Glamour or glory???

The Europa League Play-Off draw is a bit of a mixed bag for the Scottish teams but hopefully at least two of the three clubs can get through.

It does look grim for Hearts although Harry Redknapp’s promise to play youngsters and squad players in the Europa League may give an outside chance. Then again, people shouldn’t believe a single world that Harry Redknapp says so who knows what team will line-up against the Jambos. Regardless of the line-up, it should be a good trip for Hearts fans and one that should create a lot of memories.

Rangers seemed to have got the most straight-forward of ties in NK Maribor but then again, that was what would have been said after they were drawn against Malmo! The Slovenian side will provide a robust challenge to Rangers but you really would have to think that Ally McCoist’s men will have enough to get through the tie. Then again, with just one European win in 23 games, no one at Ibrox should be taking this tie too lightly.

Maribor have played three league games this season, winning them all by a 2-1 score line, sitting second in the league (Maribor have a GD of +3 whereas Domzale have a GD of +7).

Celtic however are off to Switzerland to face FC Sion. The Swiss side finished fourth in their league but defeated Neuchatel Xamax in the Cup final. The internet is already abuzz with the fact that FC Sion hold the world record for winning all 12 cup final appearances they have made. The ground is a 16,5000 capacity so there may well be a limit on the travelling support that make it across to Switzerland.

Again, Celtic should have every reason to feel as though they can progress to the group stages but with their form in Europe not being great, especially on the road, there should be nothing taken for granted.
The Uefa site indicated that both Glasgow sides were drawn away from home in the first leg, suggesting both would be at home in the second leg but there may be a switch to one of the ties. In short, don’t go booking flights until the legs are confirmed!

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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.

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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.

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Fully deserved victory for Walter Smith

The first trophy of the season was lifted by Davie Weir as Rangers ran out deserved winners after extra-time at Hampden Park. It was an end to end game with both teams having chances but most people would agree that the Ibrox side were the better performers.

Both sides had threatened before Steven Davis opened the scoring. The midfielder was allowed to run a long distance before getting a shot away. Fraser Forster in goals for Celtic could have reacted quicker, the big keeper went down very slowly as the ball clipped the post and rolled in.

Celtic struck back strongly though and Joe Ledley pounced on a head-flick from Samaras to draw Celtic level. The fans had barely got their breath back when Rangers walked up the park and it appeared as though they had been awarded a penalty. Craig Thomson, who had earlier waved away Celtic appeals, pointed to the spot but then changed his mind and booked Jelavic for diving. To make matters more confusing, the whistler brandished the card and stuck it in the air three times and it was very unclear if that to reiterate that Jelavic was booked or if other players had been booked as well.

The second half wasn’t as end to end as the first but this was due to Rangers dominating. There were less goal-mouth incidents in the second half but Rangers had more of the play and Forster had a couple of saves. Celtic lost Brown through injury and replaced Rogne with Loovens as they looked out of sorts. Too many Celtic players went missing and Rangers worked hard in pressing the Celtic full-backs further up the pitch.

Celtic came to life in the final moments of the game but even then, both sides had chances to win it.

In extra-time, Forster reacted very well to divert a deflected free-kick away from goal but the winning goal was yet again another bad one to lose from the East-End club. The stand-side official flagged for an off the ball incident and Rangers took a quick free-kick, which allowed Nikica Jelavic to outpace and outmuscle Charlie Mulgrew where he placed his shot off the same post that Davis struck with the ball spinning out and then eventually in and over the line.

Celtic looked a beaten time at this point although they nearly grabbed an equaliser at the death when Gary Hooper struck only for a deflection to take it over. Right at the end of the game, Emilio Izaguirre was red-carded for taking down Weiss in the Rangers half but if the Honduran, carrying an injury, didn’t foul the winger, he would have had a clear run on goal with Fraser Forster in the Rangers half at the time.

The result sees Walter Smith lift the League Cup for the final time and will surely hand Rangers a major boost for the title run-in.

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All ifs and buts at the moment

The FA Cup down south managed to get all four of its quarter final ties played with a winner at the first time of asking but this wasn’t the case up here.

Three draws and one postponement means the semi-final draw is looking rather full with all 8 quarter finalists still having genuine hopes of reaching Hampden.

The draw is:

Dundee United or Motherwell v Brechin City or St Johnstone

St Mirren or Aberdeen v Inverness Caldeonian Thistle or Celtic

The ties are scheduled to be played the weekend of 16th and 17th of April.

Aberdeen left it late in Paisley where St Mirren yet again lost a late goal in the 1-1 draw.

Plucky Brechin grabbed the lead but then hauled back a 2-1 deficit against St Johnstone to leave that tie at 2-2.

Dundee United and Motherwell served up a great treat at Tannadice with the holders pulling back from a goal behind on two occasions to create another 2-2 draw.

And of course, a waterlogged pitch prevented Caley and Celtic locking horns with that match scheduled for Wednesday night.

It is a farce that the Celtic v Hibs game on Wednesday has been postponed to allow this tie to be re-scheduled at short notice but that’s the rules of the cup taking precedence. However, with Sky not planning to show the re-arranged game and the money going into the pot as opposed to being split between the two sides, how hard will Caley work at making the pitch playable….

The St Johnstone v Brechin replay will be televised live on Sky on 22nd of March, giving the broadcaster some football to show in the build up to the international fixtures.

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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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Rangers implode through a lack of discipline

Another crazy night in Glasgow and a game where Celtic’s match-winning full-back Mark Wilson managed more shots on target in one passage of play than Rangers managed all night.

The talk will be of the scuffles, the red cards and the controversy but Celtic were clear winners on an evening when Rangers offered little but aggression. If a Rangers fan had been at the two Cup games, they would have spent close to £80 on match tickets alone and apart from a thrilling opening ten minutes of the first game, the Ibrox side offered very little in these games.

In the early stages, the Rangers 5-4-1 seemed to puzzle Celtic, who had plenty of the ball but couldn’t quite work out the best way to unlock that defence. At this point, the Rangers fans and backroom staff were probably confident in their game plan, which had worked in Europe on numerous occasions.

Then Steven Whittaker threw it all into disarray. His first booking may not have merited a yellow card for the challenge alone but the fact that he had committed a number of fouls by this point, which ref Calum Murray pointed out, meant it was a justified yellow card. Compare and contrast to Scott Brown’s booking for the collision with Davie Weir and it’s obvious that Whittaker has little to complain about.

The thing is, for all that Scott Brown is labelled as being ‘not quite right’, he knows if you are on a booking in this game that you cannot fly into challenges in a reckless manner. Whittaker did and picked up a stupid second yellow, sending him off and giving Celtic the initiative.

There was quite a delay in getting the game started with El Hadji Diouf getting involved, allegedly barging the Celtic physio and then remonstrating with the Celtic bench, who gave him the reaction he craved.

Celtic nearly scored immediately when Samaras capitalised on a poor backpass but Alan McGregor saved and it headed to half-time goal-less. More scuffles followed on the way to the tunnel.

Celtic started brightly and they grabbed the goal that was to prove to be decisive. Izaguirre now had the freedom of the left hand side and again in this Cup round, fired a cross in which reached Mark Wilson. The full-back fired a thunderous shot towards goal which Sasa Papac bravely blocked. The ball bounced off Weir and fell back to Wilson who sclaffed the shot into the ground, where it bounced and spun over McGregor and beyond Bougherra into the net.

Given the tremendous shot he had just hit previously, the second one was a tame effort from Wilson but that doesn’t matter when it goes in.

Hopefully Sasa Papac will recover from the blow he took in keeping the first effort out, it was quite a powerful shot. There was a lengthy period of stoppage time to ensure the defender, who had not descended into the madness like many on the park, was okay and then strapped in securely before being escorted off the pitch.

Rangers could have equalised at the re-start when a Mulgrew header looped over Zaluska but the Polish stopper managed to double-back on himself and stop the ball before it cross the line. El Hadji Diouf tried to shove the keeper over the line but it was a fairly half-hearted attempted.

From there, Celtic kept possession well and drew foul after foul from Rangers. Bougherra was booked for a brutal foul on Gary Hooper, the Algerian stopper was late and made sure his studs went firmly into the back of Hooper’s legs.

The English striker was lucky he was not severely injured and Bougherra was lucky it wasn’t a straight red card. Bougherra had been at the centre of some controversial moments, most notably when he put his hands on Murray to stop him flashing a red card at Whittaker but this was not to be his last act of petulance.

In the dying moments, just after Diouf hit a tame free-kick straight at Zaluska to give Rangers their first effort on target, a ball up the touchline saw Hooper and Bougherra give chase with the Algerian launching himself at the ball. He got the ball but was off the ground and took a lot of the man.

That is a bookable offence but again, the stopper tried to prevent Murray from flashing the inevitable red card. It had been a night of indiscipline from Rangers but given the pre-match threats made by Kyle Bartley, it was obviously something Rangers were planning to do.

It is one thing to go head to head and toe to toe with the opposition but there needs to be a calmness and reason in your actions, this is something too many Rangers players lacked. Even the normally mild mannered Davis showed moments of madness with late reckless challenges and notable dissent.

That should have been it but Diouf needed his name in the morning papers and set off on a crusade to get himself sent off. As the Celtic fans and players celebrated, the Senegalese player harangued the ref, applauded him and gave him verbals.

Calum Murray did his best to avoid sending the striker, no doubt the ref was aware of the insanity of the night but Diouf was not taking no for an answer. Red card duly received, he trotted off to the Rangers end to throw his top and under-garment into the crowd. The Rangers end roared their approval of this act but you wonder how many would have preferred if the player was noted for impacting on the football game as opposed to the ancillary stuff.

As for the McCoist and Lennon spat – until you know what was said by McCoist that caused Lennon to react, you can only criticise both parties. It is obvious that Lennon remains public enemy number 1 and will be slated by the media but McCoist, usually seen as the cheeky chappie the media love, was equally to blame and if any team had a complete lack of indiscipline, it wasn’t Lennon’s side.

As usual though, too many people are blinded with so much hatred of Lennon that they are unable to see anything remotely close to the truth with him or look at both sides. Lennon should be criticised for reacting, let’s not be unclear about that, as the victor Lennon should have risen above it but you have to wonder what he reacted to.

So there you go, it’s been a long time since a big fight night gathered so much of a crowd in Glasgow. In case you missed it, there was a bit of a football game in there which Celtic won 1-0 and progressed to the quarter final of the Scottish Cup.

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The difference a week makes

This time last weekend, the Celtic fans were flying, the Rangers fans were disconsolate and the domestic violence rates were going through the roof.

Fast forward one week and it is all change in Scottish football.

Celtic never started at all at Fir Park, it was as if the players never used a ball during the warm up period. The Celtic backline appeared absolutely petrified by the turf and survived a number of warnings before they eventually caused the goal that was coming. John Sutton was the grateful recipient as he rounded Forster to slide home and then picked up a booking by celebrating in with the home fans.

For the next 10 minutes, Well had Celtic penned back and should have increased their lead as they pushed on against a weak looking backline. The frailties of the Celtic defence returned as they looked well out of their depth at Fir Park. As the half wore on, Celtic became dominant and can count 4 good missed chances but if you don’t take them, you will be punished.

Motherwell started the second half like they started the first and should have scored when a header crashed against the bar but the Lanarkshire side were not to be denied. Celtic never properly cleared the ball and as the ball was whipped back in and with Izaguirre out of position, the enclosure side linesman decided that a foul had been committed. This wasn’t how it looked on replay and this linesman made a number of wrong calls during the game but it was a penalty to the home side that Sutton duly dispatched.

At 2-0 it was game over and even with a long time to go, Celtic had chucked it.

Neil Lennon was brutally honest in his post-match interview and said that Celtic got what they deserved. The thing is with Lennon, no matter what he says, some people will have their own opinions but yet again, he was honest and forthright in the failings in his own team and full of praise for the opposition when deserved.

This Celtic set-back gave Rangers every incentive to push on against St Johnstone and they duly did so.

There was controversy over the opening goal with Madjid Bougherra clearly handling the ball in the build-up but Nikica Jelavic provided an excellent finish to give Rangers the start they badly wanted.

Jelavic did not feature against Sporting Lisbon and barely featured the previous weekend but this finish showed his class. A second eventually arrived before half-time and it would have been a relief for Kyle Lafferty, who had missed a number of chances before the goal…but at 2-0 at half-time it was virtually game over.

The game was wrapped up late on with Sasa Papac, a regular scorer against the Perth side and Jelavic with his second securing a great 4-0 win for Rangers.

All eyes on Celtic Park on Wednesday for the cup replay…..

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Taking your chances makes all the difference

Like most games between these two clubs, it could have turned out so differently but no one can have any complaints with the dominance of the score-line. Individual brilliance on behalf of Celtic and individual errors or poor play from Rangers may have been responsible for the goals but from early on, the home side looked to have the better grip on midfield.

There was a frenetic opening to the game and Kyle Bartley was fortunate not to have been red carded for a wild challenge on Scott Brown. The Rangers fans were angry that Anthony Stokes never received a red card in the opening minutes of the October Parkhead clash but they got lucky on this occasion.

Celtic’s opening goal came down the left hand side and even though Emilio Izaguirre and Kris Commons were instrumental in creating the chance, the goal was all about Gary Hooper. A sensational first touch sped the striker past David Weir and allowed Hooper to place the ball between Alan McGregor’s legs and Celtic into the lead.

The home fans were rocking and it was to get better for them after another sensational break down the left hand side. Giorgios Samaras fed a defence splitting pass down the line which Izaguirre caught and slid across the face of the six yard box where Gary Hooper met it at full stretch to make it 2-0.

Biram Kayal and El Hadji Diouf were booked in the aftermath of the goal but television replays indicated it was much ado about nothing between the two. There were certainly a lot more challenges worthy of a booking but Ian Brines did manage to keep control of the game.

The period before half-time saw Celtic sit back slightly and although Rangers had more of the ball, there was not too much to threaten Fraser Forster. In an attempt to claw back into the game, Walter Smith threw on Kyle Lafferty on for the invisible Steven Naismith and like the end of the first half, Rangers started the second half with more of the ball. It was Celtic who had the first real chance though when McGregor flapped at a cross which Scott Brown nodded goalwards but Sasa Papac managed to clear in time.

Rangers had chances when Jelavic skewed a free header wide and Diouf failed to lob Forster but the game was over when Kris Common stepped neatly inside and fired a shot at goal. It appeared to be going straight down the middle but swerved at the last moment, which took advantage of poor positioning by Alan McGregor. The match was all tied up and as Celtic passed and strolled their way through the rest of the game, Rangers were looking increasingly lost.

Madjid Bougherra was fortunate to stay on the park after a prolonged period of insolence to Ian Brines and Sasa Papac got away with a kick-out on Stokes when both players were on the ground.

A win was crucial for Celtic but the manner of play and domination may give Neil Lennon and his team an added bonus for the title run-in. Rangers are now using their games in hand to narrow the gap at the top as opposed to get back on top.

With Celtic kicking off on Sunday before Rangers, the gap may be even further before the next Rangers game.

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The man is in no position to judge

Celtic don’t like George Peat and it is fair to say that George Peat has no time for Celtic. It is no secret that Peat is looking at retirement this summer from his post at the SFA but he seems hell-bent on settling a few scores before he goes. The problem comes in the fact that Peat doesn’t seem too careful in achieving his aims.

The reports of his behaviour during the Neil Lennon appeal are sadly no surprise of a man who is out of his depth in a body that needs shaken apart and rebuilt with a modern image. Peat will find when he retires to a bowling club committee in the Autumn that petty behaviour and rolling out decisions because you want to are able to work in certain conditions but with so much at stake, it cannot happen in Scottish football.

When it was announced that Neil Lennon was handed a six match ban, this site said it was a ridiculous ban and one that was unprecedented for a boss up on his first charge. Yes, Neil Lennon was red-carded at Tynecastle and that carries a two match ban, so there is no complaint with that element of the ban.

If the referee and fourth official could prove that Lennon was aggressive and over the line in his behaviour when complaining about a decision that Craig Thomson got wrong (as all evidence showed), then yes, an additional two match ban for Lennon would have been justified. The validity of the decision does not give a manager the right to cross the line when it comes to complaining so if Lennon was out of line, a four game punishment would have been harsh but it would have been a fair outcome.

However, the act of throwing a further two matches on top of the ban was a ludicrous decision and one which may cause the SFA a lot of harm. And at the centre of it all is that man called Peat.

It should actually be concerning that the appeal hearing went ahead with George Peat absent for some of it. The fact that this situation arose so Peat could appear with Biffy Clyro at the Scottish Cup draw was an act of such stupidity that you can scarcely believe it is true. Then you remember that it is the SFA that is being talked about and you sadly realise it was all too real.

You would like to think that at some point Peat looked at his Outlook calendar / diary / notes on the fridge and thought “I have two appointments scheduled for the same time” and made a decision to move the timing of one or delegate duties to another. The fact that he didn’t may just have given Celtic all the assistance they need in their battle against him and the body he represents.

Celtic probably cannot believe their luck in dealing with the SFA. The idea of sitting back and letting your opponent damage themselves has to be tactic for Celtic and it should be a successful one because it seems as though the SFA are unable to follow proper procedures. Whether this is because there are no recorded proper procedures or there is just too much of a rush to condemn the club is unknown but again, if there was transparency about disciplinary matters at the SFA, this would not be an issue.

As the issue involves Neil Lennon, many people will be unable to look at the case objectively but there is a need to view this with respect to the bigger picture. Yet again the governing body in Scottish football has shown itself incapable of doing its job. Take Neil Lennon out of the equation and every Scottish football fan would be calling for the head of Peat and big changes to the way the SFA conducts itself and its disciplinary hearings.

The thing is though, when you look back at comments from some of the other managers in the SPL, it does make you wonder why Lennon is being dealt with in this manner yet others avoid censure.

A lot of the trouble for the SFA started with the lies orchestrated by Dougie Dougie McDonald at Tannadice for the Dundee United versus Celtic match in October but in the post-match interviews, only one manager laid into the official and questioned people’s integrity. Step forward Scotland assistant manager and United boss Peter Houston.

And who could forget the numerous remarks Terry Butcher has made about officials in Scotland this season?

Well, all of the SFA it would appear. Funnily enough, Butcher has made remarks after all 3 of the Caley games versus Rangers this season with every game seeing a big and highly questionable decision go the way of the champions. Butcher slaughtered the official at Ibrox recently but his outburst, which was surely a criticism of a match official, was whitewashed by the media as they focussed on anti-SPL portion of the rant and ignored by the SFA.

If Celtic and their lawyer Paul McBride know their stuff and let’s face it, McBride has a grasp on his job, these elements should not go unnoticed when it comes time to present a defence of Lennon and the SFA’s overall approach.

However, further backup for Celtic may come in the way that the SFA have handled the bans and suspensions of Derek Adams, now assistant manager at Hibs. It appears that some of the subsequent additional bans handed out to Adams, based upon match officials reports, can no longer be relied upon and that these bans should not have been placed on Adams.

With a large proportion of the Scottish game backing Adams on his stance that he does not swear, the citation of foul and abusive language starts to look rather shaky. Citing this as a reason to increase bans may be a get-out clause to provide further punishment as opposed to being an offence that was genuinely committed. It also depends on how loosely people interpret “foul and abusive” language.

With more and more reasons to question the integrity of those running the game and the games themselves, there has never been a bigger need for the old guard to be thrown out of town.

If Neil Lennon wins his appeal, it will be considered a victory for Celtic….but if the club takes it all the way, Scottish football may just be the winner with a complete review of the current running of the game.

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