Apparently it is a showpiece fixture, watched and revered across the world as football fans tune in to the spectacle of the O** F***.
The reality is somewhat different, Sky Sports barely bother with the fixture, using it as a warm up or a filler to their exciting fixtures in The Championship.
Any curious neutral looking in on yesterday’s match will have witnessed a farce, one that seems as contrived as WWF as an exciting conclusion is reached to leave the ghoulish counting down to the next episode.
Should Michael Nicholson demand publication of conversations between Collum and Beaton?
Yes, we must have clarity and accountability
No, lets give VAR time to get over teething troubles
For the best part of 20 years Ian Crocker has been giving it the same introduction blah blah blah as the teams come out the tunnel, at Ibrox to a putrid atmosphere of hatred. There teams rarely fail to deliver is a favourite of the Sky Sports commentator.
Going into the match yesterday Celtic had conceded four penalties in 19 SPFL matches, all awarded since VAR was introduced to the SPFL. Curiously their opponents, toiling nine points back and 20 goals short of the league leaders have yet to have a penalty awarded against them in 19 games.
Match referee John Beaton and VAR Willie Collum delivered the result to keep interest flickering in a title race.
Two penalty incidents were pivotal to the outcome, bearing in mind the stats above the decisions went the way expected, Beaton went through the motions of consulting his Lanarkshire colleague before sticking with his decision despite the evidence.
While Celtic fans express their anger the SFA know that there will be no questions asked by Michael Nicholson, the hoops CEO told shareholders that there would be teething troubles.
Nicholson has been Company Secretary of Celtic since May 2013, he knows every detail of what went on the previous summer, a decade on Scottish football was celebrating the fixture that the Celtic CEO tried to export to Australia.
A penalty in any other league in the world pic.twitter.com/AqOyfR57eN
— JustAnOrdinaryBhoy (@ordinarybhoy) January 2, 2023
You won’t be surprised to hear that after 20 games the Huns are still the only team not to concede a penalty in the league. pic.twitter.com/vDU2qM2w5a
— 4 seasons, 12 trophies, history makers!!! (@ClarkKe01956140) January 2, 2023
Don’t be silly Timmy. Clearly the ball played him… pic.twitter.com/m8E6Orp7V8
— The Ayrshire Separatist. (@DanielJMath1) January 2, 2023
What do you think about this judge? I’m not convinced of that at all?#RANCEL #cinchPrem #COYBIG #CelticFC pic.twitter.com/HpFnVLJHBO
— Yatao Tsuchi (@yataoda4) January 2, 2023
They must be raging, even when we played below par and the refs were on script, they STILL couldn’t beat us! Nicholson/Celtic must come out publicly now, too long we’ve seen this crap.
Var video advantage rangers
So blatant is the one sided decisions that we are now expecting it as the norm.
After 6 games in Europe The rangers had 4 penalties awarded against them.
In the SPL after 19 games no penalties against.
I smell a rat….
Editor: Now at 20 SPFL matches while the league leaders have had five awarded against them, all since VAR was introduced.
103 voting no… hhun lurkers no doubt.
Would it be possible , in order to click the “no “ option , you also have to complete a simple explanation as to why you’re voting no .
I’m sure the lurkers then wouldn’t be able hide , and some answers would be hilarious, an article in itself .