SENTINELCELTS

Yesterday was all about the games dirty side, but I doubt there will be much screaming. In many ways it was business as usual but in many ways it wasn’t.
Allow me to explain.
 
With the score tied up in Pittodrie and an imminent International break, the priority was three points full stop.
It needed grit, heart, and individual desire, more than skill with the ball at your feet.
It needed the team to get down and dirty, and grind out a result.
Hat tipped, they did.
 
But we all witnessed the true dirty side of the game up north, fans with whistles influencing results, without censure from headquarters, actually emboldened by that fact.
Any football fan on the planet would agree (if forced to watch the two rivals games) the refs were ridiculous at best, cheats at worst.
 
But first the team’s away victory.
One week ago today I asked for signs from Ange, positive change.
Done, and with the three points ultimately delivered whose to say those changes weren’t key?
Well done big man.
 
For starters the midfield was stiffened up, not just the usual trio thrust into battle with hope. Not only was it recognized a necessity, but our gaffer also had the gumption to admit the two supposed to be first choice weren’t cutting it, so he brings in another option.
Nir isn’t for everybody, but I believe his selection rather than overall attributes to be more important, if you catch my drift.
This tells me the flawed trio of Calmac,Tam,DT isn’t first choice, at least for the tougher games.
Progress. Next is bringing in better/more options for that role although I’m a Henderson fan and would like to see an opportunity given, actually for both of them I would bring the brother home.
 
Next the two fullbacks were not rotated, but the same as before, a rare occurrence.
I asked for two to be selected and stuck with for stability reasons, boom. Done, and while Monty and Anto aren’t first choice can we appreciate their inclusions might be down to familiarity of playing style, more than their individual attributes?
That’s how I see it.
JJ should return to the right back slot of course, the other is up for grabs with four including Shaw vying for it.
That’s not to say it can’t or shouldn’t be upgraded. It certainly should be addressed in the window.
 
We ground out a result when it was called for, and late winners help bond teams plus instill belief. The collective knowledge that’s within the locker is priceless, and helps spur tired legs late on.
Let’s hope some board member never met our exCaptain whilst on the jolly.
Foisting him upon Ange could spur his legs to move on I reckon.
I must also point out my sympathy to the big man for having only one and a half strikers and we are in October.
G-Mac (named by Garry so that’s the name and so very Garry it is) still not in the game.
I’ve never known a Celtic manager with such weak upfront options, and its another mobile striker please as GMac looks more of a penalty box player, different than Kyogo who is looking more of a steal by the game. He’s quality, oozes class, and will probably move on to a bigger stage one day. That’s his trajectory.
 

But we head into the break (another one so soon, I hate these bloody things) with the feel good away win, then the especially feel good celebration with the fans after.
It’s lovely footage, well done all involved, it might just spur them bhoys onwards and upwards.
 
But we also witnessed the true dirty side of the game.
There’s double standards at play, and we all know it. That 40 odd million bounty solves a lot of issues across the way, and it’s almost as if every whistler and official knows it. The easier fixtures, the calls on the day, the racism deflection, yadda yadda, call me paranoid but there’s a campaign to make sure this bounty goes into certain coffers.
As Auldheid succinctly puts it, this campaign has a moral hazard involved, one giant needs this title to pay debts or,,,
 
One reason the calls for VAR aren’t deafening is the fact they haven’t perfected it down south, it’s still glitchy with little common sense applied but that’s changing.
Like anything new, it takes time, and I have seen incorrect decisions overturned, an opportunity that was never there before. The game did benefit, the right call was made.
 
I’ve read many opinions that the faceless man in a van would be just another whistler so shall back his brothers etc but truth is we don’t know that.
There seems little appetite or funds for the venture, which would then be beset with bias allegations off the bat, tough one so VAR is a no go.
 
It’s the whistlers themselves then, the pool must open up to foreign employees but of course barriers stand in the way, within and without.
For a club that claims to love all things British, why not allow English and Welsh referees?
I enjoyed our wee different refs spell, remember it? The native whistlers didn’t enjoy it, they were replaced by Johnny Foreigner and their leniency was shown up by true officials.
 
Ultimately it shouldn’t be for supporters to seek competent referees but we all know clubs will hide behind season ticket sales to suggest customer/supporter satisfaction. Most professional establishments seek client input whether negative or positive, hiding behind numbers that were influenced by Dom’s new approach method resulting in the largest daily ST sales ever is not beneath these guys one bit.
There’s a reason you never receive questionnaires, they don’t wanna know.
We are all supposed to just suck it up, bad refs are part and parcel of the game type of thing.
Except that’s crap, a get out, a cover up.
They have an agenda would be much closer to the truth.
3 points each and two cheats in black, just another day in the bent never boring SPL.

By Mahe