SO MUCH for joy, love and peace at Christmas, dear reader.
Clearly, ’tis the season to be in meltdown.
Referee John Beaton and VAR assistant Alan Muir have created a bit of a stir – uproar would probably be more accurate – by not awarding Rangers a penalty-kick on Sunday during the Celtic cavalcade as the serial winners added another honour, this time the League Cup, to their world-record haul of 119 trophies.
Toys are being thrown out of prams everywhere and the sun is about to be eclipsed by flying dummies. We are into angst overdrive in some sectors of the community.
I reckon the last occasion Bobby Madden had something meaningful to say was around the time he was presented with a brush and comb set for his Christmas.
PICTURE PROOF POSITIVE…Liam Scales’ initial challenge on Vaclav Cerny is clearly OUTSIDE the box.
The chrome-domed former referee left the SFA match officials list two months after a particularly perplexing display in a Scottish Cup semi-final between the Glasgow clubs in April 2022.
On that occasion, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side deservedly overcame bewilderingly low-key opponents, albeit with the winning touch being provided by Carl Starfelt as he diverted a left-wing cross beyond Joe Hart in the closing moments of extra-time, and no-one could complain about the result.
It is still the last meaningful win for the Govan club in a derby in recent years and while the better team won on the day it was the match official’s refusal to take any sort of action against their midfielder John Lundstram, who appeared the have a licence to kick throughout, that puzzled many observers.
With a relish for the robust approach, the rugged Scouser clattered into Callum McGregor and Co all day and not once drew a word of caution from the referee. Chris Sutton, erudite as ever, observed: “Bobby Madden turned in one of the worst refereeing performances I’ve seen in Scotland this season…and that’s saying something.”
Madden has replaced his silver whistle and red and yellow cards for an Instagram account. And don’t we all know it.
Celtic, as per normal, are in direct line of his latest rant as he insists they should have been punished with a penalty-kick ordered against them three minutes into extra-time at Hampden at the weekend.
YELLOW PERIL…Brendan Rodgers is booked by referee Kevin Clancy during Celtic’s 6-0 League Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen.
Over the last couple of months, the one-time match official has already advocated a red card for manager Brendan Rodgers for kicking the ball away with Celtic leading 3-0 on their way to a 6-0 League Cup semi-final victory over Aberdeen.
Apparently, Reo Hatate should also have been dismissed for “lunging” at Kilmarnock’s Liam Donnelly in the Hoops’ 2-0 win at Rugby Park while Kyogo Furuhashi was fortunate to escape a booking after a coming-together with Dons keeper Ross Doohan in the 1-0 success at Pittodrie.
Am I alone in thinking the aforementioned Mr Madden is not a closet Celtic fan?
Could it be his true colours are fluttering in the breeze of bitter resentment for all to see?
Madden believes he makes a valid argument for Rangers being awarded a penalty-kick following a lackadaisical moment of miscontrol from Liam Scales that saw the defender invite Vaclav Cerny to try to steal the ball on the edge of the box.
There is an untidy skirmish before the centre-back tugs at the jersey of his rival. It’s right on the 18-yard line and that could be punishable if the referee reckons it’s a goalscoring opportunity or the use of excessive force. Rather obviously, it is neither.
Beaton did stop play, Scales was booked and Rangers were awarded a free-kick a couple of yards outside the box.
That’s an important part of this sorry little tale that has ignited some pathetic comments from the usual suspects. You know who I am talking about.
Here’s a question: Did the referee blow for a free-kick during the first phase of play?
If he did, then play is suspended and what happens after that is irrelevant. The law is perfectly clear that play is dead when the match official signals a halt to play by blowing his whistle. There is no argument.
I have to be honest and say I have no idea when Beaton activated his lungs and the pea in the small wind instrument.
Outside the referee and those in the near vicinity, who could be sure at the exact moment the peep was sounded?
FREE-KICK TO RANGERS…the ball is placed outside the box after Liam Scales’ challenge on Vaclav Cerny.
Not Madden, that’s for sure. I neither know nor care if the individual was at the national stadium on Sunday, but he would have to be gifted bat-like hearing precision to pick up a solitary shrill amid the frenzied clamour of a Glasgow derby with thousands shrieking from the stands.
Of course, Madden is an ex-referee so it stands to reason he will be correct on the laws of the game and mere mortals like you and I should bow to his superior knowledge.
That being the case, every former jockey should be able to tip the Grand National winner.
I don’t suppose there’s any chance Madden and his emotional cohorts will put a Christmas sock in it over this festive period.
Altogether now, folks:
‘Tis the season to be in meltdown.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.
ALEX GORDON
