Compared to the whining and squealing that followed Celtic’s 3-2 win in the previous SPFL Glasgow Derby, Steven McLean is getting a very easy time of it following his performance at Ibrox on Saturday.
At Celtic Park Kevin Clancy’s crime was to apply the Laws of the Game when Alfredo Morelos pushed and pulled at Alastair Johnston to create a yard of space and ‘score’.
Straight away Ally McCoist, Andy Walker and Kris Boyd were on the case calling out the travesty of justice and the inevitable consequences.
Micky Beale was soon rabble rousing with the Scottish media happy to play along with easy copy and talking points.Â
Not checked by VAR? Why @ScottishFA ? https://t.co/jIw6Mzflb1
— Michael McCahill (@MichaelMcCahi10) May 14, 2023
After letting John Souttar hold off Yuki Kobayashi to score the second goal at Ibrox on Saturday McLean wasn’t going to blot his copybook by awarding Celtic a penalty when Connor Goldson deliberately handled a ball cut back into the penalty box.
The former Shrewsbury star had his left arm raised above his body to deflect a potential shot while his right was stretched back to sweep away a cut back.
Walker, Ian Crocker and Bobby Madden were quickly on the scene with another interpretation of Goldson’s Law with any review of the incident quickly killed off.
With a proud record of 52 SPFL matches stretching back to January 2022 McLean wasn’t going to break that run, Saturday’s performance should see him back on the rota for next season’s Glasgow Derby fixtures.
McLean’s brother, Brian was a Murray Park starlet 20 years ago, Steven’s career highlight was refusing to punish Josh Meekings for a clear handball in the 2015 Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and Inverness Caley Thistle.
After bottling it with pointless statements about McLean and John Beaton in the past Peter Lawwell won’t be making any comment on Saturday’s match, in November Michael Nicholson told the Celtic AGM to expect teething issues with VAR.
Hand/arm didn’t fall naturally with the rest of him as protection , he deliberately drops arm to scoop the ball
— ??steve m?? ?? (@sdceltic1) May 14, 2023
It’s a penalty in any League other than the corrupt Scottish League. Amazing Celtic are gonna win the treble.
— Andy (@Bobolutontim) May 14, 2023
I said this, he has stopped the momentum of the ball
— Chris McCormack (@madcelt61) May 14, 2023
Should Celtic have been awarded a penalty for Connor Goldson's handball?
Yes, he knew what he was doing
No, it was accidental, correct call
You see with decisions yes that’s plural like that all season Goldson has got away with because of Scottish refs turning blind eye, but then when they do this in European ganes get found out and the penalty is awarded they start to complain about the decisions.
So their Mason friends in black in Scotland actually do them no favours at all because it comes back to bite them in bigger ganes when cheating is not allowed.
We lost the game because we were the poorer side on the day.
Move on ffs .
Editor: Play good or bad you should still have the Laws of the Game applied. Given a penalty shortly before half-time if it was scored you’d have seen a very different second half.
Sometimes the poorer side wins the game!
LIke ICT in the Scottish Cup semi-final in 2015! Move on?
Apparently the law is that you’re allowed to support your body weight with an arm when on the ground
The question would be is his arm already on the ground or in mid air.
If the ball had flicked into the air and hit the arm pointing straight up then, even in Scotland, they would have had to give a penalty
This incident allows for an “interpretation” of the rules and ……………. well you know the rest.
Editor: Left arm conveniently in the air, right hand conveniently back from his body for cut back.
Just makes you appreciate a possible upcoming treble all the more in what is basically one of the most biased corrupt leagues in football…but then, I suppose they do have to make sure of 2nd place for the CL money don’t they.
I alway apply the ‘how would I feel if it was Celtic’ theory. So using that, if it was given against Celtic I’d be raging. (It probably would have been given against Celtic, but that’s ‘Scots Law’ and has nothing to do with the actual rules of the game!)
The question we have to ask is if this was any other team who were leading against sevco would they get the penalty?
That’s when the “expert pundits” change the narrative from the rules interpretation to its a stone waller
Didnt we get a penalty when Efe Ambrose did something similar earlier in the season ?
Editor: No, Ambrose was standing when the ball bounced off him, there are dozens of bizarre penalties given for handball, Aberdeen v Hibs on Saturday but not with Goldson’s Law.