Tynecastle is always a tough place to come away with the points.
However, in the current officiating climate, it will also require class escapology to leave physically unscathed.
Quite simply, any chap in maroon might be forgiven for thinking that there is a certain leeway when it comes to planting his studs on a Celtic player.
If they are in any doubt, then they should read the words of the last manager to come up against the Parkhead club.
In the aftermath of the match against Alloa, their manager, Barry Ferguson, admitted that
“…I asked them to go out there, get in a few faces and bite at a few ankles….”
Well, Yosuke Ideguchi’s ankle is exhibit A.
Straight leg, straight red any day of the week.
Of course, any sanction after the fact is merely window dressing.
The inevitable retrospective red card will have no material impact on the match itself.
Just in case you think that Don Robertson had a bad day at the office, then look at these ones.
Frimpong.
Turnbull.
Tierney.
A Celtic player was left in a heap in each instance, and the red card remained in his pocket.
Now Mr Robertson will be the chap with the whistle at Ibrox tonight when Sevco takes on Livi.
Let’s see how he referees that one.
In many ways, it has always been thus. I grew up watching a Celtic side who were lauded across Europe for their attacking flair.
Yet genuinely world-class players were hacked down with impunity in domestic games.
Especially against the city rivals.
Everyone knew why.
Celtic’s iconic manager wouldn’t take it, and he made it clear that he suspected the officials of an in-built bias against the Parkhead club.
Moreover, he let them know about it in that booming voice!
Now, it is clear from his answers at the presser that the current Celtic manager is not a happy man about the treatment of his players.
The follow up on the club site shows that this wasn’t a throwaway remark.
You can read it here.
The thing is, and here’s the rub, will he be backed at boardroom level?
As regular readers will know, I believe that the Grey Brigade in the boardroom are happy to be at the back of the bus.
A Parks of Hamilton bus.
The Old Firm brand requires that Celtic do not rock the boat and accept their second class status within Planet Fitba.
It’s almost as if a club formed from the Irish community in Glasgow has been othered over generations, and folks have internalised that.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that both Stein and Postecoglou aren’t from that background and didn’t get the memo that they should sit at the back of the bus.
All employers have a duty of care to all of their employees.
Now, I’m sure that Ange feels a MORAL duty to lads that have followed him to the other side of the planet to play for HIM.
If the board does not take his lead, he might decide that the Celtic job isn’t worth his time.
Michael Grant wrote last week in the Times of London about the fact that it meant that Celtic were depleted for their visit to Tynecastle because of international call ups and injuries.
“The Hearts midfielders will fancy this one.”
Well, Michael, they might also be buoyed by the fact that this chap is refereeing tonight.
As Ange correctly pointed out, this comes down to health and safety.
Professional football is a contact sport, and there are inherent risks when the ball is in play, and all participants accept that.
However, it became pretty apparent to the home side at the Indodrill Stadium on Saturday that ankle-biting would be officially tolerated.
Sevco’s low calories cousins will be hoping for the same toleration tonight.
Discover more from Phil Mac Giolla Bháin
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
And so it came to pass against Livingston…deliberate handball pass to the keeper …no card…no penalty.. the whole ground saw it…also , hardly a mention.
BTW Mr Robertson is a Tim…he went to St Aloysius College, Garnethill and is mates with McGeady
go figure….cheers John
On Mr Robertson. Did anyone see the clips of the “penalty incident”?
If you look at the ref he’s at least 25 yards out and central when the corner is being taken. A ref is usually standing around the corner of the box on the opposite side from which the corner kick is being taken. It’s where he can usually get the best view. From Robertson’s angle it’s impossible to see because of the bodies moving in front of him. I’ve watched it umpteen times and I can’t tell if it’s his chest, head, shoulder or hand it comes off.
But there’s five Livingston players very close, all with good views from different angles and their hands go up immediately and at the same time. The sixth on the edge of the box reacts to the others.
When you think about it, it’s an easy way to avoid giving anything against them. Get yourself so far from the play you can say, “I couldn’t see it clearly.” It would be interesting to see if he stayed that far out for all Livingston’s set plays and compare it with where he was standing when Sevco had similar positions.
It’s time for VAR, I’m not a huge fan of VAR but if it means we end up playing against 9 men and a few goals to the good for penalties we should have had then why not.
To much money on the line. If these thug attacks allowed to continue who the hell would want to come to Cloggersville?. Any player with a touch of class watching this league would have second thoughts.
I watched the highlights of the SPL games on Sportscene last night…and boy…was I pissed.
The standard of “punditry ” on this programme is so ” loaded ” that it is shocking…to say the least.
Whilst acknowledging that Reo Hatate’s wonder goal was ” a superb strike”…the overall conclusion by the “experts” was that Craig Gordon should have saved it….Feck me !!..It would have taken his fingers off…Absolute fuds .
As for the Geomakis goal…??…Well it was off-side wasn’t it…??…End of.
Although Stewart ( now a taker of the Queen’s shilling) did say…”We shouldn’t forget it was lovely finish from Geomakis” ..
Thanks for nothing Michael.
Oh…and a wee further “observation” was that Bitton should have received a second yellow for deliberate handball…and whilst I agree that probably was the case…It was the way it was presented that gave me the hump.
Forensic detail again…and all to Celtic’s detriment.
Then Arfield’s goal was described as a “thing of technical beauty”… and I’ll bet you’d never think to hear ” Arfield and technical beauty ” in the same sentence.
As for their “penalty incident”…??
Nothing to see here…let’s move on.
For a State funded organisation to be so biased in its content and presentation…is beyond belief….and its time our Club called this out as well.
Oh and it should be remembered…
BBC Sports Scotland…is BANNED from Ibrox.
You couldn’t make it up.
As for Michael Stewart…?
Keep taking the soup son.
So now you are classing Hearts players along side semi pro players? Do you seriously think Celtic players never injure an opposition player?
Take off the green tinted specs and take a more neutral stand and you will see how things are in real life.
Just watched the highlights of last nights game against The Wee Rangers. They, The Wee Rangers, were given an offside goal and a ridiculous penalty which, thankfully, they missed. Can there be any doubt–when Livi were being denied a stonewaller—-that Celtic were discriminated against yet again? Shocking stuff.
When. One manager is. Looking for var he is looking for it from a goal against, not. At a goal. Scored and why is this manager allowed to approach a ref and lines man in. The tunnel
Not only the players, but also the fans required protection from physical attacks, Phil. My nephew called me after the game saying they were attacked leaving the ground. Due to the ridiculous allocation of seats Celtic fans had to run the gauntlet of the eastern klan to get back to their busses. No mention of that in the SMSM.
Yes Phil you’re right and I feel exactly the same regards, well, it could be called ‘honest mistakes’ but Celtic fans a wee bit longer in the tooth know the true term for it, cheating. It has gone on long before we even drew breathe, it’s a disgusting state of affairs that’s needs remedied once and for all. Ange will not be told what to do but can the board take a back seat again? I’ve just watched Ange post match and he seems to be backing away a from it a bit, replying to a slightly loaded question, saying ‘they do love a controversial decision here’ make of that what you may,but surely the board back him?
Analogy time,
IF you will imagine Bankier has bought a new car and said car was in the Celtic car park on Celtic Way on a match day. Imagine said car was vandalised, he would immediately be on the phone to the feds and rightly so. So why is the board not battering down the doors @Hampden when our players are being targeted, McGregor, Kyogo, Turnbull, Guchi etc, are they not worth more than any vehicle?
Of course they are. These players earn the board the quarterly dividends they’re so very fond of.
To me it makes no sense, the grey brigade have secrets but are those same secrets so bad that they cannot speak out against this now recurring injury cycle? All they would be doing is protecting their investment, is that too much for them?
Denmark and smelly fish n all that…
This is a perfect opportunity for the new CEO Nicholson to show the support that he is not just a Lawwell clone – but his own man.
Speak up!
:tumbleweed:
The ref is getting a free ticket here. As you rightly point out he does truly already have form and sinister form at that.
Retro Red Robertson.
Imagine we could have an instantaneous retrospective panel who could review contentious issues on site. Answers on a slab of slate and chalk writing to HQ, SFA Dinosaur Dept.
Thanks Phil
Mon the hoops.
Phil – I am not a Celtic (or Rangers) supporter but enjoyed reading your blogs for the news on Rangers that the MSM was not reporting.
However your recent repetitive blogs on officiating have from the perspective of a Non OF supporter descended into the Celtic paranoia that other fans find risible.
To top it off you then show that you look at everything through Old Firm perspective by calling Hearts Sevco’s low calorie calorie cousins. This type of comment is not worthy of a low level Celtic Supporters website.
You are descending to all the worst aspects of OF supporters and to reply in this vein your blog shows why the rest of Scottish football cannot stand both of the Bigot Brothers and their small minded, petty paranoia.
Then you should stop reading this free content.
Problem solved.
Phil – after reading your last blog it is obvious you have been reduced to dog whistling the worst aspects of Celtic support. I wonder what your ‘Jambo mate’ you frequently refer to thinks of your description of Hearts? I am not a Hearts fan but this shows disrespect to all Non OF clubs. You will therefore be happy to know that I will no longer be reading your blogs.
I am personally sad about this as I did think you tried to communicate beyond hardcore Celtic fans.
You are not a Rangers fan but you are a Sevco fan.
Four reasons:
Firstly;
You are looking for the truth about “Rangers” finances as you are obviously concerned about them.
Secondly;
Only Rangers/Sevco fans have ever used that word “paranoia”. Read up on the Jim Farry scandal and then say the cheating is imagined. The man was Chief Executive of the SFA for heavens sake.!
Thirdly;
Hearts have sung “the Sash” for long enough copying their “influencers”.
Fourthly;
Lumping Celtic and Rangers/Sevco together was and is the tried and trusted method of muddying the waters.
Nice try …no cigar.
Here we go again,another non old firm supporter who wants to lump them togsther.
This is just an excuse for not being impartial,and looking at the evidence.
This is why,if you don’t support Celtic you join the rest of Scotland in supporting Sevco.Why don’t you tell the truth by pinning your colour to the mast.
Does this sound familiar, “I don’t support either one of them,but I like to see Sevco winning.
Neil Lennon never sat at the back of the bus either whilst Managing Celtic to 5 League Titles and 5 Domestic Cups,in fact he was perhaps the most vocal about such things as a Celtic Manager but that never stopped some of his own chucking him under said bus after one poor season.
I suspect the usual comments from the rest of the Scottish football fraternity on how “Liewell (sic) controls Scottish football and the Old Firm (sick – not a typo) have undue influence on referees.
No mention will be made of the week on week positive decisions for Sevco. Plenty will be made on Celtics one a dozen ref blunders.
Not at Cappielow
Last night was a must win for Celtic and they delivered.
A win against the Ibrox club next week will cut the gap to one point, that will really ramp up the pressure on them.
Whilst we have bulked up our squad there is every chance that another mainstay of their team will depart before the window closes next week.
Cash is King at Ibrox and the fee from Everton for the young full back will hardly put a dent in the current financial year loss, possibly worse than the £30m plus loss for the previous year.
Yes their board have stepped up so far to plug the gap but none of them are billionaires.
The squabble with Hearts over Souter moving now is proof indeed that the pennies have to be looked after.
Neilson complaining about the no offside call on Celtic’s 2nd goal?
There was inches in the decision, almost impossible for the officials to call it in real time.
However he declined, or wasn’t asked by the local media, about the build up to the Hearts goal where an offside call would have been much easier to make.
It would appear that Neilson sees only what he wants to see.
The remotest hint of an offside decision to go Celtic’s way is analysed to the Nth degree. Sevco offside goals are never given a mention even when they are blatant.
Perhaps I’m paranoid. It’s maybe just a case of regular occurances not being newsworthy.