Regular readers will be well aware of my “disdain” – the right word I think – for Sky Sports Scotland and its pitiful coverage. Yesterday we got a clear reminder as to why so many of us feel that way about them; they were dreadful and they were biased.
Yesterday they had both the games, the one at Dens and the one at St Mirren. The first, of course, was the one involving the Ibrox club. And they were awful. They were absolutely stinking. They survived a late rally when St Mirren were chasing an equaliser. Yet at the end of the game the commentary team did everything but shower them in kisses.
Skip forward a few hours and our win over Dundee was greeted in a very different fashion. It was all about how Celtic had hung on for a win, how we’d rode our luck … absolute garbage, I’m afraid. I didn’t think we played well yesterday and that’s on the record; I thought we were comfortably the better team of the two.
The impression grows that there are whole swathes of the media who are just dying for us to fail, even some of the so-called neutrals.
Perhaps they believe that having one team win the title every year is bad for the game; it didn’t destroy football in Germany, or Italy did it? There are, of course, a lot of them who just hate Celtic – as I said yesterday, the Sunday Mail’s resident clown was at it again, and we all know who the others are.
The truth is, neither their side nor ours were particularly good yesterday and both deserve a little bit of stick for that. But the media went into this game looking for signs that we were stuttering; that they are writing that is hardly surprising.
But where was the flowing football fans of the club from Ibrox were promised? Do these people really think the hype of the past week, since the Scottish Cup semi final where Ibrox pummelled a Hearts team which barely tried a leg, was justified after watching that yesterday? As people said to me online, even on an off-day you can see that we offer more and we’re a better side than the one across the city, so Sky’s commentary teams just sound ridiculous when they try to pretend that they look strong whereas we look vulnerable.
Let me say what everyone here already knows; we do look a little vulnerable. We’re definitely not at our best. But when the media is pummelling us this coming week, which they will, for being defensively suspect, you want to tell them to take a proper look at that Ibrox defence yesterday; it was all over the shop.
The manager has dropped Goldson. What are the odds that he’s back for the game against us? Will the hacks even deem that worthy of comment? Will they question whether or not he has the right motivation, after such a public humiliation?
Sky yesterday was like a pro-Ibrox love-in, and we’re used to that from the likes of Boyd, but there was nothing impartial about the dual coverage of the games. It was slanted, it was made to sound as if we were the side who had the truly bad day and that wasn’t the case at all. I never thought we were in any danger of dropping points.
We won that game, and I didn’t hide my disappointment about how we did it when I wrote my match report yesterday. But there are four games left, we’re the on-form team (notice how that phrase has dropped out of common use now, eah?) and we have home advantage in the next two games, which it so happens are the ones that matter most.
These people keep on saying this is going to the wire … you know what? I think we’ll end this in the next 14 days.
Then Sky will be covering a very different event than some of them had expected; another Celtic title party.
BBC radio rangers were also salivating over the victory over St Mirren. Listening to them you would have thought Celtic weren’t playing yesterday.
It comes with the dinner and is an expensive item on the bland menu to pay for ! On BBC Sportsound ,they had Thompson , McCann , Dodds and English , with a token Tim – Pat Bonnar – there for imbalance yesterday . Every other SMSM and digital platform is overwhelmingly pro the tribute act in their coverage . The best way to change the situation and reality is to ask questions beginning with WHY ? Why do you have more fan boy/girl theRangers guests on your programmes Mr/ Ms producer than all other clubs combined ? Why does it happen every single season ? Why do you treat your paying public like stupid clowns ? WHY ?
Spot on John, Packy Bonnar is a token
Tim on that so called show…..
For balance;):)
Unfortunately everything you said is true
That fat hun stumble bum stuttering utter sh*te and the English commentator chugging himself into a frenzy every time a team score against us
I binned it ages ago
F*ck Sky Sports
From what I saw, the tribute act goalie saved them from dropping points. They won’t get away with that forever.
James I don’t know who you’re trying to annoy the most??
Where have you been all season and if you’re trying to make us all happy by feeding us that we should be getting more praise because we were better than Rangers yesterday. My God what are you looking at this last few months???. Not defending my countryman Liam for his lack of concentration the odd time but he is the fans easy target , but my God he gives the cause “everything” . Anyway apart from “James” who I have said months ago “a James Forrest on one leg would be better than the rest of the wingers put together because he looks after the ball and that gift is priceless. James we are “dire how many times have we controlled a game this season, full backs,midfield,and wingers have been well off it but they get an easy ride compared to braveheart 5th in line centre back Liam. Get your ducks in line James.
The problem with this team is so obvious that a blind man could see it, and it’s not Rodgers.
It’s that some accountancy type thought he knew better than Rodgers when it came to signing players. We all know what we’ve watched; if you’re a regular reader you’ll know I’ve criticised it. Did you read the report I wrote after the game yesterday? If you had you’ll know I’m not feeding anyone anything.
You get YOUR ducks in a row boyo, and read what I’ve written prior to this piece before coming on here to tell me what you THINK I meant when I wrote it.
James,what we witnessed at Dens Park yesterday was a Celtic team carrying out an exercise in damage limitation !
With a cheat on the whistle and another in the VAR studio our manager sent his team out with the express instruction of not giving the officials ANY excuse,however flimsy,to feel justified to give any match changing decisions.
You only had to look at the scowl on his coupon as he led the teams out that he was a man (?????) on a mission.
We stood off the Dundee players,nowhere more obvious than when they were launching balls into our box from corners,free kicks and long throws,as it was obvious that Beaton was shiting himself to give a penalty or send a Celtic player off.
That he was not given the opportunity to do so,even with the son of Dullass forensically analysing every challenge, bears testament to the self control and concentration of our players for the duration of the contest.
So much so that it looked like Bellshill’s finest didn’t have a bad game as the match passed off pretty well incident free,much to his chagrin !
However, he just couldn’t help himself and after having watched the Dundee keeper waste time throughout the contest he found the need to book the Sacred Hart for that very offence with seconds remaining.
I fear we may have to endure more of the same as the squad is so obviously forced to play within themselves just to ensure we finish each match with a full complement of players.
Kudos to all involved in the Hoops yesterday on a job well done by depriving the huns and their acolytes in the SMSM their glee filled after match analysis.
They will all most probably be still seething this morning !
FUCK THE LOT OF THEM !!!
I hope so because Hearts will have no problem shedding 5 or 6. !!!
james….any competition with a one entity monopoly is unhealthy….of course it is, and of course neutrals are keen to see it broken…tho i’m sure scottish neutrals would rather a club from outside celtic and sevco win the spfl…..hell, i wouldn’t even mind giving up the odd league title or cup to another club – as long as it wasn’t the huns – competition is what sport is all about…
when we won the 1st title under BR, and were named “invincibles”…. i hated that nickname….invincible in scotland – big fukn deal ! then we are roundly humped by all and sundry in europe…
we mock other clubs in scotland for being content to avoid relegation… WE are the ross county of europe….content to qualify for the CL because of the riches it brings – yet we don’t invest in the playing squad to try and do better next time…which is what sport is all about-self improvement.
the 2 teams “battling” for top spot in the spfl title ARE shit teams….the less shit team will win….
Let the media continue to be cheer leaders for the deid club and give the huns a false sense of hope. It becomes all the more delightful for us when they fall flat on their faces and burst their big blue hooters. Personally, I’m loving it.
The media approach to setting a pro sevco narrative extends way beyond SKY. The BBC website has “Rankers close to something special” as the headline on their St Mirren match report. By the same token, Dundee (2 pts behind Saints) must be even closer to something special. Neither Dundee nor sevco improved their position over the weekend. Both duels remain exactly where they were before the Scottish cup semis, except, there is one less game for them to close the gap.
Nobody was suggesting that sevco were on the verge of something special when they had just dropped points to Ross County and Dundee. Despite there being no change in circumstances now, they are miraculously close to something special. The Manneken Pis must possess supernatural powers. Its either that or the SMSM are talking bollocks again. Where are you putting your money?
Someone good with words, facts and figures, needs to put together an email and send it off to the head of BBC asking for an explanation of the obvious huge imbalance and bias involving their sports media in Scotland when they exist to be entirely impartial.
I think it’s time for a bit of general perspective about the current state of play.
If Celtic blow this title, ( which I don’t think for a second we shall,) then our club, manager and players deserve all the criticism that will inevitably follow.
However, we are well on course for another title triumph, regardless of how we get there. Yes, we are struggling a bit and it’s not easy on the eyes! We have no divine right to win any game and the Sevconians will testify to that, after their mini collapse at Dingwall & Dens!
Yesterday was a tough game and we got the desired result and remain at the top of the league with everything in OUR hands.
It will be tough against the Jambos, but I’m sure we shall turn up refreshed and get the desired victory !
One game at a time, and it’s all about showing our continued and collective support for the Hoops and ignoring the biased white noise from elsewhere ! HH
Agree with that. Even tho we’ve mostly created our own probs, we’ve been playin better than they have and thats no bias, thats an observation. If we can keep our squad intact these remainin games, we’re more than capable of gettin there.
I don’t know if anyone else saw this James ,I put the television menu up for the hunsound starting time and seemingly Celtic weren’t playing, it had THE PROGRAMME STARTING AT 12 FOR THE ST MIRREN V THE SEVCO AND THEN FOLLOWED BY DUNDEE V SEVCO AT 3,maybe this was the abundance of quality that Tom English said they once had to be able to field two team’s,but on the same day,I know they’d like nothing better than us ceasing to exist, SORRY,THAT WAS ANOTHER TEAM, I JUST CAN’T SEEM TO REMEMBER WHO
Packy Bonnar must be some weight now if it needs Thompson, McCann and Dodds to step on the scales to get Packy off the ground at the far end. Even English might need to get his toe under it to get it to start to rise. Some “balance” right enough. With all due respect: it is people like Bonnar, Lennon, M O`Neil and Mark Wilson that allows them to carry on with their hatred
and I have a lot less respect for them than I have for Boyd or Miller even. I would eat the Rafael first, rather than take their soup.
As far as I’m concerned if we win this title it will taste so sweet. I wouldn’t say we’ve been crap, but for a Celtic team we’ve been pretty ordinary, and still, if we hold our nerve they will be also rans once again.
We lost two really good wingers, One who was exciting and could get us off our seats the other who weighed in with some really important goals. We also lost a C/B who had formed a terrific defensive partnership with CCV. We lost a terrific attack minded motivational type of Manager in big Ange and replaced him with a more thoughtful and possession is everything type of Manage in BR.
This season was always going to be transitional, and the board and scouting dept didn’t help with their project signings. To me none of the crop have been out and out successes but neither have any of them been out and out failures.
Yep a transitional season, and if we win the Title under these circumstances then it’s going to be celebrations big time for players and supporters alike.
The board will have dodged a bullet and they had better not repeat the ridiculous errors of the past two windows.