The headline to this piece was written last night.
Between my putting it in a folder for today and starting this article, Celtic has been told that the referee for the game between Livingston and our club is none other than Don Robertson, whose decisions against Hearts are about to put Brendan Rodgers in the frame at his Hampden disciplinary.
That’s just a month ago. Do you see any sign of Willie Collum getting a gig refereeing a game involving our rivals? How many games ago is it since they made their demand that he not do so?
I don’t care what the weak men running our club say; putting the pressure on, targeting it where it belongs, delivers results. They got their way.
Their club stamps its feet and no matter how disgusting their assertions are – Collum is targeted on the basis of his religion, nothing more – they get what they want. They allege bias and no-one blinks. Rodgers faces a multi-match ban because a ref is bad at his job and he had the temerity to say so. I find that shocking. Our club should be outraged.
Our case looks extremely strong to me. We only need to point to Collum to suggest that other clubs have done much worse. Motherwell released their own furious statement last week. But because nobody put a name to it that’s permissible. The rulebook in Scotland borders on farcical, but it’s kept that way, I think, because people prefer it like this.
All that grey area. It gives unscrupulous clubs and individuals all the freedom to navigate that they want. Celtic’s case here should be cast-iron. When you look at what the Ibrox club did over Collum, you cannot say that what Rodgers did was worse merely because he used his own name and that of the ref.
The Ibrox club leaked their demand through fan media.
That it’s been effective only increases the strength of our case.
But in giving us Don Robertson straight after that hearing they are telling us where we can go. We’re going to lose our case, nothing is surer. Rodgers will face a sanction, and will almost certainly not be on the touchline for the Ibrox game. That’s what we’re looking at.
In terms of the Rodgers ban, there is precisely nothing we can do to change, or even challenge, the verdict if it goes against us. That might be the worst and most shocking element of this. There’s no court of appeals here; I’ve heard talk of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but it’s a dead end as both sides have to agree to that process and it takes six months on average.
But we cannot accept a negative verdict as something we just have to live with.
The head of referees is leaving, and that can’t come quick enough, but I think our concerns about what havoc he might try to wreck on our club on the way out the door are more than justified, and this is the start of it, this insult of giving us Don Robertson so swiftly after Tynecastle whilst Collum hasn’t even appeared as an assistant at a game involving the club across town since their very sinister demand that he not get any more of their matches. You couldn’t get a clearer signal.
This is the moment, Celtic. Prior to these next two games, matches we will almost certainly lose our manager for, we have to stop being so passive and we have to come out swinging.
This club prides itself on fighting the good fight in the right way, professionally … but whilst we’re observing the Marquis of Queensbury rules the other side is gearing up for trench warfare with a knife clamped between their teeth.
Our method does not work. Theirs does.
At the very least we have to highlight the double standard and demand reform.
If there was a time for it, the time is now.
Just tell the SFA that Robertson will not be allowed access to Celtic Park as we can’t guarantee his safety.
It worked for Sevco with Sutton as a pundit.
Then tell them no VAR cameras allowed. Then withdraw funding for VAR. We’re subsidising the rest of the league so it will get shut down for lack of funds. Let the SFA try to explain that to UEFA. Then go Public in the English and European Media.
Time this cancer was tackled head on.
Our Board has been M.I.A. since pre-2012:
nobody’s coming out swinging.
PL & MN should have been applying the same tactics as sevco,
from the very beginning of this season.
It’s too late now – and any serious CFC pushback would be portrayed
in the SMSM as a desperate effort to retain the league title.
I’m guessing: BR apologises and gets a 2 games ban, suspended for a period?
We have a weak, dysfunctional Board,
and our club continues to suffer the consequences.
That’s about the sum of it. 🙁
Back of the net with this post Mr Forrest!!
Respeito.
I’m not sure that they’re method works or is even a method. It’s simply all huns of the same orange beliefs lodging their infiltrated power when and where they want.
If they ban Brendan the club should appeal and if it takes the six months you mention then the punishment should, as with most other appeal situations be suspended pending a decision. I cite as an example the court situation with the former sex offender president.
Better still Brendan could simply walk out into the midden if they do suspend the punishment in protest.
Ultimately you can’t have a situation whereby you can potentially win an appeal but have nonetheless been forced to serve the punishment.
It’s a rigged game alright. HH
Soz – error
Brendan could simply walk out into the midden if they ‘don’t’ suspend the punishment.
Fan Boycott every away game & block away fans at Parkhead except in Europe.
Ignore every Scottish cup game by fielding the B team.
Focus on the money, ie league only for CL money.
Let’s starve these idiots in Scotland of Celtic Fans money.
Come out swinging. What specifically does that mean?
Could Rodgers not appeal any ban given? Sure thry would probably fast track any appeal to make sure he’s not at Ibrox. Our game is rotten ti the core and fans need to stop funding this freak show that is scottish football
I agree James but the spineless tory bar stewards on the board will offer nothing and say nothing. Does Nicholson actually exist ?
“This club (Celtic) prides itself in fighting the good fight in the right way”
Jeez oh James – April Fools day ain’t here until Monday !
Also – That we cannot challenge the ban, then the ban is most certainly coming down the pipe…
Liebrox – No fans there, no manager on the touchine or in the dugout, six bent and corrupt officials with whistles, flags and monitors…
What in the fcuk can possibly, possibly go wrong then ???
Never mind – Celtic will issue a meek and mild wishy washy statement saying that they are ‘surprised and disappointed’
They could always ask Mowbray (another weakling) for permission for his copyright statement of…
“We take it on the chin and move on” – (Because that’s all that’ll fuckin happen anyway) !
BR’s not got a chance of winning his case, he’s bang to rights. The rules state you can’t call into question an officials competence, and he called John Beaton incompetent, so he broke the rules. No matter how bad the rules are Celtic signed up to them. I don’t think any dossier or top level lawyer will make any difference. My more pressing concern is where will BR be for the derby when he gets his two match ban? Are the rangers going to be able to guarantee his safety in the main stand, they couldn’t guarantee Chris Suttons and he wasn’t even amongst their fans! I’ve a feeling he might be in the changing room or some other office watching it on TV with comms to the dugout! Just another situation the SFA/SPFL will ignore!!
Collum has had a game at Ibrox since the derby. He refereed the easy cup game against lower league opposition. That was the SFAs way of showing they can’t be dictated to by the rangers!
If our board stay silent, or offer some kind of pitiful non-effective statement about this, the whole lot of them should walk out the door. Shockin act from the sfa. Its shovin our faces right in it and although altogether not unexpected, they’re sendin a big message here. Just wait and see the help that lot get in these remainin games as well now, whether it’s involvin their games our ours, or who it’s against. Can see it comin. With possibly our key players back we’re a major threat, so they’re all gettin nervous. Corrupt as fuck.
It’s actually hard to believe this guy will be the ref ,right after the hearing ! And it puts more pressure on the ref , or you would think so but this is a blatant boot in the baws !
??
We need to hold the gun firmly to their head with the trigger picked, lets not dance around about this and call it out for what it is. If they play try to play hardball just tell them.we are walking away from the league
Even though they’ve trolled us with Robertson so soon – The real cancer in the air at Tynecastle that day was Beaton in a room far away watching a monitor…
Robertson gave two soft penalties, one to each side and only booked Yang until the evil one in The VAR intervened…
Beaton seen to it that Celtic were Beaten !
100% right this time. Beaton was the monster that day
what ever comes from it we need Head lines across britain and afar to draw attention to these shameless cheating basters , our aim is for outside refs , the sevco agents can’t get a game refereeing outside scotland they are that bad and corrupt how can european officialdom expect us to be happy with a standard they won’t accept themselves , if it is not good enough for them it’s not good enough for us , it won’t cost millions to fly in decent refs and the ones are there are going to cost CFC 70 million this season and next , it’s possible many more leagues as they have taken var as their personal toy to toy with celtic and all the other teams , two penalties conceded in over 2 years ? don’t pizz down my neck and tell me it’s F N raining !!
Shout it out Brendan !!! Enough !!!
I totally agree with nearly all that James with one exception. It’s not that their method works and ours doesn’t. It’s that their method works for them and if we adopted their method we would be treated differently with the media recruited. The same rules are applied differently depending on the club. Its that simple.
Does anyone remember when Alan McDonald hired someone to investigate the referees at the time? They acted as if he had gone mad. Celtic should quietly invite a retired referee from three or four different countries to make a report at the next few games and see whether or not they would agree with the decisions in this country. A sort of human VAR, if you like.
I think you’ll see BR getting a suspended punishment of some kind which will make him available for the Ibrox touchline. The sports media will make this out to be the SFA being fair to Celtic, whilst the real injustice was inflicted by Beaton and Robertson that Sunday at Tynecastle, the damage that was done that day by these two biased employees of the SFA should not be forgotten.
Until there is total reform of refereeing in Scotland Celtic should withdraw from the SFA organised Scottish Cup. The Football Authorities in Scotland are taking the paying customers at Celtic Park for fools and the Board are doing nothing to protect the support from these refereeing charlatans and the corrupt office bearers at Hampden.
I’m actually getting fed up [a bit late in the day] moaning about anti Celtic referees, I seem to have been doing it all my life, but I’ve got to say after watching Celtic for over 70 years I’ve got no doubt Beaton wins the title of being the most pro Rangers and anti Celtic ref with RH Davidson being a close 2nd. Big Jock told the Celtic players they had to be at least 2 goals better than the opposition to make up for the honest mistakes, with those two you have and had to be 3 goals better.
Micheal I actually had the same idea earlier. We’ll see if you are right.
From a newspaper article by James Traynor in July 1996.
“There are people who, shall we say, are not outstanding. In the football business there is
dishonesty and a lack of integrity. Somehow I am a person who never states anything. I growl,
I roar, or I fume. I`m portrayed as someone who wants to pick fights and that`s unfair, but if
I`ve got a beef Celtic are being unfairly disadvantaged then I`m going to say”. This was when
Fergus was trying to get compensation for Collins. Does nobody at Celtic Park have his phone number?