Celtic Win Again In “Controversial Circumstances.” Surely An Inquest Is Needed?

Somewhere, Scottish Protestants Against Sensible People are surely preparing a protest march.

Celtic’s Women knock the Ibrox Women out of the Scottish Cup with a “controversial” goal and if you read BBC Sport’s website two separate penalty decisions went our way – one in our favour and one against us – and Craig Levein thinks we only deserved “half a goal” for the penalty as both it and the follow up were “terrible.”

This is clearly the stuff of which national inquests are made.

How can one team benefit from so many dodgy decisions? How can this happen in a clean game?

Let’s ask a better question, because we already know that it’s happened before, that one team has consistently benefited from dodgy decisions, over and over again, going back years.

That’s not the real issue. The issue is, how many of these are dodgy?

The women’s game goal for example. Was it a foul? No, their defence was just as weak as piss and Celtic’s attackers were more ruthless. Was the penalty Raith claimed for a penalty? No, the referee understands the handball rule much better than the pundits do; listening to them I wonder if they understand it at all. They were ridiculous today.

As to the penalty Celtic got, the BBC says it too was “controversial” but that’s amongst the daftest assertions in this whole line of pitiful wailing. That was a stonewaller. One of the easiest refereeing decisions you will ever see.

And he still booked the wrong player for it.

As for Craig Levein, the less said the better.

He might have been joking – let’s assume that this is a poor attempt at humour – but it also has the whiff of bitterness about it.

The man is a joke. That he still got a gig at the BBC should shame all the former managers who can’t.

Because if this is the standard, how far are they from it?

Celtic looked laboured for part of that game today, but transformed the minute the left hand side was jazzed up with the introduction of Jota. I don’t want to be hard on Mikey Johnston but surely that’s it for him?

How many more opportunities does the guy want? That was an awful display from him and I shook my head in weary resignation when he seemed to get injured. Again.

We’re never going to call him Iron Mike, are we?

Of the goals, the highlight was the first, a smashing effort from young Scales. He’ll do for me. He looks like a good player whenever he’s in the side and he’s added goals to his game too, and that must please the manager no end.

I also enjoyed the second a lot. A brilliant pass from Hatate, a wonderful, artistic cross from Jota and Giakoumakis with the easiest finish he’ll ever get. It was a reminder that even on a flat, dull day we are still capable of magic. I

t was in short supply today but that was a flash of it, and one that was very welcome in an otherwise flat afternoon.

This team rolls forward. Another win in another competition, and another stage with the word “final” in it. We are well on the road back to Hampden and if we get there then – whisper it – the treble is within reach.

The fifth one in six years.

So much for the house of cards, right?