Celtic moved six points clear at the top of the table with a polished performance against “in form ” Ross County with a 4-0 win. Gievn that Celtic had an astonishing 82% of possession and conducted a procession towards the away goal in that time, County can be happy this morning it wasn’t much , much worse.
Even their 18% possession consisted largely of putting the ball out for a corner.
Celtic were as dominant yesterday as they have been in any game this season, and County had been on a run of form, but it didnlt help them.
Don Robertson, the referee did his best, allowing one or two misdemeanours to go unpunished, one of which indirectly led to a challenge on Tom Rogic heading to the treatment room , but you kind of expect that sort of thing when Robertson is in charge.
By the time Robertson finally sent him off, it was 3-0 and none of his decisions would have made any difference.
County manager Malky MacKay must have only just arrived at the game, and missed the first three goals… later he bemoaned the sending off had ruined the game as a contest.
Then he told the media…
I looked at it again quite quickly,”
“His right foot comes through and takes the ball, I didn’t think there was a tackle on that foot. His momentum coming through sees his left foot come off the ground and that gives the referee the sending off.
Letter of the law you could say his feet are off the ground but I don’t think there was any malice in it.
You could say his feet were off the ground because they were.
It’s not something he meant to do and he clearly got the ball and played it away with that touch. At that point the crowd are shouting the referee gives it.
Could it have been a yellow? Yeah, maybe.
The first bad tackle he made wasn’t, so clearly the player thought the second one wasn’t either, and MacKay was obviously shocked that a referee would finally punish someone for fouling a Celtic player. As we have noted, it was 3-0 and at that point referees will send off opponents and award penalties as it looks better when season long stats are analysed.
That’s why Celtic finally got a penalty in the second half, despite a couple of more than decent shouts earlier in the game. At one point only the goalkeepers different shirt would identify who was allowed to try to catch the ball.
That’s their way of handling the perception of bias.
He even checked with Robertson….
I asked the referee if he was sure. He said the two feet were up off the ground. It’s one of those things, we get on with it.
“I’m disappointed with the way they scored. I have seen the way they play, some wonderful goals, but it was corners and set pieces today. It’s something we have been fairly strong on. At the same time we have to make sure we look at the perspective right now, where we are with two games before the split.
He’s referring to the league split, not his split from reality.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou was quite happy….
“We had a couple of really tough away games where we’ve done really well but the playing surfaces haven’t allowed us to play our football.
“Today allowed us to be really good and bright and we were well in control of the game.”
Indeed it did.
Pace, power, movement, imagination were all there in abundance, and Georgios Giakoumakis is evolving into a top class forward.
He has that knack of being in the right place at the right time, and the quick eye of the finisher.
Ably supported on either flank he causes havoc in the opposing six yard box, and only needs a glimpse of goal to finish.
For the first time in a long time Celtic have three top forwards, and when Giakoumakis became the first player to bag back to back hat tricks at Celtic Park since Henrik Larsson ( vs FK Suduva 8-1 19.09.2002 and vs Kilmarnock 5-0 28.09.2002 ) it was inevitable that he’d be compared to the legendary Swede.
And indeed, when a reporter called him a Greek God, Ange Postecoglou feigned a look of hurt, , quipping he thought that was him.
“My Sundays are dictated by my wife and kids.
“If Sing 2 is on, I’ll have to fight for the remote control.”
The he dismissed the other lot altogether, placing them neatly in the “irrelevant ” category, which by now he has clearly realised annoys the shit out of the media….
“I don’t worry about things I can’t control. What we can control is today.
“If we got three points today, why would we even bother about looking at anything else?
“If we get three points in the next game, why would we bother?”
Can’t argue with any of that.
Back on Thursday, we had this….
Caption……..
The Green Brigades Grandparents putting on a show.
Caption: Are rare view of the unsuccessful 70s Publication Information Film waring against pyros in stadia – “Banger behind the bike shed – not at the match.”
The bonfire of the inanities
Winner Mr Wolfe !
Caption,
A young John Lydon ( top left) tries out an early version of “God save the Queen “
A look at Ajax fans banners on fire is enough to remind us of the dangers of flares.
Bell bottoms much worse I find.
No need for the ‘ some fans are never happy’ comments but I found our play relentlessly good for long spells but tailed off towards the end when we could have really hammered them but for underhit and overhit.
Daizen Maeda is making everyone on the park’s job just a little easier.
Taylor better again as a result.
Maeda becoming undroppable.
Caption: Right you guys, who forgot the Pope on a rope?
Next on the agenda for the club to consider once the post split fixtures are known, is how the powers that be carve up whatever advantage they can hand the huns. We need to be right on top of that.
Hahaha, feckin ahole thumbdooner. What a sad individual and obviously a hun.
“There was no malice in it” has become a cliche for the hard of thinking scoddish foodbaw managers trying to excuse the brutality of their thuggish players.
Malice or the absence of it is impossible to prove, hence its frequent use by the usual suspects like Malky Mc Racist.
In any case, the question of malice is irrelevant in consideration of a dangerous or reckless challenge according to the regulations.
Ramsey’s tackle was both dangerous and reckless and a straight red card was the proper decision.
The game in this country would be far better without “fit and proper” dinosaurs like Manky infesting it.
Having decided that John Beaton isn’t really one of them, the Rangers* young crew are preparing him a warm welcome home.
With energy prices spiralling out of control IPOX board elect to burn empty old trophy cabinets in cost cutting exercise. Burn baby Burn.
Caption…
A proper bonny not a pallet in sight …
Huns won 2-1 at Dundee with a late goal from Goldson, as Dundee ran out of steam but shame they couldn’t hang on.
It was 1-0 Dundee at HT and obviously Tavernier missed the penalty. 😉
I thought they would have won big and ate into our Goal Difference lead but instead we extended it by 3 goals.
We’re now 3pts and 14 goals better off, still too early to call it an extra point but looking good.
Next up Ibrox where we’ve been poor the past 2-3 seasons but ignore media spin that we’ve both won well at home.
In the first game there we lost narrowly, had the better of the possession and missed good chances from, especially, Edouard and Kyogo.
They won by taking one of their few chances and nothing more.
This wasn’t like the hammering we gave them, it happened early in the Angera ((c) Ralph 🙂 ) and we coped well with no away fans, so no big worries for this one.
All reports are stating that the final game against them at Celtic Park will be the week after the Semi-Final, so 3 games in April to virtually cement a 5th treble in 6 years. Damn fine even if I say so myself.
A Dundee defender gets his hand caught in the stupidly positioned button downed collar and Bobby Madden gives a penalty. Oh dear.
That was as bizarre as Beaton’s decisions against the sheep at the scrapyard in the 2-2 game earlier in the season.
The refereeing department is exhausting the game.
Build a bonfire,
Build a bonfire,
Put the Rangers at the top,
Put the Jambos in the middle,
And we’ll burn the f*ckin lot…
Build a bonfire,
Build a bonfire,
Put the Rangers at the top,
Put the Jambos in the middle,
And we’ll burn the f*ckin lot…
Club 1872 open their new premises where ibrox stadium use to be
Holy f*ck…have yeez seen the “penalty” awarded to the Bobby Madden eleven today? The sheer brass neck of the man, knowing that tv cameras were there and he still gave them a freebie when they were in trouble. In the rankings of most blatant bias that award is the most indefensible, shocking decision by a referee EVER. In fact, let me correct myself….it wasn’t a decision made in the heat of the penalty box action,…it was a decision to award them a penalty that he made before he entered the field of play. If ever there was a clear sign that all the stops are being pulled out to hand them the title then it was shown today.
Why is it not being highlighted, discussed, dissected by the media? They wrote and moaned plenty about Kyogo’s “offside” against Hearts. They defended the Ross County player that wiped out Maeda and then crocked Rogic. But deathly silence about this scandalous incident.
Funkyy… everything you say is correct there. It was actually a foul by FatBob on the defender
Noticed the recent tendency also to book Celtic players for slight fouls hoping they’ll add up to games missed.
Was the case in US that a fiscally bankrupt ref ( as opposed to morally bankrupt ) cannot officiate at games. Why are we just finding out about Madden now?
What is it about Huns and not paying taxes ?
Can you imagine how many matches, cups and titles Celtic would have won IF the officials had been honest and impartial? It speaks volumes for Celtic that, in the face of blatant cheating by officialdom and constant sneaky,attacks by the sleekit Scottish media, our club has still been so successful against all the odds.
Fact:
Colombian Buffaloes can`t jump.
CAPTION
Green Brigade original attempt to bring flares and firecrackers into stadium….
Caption
Celebration 1967 style
Roberson is minging, but Madhun takes the biscuit. At the next game against them at the Crumbledome at least so penalties for Sevco.
Every dangerous dirty tackle by them will be ignored by the ref.
Every Celtic quickly taken free kick will be pulled back.
Every assault by More-or-less will allowed.
Kunt will stick out his leg to make contact with our defender and then go down to win the penalty….as he did against Red Star…watch it, he initiated the “contact” that they all keep harping on about..yet the ref still gave the penalty in that match.
They will attempt to make Celtic players react to all this so that the ref “has no choice” but to send at least one off.
We’ll still beat them.
SNP youth wing celebrates Scotland`s first space flight with Nicola Sturgeon from the Albion car park.
Tell the huns to shove their 700 tickets right up their sh*#er.
How come Boris Becker has allegedly lied about being bankrupt but hasn’t got a job on Sportsound?