The paradox of Sinclair not taking a dive in the box

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We discussed on Friday how vulnerable our domestic unbeaten run was against Hibs, and so it proved. Footballers are not automatons, no matter how belligerent fans’ encouragement becomes. Their performance levels will inevitably peak and trough. After climbing so many mountains since beating Rosenborg away, we were vulnerable to a professional Hibs performance, designed by Neil Lennon, who knows how to squeeze results in challenging situations.

Brendan Rodgers is not short of options for central mid, but is anyone performing better than Callum McGregor? On Saturday, he was the difference between defeat and a draw.

We should have been awarded a late penalty when Efe Ambrose pulled Scott Sinclair, but Scott, dutifully, stayed on his feet.

There is a paradox for footballers. You are not going to fall is someone holds you around the torso, all that’s going to happen is you will not progress in the intended manner. But if you don’t fall, you are less likely to be awarded a penalty. The unwritten rule referees adhere to, is that if you want a penalty, you’d better hit the deck, no matter whether the foul is capable of knocking you off your feet or not.

That’s all fine and well, if a little dysfunctional, as long as everyone knows the rule, but when a team-mate was earlier booked for alleged simulation, there is a strong disincentive for a player to dive to the ground to indicate his choice, that the foul perpetrated upon him, should be awarded.

Unwritten rules in football refereeing are pretty unhelpful.  We should stick to the written ones.

Thank you to all who supported the Celtic FC Foundation through the Great Scottish Run yesterday. I’m sure the participant numbers must have reached a new high as the Foundation tshirts seemed to be everywhere.

NEW CQN PODCAST FROM CELTIC PARK ON SATURDAY

Kevin Graham is back with a new CQN Podcast from Saturday. He talks to supporters on the bus on the way to Parkhead, interviews John Paul Taylor outside the ground and captures the atmosphere and action inside the ground before getting some more supporters’ views on the bus home after an eventful afternoon at Celtic Park.

Apologies for a few sweary words in this podcast near the end.

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  1. “We are no longer the strongest team in Germany,” said Sagnol afterwards, which is either disarmingly frank or a high-risk strategy to coax a bigger response from his players.

     

     

    – The Guardian. This morning.

  2. Hello from a warm but not so sunny Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife. We’re here until 13/10.

     

     

    Didn’t see the game on Saturday as I haven’t found a pub over here that shows Scottish fitba. Glad we kept the unbeaten run going. Must have been unusual for Lenny to get the benefit of honest mistakes from the MIB.

     

     

    The unbeaten run continues.

     

     

    HH

  3. Cosy Corner Bhoy on

    Reading back from my previous post re Madrid,so takes some time(think I read as fast as I walk nowadays!).

     

    Fantastic response to my request for info on Madrid. Keep them coming.. for the Catalan ‘hombre du liete’ they and me have done Barcelona many times before including the 6-1 humping (enjoyed everything bar the score) so Madrid it is!

     

    Re Harry Hood and Dixie Deans… my opinion is .. Harry Hood was a chicken hearted man with good football skills (IIRC, Davie Hay cited him as a reason to leave Celtic as playing got a bonus but injured and got SFA! ‘Nae chance he would get injured!).

     

    Dixie could score which he MAY have been doing the night before a game where he was in the Segton inKilwinning on the Saturday ‘waiting for a lift from Wee Bobby and Big Roy’!

  4. Celtic7

     

     

    Cheers for the info. I will be back in time for our next game but might check it out for the internationals.

     

     

    HH

  5. In my opinion Collum is a cheat and I don’t say that lightly. Everyone remembers the penalty he gave the old Rangers with his back turned to the incident. Amazingly in Scotland that wasn’t his biggest crime against Celtic.

     

    After the eyes on the back of his head penalty which was a dive from the egg cooker, Celtic rightly requested that WC refrain from officiating our matches. Of course the SFA ignored Celtic just like they are doing now regards a request for a review.

     

     

    The very next Celtic game that WC was referee was against Hamilton away.

     

    This is the game that proved beyond reasonable doubt that WC was a cheat and a game that should be provided to UEFA to get us out of this hole of a league.

     

    The vindictiveness of this performance was the worst Mibbery I can recall in 40 years of watching Celtic.

     

     

    Hamilton got a goal from a player who stood in an offside position and never once got himself back onside.

     

    James Forrest was redcarded for a book able offence, Nial Mcginn was taken out in the box with no penalty and Celtic also had a goal disallowed incorrectly.

     

    The spite on WC face said it all, how dare you effect my career by refusing to let me cheat.

     

    Celtic dropped two points that night and went on to lose the league under NL by a EBT cheating Rangers, by a single point.

     

     

    Yet some Celtic supporters want to move on.

  6. Coming out game on SAT we were talking about Willies worst

     

     

    decision against us.

     

     

    Obviously eyes in back of his head was #1

     

     

    But no2 was LC final against Killie in last minute Stokes virtually round keeper

     

     

    open goal chopped from behind..

     

     

    Willie play on might actually have booked Stokes

  7. thomthethim for Oscar OK on

    Cosy Corner Bhoy,

     

     

    Totally agree with you on the Hood/ Dixie debate.

     

     

    Harry had the showboating skills, but not the heart. I remember Dalglish bawling him out during a game. A match where the tireless Tommy Callaghan was getting his usual abuse from the antecedents of today’s boo boys.

     

     

    I wonder if it is a case of fathers’ who knew nothing about the game, passing on their lack of knowledge to their sons?

     

     

    Dixie, on the other hand, spared neither himself or his opponents. A great wee player, in the tradition of Celtic number nines.

  8. Beatbhoy

     

     

    I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for weeks. Has you phone number changed or are you just avoiding me?

  9. BETFRED CUPSaturday 21st October 2017

     

     

    15:00

     

     

    RangersvMotherwell

     

     

    Sunday 22nd October 2017

     

     

    15:00

     

     

    HibernianvCeltic

     

     

    From SPFL Website, we are playing on Saturday are we not?

  10. Doubt if rearranged Motherwell game on TV, the Vermin v Sheep is live on Sky same night

  11. Jinkyredstar

     

     

    Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

     

     

    SeinfeldCSC.

     

     

    Cadizzy.

     

     

    Sorry ’bout that. Trouble at t’mill. I’ll be in touch soon,darling.

  12. Cadizzy

     

     

    Seriously, thanks for your concern, but I’m fine, as I hope you and yours are too.

  13. to be fair Jinkyredstar pre- dates you

     

     

    all good….off to Cadiz on Thursday for four days three weeks after my last visit there which was my first in 38 years. My daughter is doing her year abroad there and location chosen with no pressure from me.

  14. Cadizzy

     

     

    41 years ago this month I set out for my year abroad in Bayern, which is quite near Munich, for all the Allianz visitors.

     

     

    Einundvierzig Jahre!

     

     

    I need a drink!

     

     

    Prost!

  15. Roll on Bitcoins and the like.

     

    No need for these 3rd party frsudsters called banks and you can audit your own taxes and everyone else’s. Enforce some honesty in these political fraudsters called governments. Unfortunately the current populist trend has to run its destructive brinksmanship course

  16. Unfortunately Hibs didn’t Hibs it at the weekend

     

     

    But Wullie certainly Collumsed it as he has done previously and will do again

  17. I know how you feel. 40 years ago this month for me going to Cadiz……by overnight coach to London then train the rest of the way!

  18. Trains to Dover, ferry Ostend, train to Frankfurt, arrived midnight, no trains to my destination, so wandering about Taunusstrasse, not a nice area, with all my luggage looking for a room!

     

     

    Not at all naive, or anything.

  19. fergusslayedtheblues on

    IMO collum

     

    had a perfect view if the SS incident and knew it was a penalty and just refused to give it

     

    pure and simple

  20. Collum? FFS.

     

     

    CHEATING wee fanny.

     

     

    The benefit-of-the-doubt-ers have been indulging in too much succulent lamb.

     

     

    They had less evidence at the Nuremburg trials.

     

     

    CHEATING wee fanny.

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