Yes Kevin Clancy Is Incompetent, But Celtic Fans Have Known That For Years.

The agenda of the week is mapped out in front of us, and unless we see something remarkable today from the officials at St Johnstone – and not a penalty for the Ibrox club when there’s clearly nothing to see; I did say remarkable – I can see this being another one completely dominated by a discussion about how bad referees are.

And of course, not for the first time this season it is because of a decision we got. A decision, by the way, which would have been given against us without VAR even needing to be consulted.

Clancy, in fact, wasn’t going to give it until he was called over to look again.

He gave it, of course, once he had seen a replay and the ball comes off Efe’s hand for sure, and so the only question then becomes whether he could have avoided it and between them the officials have decided not. I think it’s a poor decision, but they are the sort that are given against us with grim regularity especially since VAR was brought in.

So honestly, I am really in no mood for another week of “slag the referee” just because he happened to give a decision in our favour. The idea that it “turned the game” is nonsensical, just as the idea that we were anything other than deserved winners is.

Celtic fans do not need to be told that Kevin Clancy is a dire referee any more than we needed to be told that Willie Collum is.

This isn’t news to us, none of it, and that we have officials who are either incompetent, corrupt or maybe even both isn’t a surprise but an article of faith with us. We are the less people who need to be clued into the facts of life like this.

What we are, on the other hand, are the only people who have consistently said so and argued that refereeing in this country needs a major overhaul.

We need professional, full-time officials, preferably from England or elsewhere … there is not one of these jokers who, if these posts became full time and professional, would justify getting one.