2011/2012 Scottish Football Thread

[Mr. Seven]

While I'm sure many will scoff at this...

 

Anyway, it's pretty sad that Celtic fans will defend their scumbag manager by going, 'But, Alex Ferguson!!!'.

[The Cum Doctor]

Lets not forget that the Wanyama handball was, infact, a Wanyama handball too. So there's that little gem to laugh at as well. Apology forthcoming from Lennon for his total mental breakdown when he sees that? Erm... naw.

[Bettencourt]

I still blame Willie Collum. It was he who ruined Celtic's Treble!

[FUM]

Lets not forget that the Wanyama handball was, infact, a Wanyama handball too. So there's that little gem to laugh at as well. Apology forthcoming from Lennon for his total mental breakdown when he sees that? Erm... naw.

 

Lennon hasn't said Wanyama didn't handball it at any point. The fact the penalty is for Wanyama's handball makes the decision even worse.

[Big Jock Knew]

I just worry at the haste in which decisions are given against us. The ref couldn't have pointed to the spot any quicker (reminiscent of the game in December when Calum Murray gave a scandalous penalty against us at Parkhead). Yet how does he conveniently miss things like this?

 

 

I would ban all players and management from Twitter if I was part of the top brass for a start. Nobody needs to have Twitter, especially competitive athletes. I'm also disappointed in Lennon's conduct but I completely understand his frustration with the officials. There's got to be some middle ground between the passive cowardice of Tony Mowbray and the rage Neil Lennon displays.

[Daaaaaad!]

At least you can no longer claim it's pro-Rangers bias. It's clearly just anti-Celtic. All the evidence is there, just ask David Icke.

[Reznor]

Jesus, I never really clocked that at the time. Even when the ball's stationary, he's aiming to miss it and take the man. Folk were saying the deliberate handball should have been a 2nd yellow, but on seeing that, I'd say that's a straight red any day of the week.

 

It will be fantastic if Hibs stuff them in the final, it's going to be absolutely massive. A few jambos I know are shiting themselves, as they've always had the comfort of this 100+ year barren run to lord it over the Hibs with. Hibs ending it, and doing it against themselves of all teams will be like all their worst nightmares rolled into one. Hearts are obviously the better side, but all it takes is that hint of fear to creep into the team and who knows what might happen. Hibs must be due a few breaks based on the law of averages if nothing else anyway.

[MungoChutney]

Didn't see the game live and have only just seen the highlights.

 

Never, ever a penalty. Ledley is less than 2 yards away as the ball is struck and his arm is in a natural position as he twist his body. The law is clear; there must be intent to handle the ball and there wasn't any intent for me. I think it's obvious even from the referee's body language that he's blown the whistle too quickly and not given himself thinking time.

 

It's a mistake, a big one yes, but just a mistake, same as Stokes electing to use his right knee instead of left foot and not scoring and the same as the defence lettign Skacle run without goign with him.. There is no agenda against Neil Lennon or Celtic and Lennon really needs to grow up. Running on to the park to confront the referee in the way he did lacks dignity. If it was a one off then I would accpet that the occasion and the timing got to him. However, this is far from the first time that he's behaved like this. It's not good enough and how does he reprimand a player hwo lacks discipline when he's guilty of the same?

 

For me, none of the 3 goals should have stood. I think in the Skacel goal should be disallowed because the other Hearts player is offside, the ball runs by him and he makes a movement that distracts the defender (Lustig maybe?). One of the criteria for offised/onside is whether or not the player interferes with an opponent and running across the path of the ball and distracting the defender is key here.

 

Coming back to Lennon, I'm no longer following him on Twitter, I just can't read some of the stuff any more. I mean do we really think Ferguson or Wenger would be on social networking sites asking where they can go for a good night out in London? I'll go so far as to say that unless he calms down and concentrates on what's wrong with his team then he should stand down or be made to in the summer.

[Kenny McBride]

Lennon's temper doesn't always help him, but I actually think it does help the team. As long as all the media focus is on what a cunt the manager is, the players are under a hell of a lot less pressure. I'm not totally convinced that some of what he says isn't quite deliberately doing just that. Fergie turned Aberdeen into world-beaters in part by constantly pushing the "west coast bias" story at every opportunity. If the players in the Parkhead dressing room believe that the entire SPL and SFA apparatus is designed to fuck with them, they're much more likely to bond as a team and work their arses off to overcome the "dark forces" that oppose them.

 

Also, I didn't see the game and don't really know what happened, but I always like to reiterate that Lennon had a pretty damn good disciplinary record as a player, particularly for a hard-tackling midfielder. Several of the incidents he's taken heat for as a manger have been pretty much bullshit too and few other managers would have got the same kind of grief for them. His reputation isn't entirely undeserved, but I think it causes things to get exaggerated pretty badly when he does do something wrong.

[Big Jock Knew]

For me, none of the 3 goals should have stood.

 

Surely this is the most damning statement of all as it comes from someone trying to make his way in the world of refereeing?

 

The referee had a complete howler yesterday. None of the players in either team did, but history will re-write that Celtic were rueful and didn't deserve anything. Yes, we hit the post twice but you cannot legislate for illegal goals. Some morons in our fanbase don't help when the old set phrases get wheeled out. "You can't chop them all off, Jock Stein said so mate". Fuck that. Sometimes, a goal is enough to win a football match. It just so happens we got hard done by YET AGAIN in a big game.

 

And how dare Andy Walker appear on Sky Sports News and attempt to list decisions we got given to us this season. Lee Wallace at Celtic Park - in the same game, Hooper was a good two yards onside and through on goal before being called off. The ball was over the line at Tynecastle at 0-0, perhaps - we went on to win the game 4-0.

[tiger_rick]

Jesus, I never really clocked that at the time. Even when the ball's stationary, he's aiming to miss it and take the man.

You are joking, right? He's missed the ball by about 2mm and caught the man. Slowed down, it looks horrendous but he's just desperate to win the ball. He's on the floor so it's not a leg breaker or anything, it's just a late and dangerous challenge that deserves a yellow.

 

I like Celtic, always have, but I said this last season and I'll repeat. Neil Lennon is an embarrassment to the football club. Anyone who disagrees is stuck inside the bubble as far as I'm concerned. If you look at it as if it was any other club, you'd see that the guy is a disgrace. He doesn't need to build a them and us mentality either, that's no excuse. The guy has no class and no respect and if he feels he's not getting any in return, he should look in a fucking mirror.

[The Cum Doctor]

You are joking, right? He's missed the ball by about 2mm and caught the man. Slowed down, it looks horrendous but he's just desperate to win the ball.

 

I think when it comes to Ian Black, benefit of the doubt goes right out the window. Pretty much everyone, probably even Hearts supporters, know that he is dirty as fuck and that sort of thing is the norm.

[tiger_rick]

You are joking, right? He's missed the ball by about 2mm and caught the man. Slowed down, it looks horrendous but he's just desperate to win the ball.

 

I think when it comes to Ian Black, benefit of the doubt goes right out the window. Pretty much everyone, probably even Hearts supporters, know that he is dirty as fuck and that sort of thing is the norm.

Yeah, I've seen him put in plenty but seriously, look at that in real time as at the time of the incident and it's just desperation to get something on the ball. There's no time for him to plan to do anyone, he was upside down half a second before.

[Big Jock Knew]

I like Celtic, always have, but I said this last season and I'll repeat. Neil Lennon is an embarrassment to the football club. Anyone who disagrees is stuck inside the bubble as far as I'm concerned. If you look at it as if it was any other club, you'd see that the guy is a disgrace. He doesn't need to build a them and us mentality either, that's no excuse. The guy has no class and no respect and if he feels he's not getting any in return, he should look in a fucking mirror.

 

I admit through gritted teeth that I'm beginning to subscribe to this belief. I do maintain that Neil Lennon has been subject to a level of abuse and torment that nobody in the professional game has ever experienced and I don't think he has had sufficient protection from the SFA or any other member clubs. Last season I thought we played some magic stuff and came away with no league title to show for it; in that respect, I was desperate for Lenny to stay on and prove his detractors wrong. It has only been two years but I think Lennon's way of operating the club has already gone stale. He has always been a fiery character, so that isn't going to go away. The hassle isn't worth it for him or us anymore. I reckon he will step down in the Summer but I have no idea who would take over. I just hope it isn't one of these low-level Premiership suspects like Mick McCarthy (although he did play for us), Steve Bruce, Alan Curbishley etc.

[MungoChutney]

For me, none of the 3 goals should have stood.

 

Surely this is the most damning statement of all as it comes from someone trying to make his way in the world of refereeing?

 

The referee had a complete howler yesterday.

 

Only 1 of the goals was due to his mistake though, the other 2 are the assistant's responsibility even though technically they don't make a decision and only 'advise' that it's offside. No referee would ever overrule them in such tight situations because it would be madness to do so given they have the best view. For me the Hooper one is worse as the ball comes from a pretty static position and Hopper and the defnders aren't moving much ether, definetely marks off the assistant for that one I'd imagine. The Skacel goal is much harder to catch as players are moving in different directions.

 

I don't know Euan Norris and I've never seen him referee in person but I gather he's quite well thought of as a potential Old Firm games referee on the level of Thompson, Collum, Murray etc.

 

What I will say is if we think he made bad decisions, watch the mistake from Martin Atkinson, one of the top Premier League referees in the FA Cup semi yesterday, far worse than anything that went on in the Celtic game IMO.