I take a perverse amount of satisfaction tonight in the foot-stamping fury of Derek McInnes and others at the nature of the “penalty decision” Kilmarnock did not get today.
In a match where we had the ball in the net four times but only got two goals it would take someone pretty brazen to claim that Kilmarnock deserved more than they got … but that’s what the narrative will be.
I’m literally just in from the game and I have not seen the incident for a second time.
But it looked like a penalty to me from my vantage point and I fully expected it to be given.
That not even the VAR officials asked the ref to look again, when I’m certain they’d have liked nothing more, has me half convinced that it’s not. I’ll have to watch it properly to be sure.
But sooner or later there was always going to be a call that went in our favour, erroneously or otherwise, and you wait and see … the same people who were telling us to sit down and shut up will raise 99 kinds of hell.
So this is the week they’ve waited for, the one where they tell us that it was all a conspiracy theory after all.
How many of them, though, will darkly hint that these are the decisions “the big clubs get” in these matches?
What is that if not a conspiracy theory of another sort?
What is it but an entreaty to the SFA to up its game and start considering reform?
Hey, if McInnes thinks they were denied a penalty and VAR isn’t doing its job, or the refs aren’t, and Robbie Neilson is bitching and moaning about last night’s decision then we welcome them to the reform movement and we look forward to their support.
If we’re going to have discussions about this stuff then let’s accept the first premise, that SFA run refereeing is a system that is utterly broken and unfixable.
But I guarantee you there will be no talk about that at all, instead this will be weaponised against us.
For all that, we had one foot in the final and even if they’d gotten their call I don’t believe Kilmarnock were going to get a result. The second goal for us was coming, it was a matter of time, and people can live in denial at that as much as they like.
Their keeper made some good saves.
Our boys had the ball in the net four times.
To try and shift the whole debate to one over that decision denies us the credit we deserve.
This is a football winning machine. It is utterly relentless. Utterly ruthless.
And we’re in the final, job done, and onto the next challenge.
Kogayashi if he’s good enough, and it won’t be hard, should be replacing Starfelt. I don’t see us forking out money for Jenz now that we have bought Koga, although I would rather have him than the shaky Starfelt. Ange misguidedly likes Starfelt and he will probably be the eventual 2nd choice. We need replacements for both of our LB’s, as they are not good enough.
James, in regards to VAR, last night showed us how Kyogy was offside, the camera was straight down the line he was offside by an inch or two. However, in other games where we were cheated and our players deemed offside that camera straight line was not available. VAR cheating certainly works for them so its a priority that the Celtic board go all in and sort this out along with all the other dodgy discussions. What a victory last night and thanks to the sectarian bigot for his assistance in Celtics first goal. His face said it all
Excellent point Michael, and a brilliant post. Was Kyogo interfering with play? I wonder.
No mention in the press of Kilmarnock possibly fielding an ineligible player in Christian Doidge, who played for Hibs in the qualifying sections. Funny that… or not.
I’m always prepared to back the manager’s choices, giving the benefit of the doubt, well to a point but with Starfelt I think that point has been reached. I thope the manager has pulled a couple of crackers with the new bhoys just signed particularly CD and CDM. Though we could defo do with Taylor’s return asap, we’re missing his consistent LB performances.
Great to have reached another final but we need to regain some energy and confidence so as to be at our best to smash Aberdeen in the final.