The Celtic scriptwriters decided to rehash an old storyline at the weekend.
It took me back to my time in the press area at Hampden on 18 March 2012.
We had screens that showed us the action, delayed by a few seconds.
When Anthony Stokes was brought down in the box, I, and the other journalists, could look down and see the incident that had just happened.
As Neil Lennon said in the post-match interview with Jim Spence, it was a clear penalty and a possible red card for the defender.
Instead, Celtic’s Irish striker was booked for simulation.
That day proved to me that if this technology was made available to match officials, then such errors might be a thing of the past.
I was naïve even to think that might be the case without root and branch cultural change in Scottish football.
On Sunday, this time on Kilmarnock’s home ground, Celtic were again trying to find a late equaliser.
In a way far too contrived for a work experience screenplay Sead Hakšabanović was in a very similar position inside the penalty box to Anthony Stokes at Hampden when he was brought down.
The referee, Alan Muir, has a back story with Celtic in cup competitions.
He was five yards away with an unimpeded view when he somehow “missed” a goal-line handball by Josh Meekings in April 2015.
It should have resulted in a penalty and a red card.
Yet another of those entirely honest mistakes.
I was at the far end of Hampden, sitting beside the original Holy Goalie, John Fallon, when we both saw what Mr Muir missed from close range.
This ahem, unfortunate error obviously had no negative impact on his officiating career because, on Sunday, he was the chap with the whistle.
The featured image is of Mr Muir at full-time with the victorious Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes.
Alan Morrison of Celtic By Numbers showed the match incidents to his Yorkshire Whistler ( trained and active referee), and here is what he found:
Taylor fouled by Armstrong (57 minutes) should have resulted in a red card.
Then there was the penalty incident in the 92nd minute.
Celtic were down to ten men as the left back was getting treatment when Kilmarnock scored only two minutes later from the area that the Hoops defender had vacated.
Alan is holding power to account by enlisting the help of this referee and forensically analysing the data.
This is what the Stenography Corps should be doing, but it refuses due to succulent protocols being in place.
Little wonder these titles are circling the circulations drain and waiting for death.
The real question to all of this happening in plain sight on the field of play is the response of Celtic.
Now, there is a clear precedent to take action to ensure fairness.
Once the old board had been vanquished in 1994 by the Bunnet the new regime at Parkhead had a different approach.
Crucially the chaps at the SFA didn’t realise the significance of that.
For the avoidance of doubt, the late Jim Farry didn’t conspire with anyone when he delayed the registration of Jorge Cadete, thus denying him to Celtic for a cup tie against the original Rangers.
For Fergus McCann, that was hurting his business, and the litigious North American entrepreneur got lawyered up to deal with the problem.
It took an outsider to carry out a common sense inventory and shake the foundations of the Ancien Regime on Planet Fitba.
I rather suspect that all paperwork apropos Celtic was moved with the utmost urgency at the SFA after Farry’s career was so abruptly ended.
Throughout all this, the local media looked the other way, ultimately failing in their Fourth Estate responsibilities to hold power to account.
Consequently, it was no surprise that another outsider, your humble correspondent, did for Mr Hugh Dallas in 2010.
So what now?
Is this impotent silence all part of some (cunning) business plan to just sit at the back of the bus?
Is it?
The Grey Brigade cannot claim to be unaware of what is happening in front of their eyes.
I have been told that the Parkhead club has a detailed analysis of the impact of decisions made by match officials over the last two seasons.
This proves that there is a discernible pattern that proves an advantage to the Ibrox club emanating from in-game calls by referees.
My information is that these findings are statistically significant and cannot be explained by chance.
In this campaign, the winners of the SPFL will be guaranteed participation in the expanded Group Stages of the UEFA Champions League in season 2024-25.
If the current Celtic board do not realise that tens of millions of pounds in revenue are at stake from such officiating errors, then that would be quite the treason finale from the scriptwriters.
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One thing not in dispute is that they quite rightly are given no favours in Euro ties and glad to say refs not in the least bit intimidated whether they are playing at home or not in fact hilarious to see the moon howlers going ballistic when they don’t get a decision they feel entitled to, how refreshing to see but also saddening that this will never be the case in domestic football.
There is no subjectivity applicable to the red card or the penalty incident. Clear red, clear penalty. By missing them the on field official has, by default, made a clear and obvious error. Because these are things Uefa and FIFA want us to get right. If VAR didn’t review, that’s outrageous, if it did and agreed with the on field decision that’s even worse.
That the Sfa has kept silent on this and it’s business as usual really stinks. PGMOL would’ve apologised and sanctioned the officials by now. This either points to dreadfully low standards or suggests the SFA are happy with the decisions.
Celtic perhaps needed a bad result to give them a shake, but us playing terribly is part of football. Shocking referee decisions backed up by VAR should not be.
The offside: close and I’d probably have given attacker benefit of doubt given how awful our VAR lines are. But had the Taylor smash resulted in the expected red card that goal doesn’t happen.
Hail, hail!
Thoroughly despondent following the Kilmarnock debacle. An awful footballing display. Plastic pitch to blame. A heavy dose of belligerence towards the match officials. A betrayed sense of entitlement. Morose. Bitter.
In fact, I had morphed into a Sevco troglodyte. This is how a Bear feels for the most part of the last decade or more. I felt dirty. Ashamed. Had to shower.
I’m better now. Feel a little sorry for St Johnstone who will face the backlash.
They are different Richard – Maybe as you say not politically – but they are different financially…
How many of them since Rangers died and Sevco were formed, have taken massive losses well into the scary millions to fund them –
Quite a few and for what – two trophies…
They love their club – our lot love their bank club !
The image of McInnes and the match official might come across as mutually amicable. It’s also appears as unhealthy.
Celtic are already losing supporters due to their spineless approach to the organised, institutional and now technology backed bias and cheating from the SFA refereeing department.
What’s the point in having cast iron statistical evidence – that everyone can see week to week anyway – if you are just going to sit in silence and do nothing with it.
Spineless shills the lot.
PS – any views on the Huns mass participation artistic display last night?
I wonder if U€FA were awake?
If the English refereeing rules regarding club allegiances, were applied in Scotland, and honestly adhered to, no games involving Celtic or Sevco would take place. They would have to bring in foreign referees.
Now there’s a thought. Why don’t the SPFL appoint two foreign professional referees each week specifically for Celtic and Sevco games and split the annual cost equally between both clubs. ONE of them WOULD balk at the Idea, from both the point of view of not having a built-in advantage and the hit to their finances. They, and their media lackeys, would carp on about the shameful, distrustful way, Scottish referees were being treated. The genuine fans of most other clubs would in all probability welcome the Idea, since they claim that Scottish refs favour both Celtic and Sevco. Only those with the reversible scarves, and there are many throughout the country, sevco supporters without the bus fare, would spout the same tune.
Like I said, just a thought.
You’d need to get foreign officials in the VAR Lodge as well.
Great article Phil. The silence from Celtic at times has me wondering what exactly do Sevco and the SFA have over Celtic.
Why sit on all this data. If these decisions were going against Rangers it would be being shouted from rooftops.
Why collect data if you are not going to use it? How much data are they going to sit on before they do something? wait until it costs us millions in lost Champions League revenue?
Silly me they allowed that to happen in 2011/2012 when they KNEW a licence was granted that shouldn’t have been.
Thanks Phil.
McInnes and Muir certainly seem to have knuckled down to ensure the desired result
Our board stay too silent on too many topics which directly affect our club. However, for all the criticism levelled at them, the club has had remarkable success on the park since DD became the top dog. Let’s just look at some stats here. Domestic national trophies only. I’m disregarding Glasgow Cups and any other trophies not available to all senior teams.
DD became the major shareholder in September 1999 when he bought the shares of the Blessed Bunnet. I think it’s safe to say that the Board since then has been HIS board. Let’s take a wee look at the achievements on the field of play.
In his 23 full seasons at the helm, Celtic have been champions SEVENTEEN times. One of the six we lost, was the car-crash COVID season. Of the other five, four were lost on the final day of the season. Two of those were helecopter Sunday when the team, NOT the board, quite literally threw the title away. Another was lost on GD when the now dead club, beat Dunfermline by a bigger margin than we beat Kilmarnock. A more than slightly inebriated Jimmy Calderwood, stated on TV several years later, “My father would never have spoken to me again if we’d won that match.” Draw your own conclusions.
ALL FIVE of those lost titles were won by a financially doped side.
We have won ELEVEN Scottish Cups, during his stewardship losing one final in ET.
We have also won ELEVEN League Cups during his time, and been beaten finalists a further three.
If the two cups in the part season, 1999-2000, there has been a total of 48 domestic finals under DD. Celtic has appeared in TWENTY SIX of them winning TWENTY TWO. Of the others the financially doped, now dead, club, won TWELVE. Twice beating Celtic in finals.
We have won SIX TREBLES, with four different managers.
In the last 23 years, which is approximately 17% of our club’s existence, we have won 32% of our entire domestic National Trophy haul. There has NEVER BEEN a comparably successful period in the history of the club.
If I have a major grouse with the board, it’s that they didn’t insist that all of the titles and cups won by the cheating club were declared void. But neither did any of the other clubs beaten in finals by them. I struggle to get my head around that, unless we, and they, possibly didn’t want anyone looking to closely under our own collective bonnets.
Other than that, it’s maybe time the board were cut some slack.
In my view, there is a perceived willingness to overlook situations that possibly favour Celtic. The penalty incident the offside incident etc. My point is that to overlook the vicious assault on Taylor , and in effect give licence to such conduct, is playing with fire as someone is going to be very badly hurt possibly permanently. Those in positions of responsibility should surely react to that incident. A red card? More like an arrest for GBH.
The celtic board are no differant from the rangers board. Middle class tories
We should be highlighting this EVERY time it happens, not just when it actually affects the score; otherwise we look like sore losers. The ‘problem’ is that we usually win anyway.
Ange wasn’t one for complaining and neither, it appears, is Brendan. But somebody needs to.
Great post Phil.
Spot on Phil. Hope the fans show their disgust at the weekend.
Brilliant as usual Phil, we have a board of directors that aren’t fit for purpose I find it funny that when Mr. lawwell was away from Celtic Ange arrives then he comes back and Ange leaves
Morton got a penalty for less against them, a penalty none the less. This is why I gave up my season ticket, our board are a disgrace.
They like the Blue Pound, But we’ve shown as a fanbase since DK , wanted us out of Ibrox we don’t need it. We have the fans to fill Celtic Park without the bile.
The directors of any company have a duty to look after the shareholders interests.
Simple as
That was an excellent article. Celtic were dreadful but those two decisions were a disgrace and the lack of reaction from the Celtic board an even bigger one. The VAR team cannot have looked at that decision given the time that elapsed. It may be time to have recourse to the courts and cite the evidence beforehand to UEFA.
Totally!
We need the board to stand up and come call it out, it’s shocking we have no statement regarding both the red card and penalty. Bisgrove would be on it toot suite if this happened to the hun.
Impotent shitebags
Yup, that’s about right