SENTINELCELTS

Morning,all.

We move on to another bread and butter domestic match,but this one with an added edge or two. Firstly,we are away to Livingston-which is hardly a magic carpet ride at the best of times-and secondly,we might be going into the game with the proverbial post-European hangover following our lung-busting efforts against Shakhtar in midweek.

That “hangover” is usually the result of a chastening experience,and ours was far from that on Tuesday night. People can talk about margins et al till the cows come home,but in truth we have not been far away as we dined at the top table for the first time in five years. But it is equally true that we also haven’t been close enough,nor in the end good enough to make our mark. The results though have not been chastening,we haven’t had anything like those hammerings at the hands of Barcelona and PSG,for example. No,it is not the results that concern me,not nearly as much as the performances.

And yet you might think that is contradictory,that I can so highly praise our performances and find them a cause for concern? Correct,so let me explain. What did we witness on Tuesday,much as we have witnessed in the previous games in Europe?

We saw our players giving absolutely everything,their 100% and a bit more,for the full 90 minutes and that bit more. We had players operating outside their comfort zone and even their usual position in the team as they came up against teams and individuals of a quality they rarely face. Operating with pace and skill levels that anyone would find difficult to match. But match them we did,for very long stretches of the campaign even if not overall.

In short,there is a danger that our players will still be mentally and physically fatigued after their efforts on Tuesday,and I can think of better fixtures to recover from that than the one we face on Sunday.

But you all know what I am like,I am rarely if ever negative simply for the sake of it,and I certainly am not being so here. You could say that I AM being negative,of course,others may think I’m taking a realistic look at the situation.

Others still might think that I’m reading too much into the previous time we played Shakhtar,where we truly performed so much better than on Tuesday-yet came out a few days later with our worst performance in a year as we lost badly to St Mirren-my inner Cassandra getting its occasional airing! Maybe it is a mixture of all of these,but as ever when my optimism is below its natural levels,I don’t go looking for the serotonin or dopamine. No,I hope to have been talking rubbish,because being wrong when being negative is as good a high as anyone can get.

In a related matter,we continue with the VAR experiment. One where evil pioneers push the boundaries of ethics,much as they did in the unregulated dark and distant past. Despite being aware of best practices elsewhere,they continue their efforts to overcome logic and science,even the few laws in place,to prove that their version of the truth is the only one.

They care not for the modern technology that is enabling them,merely subverting it to their own ends,much as their forebears have done in the past. Legends in their own minds,and deemed as prophets only in their own land-there’s a turn up for the fundamentalists,eh?-they continue down the road to their own ruination. The disinfectant of daylight long precedes them,and that daylight being shown again and again on various 21^st Century media outlets will be their downfall.

They can no longer hide behind their spurious and dishonest excuses of split second decisions,honest mistakes,interpretation or obscured view. But they continue to do so in plain sight,giving the rest of the game the finger,and what are you going to do about it?

With no explanation for a VAR handball penalty decision which did not go in Celtic’s favour,you might have expected that Walsh and McLean might have at least faced an informal discussion and quiet downgrade for a couple of weeks.

You know the kind of thing. Well done,lads-but don’t make it so obvious in future. Keep yer heads down for a few weeks,let it blow over. Here’s a train ticket to Montrose for the weekend.

Nope,not so. Blatantly trolling everyone,the dream team are joined at the hip again as they jointly officiate the weekend’s big fixture. Far be it for me to suggest training routines to Aberdeen’s manager,but if I was him I would save time on the offside trap drills and the penalty and free kick routines. I would be spending my time on drilling into my team how to defend with nine men against eleven. (Or more,if you fancy a cheap gag)

Celtic have Willie Collum in charge,and despite his past with us,I think he has emerged as the best of a bad lot in the last few years. Maybe he is no longer scared of his own shadow,or those of his past demons who forced him to do their bidding. Damned by faint praise,and he’ll probably have a nightmare on Sunday now that I’ve said that! But no,I don’t have the concerns about Collum officiating that I do with virtually all of the rest.

But going back to McLean,you might remember where he REALLY made his presence felt against us for the first time? THAT penalty in a semi final,not given despite och despite everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There were SIX officials that day. Ref,two assistants and the fourth official,as well as another behind each goal. The one closest that day,about four yards away and an unobscured view,the one who screamed in his headset-no penalty,ball to head!-is the person I’ve always held nearly as responsible as McLean for that one.

Alan Muir,barely been seen or heard of for a couple of years. Guess who is in charge of VAR on Sunday?

So are they trolling us? You bet. Are they giving us the finger? Better believe it. Are they cutting their own throats? Well,actually that depends on just how long the other participants in the game are prepared to allow it to continue.

Players and managers aren’t allowed to comment. For a certain section of the country who still revel in centuries past and the breakaway from Rome,they highly prize omerta. Media is muzzled or onside. The fans won’t turn their backs on their teams in times of adversity,but we can shout loud and long.

We have done for years,we have chipped away but we are far from battering down the door.

No,only the clubs can do that. The smaller clubs might see a top six place jeopardised-or worse,their top league future,and think that it is time to speak out. Others,nearer the top,might see a potential place in Europe trashed by the decisions I’ve mentioned.

Celtic however,without doubt the team most sinned against in this manner over many a year? Oh,seems we value omerta too. Nobody likes a tout,eh?

Yet everyone loves a rebel,it is in our DNA. And yes,you only win by speaking to your enemies,as history has proven. But you only get there by confronting them first. How long will Celtic Plc put up with all this?

I dunno the answer to this. But I can assure you of one thing. Nothing will change about Scottish refereeing,that disinfectant of daylight will never work,until Celtic Plc do their bloody job.

So who really is trolling us,giving us the finger? Well,even I wouldn’t go as far as to suggest that it is our board. But unless they get serious about it,they are facilitating it. It was called collaboration once,and it still should be.

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Above article by BMCUWP