The Evening Times did a piece tonight on The Mooch supporting refs and VAR and then, at the end, bizarrely included a long quote from Ange Postecoglou, which a surface reading of might have led you to believe that the two men were in complete agreement on certain elements of it. But of course that’s not true at all.
Whilst The Mooch has thoroughly defended VAR and said that he’s pleased with officiating – since most of it goes his way you’d think so – Ange is not so happy. The writer does reflect that, but for some reason, a reason I cannot understand, he then clips the entire end section of Ange’s lengthy answer on it which changes the context of what was published.
This is what Ange’s quote said, and I’m going to publish it exactly as the writer in The Evening Times has before I provide the end part.
“It’s one of those things, and I don’t think it’s just confined to us as a club. I think there are other clubs in the same boat where it’s just really confusing now for players in the box to know what they can or can’t do, because it seems it changes depending on who is in charge of the decision-making process. There has been zero consistency in the decisions being made.
“My view on this and in 25 years of coaching and managing, I have always abided by the referee’s decision. You will be hard pressed to find me criticising any referee in my whole tenure as a manager, but I have always believed these things even themselves out because we make mistakes, players mistakes and referees make mistakes. Over a course of a season these things usually even themselves out.”
You spot what’s missing from that quote? The end part, which changes the whole point of what our manager was saying. To leave it on the note of “these things usually even themselves out” makes it sound like Ange was happy to leave this in the hands of fate.
But in point of fact, this wasn’t the full quote. Those who are alert will see that this in fact is a grossly truncated version of what Ange actually said, and a version which robs of it of the headline claim and the one that gives context to the rest of it.
So let me finish the quote for him, for Aiden Smith, who at best is guilty of one of the most selective uses of a quote I’ve ever seen and at worst … well, you get the picture. Either way, it distorts the point Ange was trying to make, either knowingly or otherwise.
“But when I look at the introduction of VAR and the decisions that have gone against us, in particular, there is zero chance that’s going to even up between now and the end of the year, because it’s remarkable that we have had at least three major decisions go against us.
“You can just say it comes down to interpretation or whatever people want to say but I guarantee if that game had finished two-all and it was (Ibrox) that were denied that decision, the talk this week would be how that was a title-defining decision.
“The fact it wasn’t because we still got a result, as we have in all the other games, at Tynecastle and here at home, when major decisions went against us, doesn’t mean we should ignore it, because a team could get relegated on a decision like that.”
Or lose a cup final. Get the drift?
I’m very sure that The Times does, which makes theirs a lazy and shoddy piece but a fundamentally dishonest one as well.
Wrongful manipulation and blatant dishonesty by The Evening Times. Very unprofessional and untrustworthy. The motive ? Not so difficult to work out.
Another negative article aimed at us before the final we didn’t expect anything else.
Does anyone actually read the Evening Times, and will that article change their lives or have any effect on them whatsoever? The answer is no, so let’s just look forward to the game and ignore their utterings until afterwards when the media battle can resume, that is if they still have the heart for it after Celtic humiliate their team.
The Glasgow Evening Times sells about 68 copies a day if lucky ! It gets rid of reporters because of lack of sales ,yet manages to retain about half a dozen sports scoops who are given free rein to type up ‘add on ‘ pieces of print as they please … Go figure !
Bad day for Porteous. Yellow and an own gosl winner for Sheff Utd. McBurnie beat him to everytime in the air and Ndiaye skinned him on the floor.
Glad we had sense to look the other way.
Just like daily record the times too has certain horrible bigoted twisted reporters too they will anything they can to harm disrespect celtic football club .its in the way these kind of people were brought up badly educated thick ignorant with plenty of hints of sectarian hatred towards anyone else who dosent share the gutter they are steeped in so deeply..celtic football club dosent need to pay refs money tips backhanders to award things ..cheating..celtic play football have great club decent club that pays its taxes and dosent fraud the taxman .we all remember the little cheat creep jim farry what he did illegaly to celtic but he was caught out .like the rest of them should.lastly any ref who cant do an honest good non bigoted job should be sacked on the spot iv no time for any ref who attends orange lodges and tries to claim he can ref an old firm game honestly these kind of people need to be booted out of game of football for good.
James making losses isn’t spending money.They did not spend £70 million on a players budget it was losses mainly caused by big bad Mike and a certain contract and the boycot of commercial sales .
I can’t really say this is one of the worst manipulations of what a Celt has said nor that I’m surprised by it.
It’s happened so often since 2012 (that date is not exclusive of the fact it happened with the now extinct club prior to 2012 or the other lodge clubs) that I’ve been oblivious to the noise of untruth since the 60s. Though sadly truth, like their readerships, has deteriorated to the point where they too will be joining Rangers soon in the cemetery of silence.