Lafferty-Zheng Zhi
The SFA have left Craig Thomson out of Celtic and Rangers’ next two matches leaving him free to take charge of the January 2 derby at Ibrox.
Thomson hasn’t been given the derby fixture since his below par performance in October last year forced disgraced former refereeing chief Hugh Dallas into a second hand apology.
During that match Thomson denied Celtic two clear cut penalties, booked Shaun Maloney and Mark Wilson for simulation, awarded Davie Weir immunity from being cautioned and ignored an x-rated challenge on Celtic’s Zheng Zhi from Kyle Lafferty.
Willie Collum has also been omitted from the next two rounds of fixtures for both clubs but it’s very unusual for any referee to be given back-to-back Celtic-Rangers matches.
The only remaining referees who have previously taken charge of the Glasgow derby are Calum Murray and Steve Conroy who has been in the refereeing equivalent of Siberia this season.
Murray, who apologised to Terry Butcher after awarding Rangers a penalty in their last outing at Inverness, has been given Celtic’s Boxing Day match with St Johnstone.
Although there is another round of fixtures before the January 2 clash it’s unlikely that the same referee would be given matches involving the same club on successive weekends. Celtic’s December 29 match with Motherwell will be refereed by Stephen Finnie.
One more and you're booked
Willie Collum makes an unwelcome return, weather permitting, to Celtic Park tomorrow for the match with Kilmarnock, hopefully his positional sense and ability to watch the match will have improved since the Rangers fiasco in October when he awarded Rangers a penalty for an incident which he didn’t see.
Rangers match at Dundee United is due to be refereed by Thomson who was down for the original postponed fixture.
On Sunday Iain Brines will be in charge of Rangers match at Motherwell with Alan Muir in the middle for their midweek trip to St Johnstone.
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Doesn’t matter what name you see…they all give me the heeby jeebies……..
Murray’s “apology” to Butcher ?? You couldna’e make it up…after the sackings and expose’s of these people …you’d think they’d wait a couple of weeks at least…no way…straight back in there….shower of cheatin’ bassas….
I’ve got a feeling that there’s a LOT MORE to come….
you’re not far wrong there mike. forget the mcdonald and dallas affairs, they will be back to normal as soon as the weather improves and doing their best to help the huns to some more champions league money to clear the debts and pay of her maj.
i mean come on lets be honest, thomson would be one of the last people we want to officiate that match and would be first on huns fans list of preferred officials for it.
cheating scum and it will continue indefinitely. every name there suggested as possible official would not inspire confidence in me of honesty. not a one.
Is this the same Craig Thomson who’s company have a large maintenance contract at Ibrox.
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