split is next on the agenda.

Rangers stay two points clear at the top thanks to Hearts' win over Celtic, but the 2-1 home defeat by Motherwell the day before has their fans concerned about their ability to do so much longer.

Iain: Two things might outdo us in the title race. One, injuries to key players and, two, the lack of a number nine. If you watch Cyriel Dessers, he is well off the pace and misses chance after chance. Hope I am wrong, but I am a worried long-time Gers fan.

Tim: Too many injuries to key players at the worst time of the season, coupled with still being in two other competitions, may ultimately prove a bridge too far!

Alexander: This was as woeful a performance as anything under Michael Beale. It was lacklustre, certainly lazy from some and too many were out of sorts. Connor Goldson had a nightmare, as did John Souttar. No-one in midfield took control and Cyriel Dessers was an empty shirt. This may well prove to be the game that lost a title chance.

Bill: Missing a natural goalscorer will cost the title. The midfield had more defensive feel, with no creative flair. This rotation I'm not convinced about. You look for players to build relationships. The defence is fairly settled, however, the Motherwell attack bossed from first to last minute. I fear for the Benfica game.

David: Shocking performance from Rangers when we had the chance to go five points clear. The Motherwell forwards gave our defence a really difficult game and they took their chances when they came. This result is a big blow to us.

Elaine: Still a long way to go, but very disappointed. We can't afford to drop any points at home. One extreme to another this week. We have to pick ourselves up again and big Phil Clement will do that.

Motherwell fans are delighted to see the upturn in recent results and are eyeing a rise into the top half of the table.

Matt: After the disappointment of the two late goals last week, this was a well-deserved - albeit nervy - win. The results seem to finally be turning and the introduction of Jack Vale to the team seems to have finally given Theo Bair a bit of support with his impressive hold-up play. If we can keep the defence solid, top six is definitely doable.

Chas: Fully deserved result for the manager and his players. People shouting for his head a week ago. Good talented guy working hard with honest players on a low budget. Beat a flying Rangers team for the first time in 27 years. What else can you say?

James: As good a performance as we have given in years. Thoroughly deserved victory. Could not be prouder. Some phenomenal personal performances. Theo Bair, Blair Spittal, Jack Vale, Bevis Mugabi, Stephen O'Donnell, Liam Kelly. Different class.

Hibernian fans also have renewed belief that their side can finish in the top six after a 2-0 victory over Ross County took their side into the top half.

Ross: Decent performance. I thought Rocky Bushiri had his best game for us. Introduction of Dylan Levitt second half made the difference - delighted he got his goal. No reason we can't get fourth.

Kenny: Another good result because we have stopped playing suicidal football at the back. We are now playing better at both ends of the park. We need to build now on these results and learn not to give away cheap goals as we have been doing. Great chance now to beat Rangers.

Rico: We were too slow in our build up for much of the game then their goalkeeper handed us a goal and we were pretty comfortable after that. Top six looks possible now, but our aim should be top four and that looks unlikely thanks to all the months we dropped points while Nick Montgomery stubbornly refused to change his tactics or formations.

Sandy: I like consistency in team selection and that's what we got. Ground this one out with a clean sheet as well, but Dundee's slip has us into the top six. I can see us beating Rangers now in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. Well done to the manager and players .

Billy: A hard-fought win. I thought we were lacklustre in the first half but were a different animal after the break. The subs seemed to make something click. Dylan Levitt, Adam Le Fondre and Elie Youan were the creative sparks we needed. Myziane Maolida showed great determination to force the opener and Levitt's near control sealed it. It's been a good week to be a Hibby.

Fergis: A very poor game with every player guilty of sloppy control and passes, struggled to create anything, but a fantastic three points in the end and that's really all that mattered in this must-win game.

Dundee slipped out of the top six after being held at home by Kilmarnock, leaving home fans disappointed.

Roberto: Really good game against a well-organised Kilmarnock side - 2-2 was fair. To lose the equaliser in the 91st minute was hard to take though.

Boab: Two-one up and Killie down to 10 men, we should have seen the game out. However, a decent performance.

Doug: It was an excellent game of football if you were a Kilmarnock supporter or a neutral but something of a disappointment for diehard Dees supporters. Chances came and went for the Dees, but they once again failed to convert their overall superiority into the win that they merited. Regaining a place in the top-six will require their best from now on.

St Mirren are delighted after their side consolidated fourth place thanks to two stoppage-time goals that secured a 2-1 win over Aberdeen.

Graham: Unbelievable team spirit, absolutely deserved the win. Neil Warnock must have been at a different game. We hit the bar, post and totally deserved our victory. Let's remember that Aberdeen stole a point from us last time in Paisley with Bojan Miovski's double-hit penalty. Stephen Robinson has the biggest heart I have ever seen in the Saints dugout.

David: St Mirren are showing real spirit this season, demonstrating a sense of 'team' and 'family' despite the perpetual harsh criticism from their own fans. This seems to be the norm in football, but I wonder how many of these 'fans' would perform well at work with 1000 angry voices telling them how bad they are!

Alastair: Drama, such drama! We were poor for most of it, but when it mattered, we got the goals and it was fantastic. I feel for Aberdeen, but we won and we're on our way to Europe.

Those two late goals in Paisley have Aberdeen fans despairing about their form under interim manager Neil Warnock.

John: Given our problems are mainly conceding very cheap goals due to poor or amateurish defending, why are the club not reaching out to Willie Miller as a part-time defensive coach? He has the club at his heart and must be totally shocked by the defence.

Atulan: An absolute disgrace. I can't see us staying up at this rate. Neil Warnock is absolutely clueless and has been a disaster.

Davis: The last two minutes of the game were an absolute heartbreak. Sure, it's football, but heartbreaking all the same. I've accepted that relegation is looming and I'm sure we'll relish the competition in the championship. Trips to different stadiums and cheaper tickets... ahoy!

Sandy: Worst team I have ever witnessed in my whole life as an Aberdeen fan. We need to stop this experiment now.

Ken: These performances are all about management, which is exactly what Neil Warnock thought when he came in. Unfortunately, he thought he was the big boy coming into the kiddies' playground but isn't as good as he thought he was and is in the process of being hoisted by his own petard.

Keith: We have become the absolute laughing stock of Scottish football. So many fans jumped on the "sack the manager" bandwagon with Barry Robson when it was clear and obvious the problem is the players. No fight in them, an absolute disgrace.

Callum: Don't understand how we can explode so late in the game. Sick of that way we are.

Justin: Aberdeen aren't able to handle the pressure at all. They've thrown away goals and penalties so often in the last stages of games and that represents our league position. On thin ice in the table and these players don't seem to be stepping up high enough to the plate.

John: Unforgivable! No team should lose two goals in added time and this is not the first time this has happened. We have big problems. We have been sucked into the play-offs and I don't think we have the players to get us out of it. The whole club is weak from top to bottom and requires new investment and new management and new players.

Aberdeen slip below St Johnstone into 10th place despite the Perth side being held at home by bottom side Livingston in a game from which Saints fans were relieved to take a point.

Ian: That was a match to make your eyes bleed. Livi will be disappointed to lose a late goal, given how bad Saints were all afternoon. Eighteen minutes of added time tells you how much time Livi tried to waste though. No cohesion in the Saints team and too many attempts to play football in front of our own box instead of theirs. Much improvement needed.

Avi: A disappointing performance, but a good point in the end. Saints needed to be bigger and better than a horrendous Livingston but got dragged into one of the worst spectacles I can recall for some time. The time-wasting and general game management from Livingston made this game a brutal watch.

Ryan: A good point in the end. Saints could never play due to the stop-start nature of this game. Livingston's poor tactics worked perfectly to disrupt and kill off any chances against them.

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