I don’t know whether any of the other sites have done a deep dive into the stats at the weekend, but a lot of folks have been messaging me with some of them. They are astonishing. Absolutely astonishing. They reveal just what it is that we’re up against.
I am indebted to the guys who send me this stuff or post it in the comments here or on our Facebook group. This stuff is invaluable to understanding what’s happening in the game. Once again, we also have to pay tribute to Alan Morrison, as he is helping us acquire a full understanding of how officials influence games … and it doesn’t always need to involve big calls.
For example, one poster on this site told me the other day that it took us 20 minutes at Ibrox to get our first free kick. That sounded so remarkable that I had to watch the game to make sure of it; and what do you know? It’s a fact. The Ibrox club were given no fewer than nine free-kicks in that time; Kuhn had already been booked by then.
Three Celtic players had been booked by half-time. Kuhn, Johnston and O’Riley. When do we ever get three players booked in one half of football? That’s got to be a rarity. We ended up, of course, with four bookings and a staggering 23 fouls against us. Not a single Ibrox player got booked, not even Silva in the end as his yellow was reversed after the penalty was given.
There was a moment in the second half which, to me, summed up how this stuff works; an Ibrox player was running with the ball at his feet. O’Riley was the closest player to him, and you actually see him move in for a second, evaluate and then step back; if O’Riley is not on a booking, you have to think he’d have gone in for the ball.
And that’s how it works, this stuff. Our right back was booked; they brought on Sima to play against him in the second half. Our central midfielder is booked, and that stops our other central players from challenging for every ball. The Ibrox club doesn’t pick up a single booking and are penalised less than half as often as we are in the game … the disallowed “goal” is the result of just one of the many fouls we should have gotten but which Beaton doesn’t give, and he only gave that one because VAR forced him to look at the incident again.
Yet look where Beaton is when the foul is committed; he’s standing right there, not six feet away, watching it happen. It’s a foul every day of the week, and he lets it go and allows the Ibrox club to continue up the pitch, which turned out to be self-defeating as they get a goal from it which forces VAR to check the phases of play.
But the stat on the free-kicks in the first 20 minutes demonstrate clearly that Beaton sets the tone of the whole match early on; they got five of their free kicks in the first twelve minutes of the game, and that let Celtic’s players know that they would be penalised for everything.
Furthermore, as someone pointed out to me last night, in pulling Kuhn up for every time he challenges for the ball, and then booking him so early in the match, it also served to protect the weakest part of the Ibrox team … the left flank, where Sterling had to play because of injuries to other players. That Johnston was also booked, ludicrously in my view, owing to the theatrics of the diver, only adds to that impression.
Officiating is in crisis in Scotland. Even the decision to allow Beaton to be in charge of this game has added to that crisis rather than lessened it. Neutral observers were aghast that he got the match, and that Don Robertson had been given the Celtic game prior to it … everyone was shocked but we Celtic fans, who know what the SFA is capable of.
The proof of it is piling up in drifts all around us. Nobody can be in any further doubt that this is a crisis point. The only thing left is to see who wants to act on it and how.
With Aberdeen’s statement on VAR tonight coming on the heels of this, the moment might have finally arrived where we can begin to exert maximum pressure. It won’t be before time.
Celtic leading 2- 0 ,going on 6- 0 in the first half on Sunday , yet have 3 players booked ? Correct me if I’m wrong ,but are those booking stats not more in keeping with the team that’s getting pumped at the time ,rather than the leading team ?
The Celtic board should take this article to the sfa and ask them disprove any of it and if they can’t what do they intend doing about it
Beaton’s face shows the hatred he has for Celtic and its staff. Beaton is an amateur, not a professional and should have more respect. The Celtic players and staff ate professionals. They are polite when they speak to Beaton, but he does not reciprocate this. Why, do you think?
The other bonus for Beaton and Sevco, is the likelihood that for a few of our players who were booked on Sunday, for example Alistair Johnston, could be facing a ban during the final series of matches for exceeding the booking threshold. Guaranteed that this was also part of the overall refereeing strategy.
Thought a ref was there to protect ANY player when he played on after Yang got a head knock told me all about this guy
I have not seen one mention anywhere as to why Goldston didn’t receive a yellow card along with the penalty awarded, obviously due to the double jeopardy rule, a red card is not normally awarded nowadays, but a penalty and yellow card, is normally issued!!
Beaton should be sacked NOW.
Again and again these stats are pointed out and our board do nothing about it.
Why is this ?.
Is there something the support are not being told.
They are paid to run our club and are paid very generously.
Point being James we keep going over this ,totally rigged biased rotten game BUT for every time this happens virtually every game now , decisions go in sevcos favour,what on earth can we do about it ,our board totally weak and ineffective,most other clubs put it down to the big 2 always get the breaks,we know that’s not true but what’s the answer.I still think the SFA have some kind of hold over our board,I know you totally disagree it’s the 5 way agreement but they have definitely got our board by the balls, why else would they allow this cheating by the Lanarkshire cabal to go on unabated.Everyone on these blogs knows whats going on and it’s getting tedious now moaning about it and not able to do a damn thing to stop it, sevco must love our weak assed spineless board.
The referees in the Champions League games the last two nights have been brilliant compared to the cheating,corrupt hun officials we have to put up with.l lost count of how many 50-50 tackles I saw and thought to myself the huns get a free kick for that.
Well we cannot say that we didn’t know that this wouldn’t be the case with Beaton involved…
And he (and others) will inflict plenty more carnage on Celtic before this season’s end –
That much is utterly certain for sure…
And as he works his ticket to the head of refereeing hotseat to potentially replace Surname – Surname…
The next Beaton and Beaton’s will will be currently under orders in their ‘training’
And so the farce will roll on and on and on and on…
And it’ll be Roll up, Roll up with your hard earned for the next series due to start in August 2024…
Pistol Pete and Lord Lucan-Nicholson want your cash and wanna say zilchy, zilchy, zilchy !
Well they ain’t getting mine to see a farce of cheating…
If I like the new Celtic gear I might stretch to some of that – But that’s it !
So you’re going to buy the gear if you like it????
Make up your mind, you’re filling the fat bastards pockets or your not, I’ll not be spending another penny on the merchandise until that board are gone, and believe me, I spend A LOT between me and my grandsons
Got this years Hoops and The Black away kit for £20 Quid each on the black market Tam…
It’s not a bad feeling and it’s another six bottles of whisky for me to enjoy profit wise –
I like to support the club still financially though merchandise but as you rightly say it’s difficult with this ‘say nothing about The SFA, SPFL, Scummy Scottish Football Media and Sevco and Cheats with Whistles, Flags and Monitors Brigade’ !
Before match starts shakes p3nalty kings hand during match berates cetic players for even speaking to him on decisions given but theirs surround him at every opportunity and he is happy to let them have their say complaining about any decisions against them and trying to get more Celtic players booked or sent off, thats how you influence a match to one teams advantage book players in important areas of the pitch.
No better for the St. Mirren game on Saturday with McLean as ref and Dickinson on var.
The sooner this masonic old boys network is broken up, the better it will be for scottish football. It needs a complete overhaul with impartial people running it, instead of those who are using it as a very lucrative side line to their day jobs. Hopefully as more proof is brought to light and pressure is applied, things will change. The fact that not one of them are officiating in the euros (and other previous tournaments) is testament to how bad they are.
As I said at the time, like yourself & many others, Beaton’s performance was a disgrace, but completely unsurprising.
His appointment for the game, was brazen, contemptible, and another example of the condescension towards our club, by his paymasters. Together with the naming of Robertson, v Livingston, it was C Allan & SFA sticking the proverbial two fingers up at us all.
The fact that this guy still heads the referees, despite stepping down and without any fear of culpability, is still a major concern!!!
Beaton’s on field “incompetence,” on Sunday carried on from his Tynecastle VAR debacle. It was so easy to spot how he penalised our team for minor fouls, let them take quick free kicks ( which never normally happens,) and readily look to book our players, thus rendering them pretty ineffective.
The Kuhn booking was astonishing, as he points to various fouls he’d committed. ( it was his first!) O’Riley, just prior to half time was also booked, and he certainly fell away second half ( after a brilliant all action,first 45!)
Was he reminded at half time, that Celtic being 2-0 up and cruising, wasn’t in the pre match refereeing script book. He certainly played his part ( with VAR,) to ensure that Sevco got a foothold back in the game, and a point that not even Nostradamus could have predicted at half time!!!!!
Big Clement Freud must have been happy with his team’s ( which included Beaton,) performance. His “moral” 3-3 victory even got a lap of honour.
Our compliant SMSM drool over every sound bite that leaves this man’s mouth.
He is definitely a manure salesman with a mouthful of samples, and adored by the Sevconian hordes!!!
There is still understandable nervousness within our fanbase, as to how these “honest” officials will impact the remaining fixtures.
We need six good wins, achieved with integrity and style, to retain this title and have Sevco and cheerleaders back on the humble pie diet!
Celtic players need to start surrounding Beaton every time he makes a dubious decision. It may lead to one or two of our players being booked but he’s going to book them at one point anyway. Beaton’s angry facial expressions towards Celtic players and management speak a 1000 words, he’s just a HUN with a whistle.
I e been saying this since we played at Hampden, if is a foul and a good advantage stop the game and give a foul, if it’s a foul with no real advantage play on I’m glad people are starting to catch on to this keep it up , and all Scottish refs should be done away with
This has been happening for years but very effective in last game but our board sit back do nothing but roll over time has come to call out the elephant in the room and as for our press they fuel it on a daily basis don’t buy papers don’t watch the bbc highlights because they are all as bad as each other hit them were it hurts don’t give them our money
I was aware that we were getting everything against us at the time although I didn’t realise it was 20mins before we got a foul, and I was aware of Beaton’s position for the Iwata foul. If rangers had won a free kick or corner from that it wouldn’t have been called back.
Despite that, I still came away thinking the ref had a decent game probably because my expectations were so low.
That’s an interesting point about Kuhn and their weak left. These subtle things have a massive impact and they get those kind of decisions every game.
I’ve been watching celtic for 70 years and celtic were always battling against the man in black or the twelfth man but now celtic are that good and so far ahead of everyone else they’ve brought in video cameras along with the 13th 14th and 15th refs to help the man in black.
We need foreign ref teams especially for big games in league and cups.
Mike them up like rugby , if theres nothing to hide.
The cost THE CLUBS pay for VAR woukd cover the price
All clubs need to push for change as at least 5/6 have been vocal on this disaster
Aberdeen killie,motherwell ross county celtic +