The job of referee has a kind of inverse relationship between popularity and career progress. Willie Collum has been at the centre of this season’s three major controversies. He was referee on two occasions when his assistants failed to notice Celtic conceded a goal in crucial league games against Rangers and Hearts (on each occasion the ball crossed the line by inches and remained there for a small fraction of a second).
There is very little a ref can do when his assistant doesn’t flag when the ball crosses the goal line, as we all know, but Collum still suffered reputational damage from some who simply blamed him for being in charge when ‘goals’ against Celtic were not awarded by assistant referees.
It takes a brave decision for a ref to award an injury time penalty for a team losing by a goal in a cup final. As we noted yesterday, Anthony Stokes clearly had his ankle clipped when clean through with Cammy Bell to beat on Sunday while the Kilmarnock defender never came close to the ball. This was a foul any day of the week, but having been in charge when Celtic benefited from assistant referee decisions, Collum booked Stokes instead of awarding a penalty.
This incident was almost identical to Collum’s decision not to award Celtic a penalty in the infamous game away to Hamilton Accies in 2011. With five minutes of the game remaining Niall McGinn was tripped inside the box but Collum booked the player.
The offside rule was subject to a new and unique interpretation that day. Hamilton ‘scored’ from a set piece with a player alone inside the six yard box who jumped over the ball. He was in an offside position by several yards and stood in front of Fraser Forster before allowing the ball to pass under him. Collum also sent off James Forrest for blocking a clearance in an incident which caused a Hamilton player to kick his boot.
All of this followed the infamous incident at Celtic Park when despite looking the other way, Collum awarded Rangers a penalty when Kirk Broadfoot stumbled in the vicinity of Daniel Majstorovic.
Without enjoying the light of robust critical analysis of refereeing decisions that happens in most other countries I’m not sure where we go with any of this. Celtic Quick News called both ‘goal’ incidents against Rangers and Hearts as assistant referee mistakes so it is only appropriate we record Mr Collum’s significant mistakes when refereeing Celtic, while we ponder the formula for career progression among Scotland’s referees.
I know we covered the issue of Duff and Phelps needing to talk-up any possibility of nullifying Ticketus ownership of future season tickets, Craig Whyte’s security over Ibrox of HMRC being prepared to accept a few pennies in the pound (before HMRC issued a rare statement about the important of paying your tax, “football club or not”), so apologies for repeating myself, but….
Duff and Phelps have agreed no deal with HMRC. Ticketus retain ownership of future season tickets and the recent court challenge appears to offer little threat, while Craig Whyte retains his security. In addition, Duff and Phelps have received no offer for Rangers with terms which are within their control.
So, apart from having no offers they can accept, no stadium to sell, no control over future season ticket sales, no agreement with HMRC and having absolutely no idea what they will do when player contracts revert to their full value on 1 June, Duff and Phelps job is pretty easy.
Right now they need to keep all their plates in the air. The very least we should do is cut them some slack as they endeavour to work the angles.
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Saint Stivs,
Re Messi;
Someone should tell Barca,they even had it on their scoreboards after he scored his second.
Thanks for the info though fhella.
Away goals count double. Ahh them were the daze!!
Tricoloured Ribbon on 20 March, 2012 at 21:49 said:
As much as I would like Cliftonville to do well…cmon the Hoops!
Let us know how the game finishes (cant find any dodgey links to the game).
Hail Hail
Vucinic has been threatning to do that all night! What a goal.
SPF
Bohemians 0-2 Crusaders.Bohs out.
ps In xrta time
stpats
He had abt 3 or 4 on target earlier on
I still say Messi would never have made it in Scottish football.
Too one footed!!
O.G.Rafferty on 20 March, 2012 at 21:00 said:
A sense of lots left as yet unsaid? Stuff still to be legal-ed and stood up?
HH
TLK
Messi hat trick, 3 cracking goals. A volley, obligatory chip and rounding keeper. One word GENIUS.
SffS
Something which quite regularly comes up in posts which I agree with to a certain extent is “Scotland are the huns and the huns are Scotland”, would it be more apt to say “SFA are the huns and the huns are the SFA”. Just saying.
TET
Fortunately my losses only amount to 3 x £1 bets.
What do I know about football – took Leeds @ -1 :-(
Great to see Jeffries get his wings clipped at the Brandywell.
As soon as Linfield step out of their wee cosy financial comfort zone of the Irish League they are found out.Oh,and I hope their buses all break down on the Glenshane Pass on the way home for good measure.
just rewatched the Ch4 report and I’ve got to say, sometimes I talk a lot of whyte knight :o)
medtim on 20 March, 2012 at 21:43 said:
I think Mr T knows the background, otherwise why ask?
Can’t stand Jolly Jambo Jim Jeffries now of Duncefermline but has anyone seen the Australian comedian with the same name.
I know, Jim Jeffries the comedian, he is good. Couldn’t make it up.
Recommend.
Tri coloured ribbon,and hope thier houses are flooded…full song book out tonight…Chooper is flying very low,hope its not bother..
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Kano 1000 on 20 March, 2012 at 21:07 said:
Your piece does not seem to countenance that David Taylor also knew and did nothing. Is that not possible? UEFA were not keen to talk to Alex Thomson initially.
HH
TLK
c4 news gave good report outwith the biggest club in scotland jazz,
soon rfc will be told ticketus deal stands
the big tax case must be close to making a decision and that stands
the new tax due stands
the wee tax case stands
they have been playing illegible players
in some ways 2 other clubs winning the 2 cup competitions might signal a change in attitude with regard other clubs views about allowing rangers to walk straight back into the spl if newco is formed.
surely a scottish or league cup win/ final appearance earns clubs more money than two games against rangers, so if aberdeen, hibs, hearts etc… play in one final per season they will in fact be better off, even with reduced t.v. income, and in fact they might actually see an increase in numbers attending more games because of more success.
we dont need rangers and we dont want rangers
Auld Neil Lennon Heid.
I was pretty sure he would have been well briefed but,when the stakes being played for are so high,I don’t like to assume anything.
You have been ahead of most on this topic and, I am sure, more than aware of the potential prize if/when the truth comes out.
Sorry folks but I am afraid I have to change topics and vent my spleen a little.
Whilst it is pretty certain that certain folk earning big BIG money have chosen to avoid tax– and I don’t give a Kipper’s Dick if it is leaglly or otherwise– other ordinary people have to face the realities of life from a far less priveleged position.
So let me tell you about Niamh Curry. Niamh is a 5 year old girl who suffers from the same Neuroblastoma cancer as Vanessa Riddle and is trying to raise funds for the same treatment in Philadelphia. For Niamh there is good news and there is bad news.
The good news is that being younger than Vanessa, she has a greater chance of responding successfully to the treatment that is available in the States. All the same she has already undergone a 4 hour operation in an attempt to remove the tumour, has undergone 14 sessions of Radiotherapy, numerous blood and platelet, high dose chemotherapy, stem cell treatments and so on. She has been in hospital for a year… you get the picture.
Of course, as we already know, there is no cure for Niamh in this magnificent country, and so she too has to go down the transatlantic route.
The bad news for Naimh is that her family started raising money- or attempting to- some 3 months ago, and so far they have raised over £100k in that time.
Now, there is no getting away from it, Naimh and her family to my knowledge have no connection whatsoever to Celtic Football Club and that, in part at least, may explain why she has not raised nearly as much money as Vanessa in a longer period of time.
However, a child is a child, and a life worth saving is a life worth saving so if you can give a couple of quid to Naimh as you did for Vanessa.
I know there are other causes and other charities and I send this message in the full knowledge that I have no right to ask and that there are others who are equally deserving. I will also admit to receiving a tweet tonight asking me to follow Naimh’s story from some one who knows I got a wee bit involved re Vanessa. I’m afraid the Tweet was timely and hit the mark, as it arrived in the midst of a discussion about an institution that is either too big or too important to fail, and is apparently just too F…ing greedy to pay the kind of taxes that would make a life saving difference to kids like Vanessa and Naimh.
If anyone feels that this is a step too far or that you have done your bit already then I will fully understand that, as we cannot save every needy child on the planet.
However, this wee lass.. is just that, A wee lass… and whilst others pander to the corrupt and self interested, I believe in the original idea behind the club we follow and that the playing of football- even the following of this particular football team- is only a means to make a difference to someone else who is in need of some help. Especially a child.
So here is Naimh’s page. Please do what you can. If everyone at Hampden on Sunday gives a fiver, then she goes to Philly and probably lives
Sorry for the intrusion.
Brogan
http://www.justgiving.com/NiamhsNextStep.
In BRTH, we trust, a great post.
Neil Lennon has been in court three times re people tryin to harm him in some sort of way. Shocking truly shocking!!!!
Nice little country this eh???
linfield scum throwing the dummies away now….bit of disorder…
test
Shamrock Rovs beat Cliftonville on pens.
jude2005
It’s cos he’s got the cheek to be out in public either doing his job or being friendly to those who want to talk to him.
Brings it on himself don’t you know, as there is no bigotry problem in Scotland except the ones caused by Catholic schools and Celtic FC.
Bet you that cheeky blighter Lenny even pays his taxes as well….
Hmmm. That means that something is preventing my posts from work (during my lunch break, of course!) from appearing on CQN. Thrice in the last couple of days I have compiled a worthy contribution and posted it to CQN, only for it not to appear. Then today when I tried to re-post it told me that it was a duplicated post… even though the original one didn’t show up!
I guess I’ll just have to work through my lunch breaks as well now…
Stephbhoy …….. You could have saved some ink there, bhoy …… By simply saying ” they are up shoite creek without a paddle ” …….. LOL
……and it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch ….. They are a disgrace to SPORT, and to Scottish Football …… And it is payback time for their victims.
coorslad
About 4 years ago I went to watch St Pats play Linfield in the Setanta cup in Dublin, they brought a couple of thousand down.
The Garda escorted them into Dublin from the border, and herded them into and out of the ground, they were herded onto their busses back to the border.
They sang their bile the whole game, one let off a flare and threw it into his fellow supporters, the stewards just watched, no way were they going to endanger their own lifes, scum, every last one of them, it’s in their DNA.
Alex Thomson well done that man, your program embarassed the SFA/SPL/Media amd that’s what I wanted from it.
Mr Regan is on Twitter saying that Willie Colum is being subjected to threats and abuse of a sectarian nature. Anyone know what that is about?
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!..Truth and Justice will always prevail on 20 March, 2012 at 22:30 said:
agree, but no matter how its said it always makes me happy
BRTH
My good lady read out a few tweets to me on Sunday night after I’d got back from Hampden.
A couple of eejits referring to Collum as an ‘Orange b’ but there was nothing of a threatening nature.
Probably early in the week to talk about the coming derby on Sunday, but I don’t have access to the radio and tv so many are talking about.
Interest, expectations and hopes.
Interest – have rarely cared so little about the result.the league is our’s, we know it and they know it A win would be nice but irrelevant.
Expection – they will plumb new depths in demonstrating their hatred. It’s not only what they do, it’s all they have left and will, as usual, pass without comment or condemnation. Great atmosphere and all that usual rubbish.
Hopes – only one really. That every one of you good people who attend that den of iniquity get in and out without harm. That, for me, is the most important “result” on Sunday.
Best wishes and take care
Alex
Think if there is no New Orc Ragers once the old ones go belly up then they can always go and support their fellow charity raisers in Linfield?
Brogan
I heard the same thing yesterday.
Could be like the last time he was subjected to the same sort of abuse, it was all lies, nothing like a bit of whataboutery to make them feel better, and take the heat off.
Paul67: “The offside rule was subject to a new and unique interpretation that day. Hamilton ‘scored’ from a set piece with a player alone inside the six yard box who jumped over the ball. He was in an offside position by several yards and stood in front of Fraser Forster before allowing the ball to pass under him.”
I believe you are referring to this incident, where Martin Canning set up Simon Mensing to score for Hamilton Accies. As can clearly be seen, Big Dan was playing Canning onside as the ball was played into the Celtic penalty area.
I don’t know what all the fuss is about? After all, Rangers won the SPL title at the end of that season by a full point, so it’s not as though anything would have changed had the referee ruled out this perfectly good goal… would it?
And don’t forget, the referee did even things out by giving Antony Stokes a penalty kick in the 2nd minute of added time, from which Stokes salvaged a vital point for Celtic. The referee could instead have simply booked Stokes for diving.