The only team to beat Rangers in the last eighteen months of SPFL Premiership football came within touching distance of taking more points from the champions at Ibrox on Saturday.

It was testament to the organisation of a Covid-ravaged Dundee United they gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst one of the biggest challenges of his short tenure as manager. There’s no doubt it was the poorest Rangers have played under the new manager. The month of December is a challenging one, Saturday’s scare may give the players the jolt they need at the ideal moment.

If Thomas Courts leaves Ibrox with one complaint, it will be the rush of blood to the head of Scott McMann. His extended arm provided one of the most obvious penalties you will see this season and was a gift to Rangers in a game where the goal didn’t look likely to arrive. Tavernier’s conversion was terrific and despite a lacklustre performance, Rangers piled the pressure on to extend the lead at the top to seven points.

The penalty decision was beyond debate, but it inevitably led to the predictable yet somewhat amusing tirades from some Celtic fans, determined to believe there are darker forces at play to help Rangers retain the top spot at any costs. Despite whatever evidence is presented, they remain intently attached to the idea the SFA's refereeing department are out to give Rangers assistance. Even when the decision is obviously correct, the retort will be that another club wouldn’t have been given that decision.

This tangle with reality and rational thinking has a place within the rivalry that will likely never change. Celtic fans are comfortable assuming the role of plucky underdogs defying the odds against the full weight of the SFA, and Rangers fans are generally happy to laugh in bemusement at it all.

Every set of fans has their weekly frustration with an official, to suggest there is a conspiracy at play gives credence to a level of competency that does not exist within the Scottish FA.

Where this notion becomes downright irresponsible is when it drifts into the thought process of prominent pundits and politicians. In the last four days, James Dornan MSP referred to officiating in the country thusly: "Scottish referees are utterly useless, and if they’re not useless then they can only be something much more sinister".

Following Rangers' win on Saturday, John Hartson tweeted “Well there’s a shock!”, not leaving much room for manoeuvre over what he was implying. Chris Sutton has also indulged in similar notions in the past, and once stated on TV that Rangers “intimidate” referees.

This attitude from politicians and pundits used by some mainstream TV and radio channels is absurd. Not only are they calling into question the judgement and integrity of every official in the country, but they are making a mockery of the league they are usually desperate to champion.

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It matters when people of standing indulge in conspiracy theories. In 2010, a refereeing strike was caused by the furore after a fallout between Celtic and referee Dougie McDonald. The extent of the backlash led to the unprecedented step of industrial action. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to see such a situation rear its head again if prominent figures continue to whip up emotions into a frenzy.

All of this is especially bizarre given Rangers have barely benefited from incorrect decisions from referees this season. An offside goal against Motherwell proved important, just as Celtic reaped the benefits from a very lucky escape when Tony Watt was brought down in the box at Parkhead.

Rangers have been awarded five penalties in the league, one less than Hearts. Rangers have conceded two penalties, one more than Celtic. There is nothing extraordinary about Rangers' statistics in regards to refereeing decisions, yet some reaction would suggest the club are on the receiving end of a remarkable array of dodgy decisions that no one else is receiving. The reality is that nothing like this is happening.

Pundits and politicians need to do better. It's hard to escape the notion there's a deliberate attempt to scapegoat referees and demonise their decision-making. This is a worrying precedent to set given whipping up a frenzy can legitimise outlandish theories and create a hostile environment for men in the middle. The discourse can be poisonous, disingenuous and potentially dangerous for officials if those that should know better cannot change their behaviour.

Of course, it's the God-given right of a football fan to exercise their frustration at a referee. The job comes with the inevitable flack from the stands, but to pile pressure on by conflating mistakes or incompetency with conspiracy is where the line is crossed. Where pundits paid to comment on the game indulge the idea of decisions being deliberate, they bring the full game into disrepute. When an elected member of parliament uses his social media platform to suggest referees are either incompetent or corrupt, it brings a worrying legitimacy to sheer delusion.

All this behaviour feels deliberately engineered to heap pressure on referees and rationalise why Rangers currently remain top of the pile. There can be no other way to view such a reaction to an undeniably correct decision.

In reality, Gio’s men remain the best team in the league and have their heads down and eyes on the prize. Eight league wins and five domestic clean sheets in a row closes off the first 19 games: a replication of this in the second half of the season would make it extremely difficult for anyone to overtake the champions.