The March international break is one of the most important of the club season. It is when managers and coaches get to take a proper look at the players targeted for the summer transfer window. The Celtic management team will have looked at dozens of players on video since the January window closed, but, this break from domestic football, gives them the chance to do the Grand Tour, their last opportunity before the end of the season.
Having despatched his nearest two rivals away from home, with 10 men, in recent weeks, Brendan Rodgers took enormous pressure off the remainder of the season, which now largely consists of preparing for next month’s Scottish Cup semi-final. Energies will have made a significant switch towards preparing for July’s Champions League qualifiers.
Getting these decisions right can be the difference between success and failure; Brendan will have used his ‘time off’ wisely.
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GFTB@8:34
Am from the lovely Coatbridge ?????? HH
BRTH
She is still a legend looking after a wee old neighbour who lives next the her and T snr
BROGANROGANTREVINO&HOGAN
Done it again,mate. You definitely have a talent for this!
DD,
Why did only one other person, the cop who was first on the scene, get affected by the nerve agent? Did he administer it? They must have had contact with other individuals – like the people who found them on the park bench? It doesn’t add up. As you say are they dead or alive?
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/03/first-recorded-successful-novichok-synthesis-was-in-2017-by-iran-in-cooperation-with-the-opcw/
BRTH
She was always Mrs McKinlay to me.
Tosh’s dad was Thomas. Never knew her name was Betty till 2 minutes ago.
Surprised this post earlier didn’t garner more comment. A fair few on here have been on similar lines for years.
*
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY on 26TH MARCH 2018 10:43 AM
Reffing Wars
IT all got too much for Neil Lennon at Rugby Park last month when a penalty awarded to Kilmarnock by referee Kevin Clancy incensed the Hibernian manager and sparked a confrontation with the official.
But while nobody, not even Lennon himself, would have been surprised by his subsequent five-match Scottish FA touchline ban (two of them suspended), what is astonishing is that among the biggest critics of the refereeing system in Scotland are many of the officials themselves.
Lennon received the ban for misconduct, but was not further punished for his post-match comments to journalists when he laid into Clancy in particular, and Scottish refereeing standards in general. “Mickey Mouse stuff,” Lennon said contemptuously.
A fortnight earlier Tommy Wright, the St Johnstone manager, was more measured when complaining about the performance of another referee, Andrew Dallas, following his dismissal of David Wotherspoon in a league game at Tynecastle.
What linked the two managers’ remarks was that both claimed it was a waste of time phoning the SFA’s head of refereeing operations, John Fleming, on a Monday to complain about his top officials.
“I have probably spoken to John Fleming about Andrew Dallas more than any referee. Nothing seems to change,” Wright said.
Lennon was in agreement. “You ring John Fleming on a Monday and you get the same ‘yeah, yeah’. You go round in circles, and I’ve lost a lot of faith in it to tell you the truth,” he said.
It seems that view is shared in refereeing circles. Clancy and Dallas are regarded by many of their peers as being among a select few in Scotland who wear “bullet-proof vests”. That is because they are Fifa-list referees – the other five in this category being John Beaton, Willie Collum, Bobby Madden, Don Robertson and Nick Walsh.
According to recently- retired referees the Sunday Herald has spoken to, the seven Fifa officials are allocated Premiership matches regardless of how many mistakes they are accused of making.
Meanwhile, other Category 1 referees find themselves demoted to the lower leagues if, and when, they make similar errors, losing not only status but the much higher financial payments available in the top league.
Another allegation is that geographical bias is also a factor, according to James Bee, a former Category 2 referee who retired in 2014 and is secretary of the Prospect professional trade union branch of Scottish referees.
“This isn’t just about Fifa referees – it goes wider than that,” said Bee, pictured bottom left. “There are others at Category 1 level who are treated differently [from their colleagues] as well. There appears to be a geographical bias favouring referees from three central belt associations to the detriment of the others.”
Bee points out that of the seven current Fifa referees, three belong to the Glasgow association, with Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire each having two. He further states that the last Edinburgh Fifa referee was Calum Murray, who came off the list in 2013. The last Ayrshire referee was in 2007, in Fife it was 2000, and Aberdeen 1999.
“There’s nothing wrong with every country appointing who they believe to be the seven top referees to the Fifa category,” Bee continued. “What has been questioned is how these decisions are arrived at – and what the process is behind them.
“The first Scottish Cup final was in 1873 – and it was 107 years before an Edinburgh referee was appointed to take charge. It is now 145 years since that first final and there has been a total of three. I think that would be reflected in the other associations outwith Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire.”
REMARKABLY, some referees in recent years have been put on the Fifa list without having ever taken charge of a Premiership match.
“The Fifa rules state that a referee can’t be appointed to the list younger than 28,” Bee explained. “The SFA’s referee operations department and referee committee will look at the guys coming up to that age and would hope to identify referees who are good enough.
“That never used to be the case, but the policy for a few years now is the younger the better. As somebody once said to me, if they’re targeting younger guys that’s great – but why does it always seem to be younger guys from the same three associations? Do people from these three areas have a genetic predisposition for refereeing?”
One high-profile former referee, speaking on the guarantee of anonymity, said: “You can pick somebody to grow into a position, but you can’t buy experience. You can pass a fitness test, or a laws of the game examination – but it’s the practical nature and man management of dealing with 22 players and two sets of coaching staff that’s going to be the deciding factor as to whether or not, over time, you’re good enough to do the job.
“To be able to look at somebody [for the Fifa list] without having had that experience just beggars belief.”
THE Scottish Senior Football Referees Association (SSFRA) was formed in 2005 as a vehicle for referees to raise issues, both within the referee department and the SFA. Bee is a former chairman, but, like other ex-referees spoken to, believes it now isn’t fit for purpose.
The current chairman is Lennon’s nemesis Clancy, and it is understood about 50 match officials are members. Prospect have some 65 members, including several Premiership officials, yet the SFA refuse to deal with the union – in contrast with the Football Association in England.
Brian Colvin retired at the end of 2015 and says it is impossible for the SSFRA to properly represent his former colleagues when they feel they need to raise issues.
“The fact that active referees run the SSFRA is fundamentally flawed,” Colvin said. “When I was refereeing at the top level, I would have been very uncomfortable taking a serious matter – such as an issue with appointments – to the SSFRA. It’s easy to argue that it doesn’t have the skill set, or indeed the freedom, to act in the collective best interests of referees.
“I would have felt the opposite approaching experts within Prospect, knowing they would undoubtedly be able to give me sound, confidential and professional advice – as well as taking issues forward to the SFA, should it be required, without any risks or concerns. I didn’t feel this was the case with the current SSFRA model.”
THAT many referees do have concerns was laid bare in a survey conducted by Prospect among 50 of their members. Asked if they believed the match appointments and grading of referees was fair and transparent, a staggering 82 per cent replied they did not.
When asked if they felt the SFA was concerned with their well-being and development, the referees’ replies were also in the negative – 62 per cent said they felt the governing body wasn’t concerned. The survey was conducted 15 months ago, but this is the first time the results have been published and the anecdotal evidence is that the perceived problems very much remain.
The former referee quoted earlier who asked not to be named said: “There was a feeling of ‘them and us’ among the 30 or so Category 1 referees when I was there. Clearly the referees who have the Fifa badge have to be refereeing the top games domestically, but you would want everything to be fair and transparent. Those are two key concepts that I don’t think were ever achieved.
“The 82 per cent negative response [to the survey question on match appointments and the grading of referees being fair and transparent] is extremely high. You would expect there to be a degree of disgruntlement but that’s astronomic. As you’re getting promoted through the ranks you’re flavour of the month, or you must be at some stage to get to Category 1, but what happened within that category was extremely demotivating.
“It just wasn’t fair. You would see high-profile errors being made by some referees without the same repercussions as there were for others.”
THE former official believes that a small number of referee match observers, former referees who grade performances from the stands, contribute hugely to the alleged problems of geographical bias and favouritism.
“The grading clearly had an effect on what fixtures you got over time,” he said. “The vast majority of observers I found to be helpful and trustworthy, but there was a small group who I would say were extremely biased towards their own referee associations.
“Some of their views were so way off the mark from any other feedback you got, and consistently so over a number of years, that what they wrote wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. You just wouldn’t read their reports.
“The vast majority of us are accustomed in our day jobs to being held accountable and appraised. It’s a very similar system in refereeing, but when it’s as unfair in certain quarters as it is, it just stinks.”
THE SFA RESPONSE
A Scottish FA spokesperson said: “The Scottish FA is committed to the development and well-being of match officials – with a recruitment programme that stretches across the country.
“We appreciate the contribution from those across all levels of the domestic game and have an open-door policy to listen to any concerns individuals may have.”
*
Above from The Herald. Which seems to be breaking ranks on occasion these days.
Another Celtic left back ………..
Ross Wallace
BMCUW,
I didn’t comment on MAH’s post because it basically backed up what I had already seen from Paul Larkin’s ‘Anyone but Celtic‘ film.
Delaney’s , one of my nephews went to Corpus Christi , my other nephew and his sister went to St Tam’s . Does that get me off going to a posh school lol.
When you were talking about Cokey earlier, I remember the first time I ever saw him. It was after the 4 2 game at Ibrox .
The Lions bus had got back into the toon quick after the game. I got on a 9 bus back home . When the bus got to the stop after the Clyde Tunnel , Cokey was standing there in his O’Neill’s Eire top with a big Tricolour over his shoulders. I assume he had walked through the Tunnel after the game.
When he joined the Lions CSC the following season , he gave us so many laughs over the years. He is a top man.
Paul McLaughlin was LB for a while…;(
Surely a false flag in Salisbury.
It will take the international experts investigation 3 weeks to establish the type of poison used yet Theresa and Boris were blaming Russia just 2 hours after it happened.
Brainwashed politicians foaming at the mouth insulting Russia. Putting the planet in danger. Crazy.
St Stivs,
I have seen your photo. I don’t know if anyone has already answered. My take is Dukla Prague is the other team. The players include Charlie Gallagher, Willie Wallace, Stevie Chalmers, Jimmy Johnstone and Tommy Gemmel.
Pog
Who were the men in the sci fi suits?
Whilst loads of folk were walking about filming and reporting beside them.
Were they poisoned at all?
It was the day before the Russian election.
Should have added Bobby Murdoch, of course.
Dallas
You are an honorary Saint Bams bhoy.
Cokey is still mad as a brush in a good way. ?
hey ghuys, my wife has been out since 9- 0 clock this morning shopping with her sister, just me and frankie and benny in the house, i keep asking them if they want another drink, but they havent touched the last one i gave them, so more for me, must admit getting worried where are they.
Russia is this months bogie man, it will be someone else soon enough.
Delaneys Dunky: Myself and R were over for a Champions League match years ago and afterwards we stopped off at a Glasgow chipper. (Can’t remember where). Deep fried Mars Bar was on the menu so we had to go for it.
Feckin delicious.
:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Hello again all you young rebels.
A big shout out for PARK ROAD 67 who arrives in Melbourne tomorrow
on a big cruise ship.
Don’t think the weather has been what he expected since he left the U.K.
But we have an expected sunny 29 degs on wed, that should keep him
and his missus nice and cosy on their Neighbours studio tour.
I’ll keep him a lot cosier when i meet and greet him in a local hostelry
for a few pints of the black gold later.
NAVANBHOY
Could you get in touch with me via email to discuss the moneys raised
for the OUR MATE MICK appeal, our club has a nice cheque to send to
him and his family and we need some details.
Paddymacoz has been trying to contact the Sydney CSC president but
we think he may be back in the U.K.
Paul 67 and a few Cqn’rs have my email addy the sooner we can get
the cash up to help the family the better we think.
H.H Mick
Almore
Love frozen Mars Bars. Do not like the thought of deep fried.
Could any of our more senior posters link the left backs from Tommy Gemmell ( rest in peace) to Anton?
Love an old left back I do.
If asked to sum up Tosh in one word it’s most likely committed.
Moravcik,,
On Ross Wallace as left back,,was it not Mon brought him and Jamie Smith into he team when he was in his later stages more for freshness and resting legs than a genuine the positions yours?
I could be wrong if so please forgive me
Hail Hail
Delaney’s , thank you for bestowing me with that honour , I’ll cherish it.
Is Cokey still working at the mortuary at Gartnavel General?
He is still one of the funniest and most genuine people I have ever met.
Is Big Packy and his dugs on the bevvy???
I would trust even Dave King more than Vlad Putin, but that doesn’t negate the huge amount of anti-Russian propaganda in the Uk press over the last few months. We’ve had front page stories about Russian ships being escorted through the Channel (I.e. international waters), about Russian planes flying close to the Uk (a game both sides have played since the 1960’s), and just last week the Times led on how Russia could take down the British national grid via a cyber attack: what would Russia have to gain at the moment by doing that, except blowing it’s cover? What did it have to gain by taking down an ex-agent in the UK? Almost nothing.
This doesn’t mean I would absolve Putin, it does mean that there may be more to this than the Government says, and that we need proof rather than assertions from the Government. It took 10 days for the UK to confirm Russian involvement, the OPCW is taking 2 to 3 weeks. Salisbury – coincidentally, perhaps – is the one place in the UK where we know the UK has supplies of most known nerve agents, at the CDE.
DELANEYS DUNKY on 26TH MARCH 2018 8:35 PM
M7
4 Knightswood Saint Tam’s FP’s on in the last hour. Not one of us left school knowing what a computer was. :)
—————-
I’m sure you told me you worked on the enigma code when we were in Munich;))))
DELANEYS DUNKY, hey enough of that, ive had 2 drinks wont tell you what they were tho. lol.
Dallas
I am not sure where he is working?
He should be on the stage doing stand up comedy. :))
Putin – just misunderstood
bans main opposition from election
Crimea
Ukraine
Re Left Backs , apologies if these two have already been mentioned, Mark Reid and Graeme Sinclair.
Martin O’Neill played Joos Valgaeren at left back a few times.
The late Brian Whittaker in the 83/84 season.
Derek Whyte at left back in the run in of the 85/86 season.
okay its now nearly ten past ten,tried phoning no answer help maboab.
Sipsini
That WeissBier was some stuff. :))
BRTAH,
Brilliant
HH
BIGPACKY
I’m sure they’ll be fine,mate. You know what women are like when they get on a shopping trip.
Never saw the time flying,etc.
Funny they never accept the same excuses from us when we come back from the pub!
MELBOURNE MICK
I had the pleasure of meeting PARK ROAD 67 and the delightful E for the first time whilst on holiday in Corfu last year a nicer couple you couldn’t meet enjoy your day out with them and give them my jealous regards. He’s a bit of a lightweight when it comes to the bevvy though but she’ll drink you under the table. :-))
KEEP THE FAITH
BP
Have you tried your sis in laws phone?
MAHE THE MADMAN on 26TH MARCH 2018 9:57 PM
Mon gave Ross Wallace his debut but wgs gave him his chance at left back.
FrannyB67 9.16pm
Apologies forgot about you and Jude2005 :-)
Melbourne Mick 9.55pm
More than sure JR the Sydney CSC president is back in the Brig he is best pals with “our mate Micks” brother in law
BRTH
Great wee post about Mrs McKinlay looks like Tosh came from good stock
Fellow Celts goodnight