MEMO to Rangers: The 21st Century will celebrate its 25th year in a week’s time.
The world has evolved somewhat since the bygone days when the hierarchy in Govan liked to be referred to as ‘The Establishment Club’.
That tag has gone the way of the Penny Farthing bicycle and, thankfully, just like the bizarre mode of transport, it is in the past and will never return.
The era of pomposity and arrogance is buried in the dark and distant. A lot has happened since the cobwebbed antiquity of unenlightened times when the club’s bosses believed respect was automatically earned by wearing a bowler hat, shirt and tie, blazer and walking funny.
Those were dark times when a flex of the muscle, a withering look and a scornful remark would more often than not see some like-minded patron in the corridors of power at the SFA tugging dutifully at the forelock and doing his master’s bidding.
That ill-informed period now resides with the dodo.
And, yet, the Govan club still want to act as though they exert some power on the echelons of Scottish football.
HOLD ON…Liam Scales tugs Vaclav Cerny’s shirt.
Not satisfied that referees’ chief Willie Collum snapped to attention following their VAR penalty complaint following the Liam Scales/Vaclav Cerny coming-together in the Premier Sports League Cup Final, the disillusioned Ibrox side have followed up with another preposterous diatribe.
Displaying a total disregard for the livelihoods of Alan Muir and Frank Connor, the technical team who viewed the Hampden incident and were later unnecessarily vilified by Collum, they have now publicly criticised the SFA over the reinstatement of the officials.
Both were penalised by missing out on usual duties last weekend, but Connor will be on the line in the Kilmarnock v Aberdeen game tomorrow while Muir will be in front of the technical screens at St Mirren v Dundee on Sunday.
That restoration to duties does not sit well with the club across the Clyde and they are clearly incandescent that Connor will also be involved when Celtic play St Johnstone at Parkhead at the weekend.
We are now plunging into pathetic levels on this matter.
In a statement, they tell us: “Rangers FC has contacted the Scottish FA to express serious concerns and ask several questions regarding the swift reinstatement of the two VAR officials involved in the officiating failure during the recent Premier Sports Cup Final. We also note one of the officials has been appointed to an SPFL Premiership match involving the club that benefitted from the error.”
And so it burbles on in the same vein. I’ll save you from the threat of drifting off into a stupor reading the remainder of the predictably prejudiced missive.
Let’s look again at the wording in that official note. “The club that benefitted from the error.”
The incident occurred four minutes into extra-time with the score standing at 3-3. After the incident, it was still 3-3.
How did Celtic benefit?
It’s hardly Celtic’s fault that Rangers squandered a free-kick in a dangerous area. Maybe they should have a word with their captain, James Tavernier, who botched the set-play.
TALE OF TWO KEEPERS…Kasper Schmeichel has a word of consolation for opposite number Jack Butland.
The last time I looked, the Oxford English Dictionary’s meaning for beneficiary went along the lines of someone “who derives advantage from something”.
Did Celtic’s opponents take for granted they would score from any penalty-kick that may have resulted in the flashpoint?
That’s a little bit of an insult to Kasper Schmeichel, the Celtic goalkeeper who has an excellent record for saving spot-kicks.
If the Govan bosses have any doubts over the Danish legend’s expertise in these crucial confrontations they could always ask their left-back Ridvan Yilmaz.
There was the possibility of a goal. That’s all. Everyone has the possibility of becoming a Lotto millionaire when they select their numbers every week.
No-one should take anything for granted. Including a club on the south side of Glasgow.
And so the sorry saga will drift on until someone in Govan twigs that their voice doesn’t carry the sway of yesteryear.
And, once again, they should keep in mind this is the 21st Century.
A century in which Celtic have won FORTY-TWO trophies. And counting.
Now that is something to write about.
ALEX GORDON
