After the game last night, I have to admit that I had a massive amount of dislike towards Neymar. I was wishing horrible injuries upon him during the game. I was thinking that if he never played another game of football, that wouldn’t really be a bad thing.
I’m not only referring to him, I’m referring to any footballers who are happy to dive around and feign injury in order to gain an advantage for their team. Some people will probably argue that Celtic players might do this at some point.My opinion is still the same. For years, I have admired Barcelona, however, I have never been a fan of players rolling around like a child playing ‘soldiers’ when someone has tackled them.
I was saying that a cheating scum bag like that doesn’t deserve to play for a club like Barcelona. Maybe that was just a case of being caught up in the emotion of the occasion.
Would I be happy to accept a Celtic win if it was one of our players acted in such a manner ? I’d like to think that Celtic wouldn’t be pleased to win in this manner.
That said, I would like to think that this view would be consistent throughout football. Or is it a case of if you can’t beat them, join them? Why a player with such ability has to resort to play acting in order to get a fellow professional sent off is beyond me.
Is it cheating ? Yes. Is it up to the referee to make the decision ? Most definitely. In turn does that mean that the referee is more at fault than the player ?
So why was the red card actually given ? Scott Brown was not the last man, it wasn’t a clear goal scoring opportunity and the referee was holding a yellow card then changed it to red.
Perhaps whoever speaks to these guys in their earphones told him to change it from yellow to red ?
The TV replay, media reports etc was saying that Brown aimed a kick at the player. I don’t think he did at all. Brown fouled the guy and while both of them are still moving, Brown’s foot has brushed against him.
Keep in mind that these guys can be running at anything up to about 12 mph. In turn that means that they cannot stop immediately. There’s a thing called momentum and for me, that’s what caused Brown to catch Neymar.
Another way to look at it. If you watched the game in the stadium, did you think it was a straight red ? If watching on TV, did you think on the first view that it was a red card ? I don’t know about TV viewers but I’m certain the vast majority in the stadium disagreed with it being a red.
Neymar’s reaction was utterly shameful. That’s why I had so much anger towards him.
In the past, we have heard that some players have come to Celtic Park on a Champions League night and been blown away by the atmosphere. I think the same thing happened to the referee last night. He seemed to be erratic at best.
Given the fact that this blog would never be published if I repeated my opinions of the referee that I held during the game, I wont bother. However, if this is the top club competition in world football, we need the top players, top clubs and also the top officials.
Moving on to the game itself. Barcelona didn’t make very many chances against us when it was 11 v 11. We had a few good chances, James Forrest took his shot well and credit to Victor Valdes for the save.
Shortly after that, Charlie Mulgrew’s header went wide. For me, that was as bad a miss as Efe Ambrose’s header at home against Juventus last season.
Perhaps that’s the difference between a top side and between us. A top end and massively expensive defender would have been more likely to have scored. Unfortunately, money talks in football and that’s why we can’t afford the high end players that might allow us to win such games.
The group has four more games to go so there’s nothing to say that we cannot qualify. Ajax at home and away for the next two games will define what happens now.I’d hope for a home win against Ajax, perhaps a point or three over in Amsterdam and then we have Milan at home. Celtic, the management, fans and players already know that we are capable of competing against the teams in this group.Despite two defeats in two games, all is certainly not lost and if we can perhaps be a bit more clinical with our finishing and have a bit more luck, then maybe we can get out of this group.
Which moves me on to the final question for this blog. What is best, qualifying for the last 16 and almost certainly loose in that game or would a third place finish be better to allow us into the Europa League ?
Obviously getting into the Europa League would not guarantee progression but I just feel that maybe we would be more likely to proceed in the Europa league than the Champions League.That said, I would never want us not to be in the Champions League. Think of the build up to it. Think of the atmosphere itself. We would be mad to want to give that up.
Brown deserved to get sent off for violent conduct (I know there was never any doubt he would injure Neymar but the laws of the game would conclude that it was violent conduct).
Neymar could still have and should have been cautioned for feigning injury. (he should have also been cautioned in the first half for the same thing). So poor refereeing as had Neymar been already been awarded the caution would he have reacted in the same way to Brown’s kick?
Either way Broony let us down big time. Deserved red, but yes Neymar is a cretin.
Brown opened his foot up and had a sly kick at him when he was on the deck. Hopeful Neil will dish out a deserved punishment.
that was never a straight red.the ref had a yellow card in his hand first (which would have been acceptable) then he looked at neymar’s acting and swapped to red .if the brasilian was’nt the most expensive player on the pitch he would’nt have .as for the player himself .he’ll never overtake messi for ability or professionalism.typical brasilian theatric’s shame’s a great barca team. as for broony he’s come a long way and really developed into a great player/captain but the petulance has got to go.keep the steel but ditch the victimised attitude.HH ps great effort by the bhoys onwards and upwards.
The ref made a mess of it. He goes for a yellow (in fact he has it in his hand) and then sees Neymar holding his right side, thinks about it and shows the red. If you watch the replay, the ref indicates that Brown kicked Neymar’s right side but if you watch the “kick” Brown brushed his left arm. Cheating by any standard or definition. The ref has made an assumption after protests from the Barça players (and maybe a word from one of the other officials) and got it wrong. Brown, however, is stupid in giving him a decision to make!
Would Iniesta have been sent off for a similar incident with Samaras? Not a chance. Would he be castigated in the same way as Brown if he was? Not a chance. The papers would be full of criticism of the referee.
i agree 100% with you frank if the referee had booked neymar in the 1st half for simulation instead of pointing a finger at him simulation is a bookable offence then neymar and alves would not have been falling over all night neymar came on the park with the intention of getting a celtic player sent off and he achieved his aim by cheating rolling about holding his back screaming when his back had not been touched then alves shouting in referees face one cheat sticking up for another that’s why ref changed from yellow to red
scott brown was silly to flick his boot at the arm of the cheat neymar it was not a kick in the back as all and sundry are saying but the thing is the ref had a yellow card in his hand until neymar started rolling about screaming holding his back and dani alves another player who threw himself to the ground all night but dished out some crude tackles and got no punishment .
If the the ref had booked neymar in 1st half for simulation instead of pointing a finger at him he and alves may have stopped throwing themselves to the ground all night do you notice the common denominator both are brasilian
I am very disappointed with Scott Brown. He let us down in Milan by elbowing the Milan player in the face off the ball. He was yellow carded but should have been sent off. The resulting free kick led to Milan’s second goal making it impossible for Celtic to fight back for an equalizer.
Now he has let us down again and it didn’t surprise me one iota. Brown should have the captains armband removed at least until he gets the immature thuggery out of his play. I suggest Mulgrew would be a good replacement. Neil Lennon should stop making excuses for Brown. He has let us down in both CL games and will be suspended for at least the next 2.
i think if you study the incident in milan brown did not elbow balotteli i repeat did not elbow watch incident balotteli tried to elbow brown who seen it coming and put his hand up to his face to protect himself now with this motion balotteli caught brown on the arm browns only crime was he did not go down holding his face because balotteli seeing brown protecting himself and he only made contact with browns arm took the chance to go down and got a free kick now i have studied this incident at least twenty times frame by frame have you or are going by seeing it once
Balotteli done the same thing against Ajax last nigh getting AC an equalising pen in injury time. He basically just came up behind the Ajax man, grabbed his shirt with both hand and dragged the player down and both landed on the deck with that ratbag acting as though it was the other way around. The ref turns round sees ratbags antics.
Penalty AC.
I originally though Broonie was really hard done by, that’s why I gavehim a shout early this morning, since then I saw a vid on 101 Great Goals at 8:14 on Newsnow, which clearly shows Broonie having a sly kick at that cheating bassas arm, then passing his back roughly brushing against him. Neymark obviously made the most of what was nothing more than mild rough housing, but wtf did Broonie expect from this cheating ratbag??
Red card was VERY soft, but Broonie deserved it for sheer stupidity, WTF WAS HE THINKING???
When you consider what was at stake he deserves a hefty steel toe capped boot in the hawmaws!!
HH
Brown was certainly on a deserved yellow card for bringing Neymar down, but to aim a sly, sleazy wee kick at him when he was down, was just plain neddish behaviour. Make no mistake, Brown definitely aimed a flick of his boot at Neymar, and apparenty stood on his hand too. This was why he was shown a red. And this is why his actions let the entire Celtic family down.
Neymar, being Brazilian, played it for all it was worth. Of course if someone had farted in a nearby parking lot Neymar would have been blown off his feet and possibly fatally injured by the wind created — until the ref awarded a free kick. Referees have to start showing many more cards to the divers and ‘mortally-wounded soldiers’ who spend more time writhing on the ground than playing football.
There’s far more physical contact in rugby, yet FAR fewer stoppages for ‘Ãnjuries’ — which is a very clear indication that diving for Oscars is certainly an epidemic in football. Ref’s have to decide between taking strong action against the playactors — or stopping the game every time there’s ANY form of physical contact.
If neytmare is worth 40+ million. Then sammi must be worth 80+ million. Just saying what I see. Our captain was a twat. And nobody knows that more than our captain. This might be be broonys final education to maturity. Who knows. It’s all part of the rich Celtic tapestry. But I must tell you the truth I was very disappointed in our team and management tactics. We had no chance of winning that game. If we approach any game with that crappy attitude that were punching above our weight shite. Then we have no chance. Only sammi proved that we could actually play football. It was fuking embarrassing. We played ten times better in the San Siro. And I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. We are a hundred times better than that show we put in.
Brooooooooony, ya feckin eejit. Up until he got red carded I thought he was having a terrific game, like a terrier all over the park. His lack of self control has let himself, the team and the fans down badly. Forget about Neymar and the ref, if Broony hadn’t had the sly kick we wouldn’t be feeling gutted.
Pye, 100% on big Sammy he’s a demigod. I must say though up until the sending off I couldn’t see us losing that game. My god we are so close to not just competing with these teams but beating them regularly. We need to by a goal machine in January. Hail hail