This is one of those articles which even as I’m writing it, I can’t believe that I am.
Because it’s ridiculous.
The subject matter is absolutely barmy, the kind of thing that if someone had told me it without my having seen it for myself, I would have flat out refused to believe it.
On the night that Celtic got an outstanding result against Atletico Madrid, in which Brendan Rodgers played a starring role, the BBC’s Scott Mullen penned what amounts to a love letter to the brilliance of Diego Simeone, the snarking, arrogant cynic who at full time tried to ignore Brendan Rodgers attempted handshake.
You could not make that up.
Entitled “Celtic 2-2 Atletico Madrid: Diego Simeone at centre of Champions League anarchy” – the aggregator headline was worse, it referred to him as “absorbing” – this piece is so detailed on the Atletico coach that I wonder how its writer saw any of the other incidents he describes in it.
You’d think that a BBC Sports Scotland journalist might want to focus on the manager of the Scottish champions or on some of the brilliant performances from our players … this is what Mullen wrote about instead, and it just about sums his organisation up.
This is how he chooses to start this idiotic missive.
“Diego Simeone scrunched his nose, gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, and waved a comforting hand in the face of the anarchy raining down around him. It was a small gesture in a big moment. His Atletico Madrid team had just conceded a startlingly early Champions League goal at Celtic Park, but the man in the big padded jacket on the touchline seemed unperturbed.”
The anarchy raining down around him?
Surely the BBC man doesn’t mean the celebrations of our fans, right?
Because that’s what the “anarchy” he’s referring to is a reference to.
This section … dear God.
“By the time the clock hit half an hour, the jacket had been ditched. You half expected Simeone to be down to his bare chest by the break.”
It certainly sounds a lot like Mullen wished he had been.
This is not journalism, it’s gushing fan-boy prattling.
So is this bit.
“Simeone’s team switched from flummoxed to phenomenal at the flick of a switch at times, mostly at the feet of Griezmann.”
I must have watched a different game from him. At no stage was that Atletico Madrid performance “phenomenal.”
I’ll tell you who was phenomenal; Palma for the time he was on. Maeda. Kyogo. Mat O’Riley, and Brendan Rodgers. Brendan Rodgers who gets not one shred of credit from this muppet in the whole of his ridiculous piece.
“Despite his gesturing, frantic pacing, waving and appealing for composure from his lot, their attacking momentum effectively ended when Rodrigo de Paul picked up a daft second booking,” he writes of the red card.
A deserved second booking might be another way to put it, but only if you don’t work for BBC Sports Scotland.
As for their attacking momentum, it didn’t end then at all.
It ended when our manager made the tactical changes which tightened us up and made it more difficult for them to get through our lines.
Imagine a sports journalist from Scotland writing a piece of hero worship on the opposition manager which refuses to acknowledge the role our own played in changing the flow of the game and getting us a good result against a top drawer side.
These people are a joke.
No wonder our fans cannot stand the national broadcaster when so much of their output is as dire, and dare I say as biased, as this.
I read that last night in utter disbelief.
If it wasn’t this it was them banging on endlessly about the record … anything not to talk about the progress we’ve made and the giant strides we could yet take before this Group ends.
We can go to those two away grounds with the same confidence with which we wait for Feyenoord at home.
Maybe if we win all three Brendan will get an article of his own.
But probably one about how Celtic are sure to lose him the first time an English job opens up. There you go, I’ve saved them time writing it.
Seemingly Sportsound were just as bad
I’d rather do paper cuts on my bell end then rub it into a packet of salt n vinegar McCoys
than listen to , click or read anything from that horrible , lying , biased , b*stard of a channel
You can’t beat an understated comment – well said Harold.
Hear hear!
Hahahahaha 🙂 Oooft. I think I’ll stick to Tom English, but only if that’s the alternative!
Diego Simeone is Argentinian, they are a very proud nation, and whose fans were stars of the World Cup. They are a deeply proud and passionate bunch of people, Simeone is like a manager who’s on the pitch and trying to win the ball with his players. Diego Simeone is like that every game, Brendan knows that as well. I personally have no problem with a manager caring about his players, I’m glad we have one in Brendan who also cares passionately about the players. It was a fantastic game last night, our best performance of the season , Maeda and O’riley were absolute class.
Think you miss the point, it’s about the journalist and the BBC, if that helps any.
Point taken Jim, I had to read it again lol. HH
Every report from the Daily Shittard has a passive aggressive negative in the headline.
:Celtic energised by another Champions League thrill ride that may leave their hopes punctured beyond repair
:Superb Celtic denied glory as Kyogo and Palma wonder goals fail to end Champions League pain – 5 talking points
:Diego Simeone gives Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers the short shrift as Argentine verges on full-time custard pie
and there is the absolute glee of Reo being injured and possibly out for a spell despite no update of his injury given.
:Reo Hatate distraught as Celtic star faces major layoff with hamstring injury
Not much on a great performance in matching and arguably bettering a team that have been in 2 CL finals in the past 10 years
Absolutely horrible organisation throughout are BBC Radio Scotland…
I listened to it growing up and it was never like the way you describe now –
They had a commentator called David Begg who made EVERY game sound exciting not just one 11 year and 89 days old (as of today) club…
They definitely weren’t so pro Sevco 35-40 years ago for sure –
The only time I’d ever consider listening in is when Sevco lose or drop points…
The Schadenfreude is beautiful as you can feel the emotional pain etched in their throats as they talk after Sevco lose or draw –
Definitely well worth a listen in these circumstances !
Same.
With the amount of ? that the smsm write about Celtic I’m surprised that more of them them aren’t stopped from attending the managers press conferences I’d be more than happy to keep the scum reporters away from our club.
I very much agree Jamie – Support The Celtic Blog(s) with clicks and multiple views and not the Scottish Football Media in any way…
Thankfully most Celtic fans find their info this way these days –
Though there is still a few ‘odd’ Celtic supporters that buy them…
I put odd in inverted comments as I believe it is extremely very ‘odd’ behaviour indeed from any Celtic ‘supporter’ if they are financially contributing to these filthy rags of evil !
What a nest of Queen and Country anti Celtic vipers the BBC are. Whilst not even pretending to be objective in anything they say or show over the air they have become as corrupt as the day is long. If you want evidence of why Scotland is such a backwards nation look no further than the stinking lousy BBC who have declared war on all things Progressive, Objective or Celtic.
The whole BBC organisation needs fumigated urgently.
All the fans/support of all clubs should support Sparta tonight against sevco to see and here there pain in in all the rancid racist bigoted media come on Sparta make all the citizens not supjects of Scotland happy.
The SMSM is packed with huns, nowhere more so than the BBC, so it is no surprise to see and hear the reporting of Celtic matches from a hun point of view.
That’s it and that’s why.
No more to be said except don’t buy their papers and don’t listen to their coverage.
If I paid the BBC Licence Tax, I’d be bothered. 🙂
Just like the rest of the SMSM, BBC Scotland output is dwindling in relevance,
especially amongst the younger age demographic.
There’s some comfort to be taken from that article in as much as he couldn’t find enough negatives to write about us to separate him from his love juicing bromance.
He probably had most of his gushing adjective love in nonsense prewritten in the event we put in a performance and done well. Like so many; if he could’ve he would’ve though it won’t stop the truly dire hard anti Celtic bias from so many that will search for any and every criticism. You know the usual suspects, gutted that we didn’t concede 4, 5 or 6
Maybe he’s wet-dreaming Charlie visiting the chocolate factory. HH
Agree with every word James, but not in any way , shape or form surprised, the opposite actually, come to expect it.
Thought your headline was brilliant James.
Do we expect any more from the hun-media, that’s all they are. They hate the success Celtic have had on and off the park the past dozen years and they see the mess their club is in. Green eyed monster.
Celtic’s first half was as good as I have seen in many years. I think Brendan’s subs were a bit unusual but hey he is manager.
I like Bernardo and think he could be a top player but he needs game confidence. I am guessing Turnbull is finished.
Surprised we didnt see Oh as Maeda was dead on his feet. Forrest over Kwon too.
I’d love to think we could force a point in Spain next game. Would love to see another 5 points come in.
BBC Billy boys club
I think you are misunderstanding the article , the anarchy he talks about is , Celtic stealing the show and running a mock
The article isn’t about Celtic it’s about how Simone did not expect what was happening around him
All the scum cheerleaders within the Scottish media would have had all there anti celtic articles wrote up before a ball was even kicked last night.
As they all headed to the shredder with such a fantastic performance produced by ourselves, where else could they get there anti celtic story?
As per usual, they had to go to using the paper to wipe there backsides and put it to print.
So does a journalist within the Scottish media still need a degree in arsewiping in order to get a job within it?
Certainly seems that way
Aye, he’s just typifyin a load of these jealous, bitter clowns, who are so gutted ( no tae mention worried sick ) that we played a top CL team so well last night. He’s nae different from all these other amnesiac, desperate, pathetic bastards, who’s focal point is tryin tae make it look like we couldnae beat 10 men. Of course completely ignorin the fact, he was sent aff wi only 7 minutes normal time left, plus 5 mins injury time. They’ll absolutely grab at anythin, tae try and discredit, or undermime ANY decent result we achieve, it never fails. They can try and ‘gloat’ all they like, tho the reality is and they fkn know it, the way we’ve been playin recently, especially last night, will be puttin the fear right up them.
I have read less plaudits heaped on a Nobel Prize Winner.
How on earth does the BBC moderator tolerate this level imbalance? I’m astonished to understand who they think is paying the wages for it, do Celtic supporters get a pass on the TV licence?
Further to my previous comment I’m an English Man United supporter
Shit like that makes us all so F,n angry but I appreciate you highlighting it, as it reminds us of, what total halfwit,s are out there earning a crust off the back of such bad journalism against our club and I would bar the lot of them, because ,hanging has been abolished lol
Why bother what these Huns writing for Huns think of our team/club. Their direction is always to paint negative narrative no matter what. The polar opposite if it’s the govan galacticos being reported. Drink in their pain, stupid, stupid fvkn Huns.