A lot of the talk on the Ibrox fan forums has, as you might expect, been focussed on the game today and the way we have restored our lead at the top of the table. The narrative is that we are lucky when we’re not benefiting from referring “mistakes” and since they cannot accuse of being lucky on this occasion the Unseen Fenian Hand conspiracy is occupying their thoughts.
Of course, this is ridiculous because we were comfortably the better team today and someone who they should consider to be unimpeachable said so; their self confessed fan and ex-jailbird David Martindale, manager of Livingston. His team were well beaten and he knows it and although I am always very critical of this guy I can’t be today.
Yes, he is bitching about why two of our three goals shouldn’t have counted, and this makes him sound painfully like the Ibrox fan sites and like so many of the other hacks from this season with their whinging detracting from our wins, but in truth he’s been more honest in his assessment than most in accepting that the outcome wouldn’t have been affected anyway.
Simply put, Martindale accepts that we were just the better team. He accepts that we deserved to win. He knows we’d have won regardless of how those decisions fell because that was one of our most relentless performances of the season and we would have found a way to get there even if those goals had been chopped off.
Celtic deserved that today, and even the bitterest and most delusional Sevco fan watching it has to be fully aware of that fact. Whatever they might tell themselves about the decisions, whatever they might tell themselves about conspiracies and such like, they know we earned that today and that we would have won come what may.
So many big players owed us big performances today and they all showed up for business and got it done. None could be faulted and the quality of the display cannot be denied. Whatever they may believe. Whatever they may want to believe.
The more sensible of them have already come to this conclusion, the only one that matters; we are the best team in the country and we’re going to win this title. The moonhowlers will keep on telling themselves that we are just lucky.
huns v dons
In the build-up to the Sevco goal, Aberdeen claimed a foul.
Apparently it was ‘too early in the build-up’ and it ‘wasn’t much of a push’ said BBC Scotland propaganda.
Except that Aberdeen were actually claiming a foul for a handball in the box, on the shot, as was evident, notwithstanding the deflection by commentary and analysis.
For all their deviance the BBC EBT and fellow travellers are rather accomplished in their day jobs, given that we/the public via the license fee are paying their wages and receiving misinformation.
Propaganda is like a conjuring trick insofar it tends to persuade you what you have and haven’t seen. Or heard or didn’t hear, like the vile repertoire.
They have got some brass neck talking about honest mistakes.. onwards and upwards
(1) on the first goal: mistakes happen, but this one didn’t directly result in a goal scoring opportunity. It was a 50/50 call because the referee couldn’t see the play clearly when the ball went out of play. This happens in every game at every level, and isn’t reviewable by VAR. The only ‘solution’ is for the defending team to win the ball back.
(2) the second one is a bit of a mystery why there’s even a complaint. The referee judged the handball not to be deliberate and where the arm wasn’t in an unnatural position. By rule that’s not a foul and the game should continue. And even though this would have gotten reversed in prior seasons upon video review in leagues that employ VAR, the rule this year has changed. If the accidental handball doesn’t immediately and directly result in a goal or scoring opportunity BY THAT PLAYER, the goal isn’t overturned. This one happened in the middle of the pitch. By rule the referee got this one right and VAR wouldn’t have overturned it. Key phrase from FIFA rulebook this year: “Accidental handball by a team-mate before a goal is scored and accidental handball creating a goal-scoring opportunity have been removed as offenses.”
To be honest, it wasn’t a corner. But I doubt there’s a single person in Scotland that thought us getting that corner would lead to a goal. Ref got that one wrong, but 999,999 times out of 1,000,000 he’d have gotten away with it because from corners we’re generally useless.
Our 2nd goal was fine. There was nothing in the handball from an IFAB LOTG viewpoint.
The sevco goal yesterday was a handball of the “unnatural position” type. There was also a shove on the covering Aberdeen defender. Sevco should be careful what they wish for, because with Eagle eyed refs we’d have won 2-1 today and they’d have been 0-0. Ignoring all previous results that’d be us 5 points clear instead of 3.
Celtic were winning today no matter what, that was the type of performance we’ve been missing of late. And on a dreadful pitch. I’ve played on plastic pitches that affect the roll/bounce less.
This is what I was going to say.
First goal, it wasn’t a corner. What do you expect to happen? We’ll just hand the ball back? We were gifted a CORNER. FFS. Grow up.
Second one did hit Rogic on the arm but the ref was looking right at it. It’s not deliberate handball and Rogic’s arm was in a natural position.
The third point I’d like to make is that all huns smell. Badly. I hope they all die a horrible death. I am not suggesting they should all die now (although that would be a bonus). We all have to die sometime. I am saying that when their time comes I hope it is excrutiating. They deserve it.
I would say that I am being harsh but fair.
Plastic pitches should be outlawed in the professional game.
What this guy said.
Mate that’s the hun way ! Happy to take what’s going as they are accustomed to getting decisions. Two right off top my head clear offside goal against Motherwell provan to! Not a peep hardly an penalty from hun beaton to save them against Aberdeen there be plenty more to, but the hun is a strange creature absolutely no self awareness We just keep winning this league be in the bag soon enough!
Small but important point; unfair to criticise Martindale as a jailbird. If he’s done his time, escaped the claws of the drug world and turned his life around, it’s more in keeping with our ethos to support him than to damn him. Their style I’d still pretty dire, right enough