Q. So you were a Rangers season ticket holder, when did you stop?
A. A few years ago. I work weekends and was seldom getting to games.
Q. How do you feel about how Rangers were treated in 2012?
A. How do any of us feel? It wasn’t our fault, one guy came in and did all the damage, then sinister forces took advantage. Every last one of us feel the same way.
Q. How do you feel about the League Cup semi-final, are you looking forward to it?
A. Not really, but we need to do whatever it takes to make sure we don’t get embarrassed. Years of being subjected to the effects of what Charles Green called “bigotry” means we need to fight with everything we’ve got. We can’t let Celtic embarrass us, need to stand up to them.
Q. Thanks, Robert. One more question, are you available to referee that game?
A. You know me, aye ready!
The forthcoming League Cup semi-final will be one of the most difficult games to referee and police in the history of Scottish football. The police will have their most experience Match Commander on duty. The SFA will not have their most experienced referee on duty, instead they have given the game to former Rangers season ticket holder, Bobby Madden.
The authorities must be independent and be seen to be independent. Former season ticket holders are acceptable and welcome as referees, but when you face extraordinary circumstances, take extraordinary care in selecting your referee. I don’t know a single ‘Rangers’ fan who doesn’t have animated views on what happened in recent years. They want to beat us next month more than at any time in original-Rangers 140-year history. Why is one of them the referee?
Craig Thomson is widely regarded as unaligned and Scotland’s top official. There must be a story explaining why he wasn’t given the game.
Our team selection for the League Cup semi-final doesn’t bother me. We can have Scepovic, Guidetti, Stokes or Griffiths up front, Efe and Charlie at the back, I’d still back us to win. Can’t say I’m too worried about the other lot either, even if they manage to hold onto all their, ‘stars’.
What does concern me is how the game is refereed. Before it, CQN will write about how important it will be to keep 11 men on the field, not to dive into tackles inside our penalty area, and not to get drawn into a levelling battle.
You can write the script about how this one is going to play out, we’ll be kicked, elbowed and incited, with liberal dramatic tumbles taken in and around our box. In a decade writing CQN I’ve only discussed referees around a dozen times but the selection for this one is alarming. Mr Madden will be scrutinised more than at any time in his professional life. He has an enormous challenge ahead.
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Whoooo lives in a pineapple under the sea? (thumbsup)
Hail! Hail!
Quiet today. Everyone at the ground for extra tickets?
Apart from PHILVISRETURNS,welcome back to your accustomed position!
“former Rangers season ticket holder, Bobby Madden.”
Says it all really.
BMCUW,
I’d have gotten away with a podium if if wasn’t for that pesky Philvisreturns!! :-)
*You’re
gramorpolisCSC
HailHail
Shameful. Who are the peepil that appointed him? I demand to know.
top 10 once again
Are we accepting Madden will send one of our players off?
Surely we want to keep 11 on the field
Jimbo67
Sponge Bob Square Pants!
Madden! Deary dearie me.
PAUL67
A few Ayrshire Tims know the tale of a ref in the early 70s who was removed from the list after The Evening Times reported that his son went to watch Celtic on a local supporters’ bus.
Still,at least this one won’t be undermining his cherished full-time position by cheating,unlike a former ref and Protestant man-of-the-cloth.
To be fair to Madden,btw,his known affiliations put him in a difficult position.
P67-Good subject to bring up,we were subjected to the Sinister Minister for years,can you imagine a Priest refereeing games ?
The SFA can do as they want , they have gone unchallenged for too long now .
JIMBOB67
When PHILVISRETURNS is back in town,silver is the new gold.
Wait till BOGNORBHOY finds out,let battle commence…
Paul67 – When I found out he was the ref I let out a wee groan.
I didn’t see Q4 coming. I should have. It’s a 42 tonne truck with a blown muffler. The use of LOL should have a law against it but. For me it’s not enough for that punchline. ROFLMAO.
From what I have seen of Madden this year , he has got better from what admittedly was a shockingly poor level.
I guess the real question is would any ex Celtic season ticket holders get anywhere near reffing the game.
Easy win for us on the day, as Sevco midfield is useless , we will dominate possession and win comfortably.
HH
P67 -I think Thomson,McLean and believe it or not,Collum,are away at a UEFA Refs Seminar………
Mr Madden, is it? Hide your scarf indeed!!!
Posted this yesterday from info previously posted by yorkbhoy.
It illustrates what’s going on already, ref-wise.
Those stats are very telling: it just shows you what a dirty lot that Dumbarton are…
Celtic 7 fouls 2 bookings
Killie 8 fouls 2 bookings
Well 9 fouls 1 booking 1 red
Dons 4 fouls no cards
Thistle 13 fouls 4 bookings
DunUtd 10 fouls 3 bookings
Hibs 15 fouls 4 bookings
Hearts 15 fouls 3 bookings
Dumb 14 fouls 4 bookings
Sevco 15 fouls no cards…
They don’t even bother being discrete about it any longer… they want Sevco to win the SFA Fair Play Award !!!
Are we giving them a sporting chance by keeping 10 men on the park?
We very rarely see a tackle from a Celtic player these days.
jimbo 67
“Surely we want to keep 11 on the field”
We certainly WANT to. Paul is just stating the reality of the situation 0:-)
JJ
the master philvisreturns …
all hail hail
BMCUW,
I’m not too happy at you adding 4 years onto my age mate…..!!!! ;-)
!BADA BING!
As I used to say of McCurry,he’s either a cheat-in which case he should chuck the day job-or incompetent-in which case he has no place refereeing.
Of course,he was both. That bitch Karma got him in the end. Summat to do wi the Hampden car park!
Bobby Madden after Dundee UTD scored against Sevco Rangers @ScottishFAhttp://t.co/LVQHRTfvbC
I didn’t know that about Madden, I must live in another planet!
That would be like Mike Dean refereeing a Scotland v England game.
JIMBOB71
Haha,oooooops!
Suitably chastised,and will endeavour to be more careful in future…
!!Bada Bing!!
12:36 on
7 January, 2015
P67 -I think Thomson,McLean and believe it or not,Collum,are away at a UEFA Refs Seminar………
Even so, Bada, Mark Dingwall is available so why Madden ?
JJ
madden to ref at the midden..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nZtRjtBAZU
st Mirren v celtic 2013…. might see a few of these given on 1st..
If they have two refs, four linesmen, two other officials behind the goals, a fourth official on the touch line,a referee inspector up in the stand.
They would still get away with Cheating…
HH
Have genuine fears at least one of our players will be seriously injured against Lehman brothers FC and judging by Clancys performance on Monday I can only imagine what the first few minutes will be like as Hamills first four fouls saw no action taken
Bobby Madden? This Bobby Madden?
Some Extracts from BBC website St Mirren V Celtic , as it happened 31 03 2013.
(Earliest posts at the bottom)
“The debate on the competency of referee Bobby Madden will rage on but it has detracted from what was a very decent showing from St Mirren, who deserved their point, even though the penalty award in their favour was shocking.
1504:
Sportsound pundit Billy Dodds on the performance of the match officials at St Mirren Park: “The decisions were abysmal. End of story.”
1502:
Celtic boss Neil Lennon also said that the club would appeal against Victor Wanyama’s sending off.
1501:
More from Celtic manager Neil Lennon
“I’ve got to watch what I say since I have a suspended sentence hanging over me.
“But I’m concerned by the standard of refereeing we’re seeing in Scotland.
“I’m not saying anything insulting, I just thought the referee had an appalling game.”
1459:
Celtic manager Neil Lennon on BBC Radio Scotland
“That is by far the most appalling refereeing display I’ve seen this season.”
1458:
“Apart from the fact there was no contact and that it was outside the box, it was a stonewall penalty for St Mirren,” jokes Sportsound presenter Richard Gordon.
1445:
St Mirren manager Danny Lennon on BBC Radio Scotland
“There were a few key moments and talking points but we’re delighted to get something out the game. I thought we deserved at least a point.
“I’d rather concentrate on the quality of football we played than how the referee did.
“It’s frustrating when the big decisions go against you.”
Mikeybhoy77 on Twitter: “A good game but the referee ruined the game with 4 key decisions wrong #bbcsportscot”
1440:
FULL-TIME- St Mirren 1-1 Celtic
The points are shared and so is the abuse of referee Bobby Madden, who enraged both sets of fans with some truly terrible decisions.
Nick Mackay on Twitter: “Bobby Madden must be wanting a weekend off next week, cos he won’t be getting picked for any games based on this performance!
PENALTY
St Mirren have a spot-kick as Esmael Goncalves goes to ground on the edge of the box. It looks like another shocker from referee Bobby Madden, who has been duped by a dive. Emilio Izaguirre was the player judged to have committed the foul and he is fuming!
Tom Watson on Twitter: “#bbcsportscot Re Red card (1401). Is the offender head-bowed in shame or looking up at the brandished card in disbelief?”
In this case, I suspect it was the latter…
Bill, Glasgow: “The ref has been diabolical, how long till a St Mirren player gets sent off to balance things out?”
1412:
Thomas from Burnside: “Never a red card, the ref is just trying to keep both managers happy.”
Not sure he’s done a very good job if that was his objective…
1410:
GET INVOLVED
Referee Bobby Madden has generated various talking points this afternoon. What do you make of his handling of the game?
1401:
RED CARD
Celtic’s Victor Wanyama is given his marching orders for a late challenge on Paul McGowan. The tackle was clumsy and a bit high – near the knee – but he didn’t lead with his studs and the decision looks very harsh.”
Gerrard to LA Galaxy
What about Geoff winter?
sixtaeseven
12:36 on 7 January, 2015
Amazing stats. Any idea who the sevco ref was?
cv