Chris Sutton and Ally McCoist duked it out on Premier Sports over the SFA and Rangers' handling of Nathan Patterson's Covid breach.

The young defender starts for Gers this afternoon against Celtic in the Scottish Cup despite recently being handed a six match ban, two suspended, after attending a house party against strict rules. His club lodged an appeal against the suspension, which has been delayed by the governing body, allowing him to play at Ibrox in today's Scottish Cup action.

Sutton questioned the length of time the SFA have taken to make the decision on Patterson's ban while also asking why Gers appealed the right-back's ban and not Jordan Jones and George Edmundson's earlier this season for a similar breach.

But Ibrox hero McCoist put his own thoughts forward on the incidents, explaining that it's the SFA who should be answering their critics, not Gers.

"Is Patterson fortunate to be starting the game?" Sutton asked on Premier Sports. "The SFA sort of let Rangers get away with one, there."

"I thought that might've been his first question to be quite frank," Coisty responded. "Well, in many circumstances, in most football associations, they probably deal with these things a lot quicker."

Sutton then compared the Patterson house party breach with Boli Bolingoli's Covid sins earlier this season when he jetted out to Spain without warning, adding: "Celtic and Aberdeen fans might be thinking, 'Well you sort of dealt with our situation extremely quickly'.." 

But McCoist said: "I definitely agree with you in respect that a punishment should be handed out, he didn't jump on any planes and go abroad or anything, but a punishment should be handed out. At the same time Rangers, like any other club would do, if it is an advantage to play him, of course you would."

Sutton went on: "As I said, Celtic and Aberdeen fans will be thinking this has taken so many weeks.."

But he was cut-off by McCoist, joking: "So we agree that it's the SFAs fault? It's good we're in agreement."

The Celtic legend questioned Gerrard, posing the opinion: "What about the way Rangers have handled it? Steven Gerrard and the fact that Jones and Edmundson were hung out to dry? But it's different with Patterson because he's quite good?"

But McCoist clarified: "He's definitely quite good, of that there's no doubt, but where I'd disagree, I don't know the I don't know the ins and outs and intricacies of the situation. But Steven Gerrard has come out and said he thinks they are different situations. He said he viewed them differently and that's his reasons for handling it differently. He is the manager and he's entitled to do that."