You could not make this up.
Since Thursday, every Celtic fan I know has been saying the same thing; this Ibrox side looks absolutely dead on its feet.
They lost at home against Motherwell. They scraped through the Scottish Cup tie against Hibs who were on the end of some appalling decisions and Benfica beat them in midweek quite easily, with the Ibrox club barely getting a shot on target.
Today they were facing a scrap in Dundee. And the game was called off. Ibrox is stamping its feet in frustration and anger, but it’s so OTT that at least some of it is counterfeit. I suspect it all is. They are perfectly happy not to have to play that match. They’ve now got an extended two week break in which to get some energy back into weary legs.
Don Robertson did them a big, big favour this morning and all the drum banging over it will not change that fact.
Yes, they have to fit that game in somewhere now and they face a difficult choice about when to do so – the available dates are the midweek before we go to Ibrox and the midweek after we’ve been there – but both are better options than having their weary players travel to a tough away ground this afternoon where they’d have been tested.
Dundee’s chairman is furious. He thinks the game could have gone ahead. The Ibrox manager claims to be furious. Both clubs are telling the media that they wanted the game to go ahead and both felt that it could have. But Ibrox is also claiming that they support Robertson in calling it off because it would have endangered the safety of their players.
Dundee has just briefed the media that they wanted an extra hour to get the game on and the SPFL refused that request.
Of course they did. Their club is an afterthought here, this is about the title race after all and the desperation of some to see it end with the Ibrox players on the podium. There are people who would have seized on any excuse not to play that match this afternoon. If they thought they could get around it they would never play it before the split.
Celtic fans, many of whom are out enjoying St Patricks Day, are happy either way.
We go into the break top of the table. The Ibrox club’s next opponents are Hibs at home, and every player in the Edinburgh club’s team will want to avenge that disgusting match at Easter Road.
Will they be able to get points? We’ll find out, but the following day we’ll have a chance to go back top regardless, and then we’ll see when the Dundee game is scheduled for.
This lot can run but they cannot hide. Celtic has started to play football again, and although we’re going to have to be careful not to run into John Beaton too often, we know what we have to do, and the clock is ticking down. If we win at Livingston, we will go to Ibrox knowing that a win will find us top of the league, even if they have a game in hand.
I’m in 2 minds about which is better. But really it doesn’t matter as long as we do the business. Expect the Hibs game will be a sevco victory, I just don’t rate Hibs at all.
What a nasty, corrupt league this is. Anything goes when Sevco need a break. C’mon Celtic board, start taking the SPFL to task on all of these issues or were going to come for you and hold you to account. Get ready to disembark the boardroom gravy train if you continue to sit on your hands.
I’m not sure what to think on this one…
Yep – they may well have struggled – there again officials would probably bail them out and will probably do in the rescheduled game…
I cannot see them wanting the rescheduled game in the midweek run up to The Glasgow Derby match so it’ll probably be the midweek after which will probably suit Dundee as well as they’ll probably see it as Sevco will have expanded loads of energy in The Glasgow Derby…
And as we all know Sevco MUST get what it wants and WILL get what it wants in Scotland…
I just wish that they also had another two Europa League games to negotiate…
That I have to have that thought process is a damning incitement of Brendan and his Celtic players unfortunately !
Personally I am happy. We are top of the League for another few weeks and they won’t like that. It might setve them well that today’s game was called off but for me it doesn’t matter. We.have 2 games to play against them. Iif we take 4 points from 6 then we DHOULD be champions. It is in Celtic’s hands. We don’t need favours from Hundee.
Happy St Patrick’s Day.
How ‘convenient’. Cannae have them playin on another heavy surface just 3 days after the Benfica game can we ?! Suspicious imo.
First up was that Dens park was deemed unplayable due to ‘severe’ wet weather in Dundee for the last 72 hours or so ? Then we saw pictures of the pitch and the water had dried up leaving beautiful green grass in its wake . Then to put the tin hat on it all ,there was alleged ‘ puddles ‘ on the pitch to make it unplayable once again . We are approaching Blind Willie McTell territory as far as excuses go …if a ‘puddle’cannot be defeated by ground staff at a football match ,the game really is a bent bogey !
It can be all the bent bogey it wants now John…
Cos I don’t pay a halfpenny bit towards it now anyway !
Hopefully those that do still choose to pay towards the bent and corrupt farce keep up the good fight !
Any chance whatsoever that this was the correct reason, made with player safety in mind, and not a decision based on anti-Celtic thinking?
Beginning to look like a bunch of loons in this comment section, not everything is a conspiracy against us, you know.
Spot on Darragh. My thoughts recently as well.
My local pub team tired or not would beat Dundee. Happy to be on top over the break. The pictures on TV showed it was the right decision.
No there is NO CONSPIRACY!!!!!!