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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Alex Thomson tweeted that he found dark mingwall “intelligent and thoughtful”
He is being bombarded!
CultsBhoy loves being 1st on 21 March, 2012 at 09:52
My lingering desire is that when the curtain finally falls on the Foe Malign there will be a huge weight lifted from Scottish society and that we will have a wonderful opportunity to enter a new period, free from the perfidious influence of the deeply and widely-held anti-Irish, anti-Catholic prejudice so many of us are aware of.
I base this hope on my perception that Rangers continues to be the undoubted rallying point for so many right-wing bigots, who use the club as a vehicle to nurture their curious world view.
When the club goes to the wall, I imagine it will continue in one form or another, in a ‘Newco’ guise, but it will not flourish and will rapidly cease to have the allure of the 1873 version.
There is (unfortunately, for the Rangers fan who finds this aspect of their favourite club to be a self-evident embarrassment and, with all their ability, will strenuously deny that this is the case because of its self-evident incongruity) a symbiosis between the Orange Order in Scotland and Rangers. In the simplest terms, this works by keeping the ‘practicing Orangeman’ busy during the non-marching season, honing his prejudices amongst confident and like-minded friends; all the while glorying in their club’s winning of trophies (by whatever means).
Over time, therefore, I expect the effect of Rangers’ demise to be a positive one, since the ‘fun’ of being Orange will fade without the focal point which Rangers has provided to this group.
Evertheoptimist.CSC
I hope any further enquiries are not being conducted by Nimmo-Smith as his Magic Circle report in 20-years ago is still causing ructions yet.
See latest here:
http://scottishlaw.blogspot.com/2012/03/elish-mcphilomy-angiolinis-magic-circle.html
and here:
http://www.ukcolumn.org/article/operation-planet-abuse-justice-crown-office-scotland
The letter send to all 93 clubs is on stv online
Do not know how to link thing
Maybe 1 of the more tech boys could assist
Thanks
Jam67
Channel 4 News Programme. Alex Thomson has this on the C4 web site…
At 86 former Rangers director Hugh Adam may be hard of hearing, but hard of recollection and understanding he most definitely is not.
Meeting at his house just outside Glasgow for his first TV interview since the current Rangers implosion began, he is precise in what he wants to say. He’s made notes in preparation for our visit.
After some time on camera it becomes clear Mr Adam wants to go significantly further than in a couple of previous, ground breaking interviews with the Daily Mail.
He already told that paper that there were, double contracts to pay players under the so-called Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) introduced by Sir David Murray who lavishly expanded Rangers on borrowed money until its spectacular collapse and sale for £1.
Murray flatly denies double contracts, saying there were just discretionary payments.
But speaking to Channel 4 News Hugh Adam goes further.
He’s clear that these other payments to players were not declared to the football authorities the Scottish FA (SFA) and Scottish Premier League (SPL): “No I ‘m quite sure they didn’t declare them. I’m quite sure. The SFA isn’t pure in all this you know either. If something was put in front of them they’d have to examine it. It’s not a standard business.”
The SFA says it followed the rule book and denies wrong doing (blog to follow).
Now until the SPL inquiry is complete we don’t know whether or not the payments were declared. If they weren’t every player Rangers fielded with out telling the SFA/SPL full details of their money, would be ineligible and Rangers have to forfeit the match 3 – 0 to the other side. A lot of silverware in Govan could end up being moved and re-engraved. But like I say, it is all an if at the moment, assuming the SPL can be trusted competently to investigate itself in effect, over all this.
Is it cheating, I ask: “It is. It is. But in football it’s standard practice. I mean it’s not serious cheating in that they were not putting money into their own pockets. The point is nobody really knew it was going on. You were a director and that was because you wanted to get a seat in the directors’ box.”
And he paints a bizarre picture of life at Ibrox across the past fifteen years or more. A club where few – if any – of the directors were, he says, interested in directing Rangers at all. Everyone more or less happy to leave things to Sir David Murray and hop along to Ibrox to enjoy the box and the hospitality and that was really the meaning of being a director at Ranger PLC and that was it, beginning, middle and end. On that Hugh Adam is quite open.
Of the EBT scheme itself he confirms again there were other payments made to players but nobody knew much and nobody asked.
All in all it paints a strangely autocratic picture of a football club that was for some time expanding, winning and living the football dream. Sir David Murray came, expanded the business, talked big then crashed and burned
And all the while everyone just seemed prepared to go along with the dream on borrowed time and a vary large amount of borrowed money.
Anyone know whatever happened to Tony (Bananas) Hamilton, not heard from him from a while, he could fill up a library with volumes of the Laptop Loyal Diaries?
blantyretim on 21 March, 2012 at 08:49 said:
Re snyde reporting SFA doing sfa about 2 contracts
I just heard it on 8.30 bulletin
can’t be true ?
———————————————————-
If its true who gave the instruction as Reagan is abroad at some Uefa conference as I exchanged opinions with him via twitter and he was in the Airpoprt.
Who is running the show,its not him.
Folly folly
Exactly as I see it. There will be a temporary peak in extreme anti catholic behaviour by a small isolated group. Often these extremists are at their most dangerous in these periods but ultimately they rarely flourish.
Net result will be a better Scotland.
BIG NAN 1036
Had he done his job properly,then the following outrage,and perhaps a few others,might not have taken place.
It’s a shocking story,so don’t click on it if you are likely to be upset by the content.
http://mccannexposure.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/the-cement-gang-a-fantastic-article-on-hollie-greig-global-establishment-paedophilia/
Any tech guys help required!!
I am trying to listen to a part of radio clyde from yesterday between 2.30pm – 16.00pm anyone know how i can get this?
Cheers
seventyxseven ‘gelee et glace’ @ 10:29,
”The tide seems to be turning re CH 4′s piece after a few hours reflection.”
Yes, I think it was just the level of expectation, I like AT and see no indication this guy is going to back off, in fact he’s like a dog with a bone.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS @ 10:21,
”I hope he has a few cameras to film the events which I fear are going to take place…………………I’m glad I won’t be anywhere near Scotland,never mind Ibrox,on Sunday”.
Very true you get the feeling this could be one of those unique Glasgow Footballing occasions.
Lennon n Mc….Mjallby @ 10:05,
”The SFA cannot investigate the 2 contracts situation as such an action would run contrary to masonic practise.”
The SFA response to R@ngers illicit affairs are very concerning.
I was reading through some articles on the Dougiegate affair, this was only 18 months ago and Stewart Regan was making the right noises, didn’t do enough, true but Dallas went and he went through the motions.
There seems no such utterances this time.
Whether Campbell Ogilvie is running the show now or what, they have been completely in line with the R@ngers Blue Knights and the MSM
First – nothing to see here, everything is fine.
Then, it’s all Craig Whytes’ fault, let’s take swift decisive action against him.
Now they are going down the Scottish Football needs culled of endemic malpractice. With everything on their plate is a fishing expedition really their top priority, well after when the Liverpool derby is playe of course.
It seems to me there are several in the current and previous Football establishment who are dead men walking but are determined to take a few scalps with them before they go.
CelticWhiterThanWhyteCSC
G10
spends most of his time on FB now..
E44
think it is just a good news story…
Hugh
Paints a fabulous picture of the grandiose, fin de siecle carnival of corporate puffery at Asbestox under the old regime………
I feel sure that the colourful impresario will mount a stout defence…….
* all ears*
I think we need to take this right to the guy at the top,
Dominic Littlewood of Saints and Scroungers.
I mean if you were on the sick for two weeks and managed a round of golf he’d have you banged to rights for embezaling £150 of tax payers money.
I always hate the fact that these numbnuts take these investigations seriously but would never highlight the tax avoidances and evasions of millionaires and institutions. Is it to because they’d have lawyers all over their arse if they did. Well, since ranjurs only have enough cash to throw at legal eagles who might save them monet then I think there is an oportunity here for wee Dom to repay our licence fee contributions.
(Always think he should be called Justin Littlewood. It does exactly what it says on the tin, so ladies needn’t expect too much)
BT- Cheers bud.
Re the letter to the clubs. We , apparently , used a form of EBT in 2004-05 for Juninho – this was quickly booted into touch by BQ . Not sure when and how many of the 14 games he played were covered by it.
So we declare this and are docked for every game Juninho played in until his EBT was cancelled ?
Would that invalidate our cup win that year ? Wouldn’t affect the league :-(
I’d give up that notch on our belt if everyone else gave up what they have won while playing ineligible players .
Sanna
This request for clubs to own up if they have made any undeclared payments to players is not an amnesty, it is a fishing trip. The SFA wants to take the heat of RFCia by uncovering any crumb of impropriety by anyone else.
You can bet your life that any club coughing up to this invitation will be exposed to the max in the pro-hun media.
I certainly hope the other clubs, including Celtic are squeeky clean.
Any minor fault by any other club will be used to completely absolve RFCia through the offer of an amnesty for all.
Back we go after 47 years :)
Benfica’s Estádio da Luz – commonly translated as the Stadium of Light – will host the 2014 Champions League final, Uefa has confirmed. Juventus’s new stadium will host the Europa League final.
TinyTim on 21 March, 2012 at 09:43 said:
”On the issue of Rangers being up for sale and trying to attract bid’s from interested parties.
All of the bid’s that have been made are CONDITIONAL.”
They won’t be ‘bids’ ie offers, capable of acceptance.
They will be general statements of interest as precursors to what the parties intend to do once liquidation happens.
sannabhoy on 21 March, 2012 at 10:59 said:
“… So we declare this and are docked for every game Juninho played in until his EBT was cancelled ?
Would that invalidate our cup win that year ? Wouldn’t affect the league :-( ”
Aren’t you assuming that Celtic was the only club to have used un-declared EBTs that season … ?
FF
Bobby Evans
‘Sir David Murray came, expanded the business, talked big then crashed and burned.’
____________________________________
Do you remember it? Do you remember our brave investigative journalists who sought the truth?
G. McNee: ‘Men like David Murray and (wait for it) Silvio Berlusconi will shape the future of European football.’
A. Cameron: ‘You just can’t take in the sheer brain-power of David Murray and Donald Finlay. (He then made whooshing sounds to denote awe.)’
Folly Folly ,
Doh ! (facepalm smiley)
Don’t think Juninho even played in the cup
Wow just been on Twitter, how badly are the succulent lamb brigade taking Alex Thomson’s report?
Very telling that in a short C4 report, AT exposed more in 3 minutes than our wonderful media has in 3 years!!
Talking of Donald Findlay.
If he’s been involved, as a diretor of the huns, in misleading the SFA regarding players contracts and registrations, will the Faculty of Advocates have something to say on the matter?
@STVGrant: Here is the letter, in full, the Scottish FA sent to clubs asking them to declare any hidden, non-contractual payments http://t.co/yhz0pLv8
Reads to me like an amnesty!!!
MWD
fritzsong
Succulent lamb is off the menu for these two.
McNee (the voice of a football) is one small minded individual that I detest. When Big Billy bopped him, everything he wrote / said thereafter was detrimental to Celtic. Cesar should have made sure he didn’t get up again.
Rob Shorthouse aka Whiteinch Bear due to give evidence to the Levenson inquiry today. The hearing can be viewed live here
http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/hearings/
James Forrest is The Emperor of Ice Cream on 21 March
I just read your post. It was great. Is there any way of getting that published in the MEM.
Folly Folly / sannabhoy
That may explain why Juninho played so few games
News of a company going into pre-pack administration.
It refers to voluntary administration “allowing 10 days” to prevent liquidation.
So how long have D&P had at Ibrox?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9157253/Game-Group-heads-for-pre-pack-administration-shares-suspended.html
Bobby Evans Superstar , TAL
Snake , he played in the Dunfermline 3-0 and Clyde 5-0 games.
Found this site recently , http://www.celtic-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadmtch.asp?match=313433
Sanna
sannabhoy
Depends on whether or not we declared this to the SFA at the time or had any “side letters” to Junihno.
In fact, it would be even better if we had provided the SFA with everything at the time and were completely up front about it.
There was also speculation when we signed Roy Keane and then Robbie Keane that their wages were being paid by someone else (i.e. Dermot Desmond). Maybe the SFA are hoping to find something about this. Hopefully everything was all above board.
Mort
So this letter from the SFA, surely if clubs simply reply “naw” then the SFA won’t have the resources to investigate further? After all, that’s what Regan said was the problem with the SFA and not vetting Whyte.
It’s clearly a fishing trip with a view to a potential amnesty for Rangers; they can’t be allowed to pull such a stunt.
new article posted.
Mort
Re juninho..I believe Brian Quinn at the time pointed out the error of the EBT and all tax due to be paid was paid ..would this not negate the whole EBT issue?..ie make it an non issue as the tax avoided was in fact repaid correctly..whereas the south siders have not paid the correct tax due on what HMRC regards as taxable salary,hence the tax bill,I believe the tax case is Rangers appeal against the bill and penalties.
HH
It is a bit galling that after diddling the tax payer out of £100m that we can only see Rangers punished on a technicality that could see us hit as well. I think we might have Hibs to congratulate for winning the League the season Jununo was with us IIRC. The SFA’s attitute is, let’s say, fluid at the moment. The fact that they were prepared to stand by and let the FTT establish whether EBT payments were outside its own rules counts in our favour. The “Come on. Own up.” statement might change that. We can only hope our “i”s were dotted and “t”s were crossed.
I was listening to the news last night and one of the maniacs who allegedly sent bombs to Neil Lennon was quoted as saying he used to support Celtic. He said that this was because of his Catholic father.
He went on to claim that he was a member of the Orange Order.
I was under the impression that membership of that august body was reserved for that happy breed both of whose parents were Protestant.
Or have they changed the rules?
Can we all join now?