Livingston fans, this one is for you.
Little chance of winning tonight in the cup read “no chance” when your manager, who is embarrassingly subservient towards Ibrox, announced in the pre-match interviews yesterday that he thought this was a game to try “the kids” in.
A winner takes all cup game against an opponent which was already making excuses based on its “injury crisis.”
He was actually true to his word.
When the teams were announced tonight two of the players who played particularly well against Celtic and who you’d have expected to anchor the midfield, were left on the bench. Livingston have played the whole first half like a side intent on damage limitation as if you get a medal for that in a knockout game instead of shoved bodily towards the exit door.
It’s as abject and gutless a performance as I’ve witnessed in a long time.
They have made no effort whatsoever, sitting back in their own box and allowing the home side to completely dictate the tempo of the game, which would be ridiculous enough even if this wasn’t cup football.
And talking of a bodily shove, Collum allowed a blatant push on a Livingston player’s back to go unpunished in the lead up to the goal, and VAR didn’t reverse the decision, which I assure you is a shocker and thus a subject I will be returning to tomorrow.
I choose my pictures very carefully for these articles at times; that’s a reminder to Collum that he does, in fact, know what that thing beside the touchline is for, in case he excuses that decision later by saying he thought it only showed Sky Sports News.
According to the stats in front of me, the Ibrox club has had 70% of the ball, in the first half and ten corner kicks. I’m already good to call this one a home win. Fans of Livingston, you wasted your money buying tickets.
You had no chance.
It was not going to be your night, and you basically didn’t even need to show up to know it.
The odds were stacked so heavily against you.
Martindale told you that yesterday. He won’t try a leg against this lot.
Never going to happen in a game like this.
On top of that, the officials know that even if they lose their manager that Ibrox can’t afford not to win a major trophy especially with Celtic no longer in the competition and you were never getting anything out of that decision either.
Do I feel sympathy?
I wouldn’t go that far; this one’s sort of on you for not expecting better of your club than a raging mediocrity who doesn’t try a leg against one of the teams in the league, and who will uhm and aww about the decision but would have a heart attack right in front of us if it was suggested that the officials might be as dodgy as he used to be.
Scottish football gets what it deserves.
It was readily apparent just listening to Martindale yesterday that he had no intention of being the one to end The Mooch’s Ibrox tenure by actually trying to win this game, and officials are so consistent in favouring them in key decisions that any other outcome would have been manifestly absurd anyway.
They sometimes seem like they are refereed to different rules.
That is a textbook example of what VAR was brought in to assure did not happen in matches. All three of the officials, Collum himself and the two giggling SFA wide-boys who allowed that to stand should be hauled up in front of the beaks tomorrow and suspended. If this was England you would put your money on it.
Because that decision is a flat-out disgrace.
And for once it’s such an obvious one that every commentator, all across the media, who has been asked for a view on it says that they were all waiting for the foul to be given or for VAR to chop that off.
The question as to how officialdom would answer Ibrox’s complaints over The Goal That Wasn’t against us at the start of the month has been answered, and it’s been answered at the expense of every Livingston fan who bought a ticket for the game.
But they were set to be cheated anyway, by their own head coach if nobody else.
What a disgraceful, cowardly, first half performance from their team.
What a disgusting decision by the officials for the goal.
Nothing the rest of us didn’t expect though.
Better luck next time.
Brilliant James. Spot. On.
This doesn’t involve Celtic but is just another reason why I was so very very right to chuck a 25 year season ticket affiliation with ma beloved Hoops…
Compare and contrast with Muir and Robertson at Kilmarnock v Celtic in the last round –
So chuffed that ah chucked it financially with Celtic !
Collum only awards fouls for things that he hears.
And maybe, just maybe! We might get a board who will stand up to this corrupt association, if not for tonight, then the penalty we never got against Kilmarnock.
I had a hell of a lot to say about that farce tonight but you have said it beautifully.
Vs Motherwell TavPen gets beat in a (fair?) shoulder challenge. Result? Immediate foul, no VAR. Tonight? Livi player pushed over in a (unfair) challenge. Result? No foul, no VAR. Sums up the Scottish ref approach. Will there be Backpage spreads discussing the outrage over these decisions or is that only when (WHEN!?) decisions benefit Celtic?!
A manager who should not be anywhere near pro football due to his criminal past and whose job is under pressure inexplicably drops 2 midfielders for 2 kids rings all sorts of alarm bells perception is everything
Celtic 1st Celtic forever
HH
When St Johnstone at the weekend takes precedent over a quarter final you know what you will be watching. Livingston have a manager who openely shows he is fan of his opponents and goes out his way to make it easy. Livi fans should demand a refund.
The decision was made worse because Walsh wrongly disallowed a perfectly good goal for St.Mirren only 4 days ago for a push.
But yet he didn’t think that was a push tonight,although he had video evidence.
It’s blatant cheating.
They needed that goal to get them up and running, judging by the previous “football” they’ve been playing. Struggle is the word that springs to mind.
Nothing should surprise us regarding any fixed matches in Govan or not just dodgy but blatant decisions in their favour. What doesn’t help either is the opposing team manager is blue through and through. The SFA and everyone involved still won’t be enough to get in Celtic’s face. By the time Brenden Rogers strengthen’s the squad again in the January window and were free of injury Celtic out of sight.
He did come out and say at least something last night Micheal even if it could’ve been worded a bit stronger…
Still it’s more than our own Brendan did when we were robbed at Kilmarnock though !
Willie Collum is terrified to give a decision against that mob. Last season he sent a St J player off at Ibrox for a foul that was never a red. Then mins later he booked Ryan Jack for a blatant red card offence (even Jack was waiting to see the red come out)He then stuck to his guns when var were telling him he’d screwed up!
Yet they still think he’s biased AGAINST them??
Dont understand why anybody would watch that game considering the football that was available to watch ,as for martindale you have said enough about him in the past to even doubt your analysis of the above game
Haven’t Livingston been taken over ? Hopefully his new employers saw his lickspittle lying down n punt the radge
I actually got the result wrong. I predicted a 5-0 for sevco. That’s a free 3 pts from Livingston to Ibrokes every time, and always will be as long as Martindale is in charge. Don’t even bother watching when they’re playing Livi. It’s a foregone conclusion. I was watching the run up to the Ryder Cup on Sky Sports Golf. Only because Celtic weren’t playing!
After a major, controversial game decision like that
you would normally expect the manager to complain loudly
…not the CEO?
Livi has a new major shareholder: wonder what he thinks?
No real surprise to me the real surprise would come if Sevco are ever refereed to same standard as other teams.
Martindale is a sevco fan no hiding the fact, so Livingston fans deserve all they get.
No wonder we cant get TV contract playing on plastic.
Hopefully they are relegated and bye bye to plastic pitches along with Kilmarnock another sevco lead team.