19/09/09 CLYDESDALE BANK PREMIER LEAGUE.KILMARNOCK v RANGERS.RUGBY PARK - KILMARNOCK.Rangers boss Walter Smith (left) is sent to the stand by referee Steve Conroy (Photo by Steve WelshSNS Group via Getty Images)
With Alan Muir in the spotlight of social media it seems strange that legacy outlets have decided against any follow up content on the full-time SFA employee who lied about a factual overturn in order to deny Celtic an equalising goal away to Hibs on February 22.
Celtic fans have had their suspicions about Muir since his role in the 2015 Josh Meekings handball, a decade on he is still being selected to influence Celtic matches, these days as a full time VAR official rather than as an Additional Assistant.
It doesn’t require too much detective work to figure out patterns in matches that Muir has been involved in.
The Maeda ‘goal’ at Easter Road wasn’t his first wrong decision involving Celtic this season, in October away to Motherwell another Maeda ‘goal’ was disallowed, rightly for handball but Muir decided to miss the push that resulted in Maeda using his arm to put the ball in the net.
In every West of Scotland workplace people know the footballing allegiances of their colleagues, other referees know what Muir is.
Steve Conroy revels in his role as the Celtic fan referee, it ensures regular gigs from legacy outlets but now and then that carries risk, you might slip up and compromise one of your former colleagues.
Tuning in to Off The Ball in January 2023 the Daily Record reported:
Steve Conroy told the BBC’s Off the Ball programme that he was the only official to ever send off the former Scotland boss during his time at the Ibrox club. Smith was furious at a decision during the showdown with Kilmarnock in September 2009 which eventually ended 0-0, where Pedro Mendes was shown red for the visitors while Manuel Pascali was given his marching orders for the hosts by Conroy in the heated clash.
The former whistler also claimed an ex-referee was a “notorious bluenose” – and immediately regretted pointing out the touchline antics of the boss. Alan Muir was the fourth official between Smith and Killie boss Jim Jefferies that day. Conroy said: “I’m still the only one that has sent off Walter Smith and that was at Kilmarnock.
“I won’t say who the fourth official was but it was a fourth official who got me to send him to the stands. It was hilarious. The fourth official was a notorious blue nose, and you know how we are all hooked up. He said, ‘Stevie, I can’t believe I’ve got you to do this.”
Having given details of the match it isn’t too difficult to discover that Muir was the fourth official, although he is mainly obscured in the image above his features are recognisable.
Even after Conroy outed him Muir continued to get matches involving the two Glasgow clubs as they battled for honours.
As well as his VAR duties Muir refereed five matches last season involving the club he supports and the one that he detests more than any other.
On August 20 he was in charge of Celtic’s League Cup defeat at Kilmarnock, producing a string of baffling decisions which are less baffling after the release of Friday’s audio from Easter Road. Afterwards he celebrated with the friendliest of handshakes with Derek McInnes.
On September 24 Motherwell were robbed of the chance on an equaliser at Ibrox when Muir blew up early for offside as the visitors piled the pressure on Micky Beale’s side.
On October 28 Celtic dropped points for the second time that season with a 0-0 draw away to Hibs.
December 20 and St Johnstone lose 2-0 at Ibrox with Diallang Jaiyesimi sent off after 30 minutes.
On March 2 Motherwell won 2-1 at Ibrox despite the hosts being handed a penalty to equalise in the 50th minute.
Based on that evidence and his VAR appointments Collum promoted Muir, a notorious bluenose in refereeing circles to join Greg Aitken and Andrew Dallas as the elite full-time VAR officials.
On Tuesday morning the SFA will publish the officials for this weekends matches.
NOTE: Conroy played the game to climb the refereeing ladder but overstepped the mark by disallowing a ‘goal’ from Marco Fortune in his only Glasgow Derby. In the same match he bottled out of sending off Kyle Lafferty for a horror attack on Andreas Hinkel.
The Trinity Tims podcast will be going out live tonight at 6.30pm, tune in and join the discussions.
(Photo by Steve Welsh/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Should Alan Muir be sacked by the SFA?
YES- He has gone too far
NO- He made one mistake, time to move on
The Bunnet, would not be sitting on his hands like our current Chairman or CEO are. But then I don’t think the Bunnet would be business partners with those that benefit from the “unconcious bias” of the official in question. It’s time Celtic grew a pair and got us on an even playing field. Its a dereliction of the duty of their office and responsibility to shareholders to allow us to be hindered in having access to fair practices.
I miss The Bunnet, a proper business man with a rod of steel as a backbone.
The SFA/ SPFL is like a secret society …the Masons ..a Bowling club /Golf club ! Full of cliques and crews of ‘ our own ‘ people . The only way to try to get rid of the corrupt and inept officials , is for all clubs who have had biased and blatantly wrong decisions against them over the decades , to get together , make a stand and speak publicly about all such injustices and wrongdoings from referees , linesmen , VAR officials and all other nodding dog jobsworths employed in Scottish football ? It will be very interesting to see which clubs ‘ boards get together to demand root and branch change …from top down to bottom ? It’s either that or just continue to be shafted and debased by offialdom in wee Scotland ! Take your pick ?
Playing “the devil’s advocate” for a minute (and I don’t mean Giovanni De Stefano), could there be an element of Collum giving peepul like Muir enough rope with which to hang themselves? Being an on-field official always has margins of error, mistakes (honest or otherwise) will always be made and the live action aspect of it can be a fig leaf to hide behind, but if you are the VAR with multiple replay angles to use and a voice recorder under your chin to capture your decision making process, you WILL get caught eventually if you’re not playing it straight…
Editor: There is that possibility but since it was Collum that gave Muir his full time VAR jolly which kind of kills that theory…
You know the expression “keep your friends close – but your enemies closer”?
“Sevco have just issued 27.6 million new shares following on from 18 million last month.”
“The reason for the new shares, which were issued in February, is not yet clear.”
Eh! What?
And our Club said…?? …That’s right…Feck all as usual….Not fit for purpose.
willie collum is the worst ref i have ever seen not bias but sheer incompetence that fact that he is now the head man is disgraceful but as i have said on other posts until the grossly ovepaid invisible man gets up aff his backside then it wiil be the same old story. can anyone come up with a plan to get rid of this wage cheat ?.
All I can say is Thank Fuck that I no longer pay over a turnstile to watch a cheating farce !