GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Referee Don Robertson during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park, on September 27, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Don Robertson put in a horrific refereeing display to help ensure that Celtic dropped points at home to Hibs today.
The hoops were short of their best, lacking a cutting edge in the final third but they are still entitled to be refereed by the Laws of the Game.
Despite being in possession of the ball for 77.2% of the game Robertson only awarded one free kick to Celtic, that came in the closing minutes for a trip on Ben Nygren.
Amazingly, or maybe not, Hibs were awarded 16 free kicks from just 22.8% possession.
Typically in Celtic matches the ball is in play for around 56 minutes, Hibs were awarded a free kick every 48 seconds that they were in possession of the ball.
Celtic fans are well used to seeing opponents awarded free kicks on demand, whenever they are approached by a Celtic player a fall to the ground almost always results in a free kick being awarded allowing a breather to get organised.
Robertson took that policy to extremes today, normally when stats like that are being created a few late decisions can help cover up the ‘anomaly’ but Robertson was in the zone today to deliver the required result.
Performances like that have allowed the Glasgow based referee to come up through the ranks with his first claim to fame being the Alex Schalk penalty that he awarded to Ross County when there was almost a metre of fresh air between the Ross County forward and Erik Sviatchenko.
Hibs used every tactic to slow the game down knowing that their time wasting wouldn’t be punished.
Robertson added three minutes onto the first half and four at the end of the second period.
During the first half two ‘head knock’ stoppages were taken after routine headers from Hibs players.
The biggest example of time wasting was midway through the second half when Hibs were awarded a free kick, two balls were on the pitch with the Hibs goalie and a defender kicking each one off to eat up more time.
Soon afterwards Cameron Carter-Vickers was booked for a firm but fair tackle, allowing Hibs more time to rest and regroup.
Brendan Rodgers will be working on finishing with his players this week, Robertson will be enjoying the congratulations of a job well done knowing that there are plenty more Celtic appointments coming his way.
Today was Celtic’s sixth SPFL Premiership match with Robertson refereeing three of them.
Unfortunately for Celtic fans Michael Nicholson isn’t going to question issues like this with the SFA who retain all of the paperwork from the summer of 2012.
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In a land of shit referees he is head and shoulders above any and all of the rest.
Many if not most referees in scotland are more likely to be sevco supporters we all know that , and calling them shit lets them off the hook , a dirty cabal of losers in a pond of of lowlife , robber_son with his stupid looking head upon his shoulders knows well he’ll amount to nothing outside scottish football like the rest of the cnuts , although beathun dullass the walsh the whelk have done their duty they need another fraud like robberson to do his part
If Celtic players should make to go in to tackle but instead hold back, opponents would still fall and get a foul awarded by that dob.
Utterly ridiculous performance from Robertson today. I am tired hearing that as long as refs get the big calls correct then there is not really grounds for complaint. Nonsense. Robertson almost lost his dentures on several occasions today blowing for fouls against Celtic for perfectly good challenges. The booking for CCV needs to be challenged by Celtic. Also, the time added on for stoppages was blatantly wrong.
While I am here, Joe, I’d just like to make an observation. The media has been at pains to stress that Hearts will be a very strong challenger for Celtic’s crown this season. Very tough, energy sapping games against them predicted. It is not by any coincidence, I’m sure, that Hearts are programmed to play Celtic immediately after the Sturm Graz match, immediately before the Roma match, immediately after the Bologna match and immediately before the Utrecht match. It is also worth noting that at no point in the season are Sevco programmed to face Hearts anywhere near a European tie.
Same everytime
We’ve always been up against it over last few years but today’s game is got to be the most blatant, sum people will say high count is because we’re closing down and pressing play(could be) but ultimately it breaks up play and teams can regroup,but seems to be norm but makes for sum shit football, if it ain’t sitting in blooter an run like fk,,, and we’re shit at defending that type of play,, usual anybody but celtic to win league,,
Official complaints have to be raised by both Rodgers and Nicholson. RoberTson needs to be questioned openly and Celtic must refuse to participate in games with him involved. He’s not “poor”…
I’ve had enough of this in games involving us. theRangers create holy hell when they’ve got a beef about a ref and they get away with it. Time we started exposing these issues. I often wonder if they’d be as blatant if they were full-time and their livelihood depended on their performances.
The blatant unchecked rank rotten performances have to be challenged out in the open. Sick to the back teeth of us not doing anything about it.
He has done this for years, Thompson before him, was an expert at it…. Hard/Soft refereeing I call it, Celtic players are booted with impunity and as soon as the opposition are touched it’s a foul.
Every other game he’s been involved in we have managed to scrape a result by the odd goal as he constantly makes the game more even by this tactic, well done Don a career in guest speaking at some shitty Ayrshire pubs awaits you…..
HH
So do we all agree. We don’t need a hard tackling number 6.
This is why celtic players don’t put in strong challenges.. They have been told not to by the coaches.
Just watch.. Our players toe poke the ball, any touch, shoulder, thigh, hips is a foul against celtic.
Meanwhile the opponent is allowed to put in solid tackles.
Yet another reason the board are complete failures.
I’m actually fkin sick of it now
I was on the understanding that every substitution merits 30 seconds of added time???? So when Don Robertson spoke to the Hibs captain about time wasting while wasting “more time” doing it. we also had a VAR check . According to Don Robertson all that adds up to 4 added minuets . CELTIC could and should have won the game despite Don Robertson and his “cheating” however will he be asked by his bosses to explain NO …as I’ve said before…if the punishment for cheating is NO PUNISHMENT why stop cheating
Rod Stewart’s obsession with Celtic came from meeting Jock Stein once and he said his live was never the same after that.
As an example of his stature, Tommy Gemmal said they knew they were going to win the Lisbon final when big Jock stared the Inter Milam manager out of the home bench which they had one in the toss.
The great man with all his influence and charisma said Celtic will always have to score enough goals to make the referees cheating decisions irrelevant.
This still applys today but it seams Celtic have forgotten it.
…and yes English is my first language!