Chicks View on OF ref

[Gribz 743]

Here's the truth. Willie Collum had a right good game at Celtic Park - save for two diabolical decisions.

 

His move to yellow-card Anthony Stokes instead of red-carding him for the limb-threatening lunge on Sasa Papac could surely only be excused by the fact that the game was still in its infancy.

 

It would have taken some bottle to send off a player in an Old Firm match at that stage of play, two minutes.

 

But the decision to donate a penalty to Rangers when Kirk Broadfoot went horizontal was just plain nuts.

 

However, the madmen who have threatened Collum and his family all the way through to those who are guilty of the somewhat lesser, but still depressing, crime of using referees as verbal target practice really need to apply the handbrake here.

 

I don't think so, but even if you do reckon he had a bad game, it was no worse than the nonsense that paraded as a football match in the east end on Sunday.

 

The players were as guilty as the referee.

 

Take away the crowd and the hysterics, mute the sound and then analyse what was on view. If the Old Firm match is an interpretation of the beautiful game then Wayne Rooney's on social security.

 

Just about everything else broke out - except a football match.

 

Rangers and their fans will care not a jot about that. Three points, a 100% record and at last some daylight showing between them and Celtic.

 

I thought beforehand there was little between the teams, but I suspect I misread that situation.

 

Here's the measure. If you were picking an Old Firm select from the players who were on the pitch on Sunday, how many Celtic players would get into the starting 11? Somewhere - I would suggest - between three and none.

 

It is wholly significant that we have spent the hours since Sunday talking about Collum and his decisions and the ridiculously escalating pressure on our match officials, pumped up, of course, by the decision of Steven Craven to lower his linesman's flag for good.

 

How many young referees, currently being abused on the playing fields of this country by pub-team players and fat-bellied amateurs, are now asking themselves if it is really, really worth it?

 

Willie Collum's life is currently, I suspect, a misery because of bullying lunatics. And yet, in the end, I really don't think the two aforementioned wrong decisions affected the outcome of the fixture.

 

I interviewed Uefa president Michel Platini before the game for BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme and it was as if he knew what was to unfold. "We have to protect our referees now," he said. "For a hundred years, there was no problem, but now the efficiency and number of cameras at games has changed everything."

 

But think of the implication. It's a confession that match officials have been blundering since the days of ropes for crossbars and goalies in polo-neck sweaters.

 

And I'll tell you another thing. It's not going to change.

 

But, until your team is playing like Spain or Brazil or Barcelona, until players stop diving and unleashing tackles worthy of charges of grievous bodily harm then I suggest we all get real about these guys.

 

Robots can't officiate and high court judges don't know the laws of football.

 

It has gone stark raving bonkers if death threats follow in the wake of football matches. I thought that only happened in Uruguay and Colombia.

 

I wouldn't take Willie Collum's job for all the coffee in Brazil, tea in China nor Champagne in France and the sad thing is that too many young would-be referees share my view.

 

And, until the game calms down, none of that is going to change.

 

Some decent points from Chick.

 

There isnt a Ref who gets respected in Scotland at the moment but some awful decisions in all games no matter who is playing doesnt help. Not since Dallas have we had a good ref.

 

For OF games we should look at taking in a top ref from elsewhere, that way after the game they go back to their country and wont get bothered by mindless clowns who cant accept they lost a football match.

[maineflyer 0]

Some decent points from Chick.

 

There isnt a Ref who gets respected in Scotland at the moment but some awful decisions in all games no matter who is playing doesnt help. Not since Dallas have we had a good ref.

 

For OF games we should look at taking in a top ref from elsewhere, that way after the game they go back to their country and wont get bothered by mindless clowns who cant accept they lost a football match.

 

Truly dreadful suggestion - why not just let celtic run the game from top to bottom and have done with it?

[craig 5,199]

Truly dreadful suggestion - why not just let celtic run the game from top to bottom and have done with it?

 

That was my initial reaction too. That is EXACTLY what Celtic want - they want to dictate who should officiate and in what manner. It also would give off the suggestion that Celtic are correct that Scottish refs are biased against them.

 

Not something I would recommend at all.

 

Refs in Scotland are not biased - they are shite but that is far different.

 

They make mistakes across the board.

 

What I would suggest before suggesting foreign refs is for the SFA to grow a set and come out with a statement which highlights all of the incidents from Sunday that actually went in Celtic's favour, of which there were a number :

 

• Stokes challenge on Papac should have seen red
  
• Samaras should have seen red for his lunge on Naismith (and lets just ignore the knee to McGregor's head and other petulant fouls that could have warranted a yellow)
  
• Loovens could easily have seen red for throwing Lafferty to the ground
  
• McCulloch was booked for a perfectly fair challenge
  

 

But even that isnt ideal as all it does is further highlight where the ref got it wrong, which doesnt help things.

[bmck 117]

Interesting El Chico's singing a different tune to to "Neil, it was never a penalty, have you seen it yet? A truly shocking decision" one he was after the game.

[ian1964 10,486]

Truly dreadful suggestion - why not just let celtic run the game from top to bottom and have done with it?

 

The BHEASTS are the ones who are GREETING the most about the Refs as '' it's all their fault that we canny win anything '', feckin CRETINS that they are,if you don't like our Refs, why don't you go home??

[ian1964 10,486]

That was my initial reaction too. That is EXACTLY what Celtic want - they want to dictate who should officiate and in what manner. It also would give off the suggestion that Celtic are correct that Scottish refs are biased against them.

 

Not something I would recommend at all.

 

Refs in Scotland are not biased - they are shite but that is far different.

 

They make mistakes across the board.

 

What I would suggest before suggesting foreign refs is for the SFA to grow a set and come out with a statement which highlights all of the incidents from Sunday that actually went in Celtic's favour, of which there were a number :

 

• Stokes challenge on Papac should have seen red
  
• Samaras should have seen red for his lunge on Naismith (and lets just ignore the knee to McGregor's head and other petulant fouls that could have warranted a yellow)
  
• Loovens could easily have seen red for throwing Lafferty to the ground
  
• McCulloch was booked for a perfectly fair challenge
  

 

But even that isnt ideal as all it does is further highlight where the ref got it wrong, which doesnt help things.

 

I wonder how a foreign referee would have dealt with the incidents on your list Craig??

[metlika 0]

If we had a foreign ref his supposed integrity would be questioned. Most foreign ref's would have sent off Stokes in the first 2 minutes as any touch on the continent is a bookable offence and they are quite card happy.

 

I also do wonder what ref's will do with any decision they have to make in a scum match, cause there will be a letter in the post 10 minutes after the match if anything is wrong. Ref's could also just take the hump and give most 50/50 decision against the scum.

 

I would however like to see a ban put in place for the continued disrepute that Celtic and Lemmon continue to show.

Edited October 27, 2010 by metlika
Added extra info

[Gazza_8 233]

I'm looking forward to reading Ewan Camerons blog re Sundays game. He's always straight down the middle with his opinions and views.

[ian1964 10,486]

I'm looking forward to reading Ewan Camerons blog re Sundays game. He's always straight down the middle with his opinions and views.

 

You should post some of his quotes

[Gazza_8 233]

You should post some of his quotes

 

When his blog is up I'll quote them.