When The Village Idiot Is Whining, You Know Celtic Are Doing Something Right.

Want further proof that Celtic got a result the other day in the Rodgers case? Look at the reactions of some of the commentariat.

This morning, I responded, on Twitter, to the latest pathetic piece of moaning from Ewan Murray of The Guardian, who had a rant about the punishment where he seemed to be claiming that managers can now have a free shot at refs.

Except, didn’t Rodgers end up with a one match ban and one match suspended for that? Some free shot. Murray, a Hearts fan, has a long-time issue with Celtic and with Rodgers especially, although I don’t think anyone could tell us why.

His bitterness is irritating, because he works at a title alongside some real heavyweights and you’d think, therefore, that he is smarter than the average hack.

But then, every village needs an idiot.

Which brings us to the head boy amongst them, the top man in a town made up of all the people too stupid to be village idiots somewhere else. And in that, town, obviously, the cream sits at the bottom of the bottle of milk. There are many village idiots, but there is only one Village Idiot. And this morning, well friends, he is boiling with anger.

And, as usual, his outrage is so visceral that it’s hilarious.

“Whatever you think of the decisions made by Don Robertson, after Beaton recommended VAR reviews, the rules directly state that you can’t call officials ‘incompetent’,” he said.

Although he has and other hacks have, but only when decisions have gone Celtic’s way or against the one from the club from Ibrox. They are pretty selective in their outrage.

“Rodgers did that but will be free to be on the touchline at Ibrox next Sunday after sitting in the stand at Livingston tomorrow. The ban is weak. There is no other way to describe it. It also sets a precedent for the next time a manager decides to call an SFA official ‘incompetent’ after a game.”

Actually, there are plenty of other ways to describe the ban.

How about “pathetic”? How about “shocking”? The regulation under which Rodgers was banned is a joke. The SFA bottled it, because Celtic brought in the big guns … but this joker’s meltdown is funny. And it got even better in the very next bit.

“The referees can’t be happy and I am not having this theory that it was a common-sense decision, as it means Rodgers doesn’t have to sit in the stand at Ibrox.”

That’s a kid chucking the toys out of the pram if ever I’ve seen it.

And what makes it particularly brilliant is that this is a rant in favour of the integrity and competence of referees!

You know, aside from the assertion that it can’t be “common sense” if Rodgers is in the dugout at Ibrox, which so reeks of bitter tears that I just want to use them as a mixer for my Jack Daniels.

His meltdown after the Alastair Johnston incident at Ibrox was marvellous.

His claim that the SFA “obviously have something to hide” was lunatic stuff. His demand that his favourite club get to “hear the audio” was a not terribly well disguised suggestion that either Walsh – who was the ref that day – or Collum, who was in the VAR room, were up to no good.

So to see that he’s defending the integrity and competence of officials is preposterous even for him. He cannot contain his frustrations that Rodgers has been cleared for next weekend, and that’s fine, we know that he’s a bitter little man … but this lack of consistency in his arguments is the real reason we hold him up to such ridicule here.

When he is on a rant like this I know all I need to know.

I know Celtic has done something right.