The worst of a bad bunch

There are very few things that unite all football fans so having something that surely everyone can agree on is a good thing in Scottish football? It is just unfortunate that the only thing that football fans in this nation will agree upon is how bad a referee Iain Brines is. You get plenty of supporters who will talk about a ref being biased against their team and always being set out to do them but that isn’t really the case with Brines.

Most fans are able to accept he is just a rubbish referee who continually gets the big decisions wrong.

The fact that every team has had incorrect decisions by Brines in their favour and against may please some observers in the game but it is this acceptance of mediocrity in the game that is dragging it down. Yes the players don’t have the technical skills or tactical awareness that they could have. Yes the managers are gripped by fear that seriously inhibits their tactical and line-up decisions. Yes the game gets hardly any money (in comparison to other leagues, not in comparison to real social things that could benefit from huge influxes of money) which means the quality is diminishing all the time….but these are all things that we have to work on.

Its Time To Demote Iain Brines

The poor quality of refereeing is another thing that we have to work on – the refs demand respect and want more money for taking charge of a game – people like Iain Brines don’t deserve respect, he hasn’t earned it. This isn’t saying that he deserves to be mocked in the street or followed around by small children laughing at every step he takes (seriously, that is not being said here, that would be a terrible thing to happen) but he clearly has no business refereeing a top flight game…at least until he bucks his ideas up.

His latest gaffe came in the 4-0 win for Rangers over Dunfermline. It was a routine win for the champions who got back to winning ways after their midweek cup exit at the hands of Falkirk..but it may have been slightly less than routine if Iain Brines wasn’t so rubbish at his work. A blatant and deliberate elbow by Steven Naismith was clearly a red card offence and if you click on the link below, you can see that Brines had a perfect view of it. If Brines thought this was anything but a foul and a red card offence the game is in a worse situation that any of us ever thought.

Naismith elbow versus Dunfermline

Naismith elbow

The disciplinary panel should step in to deal with Naismith in the correct fashion but who will deal with Iain Brines? This man deserves demoted so c’mon Stewart Regan or whoever is in charge of dishing out the punishment to the refs…give Ian Brines the elbow for a short while.

Related posts:

1. Rangers win to stand on the brink of the title Money and experience makes the difference In the title run-in,...
2. The Madness of King George benefits Celtic The man is in no position to judge Celtic don’t...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Bad News Continues For Rangers

The soap opera that is going on down Ibrox way shows no sign of stopping and you get the impression that some folk will be shocked if they wake up one day and there is no new revelation about the club.

Some fans aren’t worried; they are convinced the “Celtic minded” media is turning the screw on their club and are happy that the club are responding in such a strong fashion. Already in the Whyte regime, the Daily Record were whipped back into line, the BBC were forced to backdown and apologise and now the Herald and Evening Times have been told they will not be granted access to the club.

Is this a good thing?

If the media outlet can be shown to be telling lies and painting the club in a bad fashion, you can see why a club would not want to be proactive in their relationship with a media outlet. However, many were of the opinion that there were no lies in the reporting of the stories that saw Rangers react badly, merely opinions based on facts and evidence. In this regard, it is certainly a bold move being taken by Craig Whyte, Jack Irvine and whoever else is running the public relations front at Ibrox.

Rangers have also been active in shutting down blogs with Phil McG’s site being suspended. Again, all Rangers fans will raise a glass to that outcome citing that the journalist is no friend of theirs. There have also been rumours that the Celtic Hub site has been taken down as well…but in the light of the Martin Bain papers, there may be a lot of firefighting for Rangers to carry out this weekend.

The boardroom is different from the footballing side but you wonder if any of the playing team will read through these notes as they idle some time before taking the field against Dundee United and if so, how will they react to the figures listed within?

It is a big enough match for Rangers and not one where they need any distraction.

The Martin Bain papers can be found here:

Case Papers

or:

Case Papers

It should be pointed out that these papers came to light through the Rangers Tax Case site. Now, you will probably have your own opinions on that site, so you may not wish to view the papers because of where they originated but there is no doubt that whoever is behind that site is providing an insight to the case that the traditional media can’t or won’t provide for fans. Many Rangers fans are of the opinion that the site is ran by a Celtic fan looking to cause trouble but surely there must be some fans with a desire to find out what is going on inside Ibrox at the moment.

Some will jump on them and declare them to be the most explosive read since the 1973 Beano annual (a great read), whereas others will consider them a hullabaloo about nothing, no doubt some will even say it’s all a big con to smoke out snitches but whatever is behind them, they do make interesting reading…especially for 0930 on a Saturday morning!

With Ally McCoist now mentioning concerns about the HMRC case, Rangers fans, are you now starting to worry about the financial future of the club or do you think it has all been overstated?

Related posts:

1. Are Uefa going to crack down on Rangers? The talk has always been there….. Newspaper reports suggests that...
2. Rangers defeated by the margins It shows you how tight some things are The past...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Now the media get to have their say

For starters, Neil Lennon does not bring this on himself.

Anyone who says or believes this line is an idiot and possibly with an agenda of their own that they need to examine.

The attacks by individuals, being beat up in the street, the nail bombs in the post and now even being attacked at his place of work are all sickening and all out of order. However, it is the continual attacks on Lennon in the media, on social media and network sites and in general chit chat between people that is really sickening.

Make no mistake, the media have a large role to play in this. They didn’t the start the hate campaign against Lennon, being Irish Catholic was enough to make Lennon evil in some people’s eyes from the moment he landed in Scotland but knowing it’s a ratings winner in this country, the media have went with it. No doubt many of the writers and reporters genuinely believe that Lennon brings it on himself but again, you maybe need to question their reasons for thinking this or asking what is it he does that brings it on himself.

This morning there has once again been a rush to, if not condemn Lennon, then to at least justify why someone would try to attack him…and then paint Lennon as the bad guy for not standing back and accepting a beating. Graham Speirs, Derek Johnstone and Ewen Murray, since the attack, have all peddled opinions about Lennon being as much to blame. Johnstone even reported the incident as though Lennon was the instigator.

It seems astounding that in a time when there are people trying to kill someone that this person is being given the majority of the blame for it. The culture of ‘blaming the victim’ is a bizarre one but it is very much alive in Scotland today. Not just the West Coast of Scotland, which is another lie that is commonly trotted out, all of Scotland.

Sadly, you would not blame Lennon for walking away and if this occurs, Scotland will be a darker place. No doubt there will be celebrations if this is the case but even on a purely footballing level, Scotland would have lost the services of one of the brightest up and coming managers in the business. However, if Lennon does walk away, the bigots win and what is to stop them from running out anyone else that follows?

In saying that, it is a decision for Neil Lennon to make on behalf of himself and his family and ultimately, it has nothing to do with football. Which coincidentally enough, the reason for many people’s hatred of Neil Lennon has nothing to do with football, it just gives them a convenient excuse to hide behind.

By the way, there was a game of football at Tynecastle last night, Celtic won 3-0 and were convincing from start to finish…not that it is the important issue.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Hearts secure in 3rd as well

It was almost a night of complete closure in the SPL this evening with results tying up most of the outstanding issues and even the one remaining issue could be completed tomorrow.

Hamilton have threatened to keep themselves in the top flight but their hopes ended tonight with a defeat against St Johnstone. This meant that St Mirren didn’t have to win at Pittodrie but a cracking 1-0 away win sealed the Lanarkshire side’s fate and places the Buddies three points behind Aberdeen. The fact that Danny Lennon’s men sit just 2 goals behind Craig Brown’s team could see the Buddies leapfrog the Dons on the final day of the season.

It was a disappointing loss for Brown but he got a massive result earlier in the day when the SFA decided he was to receive nothing stronger than a censure for his behaviour on the touchline with John Boyle. Nothing is surprising anymore about the SFA disciplinary panels and reviews so no one can be shocked about Brown being let off with this, the second time the former Scotland manager has behaved in a poor manner on the touchline this season.

At Ibrox, Rangers came flying out of the blocks in Walter Smith’s last home game of his Ibrox career and buried Dundee United with a spirited opening. The game wasn’t even a minute old before Steven Naismith went down in the box, a feat he repeated moments later but the opener was to come from the £4m hit man and Rangers buy of the season, Nikica Jelavic.

Jelavic made Gary Kenneth look foolish (well, no more so than the Hills Have Eyes star usually looks) by creating acres of space in the box and directing the ball home. The lead was doubled when Rangers man for a title run-in, Kyle Lafferty neatly finished.

Knowing it was job done, Rangers downed tools, keeping a poor United side at bay without ever exerting themselves. The league could be won tomorrow night if Hearts beat Celtic but even if the hoops do avoid defeat in what will be a battle at Tynecastle, Rangers will complete the job in style at Rugby Park on Sunday.

With the P.A. system making Smith man of the match and the Rangers fans unfurling a banner declaring the boss to be a legned (sic), there were plenty of tears for the final home bow of a man who was worked wonders during his two spells at the Ibrox club.

Related posts:

1. Rangers win to stand on the brink of the title Money and experience makes the difference In the title run-in,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Money and experience makes the difference

In the title run-in, you could do with a bit of luck and Hearts keeper Jamie McDonald gave Rangers that edge when he made an absolute hash of Nikica Jelavic’s opener. The £4m striker has been central to Rangers during the run-in and this signing can claim to have been the one that likely sees the Ibrox side over the line.

The Rangers squad is the most expensively assembled team in the SPL and the Ibrox side spent a considerable amount of money over the course of this season but Jelavic’s capture looks to have been repaid with the likely League and League Cup double. After all, it was the striker that grabbed the extra-time winner in the League Cup final.

In the end, the experience of the Rangers management team and squad has gone a long way to securing silverware, as many expected. Many Rangers fans felt it would be a much easier season than has actually transpired, predicting that the inexperienced and hastily assembled challenge from Celtic would implode long before the run-in but in the end, Rangers could be champions by midweek.

There was a lot of leniency shown towards the home side by Ian Brines, who has managed to show a consistency in his performances that players could only dream of. It’s not as though he was biased towards Rangers, although the Ibrox side did benefit from Weir, Bougherra, Laugherty and Jelavic all avoiding early bookings, Brines is just an abysmal referee – as he also showed at Celtic Park last weekend by not booking Beram Kayal for a clear bookable offence. It can only be hoped that Brines is better in his day job as a Strathclyde policeman otherwise there will be plenty of criminals getting away scot free.

In the second half, the Jambos will point to the fact that the sending off issued to serial red card receiver Jonsson was slightly harsh, especially with the first half leniency but yet again, Brines has shown himself to be a terrible referee.

Rangers also got a break in their second goal when Steven Naismith was clearly offside in the build-up to the Kyle Lafferty’s goal but with Steven Davis, completely unmarked, making it 3-0 before half-time, the home fans were able to get the party started before lunch-time. A late own goal added the icing on the cake as Rangers once again went on the goal rampage in a post-split fixture.

Hearts will be keeping an eye and an ear on the Dundee United v Motherwell score but even if the Arabs do their work, the Jambos will be fired up at home on Wednesday to get the final point they need.

As for Rangers, depending on tomorrow’s scoreline at Rugby Park, they could get the opportunity to claim the title on Tuesday versus Dundee United in Walter Smith’s final match at Ibrox but regardless of that happening…the Rangers fans will just be counting down the days until they clinch their 3rd title in a row.

Related posts:

1. Rangers lift the League Cup Fully deserved victory for Walter Smith The first trophy of...
2. Celtic destroy sorry Rangers Taking your chances makes all the difference Like most games...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

A massive win last week but odds still against the Accies

There has almost been an air of expectancy over Hamilton’s position in the top-flight and even though last weekend’s triumph in Paisley kept their dreams alive, the club needs to do it again and hope results go in their favour. And that is not just for this weekend…but in all the remaining relevant fixtures.

A home game versus Hibs, who lost to St Johnstone last timer around presents the Accies with the chance to go at it again and if Hamilton fans want to have a team in the top flight, they should get themselves along to the ground. Then again, if Hamilton fans cared about having a team in the top flight, they should have bothered turning up over the course, a feat all but the hard-core have failed to do.

However, now is not the time for recriminations…it is the time for a massive performance and then see what happens.

There is every chance that St Mirren will go up North and get at least a point against Caley. Some will say this is madness after Inverness’ big win against Celtic but if anything, this just makes it all the more likely that the Saints will take something from it.

Caley put everything into the match on Wednesday and as many other teams have found, it is difficult to reach that level of performance two games in a row. Beating Celtic gave everyone at Caley a massive lift but there may well be a come down to follow and Danny Lennon should have his team fired up to take advantage from any sign of lack of commitment from the home side.

It really is still against Hamilton Accies and Saturday may be the day when their battle against the drop falls away. After the previous two seasons, it has been a shame the way that Hamilton have fallen away this season but it was always a risk with the business model of the club. Hopefully the youth system at the club can bring forth another set of youngsters which will have them back in the top flight and looking to play football as opposed to the mainly turgid fare that has been delivered this campaign.

There is no suggestion that Billy Reid will be relieved of his duties if the Accies go down but you can’t help but think the manager will be rueing not moving on when his stock was high, much like some of the players he developed.

The 1st Division is not an easy league to get out of but if they are to go down, Hamilton may find that league reconstruction gives them an easier route back…especially as the opposition to the 10 team league doesn’t look like going away.

Related posts:

1. Can anyone see Hamilton staying up? It’s not over but Accies look doomed Given that the...
2. Hamilton starting to lose ground Good wins for the Edinburgh sides It is hard to...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The talk has always been there…..

Newspaper reports suggests that Rangers are in line for a hefty fine and a three match ban for supporters travelling to away games following the repeated singing of songs which have been classified as unacceptable by Uefa. Rangers have said there will be a hearing later this month and Rangers will plead their case strongly.

From the initial comments that Martin Bain has made on the subject, it is easy to see what sort of defence that Rangers will put up if these charges are placed against them.

“We are utterly dismayed to be informed by UEFA that they are to take disciplinary action. We will defend the club’s position vigorously.

“UEFA have made clear in any previous disciplinary hearings that sanctions have been mitigated by the extensive work the club does to tackle sectarianism.

“We are not saying there is not a problem but we are saying that for many years we have made strenuous attempts to address it. We do, however, believe it is absurd to think only Rangers supporters sing offensive or sectarian songs. We are left to conclude there is a disproportionate focus on us.

“It has also become clear there are people who have been determined to undermine our club at any cost and have constantly lobbied for action against Rangers.”

Blaming people who are lobbying against these songs being sung….as opposed to focusing on the people who are singing these songs, is a very bizarre move. Would it be okay if no one was lobbying against these songs, is that the real issue? That’s akin to punching someone in the street and then moaning about someone phoning the police to inform them of your behaviour… For the avoidance of doubt, Martin Bain should name these people who are so hell bent on undermining Rangers.

Also, is it any wonder that Rangers fans constantly deal in “whataboutery” when this is the official line being peddled by the club? It basically boils down to “aye, we’re bad but so are everybody else, why are you picking on us?”

Rangers have told their fans on numerous occasions to cut out these songs but not because they believe they are wrong or in an attempt to re-educate fans but because they will be in trouble if they don’t stop singing them.

This would suggest that Rangers have no wish or desire to tell their fans to stop singing these songs but they have to because of the consequences. In that sense, can you blame Rangers fans for thinking there is mixed signals? Let’s be honest, Rangers fans don’t think there is anything wrong with the songs they sing, it is part of their tradition, it is why they love their club and it is what drives their superiority complex over others.

That is not to say its right and that anyone outside of Ibrox agrees with their beliefs but it is a hard one for Rangers to balance out.

The club is continually battered by their own fans for not fighting for their traditions and sticking up for the supporters but equally, the club has made numerous pleas to their supporters about singing songs, the majority of which have been unheeded.

There was a spell when these songs dropped out of contention at Ibrox but if anything, they are back with a vengeance as Rangers fans put on an act of defiance to those who oppose their team.

It will be interesting to see what sort of case Rangers put forward if these charges are labelled against them. It may be best if they drop the “whataboutery” defence and actually look for ways they can show they have made real changes and can continue to make in-roads into removing these songs from the Rangers fans song-book.

It will also be interesting to see if this is anything more than paper talk…no doubt more will come out in the following days and weeks.

Related posts:

1. Rangers Back On Top Not as comfortable as 2-0 sounds The early tea-time kick-off...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Both closer to achieving their aims

The win against Hamilton on Saturday was a massive one for St Mirren but sometimes there can be a drop in performance levels after a huge victory. No doubt some Buddies would have been worried about throwing away their good work against Aberdeen but another home win has opened up a 12 point gap between them and Hamilton.

With just 21 points to play for and St Mirren having a goal difference that is 14 better than Hamilton, the Buddies are almost there. There will be no one at the club saying this but with Hamilton having only picked up 16 points from 31 games, asking them to pick up 13 points from 7 is a tall order. And of course, St Mirren can put it all beyond doubt by picking up points themselves.

They did this last night, with Saturday’s hat-trick hero Michael Higdon opening the scoring early on, which was the only goal of the game at half-time. Aberdeen drew level thanks to an own goal but a two goal burst from Craig Dargo and Steven Thomson put the Buddies on easy street. Like on Saturday, Aberdeen grabbed a late consolation goal, Rob Milson scoring, but the Buddies held on.

It’s all about survival for St Mirren but given that they are now only 3 points behind Aberdeen, Danny Lennon should be imploring his team to overtake the Dons. St Mirren have two tough trips to Glasgow before the split but their top flight future doesn’t look far away.

As for Motherwell, they took great strides in booking their top six place for the split. The Steelmen moved 7 points clear of Inverness Caley, with the team from up north only having 9 points left to play for. Caley have a far superior goal difference though but you’d much rather have the points. If Motherwell win at Tynecastle on Saturday or Caley lose at Killie or both of the games end in a draw, Motherwell will have confirmed their top six status.

The Well went two goals up in the first half when Jamie Murphy scored from a neat angle and Chris Humphrey made it 2 whose shot spun off Dillon and over the startled Purnis in goals for United. Johnny Russell netted late on for United, who then laid siege to the Motherwell goal with Darren Randolph making a number of decent saves to keep all 3 points at Fir Park.

With the split edging closer, the table is starting to take shape and the home wins at St Mirren Park and Fir Park may be decisive in ensuring these teams are where they want to be.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

2 point lead for the hoops

After Rangers won at McDiarmid Park on Tuesday night, the alleged pressure was all on Celtic as Hibs came to Celtic Park. Celtic started superbly, nearly powering their way to goal in the opening seconds of the game but it didn’t take long for a goal to come.

A through ball that was intended for Gary Hooper skidded past the English striker but it made its way to Anthony Stokes who despatched it into the back of the net. It got even better for Celtic when Scott Brown was pulled down in the box and Gary Hooper fired the penalty home. If this was the nerves showing on Celtic, their fans will be delighted if that continues for the run-in.

Re-introducing James Forrest and restoring the Hooper and Stokes partnership gave Celtic a lot more energy and vitality up top and it definitely made a big difference. There will be games when Lennon has to go with a more robust midfield but there are also times when Celtic should look to impose their play on the opposition. They did this last night and fully deserved the win, which could have been by a larger margin.

Hibs briefly rallied on the back of a few bizarre refereeing decisions but just when the Leith side may have thought a goal was coming, Celtic engineered a great opening for Gary Hooper who hammered it home to make it 3-0 Celtic at the break.

As was to be expected, Celtic took the foot off the gas a bit in the second half although Izaguirre and Commons (who came off the bench) both had great shots that just zipped by the post.

Hibs got a goal back after Charlie Mulgrew tugged at the man breaking into the box. Soft but it was a penalty kick and Liam Miller continued his scoring streak from the spot.

One annoying thing about the ref Norris came when Celtic and Hibs both had a man down receiving treatment and he sent the two of them to the sideline before play could recommence. That is not the ruling any more, if both players have a player injured in they circumstances, they can both stay on the field and it is annoying when refs don’t know the rules.

Celtic introduced Freddie Ljungberg and he won his side a penalty in the dying moments. Again, it was another soft award, more driven by the assistant referee but there is an argument there was contact on the Swede before the ball was taken. Gary Hooper stepped up to complete the hat-trick but placed the kick wide and it finished 3-1.

If there was any disappointment from the Celtic fans, it was merely that the free flowing attacking play couldn’t last for 90 minutes but it’s now the run-in and any comfortable win like that has to be warmly welcomed.

Celtic play on Saturday whereas Rangers play on Sunday so the hoops will be hoping to increase the pressure on their title rivals.

Related posts:

1. Celtic destroy sorry Rangers Taking your chances makes all the difference Like most games...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Not as comfortable as 2-0 sounds

The early tea-time kick-off would have been out of the ordinary for most fans but in the end, it gave Rangers fans more of the evening to enjoy returning to the top of the league. St Johnstone will look back and rue the part they played in their own downfall but it’s results that matter and Rangers can be content with their early evening’s work.

It was looking as though it was going to be a tricky evening for the champions but they were given a massive boost when Danny Grainger had an aberration. His woefully short backpass was intercepted by Kyle Lafferty who easily opened the scoring. Grainger could possibly have won St Johnstone a penalty earlier in the game when he was tripped by Wylde but the St Johnstone defender gave a horror performance over the course of the game and he could have been substituted earlier.

Rangers took control for the rest of the first half and hit the post through Davie Weir, although a foul had already been given. Aside from that, Nikica Jelavic looked wasteful in front of goal but there wasn’t much between the teams.

St Johnstone stepped it up a gear in the second and Rangers had Alan McGregor to thank for keeping them in front with two smart saves. Just when it looked as though the game was building up to a grand stand finish, Rangers swept up the park and good play between Naismith and Jelavic saw the Scottish internationalist finish well…and finish the game.

The 2-0 win sees Rangers on top of the league, a point ahead of Celtic but having played a game extra. The champions also have an inferior goal difference of 7 at the current moment. St Johnstone’s hopes of a top six finish are now virtually extinct, lying 6 points behind Motherwell with 2 games to play and having a goal difference which is inferior by 10.

The pitch at McDiarmid Park was pretty rough and although it is too late for St Johnstone to do much about it for this season, it can only be hoped that they and many of the other SPL teams who have inferior parks do something about it for next season. With the continual mucking about of supporters, the least clubs can do is ensure they have a half decent surface for games to be played on.

All Rangers eyes turn to the internet for further updates about the takeover and then to Celtic Park to see if Hibs can do them a favour and keep them on top of the league tomorrow night.

Related posts:

1. Celtic blunder and Rangers recover The difference a week makes This time last weekend, the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.