KILMARNOCK, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 15: Celtic's Julian Araujo celebrates scoring to make it 3-2 during a William Hill Premiership match between Kilmarnock and Celtic at BBSP Stadium Rugby Park, on February 15, 2026, in Kilmarnock, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
The other week, after Celtic knocked Dundee out of the Scottish Cup after equalising with a very late goal, the media went into full meltdown. Yet when the manager of the club we had just beaten spoke to the newspapers and the assorted radio and TV voices, he struck a very different tone. He said he had no issue with what Celtic had done.
It had cost his team, of course, but as far as the added time was concerned, Stephen Pressley made it clear that there was nothing controversial about it.
Now we have the same thing again.
This time it is Kilmarnock player, Brad Lyons, who has come out and said there is nothing in the conspiracy theories suggesting Celtic should not have been given seven additional minutes at Rugby Park on Sunday.
The conduct of both men is exemplary. Their professionalism embarrasses those who want to fuel conspiracy theories and spread mindless nonsense. It embarrasses the media voices who have pushed this line. It embarrasses the usual suspects, including The Village Idiot, who throw these claims around in the hope of creating outrage, controversy or even an investigation. That really would be funny.
Where does this leave those people now? Looking ridiculous.
You have Neil McCann being contradicted by one of his own players. You had the Dundee narrative undermined by their own manager. This is not a difference of opinion. It reveals something far more telling. It exposes the bias and bitterness behind those who have tried to drive this story.
Keith Jackson talked about officials with broken watches. Yet the Dundee manager, the man who would have the greatest reason to complain if something improper had happened, disagreed with him. Boyd spent a week ranting about that decision and now looks set to repeat the performance, even though Pressley dismissed the first claim and Lyons has now dismissed the second.
As for Neil McCann, what do you expect? He cannot stand Celtic. He thought he had a result and he lost it. But he reacted exactly as you would expect, through frustration and emotion as much as reason. That does not excuse it, but it does at least explain it. Do not expect logic from Jackson or The Village Idiot. You will not find it there.
The point is that some people at least have a reason to be emotional.
McCann had his team 2-0 up at half-time. He probably believed he had at least a point secured. Losing that late would anger any manager. His reaction comes from disappointment as well as from long-standing bias. The others have no such excuse.
When you are surrounded by so much nonsense, it matters that voices of reason exist. It matters even more that those voices come from within the clubs that have just lost. Those are the people you would expect to be angry and bitter. Yet they are not.
They recognise a simple truth. Celtic kept going. Celtic were stronger.
That is professionalism and perspective. That is the ability to step back from the emotion of defeat and see the bigger picture.
There is real quality in that attitude. There is decency in it and a respect for the game and for the reality of how football works. Time added on is time for both sides. The team chasing a goal push forward, leaves space and takes risks. That has always been the case. Either club could have capitalised. Ours did.
I applaud both Stephen Pressley and Brad Lyons for recognising that reality and saying so publicly. They are a credit to their clubs. There are also journalists who have pushed back against the conspiracy nonsense, and they deserve credit too.
Unfortunately, there are others who seem determined to wallow in bitterness and suspicion because it suits their agenda. The game should give more weight to the voices of those professionals and far less to those who promote poison for attention.
Added time does not benefit one club. It benefits whichever team uses it best.
We have seen that before.
In one famous historical match, extra time was added in the hope that the home side at Ibrox might find a winner. Instead, Kilmarnock scored and helped Celtic to a title. Extra minutes create opportunity. They do not guarantee an outcome.
Yet that basic reality does not seem to register with some commentators. Instead, they reach for conspiracy, outrage and accusation.
It might be funny if it were not so serious.
These people operate in the mainstream media. They present themselves as part of the professional press.
Yet too often they behave like partisans rather than journalists. That reflects badly not only on them but on the profession that continues to give them a platform, and that is the real problem.
Don’t forget that when the board went up for 7 minutes added time, the first thing Chris Sutton said was “I thought there would be more.”
Chris, like the rest of the Celtic fans, just does not trust ‘the board’
Boyd, McCann and Jackson, aw hun fuds.
Let’s get some perspective on the added time for Celtic to score nonsense. As has been said earlier, both teams have the opportunity to score in added time. However, it should not be overlooked that one team (Sevco) has an additional safety net in added time to secure points and that safety net is the MIB.
Sevco v Dundee in August Tavpen in 92 minutes to get a draw. Dundee United V Sevco in December, Bajrami penalty in 98 minutes to get a point. Sevco v Motherwell also in December, Motherwell denied a clear penalty in injury time to get Sevco the win. Back in November Livingston denied a penalty in injury to get a point.
So, if my arithmetic is correct that is six points secured in added time through MIB interventions. Strangely, no hew and cry from the usual suspects in the media.
I thought the reporter interviewing McCann after the game should have asked him why his own team didn’t try to take advantage of the added time to get a much needed 3 points on their own plastic pitch, when they had been creating as many chances as Celtic during the game. I could understand his anger more if Celtic were trying for an equaliser which denied his team the 3 points.
Both teams were informed with 5 minutes to go that 7 minutes would be added. It’s much more annoying as I’ve seen recently in the EPL, when the 7 minutes or so added is allowed to run onto 10 minutes and the “big” team gets the equaliser or winner.
It is only when those uppity Fenians score a late goal that there is a public outcry, how fkn dare they?
It is all about entitlement Johnny. Anything that goes against what they want is automatically a result of bias against the peepul. They believe that they have a right to dominate the game up here and when that doesn’t happen then there must be an unseen fenian hand at work. This type of entitlement leads to frustration and anger. Just look at how the Village Idiot reacts when thing go directly against his belief that they should win and we should lose! Sky love his reactions because they are controversial. Bye the way, does he still think Hearts are going to win the league?
They dare because they must! They whinge because they want things to follow their natural order. The Village Idiot and others make outrageous claims because they get away with it. They are simply incapable of looking at things without hatred. James sums it up well with his fear and loathing articles.
It’s going around social media that the total time for all injuries, substitutions and general time wasting by Kilmarnock amounted to 9 mins 51 secs, which backs up what Chris Sutton said on commentary about 7 mins being a bit light.
And our board still give access to the hun laptop loyal while banning the fan media guys who only have Celtic’s best interests at heart.Get rid of that hun Hargreaves along with all those charlatans on our board.
Just watch on Sunday if we are sitting say 1-1 v Hibernian on 90’ mins how much injury time we get…
Three fuckin minutes at the very most !
The campaign will have worked… Void Boyd will have won…
For a senior Kilmarnock player to openly contradict McCann and do so in such outspoken terms, that is a very strong indicator that he’s starting to lose the dressing room already. His players have their all, even hitting the woodwork in the dying seconds. We heard how the Dundee and Livingstone managers praised their players for their commitment and effort but we also heard through the dressing room wall how McCann could only abuse his disappointed players for not helping his former side out. I can’t recall ever hearing any player slapping down his manager so publicly. His squad saw him for what he is on Sunday and I feel as if it’s the beginning of the end for Kilmarnock and this little creep.