When Celtic Cries “Foul” It’s A Conspiracy Theory. Others Do It And It’s Fair Comment.

In the aftermath of yesterday’s game, Callum Davidson had a few things to say for himself and for his team, and he turned his guns on the refs.

He said that the officials were a bit too keen to book his players.

I’ve heard this tune from managers before after we’ve beaten them, and although at times I have not disagreed with what they’ve said I always find it funny how the press chooses to report it.

Look at the number of managers recently who have spoken out against VAR.

Only one of them was accused of “playing to the gallery.”

Only one was accused of indulging in paranoia. Incredibly, he was the one with the most right to moan because some of the decisions that went against his club were truly shocking, and they slotted into a familiar pattern.

Because the one guy who got monstered by some of the media was none other than Ange himself.

We are the only club whose manager is not allowed to say what he wants, or rather he can say what he wants but they will spin it and twist it and level baseless allegations against him as if he was some sort of nutcase, or someone who had become infected by a peculiar madness which can only be passed on in the environs of Celtic Park.

“I’m pretty proud of my players and how they went about their business,” Davidson said. “A couple of the goals could be better, I maybe thought the last goal could have been offside. But he was quite eager to book my players and send my players off so I knew I wasn’t going to get that decision.”

That risible stuff, it really is.

The last goal wasn’t offside, and his player got sent off because he prevented a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

That’s about as straightforward an application of the rule-book as you will get.

As for the bookings, don’t make me laugh.

Taylor got booked for nothing during the game, and so we should be the ones griping.

Every single one of our goals was scrutinised by VAR by the way. Just as every one that we score is scrutinised by VAR. Which other club gets treatment like that? In midweek they scrutinised one twice, first for a foul and then for an offside.

But if we complain about that we’re paranoid. We’re indulging in the old conspiracy theories.

It’s not like we don’t have decades of evidence that the SFA maybe doesn’t like us to fall back on eah?

They say you aren’t paranoid if they’re really out to get you, but we don’t even get the benefit of that doubt although we’ve proved that they were time and again.

But Callum Davidson basically accuses the ref of having it in for his team and there will be people in the media who will nod their agreement. “Oh he got a rough shake today, he really did.”

Just as they did when it was Neilson moaning about us, or Martindale bitching about something, or Derek McInnes’ foot-stamping fury. That’s all allowed.

We’re the only people in the game who aren’t entitled to our say.