Angry Rangers boss Walter Smith has claimed that there has been a Celtic campaign to get decisions all season.
Smith was furious at the decision by Craig Thomson to award Celtic an 82nd minute penalty after Steven Davis and Anthony Stokes collided in the penalty box.
Early in the first half there was a similar incident involving Joe Ledley and Steven Whittaker with Smith bemused that the referee saw both incidents differently.
The Rangers said: “It’s not a penalty kick. But they got it and Allan McGregor saved it and Celtic will be happy now because their whole campaign this season has been the fact they have been asking for decisions.
“Well, they got one today and Allan McGregor saved it. That’s it. The whole of the season, all we have heard is that Celtic don’t get penalty kicks.
“They got one today and they tried to get another one as well and both of them were exactly the same in my mind – both of the players ran into the players and they weren’t penalties.”
Referring to the Ledley incident Smith added: “It’s dead easy to poke the ball by, the Celtic player runs into Steven Whittaker at the same time.
“I think that the referee got that one right and surprisingly the second one is exactly the same. I personally thought that Steven Davis caught him but when I saw it again I realised that he didn’t. And he was close to it, I didn’t think it was a penalty.”
Last month Smith also referred to a campaign from Celtic having an impact after watching the same referee, Thomson, change his mind and book Nikica Jelavic after initially awarding a penalty in the final of the Co-Operative Cup.
On that occasion the Rangers boss claimed: “It’s dangerous for a referee to do that, very dangerous. If it had been in the other penalty box, I don’t know.
“I just felt a wee bit aggrieved that Jelavic got booked because he gave a penalty and then he booked Jelavic.
“He must have thought himself there was something in the decision to give it in the first place.
“So it was strange, especially when there was a similar incident at the other end of the pitch.
“I would prefer to talk about winning rather than referees but I thought that was a very strange one.
“I said before when Celtic were mounting their campaign at the start of the season that if your team is good enough they will win.”
Neil Lennon saw today’s penalty decision differently and responded quickly to Smith’s claim that it shouldn’t have been given.
The Celtic boss said: “It is nonsense. Absolute nonsense. Have they not had penalties against us this season, one where the referee wasn’t even looking at it? Where is his argument there? It looked a penalty to me.
“People are telling me it is soft but I think the one with (Joe) Ledley in the first half could have been one, and the second one with (Anthony) Stokes, they are telling me there was contact although he did go down a bit dramatically.”
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This from a man who saw his team get three penalties in one game less than a week ago, and only one month ago said in the paper , when Kilmarnock said they were robbed of blatant penalties against Rangers, that he was sick of hearing other teams complain about penalties they don’t get or that Rangers do get. Funny that eh?
Walter has a petted lip due to the fact that our rookie manger now owns him….Walter you are a myth
THIS IS OUTRAGIOUS!!!!!!
This man is not only questioning the integrity, todays referee, but the integrity OF EVERY REFEREE IN SCOTLAND!!!
NEVER in all my years as a footbal supporter have I ever heard such a blatant accusation of bias,,,,nae, cheating, made against the institute of Scottish referees, who are guilty of nothing other than the odd ‘honest mistake’ in their entire existence!!!!!
If the SFA don’t make an example of such an unsportsmanlike rant, god only knows just what our national sport has become????
In all honesty, considering the recent attidude taken on such matters, I think it’s fare to say, a SIX match ban should be, not only expected but, demanded, by all right minded football supporters and pundits.
To all long suffering referees in Scotland:-
The right to withdraw your labour, is the right of every man.
Solidarity!!
I have no doubt the media in Scotland will rip this man apart in tommorows papers!
LICCl,CSC
(living in cloud coo coo land CSC!!)
The final act of desparation from the outgoing walter. This is his way of trying the Alex Fwerguson reverse psychology game. This is his way of sayinmg, we need penalties no, preferably three at a time with red cards to go along with them please…………. we are desparate. We have tried everythiong as you have read recently, but we still haven’t managed to overcome Lennons Bhoys. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
unfortunately for you wally myth, you will forever be a LOSER in your head to heads with mr lennon, the historical FACT shall forever show mr lennon 4 – wally the myth 2! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
And trying to use Celtic’s campaign for FAIR referees and equality in Scottish football will not change that, why it bothers you so much that Celtic FC want to be treated fairly I can not say,
I could understand if Celtic were asking for favours, if Celtic were asking to for preferential treatment, but they never have and never will.
All they ask for is a level playing field, if it bothers you that much then its a good thing your bailing out of the sinking ship that is Rangers at the end of the season!
CHEERIO, CHEERIO, CHEERIO!
I seem to remember Walter having a right good go, not so long ago, about being fed up listening to people moaning about penalties and complaining about refs, to thunderous applause from his laptop poodles while telling us that Mr Dignity NEVER does such a thing.
As far as I can remember he’s had a regular pop about both after every single game the huns have played for months, including in Europe.
It seems that complaining is bang out of order as long as the ‘honest mistakes’ are all heading the one direction, but as soon as we see anything even remotely like a level playing field walter gets to say anything he damn well pleases about any referee and quite openly calling them cheats without sanction!!
Dont let the door hit you on the way out Walter ( insert surname)
Your fooling no one
Paranoid Walter???
But Rangers do get penalties isn’t that right Walter, even when the referee has his back to the foul.
Give me a break.
We’ll just beat you on our own merits.
Wally Myth is such a fantastic manager, you can see why all the EPL and La Liga clubs are scrambling over each other to sign him up.
T hey are desperate for him to grace the EPL again after his last stint at Everton and do what Alex Ferguson has at Man United, but alas it appears he is headed to Spain.
Poor Mourhinio will be out of a job at the end of season when Real Madrid get Wally Myth after spending the last 4 seasons tapping him up. Now he has walked away from Rangers (with dignity of course) they can get their man.