Something doesn’t add up with the corporation.

The good old BBC eh…a public service body that we all pay for. Paying your licence fee is a bit like paying your taxes – you don’t particularly want to do it but you get benefits in return so by and large, most law abiding citizens and corporations do it.

BBC Sports Scotland clearly doesn’t have the budget or high profile personalities that their English counterparts can claim but given that most football fans in the country support the licence fee, it is only right they get something in return and for everyone to be treated with a level of respect.

Fans will always think that their club is hard done by in the media; every fan has at least on one occasion been annoyed by a reporting of a story or an angle taken upon their club, that’s life. There are some jokey complaints and there can be some genuine complaints made about particular instances.

There is however, something serious about the BBC Sports Scotland team at the moment and it is to do with their treatment of Celtic and in particular Neil Lennon. This isn’t to do with when the team appears in the running order of Sportscene or the inordinate amount of Rangers minded pundits that appear on their shows to provide analysis.

The top sports news story on BBC Scotland this evening revolved around the RST demanding that the SFA enquire about the conduct of Neil Lennon. Now, who exactly are the RST to ask for anything from the SFA and why (oh why to give it that authentic Points of View angle) are BBC Scotland giving them the time of day or a platform to make such demands?

The RST cite previous examples at Tannadice and Tynecastle as evidence that Lennon and his management team are out of control. The hilarious thing about the Tannadice episode is that there was only manager who was seething and questioning the integrity of the referee in post-match interviews and it wasn’t Neil Lennon.

Peter Houston, Terry Butcher, Jim Jefferies and now Mixu Paataleinan at the weekend have all made serious comments regarding referees and have acted aggressively on the touchline and there hasn’t been any calls for any of these managers to be investigated.

Craig Brown punched an opposition manager in Europe and yet he is just lovable and cuddly Craig Brown? Could you imagine the views that would be aired if Lennon punched an opposition manager? It doesn’t bear thinking about…

The thing is, whether you agree with the RST opinion or you do not, they have the right to raise issues and ask them. They are a fan body of no real significance or importance but they can ask for what they want. As can any other fan group.

There are numerous inaccuracies and glaring omissions in the RST statement but surely it is time for someone in the media to question why events from the first cup tie only surfaced for the replay? If Rangers players and backroom staff were so incensed at events at Ibrox at the start of February, why did nothing occur during the league match played at Celtic Park on 20th of February?

It has to be said that the reasons of “extreme verbal abuse” being dished out on the 6th of February look a very weak excuse when you consider Rangers did not seem angered or aggrieved on the 20th of February. Perhaps someone at the BBC could find the time to ask the RST why that was the case?

However, as said, that is clearly the views of the RST and they are free to air them to their members or in public as they see fit.

The only thing is, the BBC should not be giving them so much air time or credence because you can guarantee that the BBC would not provide the same amount of online space or air-time to other supporters groups making outlandish requests or demands of the governing body of the national sport. The corporation did redeem themselves though by allowing Paul McBride air time in which the QC pointed out the numerous holes in the RST’s demands and of the need to provide protection for Lennon.

No one will argue that Lennon is an animated character and many will agree that the 4 match ban for his behaviour at Tynecastle was justified. However, it should also be remembered that none of Lennon’s players have sarcastically applauded a referee. None of Lennon’s players have grabbed a referee this season, perhaps the notion of a management team having lost control should not only be applied to Neil Lennon and his backroom staff, because part of the argument about Lennon is that his behaviour sets the tone for his players conduct on the park. It is hard to think of too many occasions where Celtic’s on the field conduct has let them down.

The really worrying thing about it all is that Neil Lennon was the intended recipient of a bomb (which was later said to be a hoax package) and the BBC didn’t feel it was worth mentioning. It could be viewed that an attempt was made on Lennon’s life, serious enough for the manager to be put under constant security surveillance and yet the BBC in Scotland does not consider it a story worth mentioning?

That is plainly ridiculous and hard to fathom out why it was not considered as a news story. There is an argument that the media should not focus on these stories because they lead to copycat events but the BBC have never once heeded this recommendation and it would have been astounding if they started now.

The BBC are actively fanning the flames of hatred against Neil Lennon and it is not as if there is much need for people to seek further encouragement to hate Neil Lennon. The media really have to start playing their role in taking the edge out of the situation and a good way to start this will be to provide fair and focused coverage on the events and then leave it. So far, the BBC has done neither action.

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A Monday night in January awaits

Last year’s 4th round Scottish Cup ties in January were massively delayed by weather and it remains to be seen if the same will befall this season’s cup games. The vast majority of the ties will remain scheduled for the Saturday but there are two games moved to the Sunday and one moved to Monday evening.

The unusual Monday evening game will feature Rangers in an all SPL clash against Kilmarnock with the BBC taking responsibility for showing the tie. A 1930 kickoff time doesn’t leave too much time for working people to get away, especially if the weather isn’t too clever. Still Ibrox is easily reachable from the city centre of Glasgow and fans heading from Ayrshire are well served by the M77.

Berwick Rangers are hosting Celtic on the Sunday in a match that is set to be screened live on Sky and the other Sunday game sees Dundee playing Motherwell. Dundee’s match has been moved with city and street rivals Dundee United facing Ross County in a repeat of last season’s Scottish Cup final.

With this weekend’s SPL fixtures wiped out already, the Scottish Cup will soon be on us…and let’s face it, with the current weather, can you blame football fans for dreaming of a sunny day at Hampden in May?

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Then again, it seems the Beeb and the Scotsman cannot count at all!

“Mathematics is a difficult thing
I never understood what was the missing link
And by the time I calculated the correct solution
The question had escaped me and so did the conclusion”

It’s fair to say that a few people struggle with mathematics and sums, that’s fine, we’ve all got different strengths and weaknesses.

Us, well, we have a scary dependence on Excel for most decisions in life and some folk won’t do their sums without a calculator being involved.

Rest at ease though as it seems we aren’t the only ones unable to add up or do multiplication.

The Scotsman ran with this heading:

Rangers earn £12.5m more than Celtic from Europe
The Scotsman reasons this out with Rangers earning a top line of almost £14m, which in their sums is made up of:
£5.8m for reaching the group stages
£7.5m from the TV pool and
£653,000 for the two away draws against Stuttgart and Uniera

Which yep, just comes to under £14m give or take a bit of rounding so that’s all good.

They then say that Celtic earned just over £1.5m for participation in the Group stages….which is obviously the difference of £12.5m.

Except that in the same paragraph, they then state; “By reaching the final play-off round, where they were eliminated by Arsenal, Celtic picked up a Uefa bonus of just over £1.7 million.”

So Celtic actually earned £3.2m and the Scotsman headline was a lie….proven by themselves in one paragraph?
Wow….that is shoddy work!

The BBC were in equally triumphant mood when the mathematically challenged organisation stated:

“Scottish champions Rangers earned almost 10 times as much as Glasgow rivals Celtic for their participation in European football last season.”

With Celtic picking up £3.2m from Uefa, Rangers fans can sit back safe in the knowledge that their cheque from Uefa, according to the BBC, for a figure of nearly £32m will wipe the clubs debt completely out!!!

Let’s face it, it’s not hard to put the boot into Celtic, the club have given ample ammunition to friend and foe over the past two seasons to get tore into them. Which makes it all the more puzzling why these stories are brought up and peddled as the truth. Or FACT as the kids that are no longer with it are saying these days.

You could say as The Scotsman is a privately owned paper they can print whatever they want and use any angle, if you don’t agree with it, don’t read it. And that is fair enough. As for the Beeb though…their output is getting shoddier and shoddier and for the role it is meant to perform, is falling well short.

These sums do not include gate receipts or merchandising so the actual money banked by either club will be very different but the fact that two seemingly very well respected organisations can be so wayward in their reporting is abysmal.

The pundits are quick to criticise the quality of Scottish footballers but the quality of Scottish football journalism and punditry is at its lowest ebb when blatant lies are easily peddled.

We’re now in the era of shock jocks and village idiots being put up to cause anger and resentment on the airwaves and in papers….why, because it gets a reaction and it gets people listening in or commenting on the shows.

Celtic fans cant rant enough about Hugh Keevins, Graham Speirs has really got under the skin of Rangers fans and everyone hates Jim Traynor – and the three of them all love it, being the pantomime villain keeps them in mortgage payments.

In a way we don’t mind them…because there is almost an honesty about their roles, they are out there to whip up controversy. It’s the stories and articles that masquerade as genuine or believable articles but instead peddle lies and mistruths that cause the real damage.

It’s an easy thing to say don’t listen to them but clearly thousands do each day and it obviously feeds into their way of thinking. We’re not going to say ditch all the traditional methods of sports reporting but there are some good Scottish writers and sites online.

Not this site, its not a thinly veiled plug for ourselves, we’re short on time and too long on half-baked opinions to be at the top of anyone’s list but we hope we play a part. However, there have been some sites and articles which provide analysis, tactics, genuine insight or real breaking rumours in the Scottish game…that you should be looking towards.

We’ve dissed the Scotsman and the BBC……so let’s use the comments section to get some links and praise to other sites that you like or enjoy reading. If you’ve got a favourite site that you think football fans in Scotland can trust….let us know.

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Save 6 Music, Kill the BBC

In our opinion, the BBC have already acted like pains in the backside this week by deciding to ditch 6 Music.

They continue to employ idiots like Chris Moyles and Vernon Kaye but they are cutting a quality music station from their output. So much for having a public duty to provide services that other channels or stations do not provide.

And we haven’t got started on Sportscene or Pat Nevin…oh Pat Nevin, just wait until we get started on him!

However, the BBC have kicked off another strange situation in the SPL today.

A BBC source believed it was Celtic who requested that Falkirk’s pitch be inspected by independent expert. This has led to angry remarks from chief wookie…err Falkirk boss, Steven Pressley.

“Our groundsman was voted third best in the UK last year and I’ve seen that man working until midnight on that pitch”

“It infuriates me that they question the standard of our pitch.”

We are a bit more concerned about what Steven Pressley is doing hanging about the Falkirk Stadium and observing men at work until midnight but a manager has a duty to stick up for his staff.

It just seems a bit of a shame that his anger appears to be directed at the wrong people.

The Celtic website had this to say:

Further to erroneous reports in today’s press, Celtic Football Club can confirm that it did not make any official complaint about the Falkirk pitch and did not ask for any pitch investigation or inspection.

This is supported by a Scottish Premier League statement which reads: “We keep an eye on all our pitches and monitor them over the course of the season through our delegate reports.

“The weather has had an impact on pitches up and down the country, but as things stand all our games are good to go for this weekend.”

So, someone is not telling the truth.the fact that Celtic have brought out a third party statement would perhaps indicate that they are in the right.

In the overall scheme of things, it doesn’t matter too much who instigated it but it has given some parties the opportunity to have a pop at Celtic. And surely this week, there has been ample opportunity to speak out against Celtic if they so desired.

And….wouldn’t you still rather have some hope that the BBC could be the bastion of virtue and stick to the truth as opposed to sinking to the levels of the more base commercial channels?

Anyways, if the pitch is in a bad condition, it may prevent Falkirk from taking further points from Celtic this season!

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It’s been a big cup week for both clubs

Both teams have already given their fans something to cheer about this week in the League Cup, can one of them progress in the Scottish Cup?

St Mirren have no new injury or suspension concerns but are still waiting to hear if loan signing Rory Loy, from Rangers, will be able to play in the tie.

Rangers will be without the suspended Davie Weir but could welcome Madjid Bougherra back to the first team. The Algerian defender has been away for over a month due to his participation in the African Cup of Nations so his return could be quite timely.

Rangers could also welcome back strike pair Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd. In a move which has already seen some papers liken the return as being akin to two new signings, there is no doubt their return is welcomed by Rangers.

The club has maintained their domestic assault without them but there is no doubt that Rangers, like any team would be, are a weaker outfit without their main striking options. Rangers may choose to use a level of caution with regards to bringing both players back in but they are in contention for the game.

Although both teams are in the League Cup final, today’s Active Nation Scottish Cup clash is very important in its own right. Rangers are looking to complete a treble this year so this is a must not lose game for them today. St Mirren would take a lot of confidence with a positive result today and today could well be their best chance.

Rangers struggled to overcome Premier League opposition Hamilton in the last round, needing extra time in the replay and additional games will not be something that Walter Smith wants.

BBC Scotland are showing this early Saturday game live.

Will the Buddies or the Teddy Bears progress?

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Who is worse? BBC or SFA

Before we start, let’s make it very clear. Celtic were very poor against Falkirk and as usual, have only themselves to blame for dropping vital points in the title race. If Celtic are unable to get back into the title race, missed chances and poor defending will live large in the reasons for a poor overall showing.

This site said in their post match review that the Falkirk goal may have came about through a foul by Showunmi on McManus but after viewing footage, you have to say that McManus was extremely weak. It is certainly not the first time that McManus has been outmuscled and the player surely has to question what value he brings to the team?

So, all in all, Celtic are poor, that’s fair enough.

That said though, when you are continually on the receiving end of terrible refereeing decisions, the games that are tight are not going to go your way. If Celtic were good enough to blow away the opposition, the refs wouldn’t matter but when things are in the balance, it can make the difference between 3 points and 1 or none.

With so much media attention on Celtic games, you would surely expect these decisions to be highlighted?

Well…..here is a link to the BBC highlights of the game.

BBC website: Celtic v Falkirk

When you consider the penalty Rangers were awarded last weekend at Hamilton, you would have to say the handball by Pele of Falkirk late on should have been given. In all honesty, neither of them should have been given as THEY WEREN’T PENALTIES but one was given….strangely enough.

Aside from this, two outrageous pieces of officialdom were deemed not worthy of making the BBC footage.

How often do you see a goalkeeper penalised for carrying the ball outside the box when launching a kick up the field?

Virtually never. So when it does happen, you would expect it to be noteworthy?

Not in the eyes of the BBC.

As the picture shows, it was a terrible decision by the assistant referee and one which managed to eat up two minutes of game time before play resumed. It also gave Falkirk a great chance for a second goal, with Artur Boruc’s positioning once again very suspect.

From the goal kick given after the free-kick went narrowly over the top, Celtic broke up the park.

Marc Antoine Fortune turned his man at the edge of the box to get inside, where he was then hauled down by the defender. With the score at 1-1, a penalty would have given yet another Celtic player the opportunity to miss from 12 yards…but who knows, for once, they may just have scored?!?!

We’ll never know as referee Muir decided it wasn’t a penalty.

And those who weren’t at the game will never know as the BBC deemed it was not worthy of being included in the match highlights.

A blatant penalty claim within the last 5 minutes of a match that finished 1-1 and it is not a major talking point? It is a rather remarkable call by the editing team at Sportscene and one that deserves to be highlighted.

The BBC would be as well saving the money they spend on their woefully inadequate football coverage and putting it into their comedy output. Oh wait, that is fairly horrific as well. Perhaps restoring their news output to focus solely on news as opposed to serving as a trailer for their other shows could be a start?

As we said, Celtic were terrible and they have been rightly criticised from some quarters and laughed at by others. Such is the nature of Scottish football.

However, the officials and the BBC deserve to be slaughtered as well….and you just know that is not going to happen on any real basis.

After all, when Tony Mowbray is quite happy to take it all on the chin, why should paying customers want anything better?

For those who want to see the missing highlights, look below. It also features the clip that shows why Lee Naylor is poorer than a dead fox, let alone Danny Fox.

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Only An Excuse just isn’t funny anymore

It is as much a tradition for Scottish football fans at Hogmanay as fighting with the neighbours and pawing at unknown ladies but surely it is time for the BBC to put everyone out of their misery and stop making Only An Excuse.

WeKnowSFA is old enough to remember back to the radio days for the show, and whilst we aren’t going to say that every joke hit the spot but it was consistently funny. And it was all about football.

The show now has to hit a mass audience meaning it is forced to stick to jokes it made years ago or throw in more general TV moments.

The Scottish history guy? Terrible, who cares!

Jedward? Really.

Everyone knows Chick Young is a Rangers fan. In fact, the only person who seems unsure about this is Chick Young but that is because he is a lying moron. Is there any need to continually drag this out?

Macca…Dennis Law…Souness…Jimmy Calderwood (out of work since summer)…Ferguson saying “pwoud….vewwy pwoud” – is this still working for anyone?

It is fair to say that the show has dipped since some of the other high profile writers left but if this is the best that Watson can come up with from a year’s worth of football action, he needs to have a long hard look at himself.

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