There is no great surprise to see some parts of the media engaging in an ancient sleight of hand; telling Celtic fans to simply enjoy the good times and shut up about the rash of decisions that are going against us. They point to the league table and they tell us that if the refereeing fraternity has people in it working counter to our interests that it’s not going very well.
Apparently, that should be enough reason for us to let it drop.
The logic of this is preposterous. If someone tries to steal your car but runs away when the alarm goes off, are you not supposed to treat that as if it was a theft? If someone tries to steal your wallet, are you supposed to let it slide just so long as they don’t get out the pub door with it? Our ability to win points in spite of official malfeasance should not shut us off from basic fairness.
One of the things these people hate most is that we can attack from a position of strength. If these decisions had cost us points nobody would acknowledge that fact. They would point to missed chances, defensive lapses and anything else that they thought they could get away with. They would do everything to call us bad losers, desperate to deflect.
But we’re not operating here from a place where we’ve dropped points. Our league lead has increased in spite of these calls, and that must drive people mad. For Celtic, there is no better a time to go on the offensive. Our enemies cannot allow it.
So this is what they resort to. To the tired nonsense that because we’ve won we’ve got nothing to complain about. If these people want to make handicapping an official policy of the SFA then let them declare it. “Celtic are too strong, and they need to be hobbled for the good of the game.” If that’s their argument let’s hear it. It’s certainly their logic.
Every club in the league is entitled to basic fairness. Every club in the country would be allowed to argue for it, although who else would need to? Not only are we denied its basic protection, but we’re called paranoids for even bringing it up.
Who cares that these games didn’t see us dropping points? Those decisions are no less appalling because their ultimate objective ended in failure. Those officials are no less biased or incompetent, or whatever you want the word to be, because they did us no actual harm.
The intent to harm this club is obvious in some of these calls. That it has failed to do so is incidental. As with serious foul play the intent is all that matters. The intent is what we’re calling out. The media will not shame us out of doing so by calling us bad winners instead of sore losers. This stuff cannot be allowed to go on. We would be mugs to let it.
Absolutely spot on James and very well stated with clarity and reason.
Well done mate. Tip my hat to you.
Yes James absolutely spot on !
This needs fighting once and for
all.
Again they show their stupidity; even in the best of times we are watching for sleekitness from one of those spiteful hun cretins in black. I just hope that all this furore over VAR helps the fans of other clubs come to a realisation that the current referee setup is not fit for purpose whether by incompetence or corruption and then they can join in the push for reform i.e. stipulating only foreign refs & VAR operators for games featuring top flight teams ( don’t think I can trust anything else at this point.).
Have the masons ever told us why exactly they refuse to publicly justify their decisions?
Can you imagine the outcry if those decisions were all made at Ibrox against the home team, if I was an official in Scotland I’d be embarrassed by those decisions.
As a supporter getting to the veteran stage I’m always amazed that there are still a small minority of Celtic supporters who sometimes accuse their fellow supporters of being a wee bit paranoid about the referees at the top level of our game.
After over 70 years of watching our games I’ve just become more and more paranoid with every passing year
In the 1960’s I was naive enough to believe that football on the telly would change things. Then around 1970 came along coloured telly, I thought this will surely enable us to call the cheats out. Wrong again. 2000’s digital telly is here. Replays of incidents, pausing of controversial moments in the game. Surely things must change and the Bhoys will start getting the benefit of the doubt. Nope wrong again in fact I think things got worse.
Then 2022 and the era of VAR arrives in Scottish football, What an innocent idiot I must be in thinking that this time The Celtic must surely be playing on a level playing field at last. Naw we’re no. It’s worse than ever.
Hopefully the younger one’s in the Celtic support will someday see a European League of some description where Referees will come from a large European pool and the days of the cheating Celtic hating referees from a narrow background in Scotland will be over.
That our Great Celtic Football Club has been so successful through the years is a miracle.
The only thing that colour telly changed, was the referees’ big feckin’ blue noses, now bacame visible on screen.
Michael even my psychiatrist tells me that I’m paranoid, but I take no notice of him, for that bastard’s always had it in for me 🙂
HH Michael ( my Dads name ), nice to read your views as a Celtic supporter throughout the decades….one day I’ll get over and meet you amazing Celts!
100 per cent on the money because we are shouting from a position of strength, as the bhoys keep on winning in spite of their efforts to stifle us hurts them all the more. Not just the penalties against us and disallowed goals, but the potential career ending tackles on are players means we shall not remain silent. Just because we appear paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not cheating us.
We must keep the foot on their necks. They know we have them bang to rights and collectively are shitting themselves, hun media, hun officials, hun SFA and the huns themselves.
They can’t win without cheating and are too dumb to realise that in sport winning by cheating is worthless and ultimately unsatisfying and unfulfilling.
But then they don’t care about sport or even football.
I cannot begin to fathom the mindset of these people. What’s wrong with them?
Thank God I’m a Tim.
Celtic bring in a manager with his vision of football being to play a fast attacking
Style that excites and entertains the supporters and fans of the game .
You’d think this would be welcomed and indeed encouraged in the hope of getting lost supporters back filling all the empty seats we see at grounds each week .
He encourages his team to takes quick free kicks before their opponents get set up defensively. This of course is within the rules of the game .
So their opponents stand in front of the ball our kick the ball away ,this is AGAINST the rules but they are almost never penalised. So referees are in effect ,penalizing the team who are playing by the rules .
He plays a high press to win the ball back quickly in the opponents half ,this tactic works at first then all of a sudden defenders start falling over everytime we press them and the MIBs blow for a foul
He plays to have throw ins quickly to keep the tempo of our play up to tire the opponents. Works at first now every away game there is a severe lack of ball boys ( dont know if clubs have to have a certain amount )
Teams time waste practically from kick off with lots of watch pointing but no warnings ,cards or adequate time added .slowing the game more .
Then they rush VAR in ahead of schedule and proceed to break up play for minutes at a time .
It looks to me as if there s a concerted effort to undo every single positive thing Ange has brought in to improve our game as a spectacle, by fair means or foul .
IMO It is no coincidence that the Angeball football we were so excited about is sporadic lately.
We are not being allowed to play to our strengths within the laws of the game ,yet our opponents are being aided to negate our strengths outwith the laws of the game .
We must take them to task every single time an injustice is committed, we must highlight their deficiencies to the extent that they become constantly conscious of the fact that they are under scrutiny and are forced to play the game on a level field.
The customer is being short-changed, regardless of League position. Where is the crime in wanting a level playing-field ? Why should anyone not want a fair game ?
Because it’s NOT SO BONNIE Scotland is John…. Sevco must get what they want and Celtic must get as little as possible – Hell they’re not even trying to hide it now.
Well they got a taste of how we feel tonight in Turkey regards penalties – Hell mend them !