BBC Scotland’s Cringeworthy Anti-Celtic Sniping Must Be Embarrassing For Many Insiders.

Imagine you were a Celtic fan working inside BBC Scotland right now, and inside BBC Sport Scotland in particular. I’ll go you one better; imagine you were simply a professional with a semblance of respect for the business and a sense of professional pride.

At what point do you become absolutely embarrassed for the organisation as it continues its increasingly desperate sniping against our club and the over-promotion of the one across the city?

“Celtic relief after Killie bravely trade blows” was the headline, as though there were a moment in this game when we were on the rack.

We were ahead from the 18th minute.

At no point were they on level pegging.

We might have scored the second late, but before it we had the ball in the net another twice. The “relief” wasn’t even over avoiding a penalty call; even had it been given I have little doubt that we would have been in the final.

So who was relieved?

Nobody I know. We were much the better team. We deserved the victory. Nobody at Kilmarnock was hard-done by here although they gave us a game, as much as they could with that serial failure in the dugout.

“Celtic ‘find a way again’ as Killie left fuming” is another headline. Yeah we “found a way”, it’s called “being the better team and scoring the most goals.” The very essence of football. It’s not as if we conjured the victory out of thin air or lucked onto a last ditch winner throwing everyone forward and blootering the ball up the park.

“Holders Celtic edge past Kilmarnock to reach the final” says a third. If by “edging past” a team they mean scoring twice and having another two chopped off, then I guess we did. But that doesn’t meet my definition by any stretch of the imagination.

In contrast there are two headlines about the Ibrox club and their game, one reflecting the very real reality of the tie; “(Ibrox club) edge 10 man Aberdeen in epic semi final” and another which contains none of the snark of those Celtic headlines; “Beale’s (team) triumph amid Hampden chaos.”

The BBC can indulge whatever fantasy they like of the Ibrox club being in the midst of some superlative run of form, but their constant sniping at Celtic is tiresome and for those inside the building must be a source of growing frustration and even embarrassment.