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Off The Pitch: 2010-2011, Part 1

Discussion in 'TalkCeltic News' started by obonfanti1888, Jun 20, 2011.

By obonfanti1888 on Jun 20, 2011 at 11:09 AM
  1. obonfanti1888

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    Off The Pitch: 2010-2011
    Part One

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    It's been another eventful season for Celtic. On the pitch, a young, inexperienced team led by the rookie Neil Lennon in his first full season as Celtic manager had the unenviable task of rebuilding the shattered mess that Tony Mowbray's Celtic had become. Come the end of the season, Celtic had come agonizingly close to securing a domestic treble, finishing second despite amassing 92 points, losing the League Cup final to Rangers in extra time before ending the season on a high by winning the Scottish Cup for the 35th time at a rain soaked Hampden. Celtic have come a long way since that miserable night in Paisley last March which spelled the end for Tony Mowbray.

    It is all the more remarkable when events off the pitch have overshadowed this season, with Neil Lennon the victim of one of the most insidious, vile and evil campaigns of racism and bigotry perhaps ever witnessed in Scotland, culminating in Neil being assaulted on the touchline by a Hearts fan. Many have dubbed this season as one of "shame" as Scottish football and society plumbed the murky depths; most commentators tend to overlook the fact that one club and one club alone was the victim of this 'season of shame', allowing them to spread the blame around. Indeed, outgoing Rangers manager Walter Of No Surname effectively blamed Celtic by saying that the club "set the tone for the season".

    When Neil Lennon was appointed full time manager last June, no one could quite imagine just how much his vow to "bring back the thunder" would resonate among the Celtic support. In the stands, the Green Brigade's infectious enthusiasm was a major catalyst in getting Celtic Park rocking again; it is largely thanks to their efforts that "Just Can't Get Enough" and "Let's All Do The Huddle" have become the new party tunes of the Celtic support. Of course, the Green Brigade would not be the Green Brigade without some controversy: the Celtic board seemed to be trying their best to be party poopers by suggesting that the GB's 'lateral movement' was somehow a risk to Celtic's Health and Safety Certificate. Thankfully, despite this, the GB will be back next season.

    Come November, we are likely to see yet another tiresome Poppy debate rage as commentators trip over themselves to falsely brand the inevitable GB protest as "sectarian" and decry "politics in football". Of course, the rank hypocrisy of forcing clubs to have a poppy on their shirt, an overtly political symbol will be lost on them. That said, in the interest of avoiding another outbreak of self righteous moralizing that is harmful to the clubs image, it would perhaps be wise if the GB avoided giving Celtic's enemies a stick to beat them with and recognizing that their political views are not shared by every last Celtic supporter.

    Indeed, the Poppy Scotland charity has suggested they will be looking at alternative ways to remember Scotland's war dead, something which I welcome. Anything which raises the symbol of the Poppy above the sadly exploited fashion accessory image that it seems to have become can only be welcomed.

    Obviously, this season will be forever associated by Celtic's war with the SFA over several matters. No one who witnessed the now infamous game at Tannadice on October 17th will ever forget it. Yet at the time, no one could have known the cataclysmic impact the 'Dougie Dougie' scandal would eventually have. It had been a fairly innocent start to the season as Celtic racked up 7 wins on the bounce before travelling to Tannadice for a typically tough game against Dundee United; with the game locked at 1-1 and Celtic dominating, Gary Hooper was clearly fouled by United keeper Dusan Pernis after Gary Kenneth had also fouled Hooper in the box. It seemed a fairly routine decision. Linesman Steven Craven clearly agreed with referee Dougie McDonald's decision as he took up his place on the goal line. Yet what followed was one of the most breath taking examples of refereeing incompetence ever witnessed as McDonald allowed himself to be bullied by United players dissenting his decision into overturning his decision. Cue astonishment as McDonald waved away the Celtic players from the bounce up before simply giving the ball to United to thump up the park.

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    THAT incident in Dundee

    Gary Hooper scored a late winner which rendered the incident seemingly meaningless; indeed, one can only imagine what would have happened had Celtic drawn or lost the game. In his post match interview Neil Lennon sarcastically put it down to "another honest mistake", the phrase coined by ex-referee's chief Hugh Dallas to explain away the inexplicable decisions that always seem to go against Celtic whilst benefiting a certain team in blue, and that seemed to be the end of the tale.

    Old paranoid Celtic could mutter all they like about institutional bias and corruption, at the end of the day the fact remains (we were assured by media mouthpiece's like Stuart Dougal and Kenny Clark) that Scottish referee's are the product of a superior form of humanity that is impervious to any malign influence such as bigotry or corruption, that in the words of that paragon of truth and justice, Tony Blair, they were indeed ''whiter than white''.

    However, the referees didn't count on the fact that the days of the pathetic "take it on the chin" mantra that so defined the spinelessness of Mowbray's Celtic were gone. Neil Lennon was now Celtic manager and he would challenge any perceived injustice against his team.

    So after Tannadice, Celtic were to meet Rangers in the first Glasgow Derby of the season, oblivious to the storm that was brewing among the officials from the Tannadice game and one Hugh Dallas, head of referees. Both teams had 100% records and when Gary Hooper put Celtic 1-0 up on the stroke of half time things were looking rosy in Paradise. However, an insipid second performance from the Bhoys saw Rangers run out comfortable 3-1 winners thanks to a Loovens OG and a Kenny Miller double; though of course, there was controversy. The referee Willie Collum, an RE teacher in a Catholic school (a fact highlighted enthusiastically by the Scottish tabloid media), having failed to book for a second time and send off Lee McCulloch for bringing down Samaras as he was through on goal, Collum contrived to give a penalty to Rangers at 2-1 after Kirk Broadfoot did his best Greg Louganis impression inside the box.

    Now it's hardly surprising that the instinct of most Scottish referees upon seeing a blue shirt wilt in the box is to instantly award a penalty. It's just the way it is and always has been. However, it was with utter incredulity that those watching on television could see that Collum had awarded the penalty without actually seeing the alleged foul due to his poor positioning. One must assume that the pupils in Collum's classes never flick stuff at the back of his head. After the game, Celtic made it clear they would make an official query asking for 'clarification', something which had also been done in the aftermath of the Tannadice game.

    Cue predictable media outrage at Celtic apparently smearing the good name of our referees by questioning their integrity; of course, Celtic had done no such thing. They had merely asked for clarification over two, shall we say, 'strange' decisions, something the club was perfectly entitled to do. Celtic were not questioning integrity but rather simple competence. Of course, this was before Steven Craven, belying his surname, came out in the Sunday Mail claiming that he and Dougie McDonald had lied to Neil Lennon about the penalty that never was at Tannadice.

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    Steven Craven; hung out to dry by Dallas and his cronies

    Craven revealed that McDonald along with his fellow officials had spun a lie to tell Neil Lennon about the penalty award, namely that Craven had called the referee over by saying "Dougie, Dougie" into his earpiece. Apparently, both 'guilt ridden', they confessed to head of referee's Hugh Dallas that they had indeed lied and wished to put the record straight. This is where things get interesting. Rather than do exactly that, Craven claims that Dallas actually encouraged them to run with the lie, and indeed Dallas himself repeated it on the airwaves during the following week. Craven also criticized Dallas, claiming that Dallas fostered a culture of bullying within the SFA and that the only way to get ahead in officialdom in Scotland was to indulge the vanity and ego of Dallas.

    Needless to say, the refereeing fraternity quickly circled the wagons, accusing Craven of betraying them for "30 pieces of silver" (another lie, Craven was not paid for his story) and eventually effectively barred him from working at any level within the game.The shocking thing is that had Craven not exposed this utterly corrupt way of operation within the referee's fraternity, then nothing would have changed within the SFA and referees would seemingly be allowed to lie at will. The referees committee laughably gave McDonald a slap on the wrists for his "untruth" or "white lie" (McDonald, to widespread ridicule and bemusement compared it to telling kids that Santa is real); indeed, McDonald was allowed to continue refereeing in the SPL for a few months after the Tannadice fiasco.

    One can only imagine the justified outrage from Celtic fans had he been given a Celtic match, or * forbid, a Glasgow derby, after these revelations. Thankfully that is something we need never worry about as McDonald resigned in the aftermath of Hugh Dallas' sacking of which I'll come to later.

    As for Steven Craven, for better or worse, his is a name Celtic fans will remember for a long time. Although his involvement in the cover up against Neil Lennon can never be forgotten or forgiven, it takes a brave man to effectively ruin his career to let the truth out. Therefore, this writer believes that we owe Craven a great deal of gratitude for having the audacity and yes, integrity, to break ranks and to tell us all what really goes on among the fraternity of Scottish officials.

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    Celtic Chairman John Reid called for Dougie McDonald's resignation

    With these revelations, Celtic quite predictably expressed serious concern and John Reid, the Celtic chairman, called for McDonald to resign at Celtic's AGM adding that “We won’t be treated as less than anyone else. Those days are gone.” John Reid was never a particularly popular figure due to his dubious career as a New Labour attack dog though even the most ardent opponents of Reid would concede that in this instance, his uncompromising and aggressive tone towards the SFA was what we have been asking for from our board for years.

    The AGM had taken place a week after Celtic were defeated at Tynecastle, a hostile arena for Celtic at the quietest of times never mind in the tense one as the revelations about McDonald's lies continued to spill. Neil Lennon had been sent to the stand after in all honesty, losing the rag at yet more dubious decisions. Joe Ledley had been earlier been sent off for a tackle which although robust, was fair and won the ball; indeed, the kind of tackle that the typical hammer throwers that pollute all levels of Scottish football would be proud of. As if this wasn't bad enough, Craig Thomson, the referee on the night, missed a blatant hand ball by Ryan Stevenson in the box, a penalty which if given, could perhaps have ignited a comeback. It was at this point, the fourth official, Steven MacLean, probably trying to make a name for himself, called the referee over and advised him to send Lennon to the stand which the referee duly did.

    What followed was an unedifying spectacle as a clearly furious Lennon confronted the fourth official, no doubt using some colourful language. Needless to say, whenever the media want to use a picture of Neil, it is more often than not one such as the one below, nicely fitting into their "Neil Lennon, snarling psychopath" narrative which many feeble minded and gullible people within Scotland swallow and indeed use to excuse the horrendous racist and bigoted treatment that Lennon is the victim of in Scotland. Whilst most Celtic fans accept that Lennon deserved some sort of punishment (i.e. the standard two match ban for being sent to the stand for the first time), what he eventually got reignited the battle with the SFA in the New Year.

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    An unflattering but sadly typical depiction of Neil Lennon

    Before that however much was still to happen. As the chants of "* the SFA" became louder and louder among the Celtic crowd, the referees suddenly called a 'strike', allegedly to protest at the horrible treatment they suffer; Kenny Clark regaled us of a tale about an incident on the Arran Ferry, when some anonymous drunk gave him some verbals. Of course, no one condones referee's life's and that of their family's being made a misery by football fans with little sense of perspective.

    But none of these referee's have gone through anything near the kind of treatment that the Celtic manager has had during his 11 years in Scotland; thus their whimpering about a couple verbals pales into insignificance unless they have had bombs and bullets sent to them, have been battered on a public street (twice) and have been generally depicted as a threat to the very fabric of Scottish society since setting foot here.

    Also high on their agenda was a protest at their "integrity being called into question"; a none too subtle hint as to who they saw as their main critics. This despite the glaring fact that one of their colleagues had publicly confessed his lack of integrity. After all, a "white lie" is still a lie at the end of the day.

    So the referee's were ready to cross the picket line, forcing the SFA to hire "scab" foreign labour to ref the weekend games; games that by sheer coincidence, passed without controversy and to generally favourable verdicts from SPL fans. Go figure. The fact that these largely middle class professionals who make a tidy £800 per game on top of their full time wages from their proper jobs had the nerve to call their tantrum a "strike" is an insult to the many people who are set to go on strike later this month as job losses rise in this time of economic austerity. Workers of the world unite this was not. In truth, it was merely a facade to protect their nice wee old boys club, to inflate their already lofty sense of their own worth and to protest at the treatment of the liar Dougie McDonald and Hugh Dallas.

    And so we come back to Hugh Dallas. The man who according to Craven had encouraged the repetition of the 'Dougie Dougie' lie had made a bit of a boo boo and found himself in some hot water with the SFA disciplinary board. It had emerged from Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, the Irish journalist, that on the day of Pope Benedict's arrival in Scotland last September, he had sent an email using his SFA office computer making light of the Pope and the child abuse scandal, something he knew would offend a great many of Scotland's Catholics, not least Peter Kearney, the Scottish spokesperson for the Catholic church who demanded his dismissal. In itself, the email is a fairly harmless and pretty rubbish attempt at satire (see below); after all, the Catholic church along with every other church in the world is a big and easy target for many comedians.

    However, in a Scottish context, especially in football, the email was explosive.

    After all, Celtic are often seen by many ill informed Scots as the "Catholic" club, this despite the fact Celtic have never operated a policy of employment apartheid and has been open to all from day one. Celtic has fans from all walks of life. Yet in their desperate attempt to tar Celtic with the same sectarian brush as Rangers (who were once again sanctioned by UEFA for anti-Catholic singing), Celtic are thought of as the "Catholic" club; thus the exposure of the head of Scotland's referees feeling comfortable sending such emails around the workplace spoke volumes. He was duly sacked, but not for his dubious prejudices but for 'misuse of a work computer'. Laughably, some of the Laptop Loyal tried to excuse Dallas' actions by saying "I've had emails like that as well", perhaps not realizing the irony of admitting to enjoying a good old email ridiculing the papes.

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    Hugh Dallas and the email that brought him down

    Strictly speaking, this hoo haa had nothing to do with Celtic; indeed the club made no comment whatsoever on the matter as it was an internal SFA problem. However, in the week running up to Dallas' sacking (the same week as the referee's 'strike') Phil Mac Giolla Bhain had posted on his blog a story seldom repeated but also one that has not been denied by any of the parties involved either in relation to Dallas and the referee strike. On November 25th, Phil suggested that Dallas had offered to call off the referee strike if the SFA dropped his disciplinary case, an act of the most brazen arrogance that is so typical of Dallas. Stewart Reagan, the embattled new English chief executive of the SFA who by now must have wondered what the * he had taken on, is reported to have gone ballistic saying to Dallas "how * dare you! Don't ever raise that again! Those two matters are completely unrelated!" Of course usually such a story is to be initially met with some doubt but the fact that it is still on Phil's site today and the fact that it has never been acted upon by lawyer's for Dallas (or Reagan) for libel suggests this may well have been true.

    If true, it would also expose the referee's strike for the sham many of us thought it was. Dressing it up as a protest against abuse and having their dubious integrity called into justifiable question after 'Dougie Dougie' it was seemingly actually about keeping Dallas as head honcho since it was he who they owed their nice cushy jobs to as Dallas liked to promote refs who indulged his vanity and his ego quickly up the ranks; such as his son. It seemingly was also about keeping Dougie McDonald as a ref, which in hindsight is unfathomable; how could they expect Celtic fans in particular to trust their impartiality and (that word again) integrity if they kept a confessed liar in their ranks? With the sacking of Dallas and the resignation of McDonald, there was a sense of victory among Celtic fans that was not being replicated on the pitch.

    In December, Celtic had 5 home games in a row due to the unpredictable Scottish weather yet drew 3 in a row and won the other two by the skin of their teeth; a run of results which ultimately cost Celtic the title. It also emerged at the end of December that Neil Lennon, Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn had had bullets sent to them in the mail, for the sole reason that they are Northern Irish Catholics at Celtic. People who say Neil Lennon has "brought it all upon himself" due to his 'aggressive' nature (which says more about them than Neil) always neglect to mention the fact that McCourt and McGinn in particular are anything but; they are fairly low key figures at Celtic thus that hoary old myth could not be used in their case.

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    Samaras' miraculous double kick started Celtic's season

    Understandably, despite wins against St Johnstone & Motherwell at home, morale was low heading into the New Year Derby at Ibrox especially since Celtic were missing key players such as Hooper and Brown. However, as we all fondly remember, Samaras had the game of his life scoring two goals in a famous 2-0 victory. This was a catalyst for the swaggering Celtic we saw for most of the second half of the season. Yet more controversy was lurking around the corner. Neil Lennon's appeal against his touchline ban from the Hearts game had taken two months to come in front of the disciplinary committee, a ridiculous state of affairs that made the SFA look like such an amateurish organization (thankfully these committees have been scrapped and the disciplinary hearings are to be streamlined after the recent SFA change vote); on the day of Celtic's visit to Hamilton, the SFA gleefully announced they would be handing Lennon a six match touchline ban, an utterly unprecedented punishment for a first offence and a decision dripping with vindictive malice. Celtic reacted furiously, promising to get lawyers involved.

    That night, Celtic struggled to a 1-1 draw with the club bottom of the league but of course the game was overshadowed by Willie Collum sending James Forrest off and for allowing the Hamilton goal which replays showed was clearly offside. To add insult to injury, a late, late, late Stokes winner was (correctly) disallowed as the ball from the corner had gone out of play before coming back in; yet it is amazing how the same linesman who couldn't see such an obvious offside in the first half could see the ball go millimetres out of play.

    As we digested the game and the vindictive punishment handed to Neil Lennon, it was becoming clear that Celtic had had enough of the SFA.

    It had emerged that the SFA "President", George Peat, who in a gaffe that defines the blundering oaf, had been part of the committee who had handed down the punishment and had left midway through the hearing to make the Scottish cup draw (where Celtic and Rangers were drawn together) before returning to tell Neil his punishment. Celtic pointed out that Peat had no right to be there, and questioned why he was allowed to go into the room where the decision was being made; Peat expected us to believe he went in there and said nothing. Peat had also branded Celtic 'tiresome', undermining the SFA's impartiality in the case.

    The case was taken to an independent tribunal, where Lord Carloway effectively cancelled the original punishment "as it was contrary to the values of fairness" and instead suggested a 4 match ban, 2 for being sent off and 2 for misconduct, which Celtic accepted. The SFA had been made to look like the blundering fools we knew they were but things weren't finished yet.

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    Peat the Cheat

    However at the end of the month, events in the world beyond football put everything in perspective. The shocking news of the murder of Reamonn Gormley, a Celtic fan at Glasgow University stunned Scotland due the savage brutality and utter senselessness of the murder. Whilst walking home from a pub after watching Celtic beat Aberdeen 3-0 at Pittodrie, he was attacked and killed.

    He was only 19 years old.

    A 22 year old man Daryn Maxwell has been charged with the murder and is due to stand trial for murder, having his plea for culpable homicide rejected by the court. The murder provoked scenes of anger in his hometown of Blantyre, with marches in remembrance of Reamonn and against knife crime taking place; many, including the Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Chief Executive Peter Lawwell attended his funeral.

    Although most of us never knew or met Reamonn, it is nevertheless always dreadful to see a selfless young man' s life cut so tragically short; perhaps the one positive out of the story was the growth in prominence of the Good Child Foundation in Thailand where Reamonn had volunteered and the Thai Tims, whose version of the new Celtic song "Just Can't Get Enough" entered the Scottish charts with the proceeds going to the Good Child Foundation. Everyone on TalkCeltic offers our most sincere condolences and best wishes to the Gormley family. You'll Never Walk Alone.

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    Reamonn Gormley; a life cut tragically short; R.I.P :shamrock:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 6, 2011