SENTINELCELTS

Morning,all.

Much as we complain about the hectic fixture schedule, it is rather nice to get a wee break in midweek for once. A chance for the players to ease the tired muscles, bones and mind. For the coach to do some coaching. For the manager to have some longer chats with the squad, individually and collectively, about the way forward. Particularly for those relentless next six weeks when we are back to the grind. 

Of course, that leaves the likes of myself with a bit of a problem. Like what the hell to talk about! Fortunately, Santa arrived early this year, with a bag of belly laughs slung over his shoulder. And I just love Santa,me…

Once again, the club who are “always cheated never defeated” have rolled out the quintessential statement, this time in the form of an official complaint about the officials on Sunday. Nope,not about the standside linesman’s unique interpretation of the laws of the game, not even about the general competence of the officials on the day. About one incident-a contentious one,I’ll grant you-which has snowballed into a list of petty grievances as long as your arm. 

No mention, of course, of the many more reasons for Celtic supporters to be unhappy with the officials on the day. That, after all, is to be expected. Nope, one decision. Which in my opinion the officials got correct anyway! Early in extra time,Cerny picked up the ball near the corner of the box. A sharp turn inside took him away from Scalesy as both tussled each other for the ball. Jersey tugs on both sides, but there was a very obvious one by Scales. Which is where the argument begins.

Was Cerny inside the box at the time? Was his momentum taking him into the box? The answer to both is no. But that hasn’t stopped the hun tears-of rage and frustration at not winning-from flowing freely on every section of the media, and from every R2ngers fan you are stuck beside in the pub or workplace. There are even suggestions that Beaton has a history of poor decisions like this, but these have the merit of actually being true. Just that for once, his favoured team were on the thick end of one!

Yet I’ll repeat-it wasn’t a wrong decision. The tug was outside the area while he was travelling slightly away from the box as he tried to get the ball onto his left foot. Feeling the tug, he fell in the opposite direction. That isn’t a penalty, indeed a case can be made for a yellow card for simulation. Beaton didn’t think it was a penalty, and neither did Muir in VAR as he pored over every available angle. 

However, this raises another question. Why did two officials with well-known affection for the Ibrox side not award the penalty this time, when previous experience tells us that they would have swallowed their whistle/remote control in their rush to do so? I hesitate to suggest that it is the work of the fabled Unseen Fenian Hand, but is there a larger “conspiracy” taking place here?

Let me wind you back to the beginning of last season. Beale was under the cosh after blowing the league. Suddenly the heavy flow of penalties in favour of R2ngers dried up. Bullet for Beale,in comes his Belgian equivalent-et voilà, normal service resumed! Is it likely that executives at the other SPL clubs, spooked and scunnered by those famous anomalies on the subject, dropped a line to Collum and his bosses about smartening up their act? Upon pain of many other past examples being revealed? 

Fast forward to the beginning of this season. Again the flow of penalties have dried up. Sunday was far from the first occasion that officials have declined to give them the expected decision, the type of penalty that only they get, that we have all become so used to over the years. With Sunday being only the latest example. 

I dunno, it’s only an idea. I genuinely haven’t a scooby about why Beaton and Muir went against every fibre of their being, against their every precedent, by ignoring it. But I suspect that there are more likely explanations than both being undercover Celtic supporters.

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Above article by BMCUWP