How ballsy is Scott Sinclair? Arriving as a 73rd minute substitute, his every touch was booed by Motherwell fans. Dozens of missiles were thrown at him (and other Celtic players) as nearby stewards failed even to look in the direction of the culprits.
Then with three minutes remaining and Celtic a goal down, he told Leigh Griffiths to step away from the penalty spot. The kick itself – high into the top corner, was unstoppable, but goodness, not without risk.
With so much negative focus on him, taking that penalty was the equivalent of looking the Devil in the eye. He will be stronger for the experience.
Now others are left asking, “What will it take to beat Celtic, even once?” Legs and minds are tired among the squad, you can see it. Leigh, normally so sharp, was ponderous when his best chance occurred. Craig Gordon looks like he needs a holiday. That punch, the clearance which cleared no one and those kick outs! What’s going on, Craig?
There was a fascinating moment involving Tom Rogic when we were a goal down. A loose ball was there to be challenged for, but Tom didn’t quite throw himself at it, prompting clear feedback from the travelling fans. What he did was take control of proceedings from then on.
His defence-splitting pass for Callum McGregor led to the penalty and gave us our kicks, on game 66.
The penalty itself followed a goalkeeping error. Carson saved a gilt-edged chance from McGregor, but instead of knocking the ball out for a corner, he kept it alive with a side-swipe. McGregor put his body between ball and defender. Then waited.
The not too subtle message from Motherwell after Sunday’s cup final is that they were incorrectly punished for putting arms around an opponent in the box. On an intellectual level, they knew they were banged to right (or they would have appealed the red card), but the emotional part of the brain took over.
“It’s OK to put your arms around an opponent to inhibit his progress inside the box” was the subliminal message. Just think, if Stephen Robinson had told his players not to take such actions after the final, Rose might have kept his arms to himself last night.
Every referee in the country knew Craig Thomson was hung out to dry on Sunday after making a correct penalty decision. Willie Collum would have prepared for last night’s game clear in the knowledge that no amount of wining would prevent him making an unpopular decision.
Would he have made the same penalty decision if Motherwell and the assembled media did not round on Craig Thomson a few days earlier? Perhaps. But it is never wise to harden the resolve of a referee.
Oh, and yes, that was our first penalty of the league campaign, no one else in the division was penalty-less until last night.
ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY OF JIM CRAIG – RIGHT BACK TO 67, A LISBON LION DIARY TODAY!
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i thought it was a balanced panel on RS…2 huns that are tax dodgers and 2 that haven’t been caught!
Can someone send Motherwell the picture from a few minutes ago, and the clear picture posted on Sun of Kipre pulling Scott Sinclair back at that penalty
You know when he didn’t touch Scott yet had a grip of his arm and across his chest
Oh and Celtic, looking forward to see us complete a new 67 record :-))
Hail Hail
mike in toronto. derry understands mate. and my 2 westies franky and benny send their love ktf.
Thanks for the info on that Motherwell statement guys.
It’s bad enough when the Motherwell players ,fans and manager make arses of themselves over the penalties
but when the board join in with an official statement it really becomes Sevco like.
Their players tried to kick us off the park, their fans tried to injure our players with missiles, but apparently damaging seats is much more serious than damaging people.
GLENDALY
By the hand of Sevco
To non Celtic supporters.
(Posted on SFM as currently more relevant there)
Having read a bit of what emerged from today’s AGM I think one description that could be applied to TRFC/RIFC in terms of putting them at the top of the heap is “front loading”.
This front loading to pay for a team by loans that is capable of playing in Europe so that the UEFA money eventually pays the loans that made front loading possible, is that how FFP is supposed to work or does it stand for Financial Fair Punt?
Why don’t other Scottish clubs do it and does such financial dependence on a UEFA place not constitute an integrity risk to the game?
Assume Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen are playing TRFC in last 3 games of a season and all are nip and tuck on points, but failure to obtain eligibility to apply for a UEFA licence from a finishing league position does not put the future of the 3 at risk but it does TRFC’s,how do the supporters of the 3 clubs named know that this survival dependency will not play a part in the games that decide final position?
It happened in season 2010/11 when a CL place was so essential for RFC’s survival not only were referee decisions in RFC’s favour noticeable, RFC were prepared to deceive to get a licence to get their hands on UEFA money.
At the moment Celtic look too far ahead financially for this to concern them but what about the 3 clubs named? Do their Directors not have a duty to their supporters to get clarification onTRFC/ RIFC’s business model?
Then when enough UEFA money from EL is secured making a title challenge possible, do Celtic Directors not have a responsibility to question the risky TRFC/ RIFC business model and should they not be doing so now in conjunction with the 3 named clubs rather than wait until the risk of not winning a title comes knocking at Celtic’s door?
Are UEFA ok with the TRFC/RIFC business model? Perhaps they are but the question should be asked of them by Scottish clubs in the Premier division of the SPFL.
I don’t understand why the club’s are not demanding answers from SPFL/SFA/UEFA in order to assure their supporters that the ticket they are being asked to purchase to watch a sporting event will depend totally on sporting performance and not on financial chicanery.
I don’t understand either why supporters are not demanding such assurances before they buy a ticket.
Watched the video of the pen stonewaller all day
Conner McGregor was the main headline on the back of today’s sun newspaper
Shocking headline considering the video evidence
MIT
Wee Hector is wishing her well
Sure she’ll love the name Hector :-)))
Cringing statement from Motherwell.
Grant Russell embarrassing himself, again, with that.
What a surprise too, no sooner has the statement been released, then his old pals at TAB run with it as a negative Celtic story.
They must think we button up the back.
In saying all that about Grant Russell penning it, with it being such a poor statement maybe Jayne Lasley had input into it, after her attempts on Sun.
Hail Hail
Tom English and Michael Stewart now backtracking on their knee jerk never a penalty tweets last night.
If only there was a camera on the north side at Hampden the never touched him debate would be ended as well.
Sorry TAB should read STV.
Predictive text.
THINDIMEBHOY on 30TH NOVEMBER 2017 7:38 PM
Know who you mean.
HH
Corkcelt
Evening T , from the clip I watched from the penalty , it was Callum ‘s speed from being further away,but getting there quicker than the defender ,on his blind side .
He thought the ball was his, then clambered on Callum , when he unexpectedly got there second instead of first .
Penalty . Stonewaller.
St. Stivs
She is, indeed, a ghirl…. although born in Canada, she seems to have a better grasp of the Irish language than I do … my pal (an Irish priest/lawyer from Armagh) speaks to her in Irish, and she seems to obey him much better than she obeys me!
When she first adopted me, I had thought I would get a boy puppy, and had thought about Henrik or Seamus as names …but the day I went up to the kennel, and sat on the floor, she came over, and sat beside me, and she has never left my side in over ten years …
and, as for the name … as a pup, she was more ‘oak’ coloured than golden … and since Derry/Doire means ‘oak’, Doire/Derry seemed to fit …
officially she is Doire, but most people use the Engliish version, including me … but she answers to either
The more whinging from our opponents the better … not wishing to jinx the run …. the longer it goes on the worse the whinging will get , music to our ears …… 3 or 4 on Saturday
Ps Dave King went to Allen Glens info from ex-work colleague , could peel an orange in his pocket
Gar67
Auldheid posted a very clear picture of the contact on Sun
Auldheid
Well i hope the supporters of the clubs likely to be effected by this contact their clubs in large numbers and tell them to act on this or they wont be buying season tickets.
Any news of who the mystery benefactor at Tynecastle was who seems to have silenced any questioning that might have come from there, who is it, why has it been done and what does the benefactor get out of this?
I have strong suspicions on who it is and why.
If Scott Brown had taken a Mwell player out with a forearm smash, I imagine the smsm would be going spare wanting him banned, then shot.
Great to see and hear them asking for the same treatment for Kenny Miller for taking out Ryan Christie last night, a cracking forearm smash to the face.
James Forrest the blogger has just called Motherwell’s.
A dreadfully petty statement, that reduces them to Sevco’s shrieking level.
Well said James, maybe Grant Russell is hoping to get Jabba’s job at Ibrox.
Hail Hail
Gravy stain of a man ‘Alex Rae’ had time to indulge on his fantasy of ‘the gers'[as he called them] selling Ibrox and Murray park to the fans to raise more funds.Glowing 20 minute tribute to the performance at Ibrox last night.The smart arsed ‘money man’ bbc reporter went almost unchallenged in his assertions that the club are close to running at ‘break even’.Aberdeen continue to be dismissed and derailed in their view that their manager is not going to be leaving.And of course the usual accusations that Celtic’s players are diving cheats and ‘breaking fir park statement evidence ‘ that their fans are a set of vandals and criminals…..all in a night on BBC SPORTSOUND.!!!
Referees Strike anyone ?
Desstbhoy & Gary67
Thanks
Dessybhoy
Oops phat phingers.
Listened to shortbread tonight my god they are hurting and as for the EBT twins they had on , one is as thick as the other !! 66 and counting HH !
Exiled Tim
Miller changed the direction of his run / movement , to obstruct Ryan Christie .
By obstruct , I mean full elbow on the face , obstruct .
An assault and red card all day . Dallas jnr , promoted by surname , not ability .
LAZYDYNAMITE on 30TH NOVEMBER 2017 7:52
TBH
McLaughlin pulled him up re reaching break even & he tried to bluff his way out….
The Squealmen at Celtic Park on Saturday.
Let’s give them something else to squeal about.
Really want to hammer this Motherwell mob on Saturday.
My club Celtic,are definitely a soft touch,when it comes to The Media,and some football clubs,
Allan Glens?
Did it not also die?
Or is Allan Glens then, Allan Glens now, Allan Glens forever?
https://twitter.com/VLR/status/936275297347031041
Angel Gabriel,
Look I’m just glad we got a draw and if CalMac stopped or slowed suddenly to draw the foul then I’m good with that.
You wouldn’t expect any defender to just deliberately push a guy over when he is going away from the goal, in the first place.
All I’m saying is it’s a well known tactic taught to us at a young age in the GAA that if you are going for a ball & unlikely to reach it and a guy is running hard behind you, then stop suddenly and he simply has to push you in the back,
Were is the evidence,were Celtic fans,broke 200 seats,at Fir Park,it took them till ten past seven this evening,to make a complaint,so show us the evidence,
Jimbob 8.16.
I’m interested in how the club will react.
Will they do what they do with Sevco and ignore or will they respond and go for Grant Russell’s throat?
It’s truly a dreadful statement,which already is starting to give us the same bad publicity we received at the now infamous boxing day game at Dens.
All because Scott Brown challenged the coin throwing last night.
Hail Hail
Jimbob 8.16
The best sort of answer is on the pitch . Molicate them on Saturday .
AngelGabriel, Will you be in BV on Tuesday?
ADI-DASLER … Your are correct there was one guy trying his best to question some of the bull.Did you also notice the completely ridiculous and questionable break to pre-recorded interview with the bloke who is some kind of director of football at southampton who turned down the rangers gig in the summer.Of course he spoke in glowing terms of the current rangers board and the sheer magnitude of the club…….but errr he stayed at southhampton..lol
we’ll never stop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiU6TxysCg