When the full-time whistle went today and we had a point in the bag, I was disappointed it wasn’t three but glad and not only because we had shown the calibre of side we are by coming back from a goal down after a difficult midweek trip to the other side of the world.
I was glad because had we lost that game all the focus would have been on the defeat and the end of the unbeaten run, the end of the Invincibles. I am glad because I am not going to be accused of moaning after a defeat and casting around for scapegoats.
There is no need to. Because we secured a point and that’s going to have to be good enough going into the international break.
It will be.
Over the course of the season we’ll drop precious few of them; our rivals should enjoy it whilst they can.
Before I get to the point of the article, I’m just going to say a few things; first Craig Gordon.
The manager likes him. That’s clear enough.
But he also harboured doubts about him which is why he dropped him for a while.
Had he followed that through and kept Gordon out of the team I would have been relieved.
He makes too many mistakes and today’s was a howler. I thought he was culpable for at least one of the goals in midweek too. I would have taken the money from Chelsea last season and I would take it now, if I thought we could get someone else in quick.
Secondly, Callum McGregor will be, this season, what Armstrong was last season … our top goalscoring midfielder.
I love this kid. He’s a new player under Brendan.
Third, and finally, Scott Sinclair is back to his very best. A superb second half in particular …. and he was so, so, so unlucky not to win us the match.
Other teams ought to be very afraid of him.
But see, tonight there is no other subject but Willie Collum, there is literally no other story, because on 70 minutes I saw the most blatantly scandalous anti-Celtic refereeing decision that I’ve ever witnessed, when Steven McLean threw a punch at Kieran Tierney and got a yellow card for it.
I feel the need to write that again.
Steven McLean threw a punch at Kieran Tierney.
Did it connect?
Does it matter?
The intent was clear.
And the referee saw it.
And he yellow carded him.
Someone is going to have to explain that to me, very slowly, and in a way that makes sense.
Otherwise I am going to continue to assume that what I witnessed there was cheating, pure and simple. To me it was a cold-blooded decision to leave McLean on the park when we were chasing an equaliser and his absence might have been costly to his team.
It gives license to players who come up against us that they can get away with anything short of literal murder. It was truly scandalous. I have never seen such a blatantly biased refereeing decision; more than 40 minutes after it I am still livid.
We have to complain about that decision.
Collum can’t be allowed to get away with something so ridiculous as that, it’s just unthinkable.
I just heard Brendan on the radio, and the interviewer didn’t even ask him about the incident … to me it’s the story of the day and the BBC wants to pretend it didn’t happen.
Shameful from them too.
This is a big few days for our club. We cannot go on without central defenders; better clubs than St Johnstone – and we are going up against a few, and not too far in the future – will take this makeshift defence to pieces, and the result will be embarrassing.
The news from South Africa, that Coetzee might have an injury which makes his signing doubtful is not the sort we wanted to hear, but I assume we have a backup plan.
Over to you, Mr Lawwell.
Time to earn your wages.