Four days and three statements after losing to Celtic the managed anger at Ibrox has moved in a very sinister direction.
Alongside the on the record comments from their un-named spokesman the Ibrox club have informed their media messengers that they’ve asked for Willie Collum not to be involved in future matches.
Taking their lead from the howling on social media the agenda is very clear. It isn’t football decision making that Ibrox fans object to but Collum’s background.
When the Lanarkshire based referee was appointed for his first Glasgow Derby in October 2010 most media outlets highlighted the fact that he was an RE teacher in a Catholic Secondary School.
Collum duly obliged by awarding a penalty against Celtic for an incident that he didn’t see, a pattern of decision making that has maintained his place at the top of the pecking order with the SFA with rewards including lucrative European appointments.
The agenda is as clear as when Walter Smith decided to call out the decisions of a linesman whose surname was Murphy.
Rangers ‘request’ Willie Collum kept away from their matches going forward after Celtic penalty callhttps://t.co/LvStfoiXO6 pic.twitter.com/9H3BtfKOyG
— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) January 3, 2024
Back in season 2018/19 Collum went six months without refereeing a match involving Steven Gerrard’s side after Alfredo Morelos was sent off in a win away to St Mirren. During that period the Lanarkshire referee took charge of Champions League matches involving Juventus, Paris Saint Germain and Galatasaray. He also refereed Valencia twice between Ibrox appointments.
It is hard to raise bring a Disrepute Charge against an un-named Ibrox spokesman but every match in which Collum isn’t in charge will show up the weaknesses of the SFA led by the spineless duo of Ian Maxwell and Crawford Allan.
??they are opening Pandora’s box here…. We can then request 90% of refs are kept away from our games, they would be screwed even more then ??….. this has to be the meltdown of the decade
— JonathanWick (@Batman2020lives) January 3, 2024
To make this known publicly is only to incite a hate campaign against collum. All we heard in the lead up to this game was about the pressure being put on officials.
As soon as one doesn’t go in their favour they are setting out to try ruin Collum.
Disgraceful behaviour.
— Abada-cadabra (@ThePundit_) January 3, 2024
One thing for the knuckledragger fans to go after Collum, but another thing entirely for the club to paint a target on his back. Lowlife scum in the boardroom too, clearly.@scottishfa should put Collum in charge of the next Sevco game as a fyck you.
— CG44 (@Ticketustastic) January 3, 2024
Disgraceful that Rangers should be inciting hatred towards this man, and absurd that they should feel entitled enough that they think they can choose their referees. All by design to intimidate referees and the authorities to give them even more favourable treatment.
— glaikit (@glaikit) January 3, 2024
Surely his colleagues will come out in support of him and call a strike
— ViewsfromtheJungle79?? (@ViewsfromtheJun) January 3, 2024
This is truly disgusting. We all know why Collum gets singled out. He is dreadful but so is every other official in Scotland. Why Wullie? Cause he worked at an RC school.
— NEILJUNG67 (@NEILJUNGERS67) January 3, 2024
Juve were demoted for influencing who can and cannot officiate their matches, and we call the Italians corrupt.
— JD ? (@JD676767) January 3, 2024
#BrassNeck #ScotlandsShame pic.twitter.com/JDM5of0Smk
— Joseph Brooks (@JosephBrooksPA) January 3, 2024
Right Celtic request the same about beaton Dallas McLean Robertson Dickinson Aitken Muir Clancy
— Joe Lisbon 67 (@joe21163) January 4, 2024
I hope the next rangers game has a crazy decision. Like Sima’s handball that other clubs are asking for meetings and requesting certain refs stay away
— Sloany PRC ? (@Sloany2022) January 3, 2024
This is embarrassing… If that’s the case can we keep Beaton, Walsh and Dallas away from Aberdeen v Rangers games in the future.
— Craig Moir (@CraigDons32) January 3, 2024
Getting rid of him because he’s Catholic rather than get rid of him because he’s hopeless just shows that Scottish football and Scottish media is still as backwards as it ever was with bigotry.
— Binderdunnit (@njpc1888) January 3, 2024
The Rangersmeltdown continues to be entertained by the SFA. What other club would be indulged so publically?
This all happens against a backdrop of absolute silence from the Celtic board. Happy to make one liners at the AGM but God forbid they stand up and call out this madness. Balogaoun spat at our supporters, at the very least Celtic should be asking what punishment is forthcoming, they should also be asking media outlets including Sky Sports why they haven’t reported it. If I were the Cetic board I would start restricting press access until they started showing the club some degree of respect and acting in a fair manner. I won’t hold my breath though, a club run by bussiness men and not football fans will always put the balance sheet first and the fans and reputation of the club a very distant second!
Are they still going on about that penalty?
They were only give one against them in their last match to stop them having the dishonourable record.
As an aside, Sutton seems to be the media darling at the moment and as such he has calmed his comments right down. The attack on Hart where he was hit on the side of the face with a boot showing full studs, was brutal but describe by him as these things happen”.
I suppose he needs all the money he can get.
Why doesn’t your man across the water with his press pass not contact the European governing bodies of football and highlight how 1 klub in Scotland is directly instructing the SFA which officials to appoint to their own games,now if that’s not CORRUPTION and bringing the game into disrepute what is.
As someone posted before Juventus got a right good kick in the BALLS with steele toecap boots on when trying this.
Wait to see if the sfa reply to this demand first .
This is WASP action at its finest….Every decent person knows that Collum’s private life, as well as his refereeing career, is now potentially ruined…and if the SFA fails to sanction Sevco regarding this…then the game is well and truly fecked.
It is disgraceful what Sevco gets away with….and it needs to be addressed…Jildy quick !!
But it won’t be Celtic FC who addresses it.
NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE.
With regard to most comments here I think the main point is being missed. The new huns bosses are all masons. The Scottish football bosses are all masons. The refs are all masons. Lawwell and Nicholson are almost certainly masons. The media are all masons. Before we hear a chirp about any of this it will all have been agreed in the various lodges.
The wailing of the new huns, the response of the football bosses, the way it’s put across in the media and the silence of Celtic PLC. All fukkin agreed.
Until Desmond (another mason no doubt) and Lawwell & Co are replaced with decent folk and the supporters are represented (by the right folk) then expect more of the same.
Lawwell & Co shoulld be hounded out of Celtic along with the rest of the current shower but this is not new and too many Celtic supporters clearly don’t care enough or know enough to take action. Bad things happen when good folk see it but do nothing. The old backae the bus attitude that has been instilled into too many Tims since birth is difficult to shift once ingrained but I’ve managed it (from school age) so others can too.
My attitude change coincided with my seeing through religion and dropping it and I’ve been happily secular ever since. My dear Mum (a devout Catholic) was hurt by this but reluctantly accepted it over the years.
Anyway, unless you’re prepared to take action, I think you should shut TF up.
PS Whilst I agree with stopping buying merchandise, and have done for years, it’s a different matter giving up supporting the team. IMHO demonstrations by huge numbers on match days is the most likely strategy to succeed and banners inside CP and at away grounds calling out the cheating and exposing the same club shite. Sevco has NEVER been a football club, born a company in 2012 and still the same company with a new name in 2024. Lest they forget!
Why dont you shut TF up Mr fckn know it all. What exactly have you done?
And your point is, Mr R Sole?
Don’t fukk about with the big Bhoys, pal, you’re way out of your depth.
Now run along, though you could always make a point, if you’re able!
Ha Ha Ha Ha. The side splitting comedian.
Oh the irony. Sevco want rid of a ref who gives them everything. The Uncle Tom that he is doesn’t want to be viewed as a Cafflic who gives them nothing. So not only does Collum do the opposite, he goes above and beyond. Sevco have benefitted from more honest mistakes from Collum than I can count. Just to put the cat among the pigeons, Celtic should put their own request in, asking that every other referee be removed from Celtic fixtures. Why should one club call out the integrity of a referee and their request be granted, when the rest of the league have to put up week in week outwith ‘honest mistakes’ that generally advantage the team from Ipox
Nice thought Shona – But Celtic will do SFA – sweet fcuk all…
‘Twas the way then – ‘Twas the way now – T’will be the way always !
“Lowlife Scum”
is not bad. But I think
“The Lowest Of The Low”
is better.
“Filth”
in any of it’s connotations does it for me, though!
You imagine that scum running through the streets of Belfast or Derry with loaded rifles.
It is the same filth! Yes,
“Filth”
does it for me!