VAR made it’s long awaited debut in Scottish football at the weekend.
Celtic had two goals chalked off and two penalties awarded against them, largely because there were two referees looking for infringements.
There was a suspicion of handball when a Hearts defender swatted the ball away as James Forrest flicked it past him, but , as the rules state, that wasn;t a “clear and obvious error ” and so merited no further action.
As we pointed out last week, it’s all about the interpretation of the rules.
On the other side of Glasgow, “rangers ” were held to a 1-1 draw by Livingston, who were reduced to ten men after VAR upgraded to red a challenge on Oscar winning Alfredo Morelos who rolled over a late but not malicious yellow card challenge,
Even the addition of seven minutes i njury time….that’s how long the chunky Colombian rolled for….didn;t help them, which would have caused consternation for Greg Aitken, who was operating the VAR on behalf of the Ibrox club.
That’s right…that Greg Aitken.
They’ll be sending for Madden soon……
The Celtic win over Hearts could arguably be said to be one of the best performances of the season in the most exciting match so far, but it need not have been.
Hearts did play reasonably well, and the penalties were penalties, of that we can be sure, but neither would have been given had they been at the other end, as they say, with or without VAR.
The two goals that were removed were done as a result of two referees looking for an excuse to influence play by changing or stopping the pattern of play.
A sort of match fixing without EBTs.
Before the game, Ange Postecoglou had seemed a little bewildered by all the fuss around the introduction of the new technology. Afterwards, you get the feeling he knows exactly why it’s there.
But he remained focused on the football, and the performance of hois players who have definitely regained their mojo.
No, not that fucking one.
The actual football seemed to have been forgotten on Saturday, but Celtic were outstanding, and could easily have racked up half a dozen or more goals at a difficult venue, and the attitude of the players was unmistakable.
They wanted to win.
And that’s fourteen goals in three games…..
As Ange said…
‘There was a bit of theatre there with VAR that some seemed to enjoy, but overall, what pleased me was, again, the players that character and resilience that we know that’s within them to find a way to win.’
“But what was important for us is that we didn’t get distracted by the noise and the theatre of everything that was happening, and we just tried to focus on our football and staying disciplined.
“We had to do that today because it would have been easy to get distracted by everything else that was going on, but the players maintained their discipline.”
“It wasn’t a great start to the second half, and particularly the crowd here, they got a lift with that, but over the course of a season, you’re going to get different challenges.
‘For us, what’s important is that the football’s one component but the character’s the other component.’
“If you want to end up being champions at the end of the year, you’ve got to show that at different times and I thought we did today.
“The guys who come on are there to do a job, to add some energy and inject some tempo to the game and I thought all the guys who came on did that really well today.
“We get contributions from everywhere. Last year it was Tony Ralston who got a last-minute winner, now it’s Greg, and it’s a credit to them that they keep persisting in our football, believing in ourselves, and they get their rewards.
“I thought it was a cracking game. I’m not one that gets too thrilled with clean sheets, depending on how the game’s going. I’d much rather win 4-3 than 1-0 and that’s what we did today.”
In Strine, the Australian version of English, the polite way to swear is by masking “fuck off ” with a cough.
When you watch Ange in press conferences, you may notice how many times he, er, expresses astonishment or surprise at the ridiculous questions he’s asked with a little , hardly noticeable until you look for it, er, clearing of the throat.
The Forrest incident was interesting, with BBC Scotland’s “experts all agreeing it was a penalty, except for Michael Stewart, who it must now be said is fully house trained by the state broadcaster.
Pity, he used to be worth listening to.
Keith Jackson, the Record hack who wouldn;t need to be house trained should he ever end up at the BBC, gave us his thoughts on the 21st Century tech being used by people with their hearts and minds firmly entrenched in the Seventeenth…..
By throwing around words such as ‘scandalous’ and suggesting Celtic were up against two teams at Tynecastle on Saturday they were stoking a toxic, cliched old fire. Come on lads, you’re better than that. The very last thing the game in this country needs is more deliberate fanning of the flames at a time when our accident-prone officials are being ordered to jump out of the frying pan. It was hard enough when only one of them was calling the shots.
And now there are two they can make twice as many errors.
The problem lies not with the technology, but with the diddies operating it.
As Jackson says
After all, the technology does not yet exist that can unblow a referee’s whistle.
Er, it does, sort of…
What is needed now is even more transparency,, because until the conversations between referee and VAR operator are made public, preferably aired live, we won’t know, and therefore will speculate, what they were thinking at the time.
Or singing, for that matter.
On Friday, we had this…
The SFA’s new VAR operatives ably demonstrate their dedication to their new motto ‘semper vigilo’
Today….
These are called hands ref!!!!!!
Caption : ‘Twelve year old youth ruins Celtic’s pre-match huddle’.
Caption: “that’ll be a few for free at the lodge tonight!”
Caption
Feck off Timmy, d’ye honestly think I’d gie yous a penalty.
Decent caption but, to you and all who use it, just what the fuck is this “feck” all about? Does it ‘downgrade’ mortal to venial? I’ll explain it to you if ever I feel the need.
Feck has a distinctive etymology but please remain feckless, if you desire. 😉
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feck
wikipedia .org/wiki/Feck
Cha, I think you know precisely what I mean and are just being mischievous, so feck off and do one! 🙂
BTW, 2nd half tonight was nearly as bad as it gets, an absolute ‘fecking’ disgrace IMHO.
HaHaHa, I used “fuck” with intent and it got hooked.
For FUKKs sake!
Double hooked response to you for using fukk (and similar) where those whom are mentally challenged use “feck”. FFS.
HaHaHa, triple-hooked replies for properly using the F word.
FFS, just what TF is this site degenerating in to?
Open expression is banned?
FFS indeed!
Your the only one in the stadium not to see that
Caption: Now for a quick game of fudd in the middle!
Caption
“You moved”
‘Ref/Captain Glover orders a retake despite protests from Cleggy’s team’
Caption
“ And that lads is how you influence a match’
Caption
‘Do you want to play football or do maths “?
Caption – sorry lads I have no time for this. There are goats that need sacrificing.
Saturday wasn’t a good performance and defensively it resembled the shambles at Paisley, Perth and home to Motherwell.
We only had 11 shots (Hearts had 15!), which must be one of our lowest.
It was a thrilling win the way it went and how we won it but it was a long way from a good performance.
Caption “Only pissing off 5 Tims, I must try harder”
Caption…
Mooy demonstrate a no pen scenario , the other Celts demonstrate penalty scenario , the clown in black thinks , ” I kinda like Bernabeis hairstyle “
you guys trying to get me sacked?
Caption
I will check with 1690, again, that’s his nickname!
What were people expecting, years of cheating, no penalties in 17 games and VAR will make it right. No one addresses the affiliations of these cretins or the SFA. Pity the bunnet was not in charge, unlike the morons that know their place
Caption – what’s that you say bhoys, “the ball hit is arm” Surely not, I didn’t see it but I don’t think it did. Let me check with my good brother, 2 seconds later, no I thought so, no penalty!
Caption too…
M.I.B. ” aw naw they’re practicing that dance thing they do at the end of the game when they run to their supporters , I’m no huvin that no penalty “
Caption: Nae wonder yer wife f*cks aboot.
What a fabulous Diary. Thanks Ralph.
The effort you put in to give us the truth behind hun (old and new) lies is just terrific.
I’ve copied and pasted this, below, but there were many more cracking points today and Ange is just perfect for us today and for our heritage.
“We had to do that today because it would have been easy to get distracted by everything else that was going on, but the players maintained their discipline.”
That is pure Ange, pure decency and honesty. I love my wife and family but I’m ‘worried’ I love him more!
Something Ralph alluded to in the diary has also been on my mind since Saturday. Besides the controversy involved in the decisions themselves, the hugely excessive delay time we had to suffer won’t have gone unnoticed. Some would say ‘teething problems’ but if this type of scenario gets frequently repeated through the course of the season, especially when the score is tight, comparisons would have to be made with how long the VAR has been taking for key decisions in other games in Scotland and, if there are telling anomalies, it would have to be called out. Potentially the 3 minute VAR stoppages could be a very handy tool for the brotherhood to either knock our bhoys out of their rhythm or prevent them from getting into one.
Brilliant comment, thank ‘god’ I’m not alone!
(Yoker, I’d buy you a wee hauf an a pint in the Forum but it’s no longer called that. Station Bar?)
Cheers comrade, do you know if the Lovat Arms is still there on Dumbarton Rd or if it’s changed its name? Good memories of that Celtic friendly drinking den from when I was a teen. I believe it was/is bang on the boundary between Glasgow and Clydebank.
Caption: Brithir Stevie, How many off these fenian basturts can I send off for that Hearts handbaw?
On another note, having watched the lunchtime sports news a wee while ago, Xavi Hernández was commenting on his side’s great 4-0 win over Atletico Bilbao in la Liga last night when something really caught my attention. He stated that people focus too much attention only on results when the most important factor is the consistency and quality of team performance, which in itself greatly contributes towards achieving better results. Could the Barça maestro have a guru somewhere? 😉
Ange not sure about that!
BTW, the best time to call out McClean (by the Board) was after us hammering Hibs. There was sufficient evidence from that ‘match’ alone. They’re (the faeces) kicking sand in our faces and the Board is ‘at the backae the bus’ if even on the bus at all. I have a very different view.
Ghandi said “an eye for an eye (calling out the old biblical ‘testament’) would make the whole world blind”. Aye, okay (get it?.)
I’d go eye for eye every FN time until THAT shower ‘got it’.
“Specsavers” on their masonic kit is just more ‘laughing at us material’.
Maybe it’s time to show ‘enough is enough’ by the whole Celtic family if the Celtic Board wont speak up for us.
Hmmm, now where did I leave my old Fenian gun?
HaHaHa, stupid stupid site.
My earlier comments (to Hoop Hoop), all of which were ‘hooked’ explain this, or they would do if not banned by AI (Artificial Insanity)
“ Nick I have know you have your orders but it is clearly a penalty.”
OK for the caption but Smith doesn’t make himself bigger so I am not certain. Gio is pulling a Hearts player shirt but it had no impact on Anthony Ralston’ s goal, disgraceful. All referees need to declare any previous personal or family allegiances. We actually need referees from outside Scotland. Despite Saturday we will now accumulate penalties. The Cha makes an interesting point about our defence, is it down to the way we play, a Hearts team that lost 4 to second rangers can’t have improved that much. Tomorrow night will be revealing.
It’s nonsense to say referees need to state their allegiances would make the slightest difference . Our cheating refs would soon declare themselves avid followers of lower league teams.
VAR has given them twice the opportunities to cheat us. Of course we knew that long before Saturday.
Point worth noting Hearts supporters c 8,000 made about 5 times the noise Celtic’s 50,000 make when claiming decisions or letting ref know what they think of him . The least we can do is deliver full Celtic Pk roar seeking a penalty, foul or throw in etc
Comment on a diary last week just got okayed today ( no cuss words). Comment today not shown at all and was only Caption answers.
Yoker Bhoy, I watched that game, focussing on the process is okay when you have the first team and squad like he (Xavi) has. He needs to keep winning, same as everyone else. Big win for Napoli yesterday with Mourinho up to his old tricks. They may be in bhoyant mood for their upcoming CL game.
Hi Steve, I reckon Xavi will improve over time as a team manager (obviously he lacks the vast experience of Ancelotti) but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barça fighting for the title right through to the bitter end. He’s been under a fair bit of scrutiny lately due to being well beaten at the Bernbau and some disappointing European results though I think consistency will come if he’s given time. He has some brilliant young players at his disposal. Talking of R Madrid, I believe they have a few injury issues (Valverde ruled out while Benzama and Modric among others are doubtful) as they go into their away fixture with Leipzig, which spells bad news for us although I think we’re thinking more in terms of EL qualification now. The hunz’ll get skelped again in Italy, 10-nil anyone?
Celtic, go out tomorrow night and play your fitba as Ange has taught you.
You wont have McClean, Robertson, Beaton, Walsh or Madden and their ilk holding you back, Bhoys.
Just go for it and you’ll win, dare I say easily?
And Madrid is not impossible either, as long as you believe in yourselves and your manager. It will also make it nearly impossible for the media scum to “lump us in with other teams”.
Hail! Hail! The Glasgow Celtic, forever in my heart.
Caption:- ” It’s not my fault, I’m under orders “
F,sake mate,your the worst bingo caller there,s ever been
A representative from Celtic FC can attend a General Assembly to change Financial Fair Play regulations for the betterment of the game yet sit in silence when Fair Play is corrupted in their own backyard.
Caption:
Bhoy Band do The Celtic Shuffle.
Caption
penalty?. Who’d you think you are “rangers” ?.
Captions, jog on lads, nothing to see here