It’s Cup semi final weekend.

Normally a time where the contesting clubs and their fans can forget about the pressures of the league and dream about a day in the sun in the showpiece game of the season.

This weekend, down to the demands of television, the two games are played on the same pitch twenty four hours apart with kick off times forbidding any chance of a decent atmosphere building up pre match.

Aberdeen face holders Hibernian today, I figured I should mention it as no one else seems to want to, and Celtic face last years beaten-pun intended -runners up “rangers “.

The prospect of an all green and white cup final in May is quite mouth watering.

It would be the exact opposite of what we face this weekend.

The media use the “hatred ” between Celtic and Rangers as a major selling point of the Scottish game. The two clubs will face each other six times this season by the time the campaign is over, and this kind of dilution ruins what may have been a spectacle in years gone by.

Of course, thats nothing to compare with the dilution the occasion when you consider that one of the clubs, Rangers, went into liquidation , and the new entity , operating under the same name from the same place, is only five years old.

And how can anyone despise anything thats just five years old ?

but then again..

The new entity has picked up the worst of the followers from the club that used a unique way of managing its finances and hurtled into oblivion.

Those who make a living publicising the game choose to ignore this and instead concentrate on building up the animosity that they consider essential to the survival of the game north of the border.

Last time out, the two teams shared the honours, largely due to a referee deciding that no offence was committed here by Clint Hill, who used an unorthodox but enthusiastic methid of preventing a goal.

That incident was deemed to be within the laws of the game, and therefore no kick from the penalty mark was awarded.

However, last week, the definition of a penalty was somewhat blurred when Alex Schalk was awarded a kick from the penalty mark after this incident

Later in the week, it became obvious that defender Erik Sviatchenko was completely innocent of any wrongdoing, but the penalty was awarded, and Ross County gained a vital point in their fight against relegation.

Sviatchenko took the rap for another mans crime. Evidence has emerged that Schalk’s dive was caused by a man outside the ground.

A neutral observer may feel that there is perhaps some clarification required as to the rules, and here we see perhaps the first hint of the media attempting to rile one section of the support.

Pedro Caixinha makes Rangers practise one penalty per day

“All the players have the chance to score one penalty in each one of the sessions this week,”

“Normally, they would get two or three penalties, but this week just one. Normally, we want them to score two or three in a row. But this week is different. This week we have given them only one chance because that is the reality and we need to be ready for everything.

“The penalty takers are not only picked because of training. We already have our normal chosen penalty takers. Normally, in every match, you have three. The first option, the second option and the third option. You have it written on a piece of paper on the wall, the players know it and I will have the names in my notebook.

“When I reached the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup as coach of Nacional in 2012, we went through every round on penalties and then lost on penalties to Sporting Lisbon in the semis.

“In Mexico, I won my first trophy with Santos Laguna on penalties. So we need to be ready for everything. We need to be ready for the opponent but you are more important than your opponent.”

And despite what he says, its got nothing to do with the possibility of the game going to a penalty shoot out. He may actually instruct his players to play for one, but the reality is they won’t get that close.

It’s down to a memo that arrived on his desk from the SFa in the early hours of tuesday morning.. we have been handed a copy by a chap who also carried the delicate aroma of a fine tonic wine for our perusal..

Como você está fazendo , filho ?

Obtenha o rapazes para a prática de chutos de penáltis esta semana e oor Wullie irá garantir que você obtenha o bastante.

WATP 

Of course, its in Portuguese, so that any prying eyes will just think its a note for the cleaner or something, but its actually more sinister..

How you doing , son ?

Get the lads to practice penalty kicks this week and oor Wullie will make sure you get plenty.

WATP  

As part of the multi pronged attack on the good guys, the Record , carried this headline about a few words of support offered to calamity referee Don Robertson from experienced Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers..

That’s not what he said at all… but it should get the gullibillies wound up.

“I don’t want to throw the kid to the garbage when he is learning his profession but, if he makes too many of them, he is not going to be a top-class ref.

“He had better not do what the Ross County guy did and miss that one. That would be two in a week and then he is really struggling to be a top-class ref.

“Get him out there but we have to help raise the standard. 

“We make mistakes but our job is to try to help the standard of refereeing.

“Up here we don’t have the budget, the refs aren’t full-time and you don’t have the resources that some other countries have.

“You have a small pool of referees that you are trying to promote and you have to help them. I am all for that.

“But like I say, if you make too many, you will suffer in your career.” 

Rodgers showing absolutely no understanding of how things work in Scotland where it comes to referees with that last line.

There was something else that made me chuckle in that rag actually, and its from the pen of Barry “Bazza ” Ferguson, who is still sulking that he couldn’t even get a job parking cars at Ibrox..

Rangers rookies Myles Beerman and David Bates have coped well but they’ll need big balls for Celtic showdown – Barry Ferguson

Doesn’t matter how big the ball is. Even in a phone box they won’t get it off any of our players.

Back at the ranch, and there are no significant problems for Rodgers tomorrow. He has a plethora of players ready to roar.

The likely line up is..

This allows for the introduction of Roberts, Griffiths and Rogic to complete what promises to be a rout. Or Sviatchenko if we need to tighten things up.

Options..options..

Meanwhile, Pedro will hope his lot can match the pace and movement of the Celts long enough to secure a penalty shoot out..

Don’t forget theres a correct score competition on the site, and please be a little patient if your entry-or any other comment goes astray. Especially if you don;t post that often, or, indeed if you do. The mysteries of wordpress go far deeper than the hman mind.

Yesterdays picture was this one..

which was described as..