GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 25: BBC Sport Scotland microphone pictured ahead of a William Hill Championship match between Partick Thistle and Falkirk at Wyre Stadium at Firhill, on April 25, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
John Barnes couldn’t contain his anger as Celtic scored a stoppage time penalty to beat Kilmarnock to return to top place in the SPFL Premiership.
After 30 years working for BBC Scotland Sport he has witnessed some incredible decisions down the years from the Josh Meekings handball in the 2015 Scottish Cup semi final through to one club enjoying two spells of 60 plus SPFL matches without conceding a penalty.
Despite having all of that experience to call on Barnes felt that the award of a penalty to Celtic when Lewis Mayo raised his hands to block a goal bound shot from James Forrest ‘tops the lot’.
It was Celtic’s third penalty claim of the day with Goldson’s Law applied on the two earlier incidents.
“Tops the lot”
In order:
Pen
No pen
Pen
No pen
Pen
Pen
No pen
Pen
No pen
Pen
No pen
No pen
No pen https://t.co/t5TdhZYZHt pic.twitter.com/LldauVY1Pb— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) September 15, 2025
To assist Barnes and the others in Kenny Macintyre’s WATP Whats App group the SFA providing BBC Scotland and others with a short statement explaining the decision.
A few weeks ago Alloa had a penalty awarded against them at Ibrox in similar circumstances, on the VAR Review Willie Collum explained why Hibs should have been awarded a penalty against St Mirren for a late handball.
Mayo raised his hands towards the ball, fairly simple decision but one that John Beaton wouldn’t have awarded without a call from the VAR.
Even if it was accidental a penalty is awarded if handball blocks a net-bound shot.
For the next 12 days the SPFL table on the BBC website will make troubling viewing for Barnes with both of his teams yet to win a match in the Premiership.
It was a stonewaller he could have easily turned his back but he extends his arm. making himself bigger, many times do you see players put their arms behind their back when crosses are getting put in it was a penalty fuck the haters.
— hail hail (@sataylor83) September 15, 2025
The ones against Goldson obviously don’t count. He was their keeper and went through a run of pulling off some great saves.
— Ryan Murphy (@Murphy1up) September 15, 2025
No wonder you no longer work for the BBC when you can’t even be bothered to read and understand the current rules in handball.
— Cautious Dave (@cautiousdave) September 14, 2025
There where 3 penalty claims in the match, the first 2 the player had their hand into the sides not expanding the profile and were correctly not awarded.
With me so far?
The final 1, ball was a shot at goal the defenders arms & hands had expanded his profile, penalty.
Simple.— Joe (@JGS1888) September 15, 2025
— OMMAR (@RAGINGBULL1984) September 14, 2025
If that’s the one that tops the lot then you’ve got a sheltered life,there’s easily been worse ones than that
— sprite83 (@Scotcraig833) September 14, 2025
Rangers supporting ref punishes their top 6 rivals Kilmarnock with a last minute penalty.
— Eddie Cassidy (@edcassidycomedy) September 15, 2025
Hun tears, a great hangover antidote for a Monday morning……..
HH
INXS had a late-period single called ‘Bitter Tears’.
Can’t get that tune out of my head this morning for some reason….
I only wish the keeper had saved the penalty. He was off his line so you can imagine the total meltdown when we get to take it again ?
@Andy C
Not only that,there were 4 of their players encroaching as he ran up to hit the ball !
As you said,the meltdown of all meltdowns.
I seem to remember Ross County having 2 goes at it against us a couple of seasons ago in Dingwall.
If that had happened there would have been more wailing and gnashing of teeth than in North Korea after the death of Kim Jong Il…. the unseen Fenian hand of, err, John Beaton finally exposed!
Kettle-smell deserved and got NOTHING!
If tactics like his had been around in the early days of football – it would never have taken off.
Anti-football crap deserves nothing and gets nothing.
Bet he wishes he had played open expansive football now.
Too late mate!
Obviously worried about the relegation fight they could be in with Kilmarnock,remember the Kyogo goal v Hearts,the outcry,ridiculous,every time we get a decision, but nothing when it goes against us which is the norm for us,suck it up, penalty given,2.1 the Celtic H.H.
P.S.
Cheers John ?
Obviously worried about the relegation fight they could be in with Kilmarnock,remember the Kyogo goal v Hearts,the outcry,ridiculous,every time we get a decision, but nothing when it goes against us which is the norm for us,suck it up, penalty given,2.1 the Celtic H.H.
P.S.
Cheers John ?
When you read that fannys thoughts on the penalty it makes the decision and the conversion of the penalty all the sweeter,let’s hope his next shite is a hedgehog.
Think Sevco and the Sevco loving media have got more to worry about than us.
Like a free flowing Motherwell, or an energetic Hibs, Hearts already showed them how shite they are.
Even when they are 10th…..yes 10th..ooh that sounds nice :), they still canny take their eyes off the Celtic.
There was virtually an identical award for Hibs on Saturday, anyone notice any meltdown about that?
Aye Bhoy4life, my nephew sent me a text after their result: WATP, We Are (in) Tenth Place.
Hell slap it intae them, nothing more than what they deserve.
Iheanacho showed balls of steel wanting to step up and take the penalty
None of them want to talk about that
‘Spot’ on, Harold! 🙂
My last attempt at humour fell on it’s arse, Joe, and I was going to make a witty quip about giraffes and gorillas, but decided against it. Kettlewell’s team are quite a menagerie, though and he whines like a hyena.
Wee Jum MC Lean marked Barnes’ card back in the day … remember ?
It does seem rather strange with the match officials / VAR this season?
The penalty given to Celtic yesterday: you would not have expected it to be given
last season, or the season before that, etc.
And especially when Celtic was drawing – and well into added time.
Likewise, the hertz penalty award on Saturday seemed a wee bit soft-ish,
and last season or previous seasons, you couldn’t see that EVER being given at ibrox,
and especially when sevco was also losing 0-1?
Very confusing / inconsistent from the match officials…? 🙂
After seeing the replay I said to my wife: “Even Beaton can’t deny us that.”
He had both hands forward and almost certainly stopped a goal. That’s a stonewaller in my book. I didn’t see the new huns game but was very surprised they had a pen given against them, regardless of the circumstances, quite late on when ‘they’ could’ve rescued the result. It’s very hard for the ‘officials’ to get away with blatant cheating now with VAR but they still employ other tactics like awarding free kicks against us for nothing and giving us free kicks to break our rythm when we don’t want them but VAR has forced SOME change I’m glad to say.
Is that Barnes that was an utter DISASTER as Celtic Manager !
Wish everyone would stop saying ‘rangers’ are tenth and just come out and admit they are THIRD BOTTOM!!