Today was on Lawwell, Bankier and Nicholson, not Madden

Today’s refereeing performance at Hampden has been a long time coming, and clearly sign posted to the complicit Celtic board. 

From his earliest appointments Bobby Madden has had a very strange interpretation of the Laws of the Game. 

People in East Kilbride who knew the young Madden were amazed that he progressed so far so quickly, when he started getting Celtic matches he lived up to his reputation. 

After Madden had spoiled a game against St Mirren in March 2013, BBC Scotland reported Neil Lennon saying: 

We’re talking about the referee rather than the competitive nature of two good footballing teams. I haven’t said anything insulting or called the referee’s competence. I just thought he had an appalling game. 

Finally in March 2017 Madden got the fixture he had dreamed of being involved in. 

Kenny Miller and Jason Holt got away with outrageous attacks on Stuart Armstrong and Patrick Roberts but Madden saved his biggest decision for the closing minutes. Clint Hill scythed through Leigh Griffiths, like the earlier incidents Madden took no action. 

Since the summer of 2012 when Peter Lawwell nodded through the Five Way Agreement the Celtic board has been on mute. That board included Ian Bankier and the rising star Michael Nicholson. 

Any prospect of challenging the SFA has been neutered in the knowledge that the Five Way Agreement could be leaked with the names of the architects that drafted it released. 

At that time Lawwell’s dream of heading off to the EPL arm-in-arm with Martin Bain lay in tatters, as a consolation the Celtic CEO hoped to see the O** F*** revived after a three year break. 

In 2015 Steven McLean denied Ronny Deila a likely treble by denying Celtic a penalty and a red card for Josh Meekings of Inverness Caley Thistle.  

Under pressure from supporters Celtic sent a request for clarity to the SFA over the decision making, that was as far as they went with the issue quietly dropped. The following year McLean was rewarded with the Scottish Cup Final. 

Last February Madden was stopped late in the day when he was on route to a Ross County v Celtic match when he should have been self isolating. Such was his need for a match fee, mileage and an upcoming UEFA trip to Rome he ignored the fact that he had been a close contact of David Roome to try and referee a match. Fortunately The Sun contacted the SFA and Madden was dropped from the match.

Today, McLean, whose brother Brian started his football career with Rangers, was the fourth official for Madden at Hampden. 

Anyone aspiring to become a top referee in Scotland knows that joining the Glasgow or Lanarkshire Referee Associations will help their career, as will taking on board the refereeing styles of Madden, McLean and others.