The Parkhead Penalty Peculiarity

[Frankie 505]

The first Old Firm clash of the season is almost upon us! Both teams are level at the top of the table and a SPL record will be broken if one of the sides can win this coming Sunday lunch-time. Thus, even more importance on a fixture which excites every football fan and the pressure on everyone involved will be cranked up another notch.

I certainly don't envy match referee Willie Collum who will take charge of his first Old Firm match after making his Champions League début last month! As ever, his every move will be micro-analysed; particularly by the home support who love nothing more than a Masonic refereeing conspiracy. Given Collum's interesting background as a religious education teacher at a Roman Catholic school in Bellshill, perhaps the Celtic fans may be more trusting than usual.

To that end, they shouldn't really have a lot to worry about in an officiating sense at Parkhead. Incredibly it has now been over ten years since Rangers were last awarded a penalty there (by Stuart Dougal in August 2000) despite a range of strong claims during that period. An interesting anomaly then - especially considering Celtic have been awarded four of their own. For comparison's sake both teams have been given three penalties each at Ibrox Stadium over the same ten year period. Damn that Establishment!

I guess one should have some sympathy for the officials when examining the Old Firm phenomenon. The scrutiny placed upon them is intense, often unfair and they don't have the benefit of countless slo-mo replays. Add in the increased chance of being hit by a variety of objects by angry home fans at Parkhead (ask Hugh Dallas and Fernando Ricksen to name but two people) or accosted by same (ask Dida, El-Hadji Diouf or even Gordon Strachan), then one can't blame referees for worrying about their person (or indeed their house windows, cars or gardens) when looking to give a decision against Celtic. After all, the Celtic support are infamous for their paranoia accompanied by violence.

Just last weekend, lighters, coins and chestnuts were thrown onto the pitch by the Celtic support while their manager also physically and verbally abused the officials for having the temerity to rightly disallow a Celtic penalty. I guess they should be thankful mobile phones and bananas weren't added to the object list given they've both been thrown whenever a non-Celtic minded individual gets too close to the side of the pitch. The only surprising thing at Tannadice on Sunday was that no away fans fell/jumped from the death-trap of the Main Stand to make their point to the clearly cheating referee.

Of course Celtic have supposedly been reported to the SPL for this poor behaviour. Well, their support have anyway - their manager's aggressive actions towards the officials have been excused. Perhaps someone will belatedly report him to the SFA in 11 days time for his touch-line ban? Just don't expect the club to act quickly, after all the perpetrators of the various objects thrown at Fernando Ricksen five years ago still haven't been caught.

The message is clear. Give a decision perceived to be against Celtic and you'll be the subject of acute media analysis for weeks on end (see any official; not just in games Rangers play against Celtic per se either). Give a decision perceived to be against Celtic and your own job will become under threat while private investigators are hired to determine your background (see Mike McCurry and Hugh Dallas). Give a decision perceived to be against Celtic and be verbally and physically abused (see Neil Lennon as a Celtic captain and manager). Give a decision perceived to be against Celtic and run the risk of having a variety of bizarre (but painful) items being thrown at your person while your back is turned.

Thus, ten years since Billy Dodds scored that penalty at Parkhead (don't worry Celtic fans you were 4-1 up at the time and Barry Ferguson was later sent off to compensate) will Willie Collum be able to ignore that message and judge every incident on its own merits in front of 50000 home fans just waiting to be offended at Parkhead?

Or will he join the nine different referees since that day and look the other way when fouls are committed in the Celtic box? Personal safety or professional pride - I guess that isn't an easy question to answer when examining the Parkhead penalty peculiarity.

[Adoniram 1,919]

Dripping with sarcasm...just the way i like the articles to be.

The best of it all though is that it will go over the heads of the scum support as they cannot handle that pesky thing called the ...TRUTH.

[Frankie 505]

Dripping with sarcasm...just the way i like the articles to be.

The best of it all though is that it will go over the heads of the scum support as they cannot handle that pesky thing called the ...TRUTH.

Well, the good news is that Collum does give us penalties (see Aberdeen game a few weeks back) but he also allowed opposition players to assault ours (see Diamond, Young and McGuire) in the same game for minimal punishment.

Should be a fascinating match as always.

Could Collum become the first ref in 10 years to award us a penalty at Parkhead and then also become the first ever Catholic Orange bastard referee...?

[RFC55 110,229]

Excellent article with plenty of digs Frankie

[Frankie 505]

Excellent article with plenty of digs Frankie

Their behaviour at the weekend made the safety claims extremely relevant.

Sure the article is satirical and a few gratuitous digs have been made but there is a serious message contained within it.

Can Celtic FC guarantee the safety of the match officials and Rangers players/staff? Will Willie Collum allow such a valid worry to cloud his judgement?

[RFC55 110,229]

Their behaviour at the weekend made the safety claims extremely relevant.

Sure the article is satirical and a few gratuitous digs have been made but there is a serious message contained within it.

Can Celtic FC guarantee the safety of the match officials and Rangers players/staff? Will Willie Collum allow such a valid worry to cloud his judgement?

These are the questions we cant answer at the moment mate.

What i will say is to anyone who dosent think there is a bias in he Scottish media, view how this was reported compared to us singing at Inverness. Missiles at a referee, or singing ftp during the sash!

The daily record never mentioned it, it was almost as tho they had reason to do it as the ref changed his mind after awarding a pk that should never have been.

The Scottish press are a joke

[Poetry_In_Blue 1,043]

Didn't a Celtic fan run onto the pitch and accost the goalie of the opposing team in the CL recently?

I know he wasn't really hurt, BUT it was still a pitch invasion, can't remember if Celtic got punished for that?

Sorry, I meant to ask the last time Celtic were in the CL!

I won't hold my breath that we would get any form of decision which could give us an advantage on Sunday, our players will just have to be resolute and don't give the referee an option to seriously penalize us.

[minstral 5,375]

You can be sure if one of them goes down inside the box he will give them a penalty.

[Frankie 505]

Didn't a Celtic fan run onto the pitch and accost the goalie of the opposing team in the CL recently?

I know he wasn't really hurt, BUT it was still a pitch invasion, can't remember if Celtic got punished for that?

Sorry, I meant to ask the last time Celtic were in the CL!

I won't hold my breath that we would get any form of decision which could give us an advantage on Sunday, our players will just have to be resolute and don't give the referee an option to seriously penalize us.

Yeah, that was Dida - mentioned in the original post...

Of course we shouldn't need to rely on the officials to win a match we're more than capable of taking a result from but it is an interesting anomaly that we've not had a penalty there for over ten years...

[gunslinger 270]

thomson denied us 3 in onematch caldwell practically caught the ball on two occasions but nothing.

[Adoniram 1,919]

You can be sure if one of them goes down inside the box he will give them a penalty.

"Which was denied by Ref WILLIAM MASON who has a square and compass hanging from his whistle"

Go figure what Collum will do.

How can a guy who is a Catholic and a known Celtic Fan as well as an R.E teacher at a Catholic school be expected to referee an Old Firm game impartially.

If it was the reverse and the ref did have a square and compass he would NEVER be allowed to referee a game of such importance.

Those who say otherwise are kidding themselves on.

[scottyc06 6,927]

This talk of us not getting any penaltys is pathetic, its making us sound like them! Moaning because we never get penaltys... Who gives a fuck? You should realise by now that we aren't likely to get any help from anyone in this league! We don't need a penalty to beat THEM!

I await a slaughtering..

[DarcheVinny 1,003]

Good stuff frankie

[stuartmccallsfall 4]

Yeah Frankie I enjoyed your post there.

[Frankie 505]

This talk of us not getting any penaltys is pathetic, its making us sound like them! Moaning because we never get penaltys... Who gives a fuck? You should realise by now that we aren't likely to get any help from anyone in this league! We don't need a penalty to beat THEM!

I await a slaughtering..

No-one is suggesting that we should't be able to beat Celtic regardless of who is the referee. I'd never make such an obvious excuse.

However, it is interesting that we've not been given a penalty in over 10 years which is worth discussing given the paranoia from Celtic supporters regarding officials.

Feel free to read another thread if you don't like this fun debate!

[gunslinger 270]

i like the use of percieved.

take the game we beat them 3-0 with mcurray in charge. we score a perfectly good goal and its chopped off. the bravest man in sport handles blatantly in the box we get no penalty.

what happens after it mccurray gets criticised everywhere for booking 9 celtc players. this depite the fact at least 2 should have been of the park.

look at the game at ibrox where thomson appologised for not giving them a pen. same game novo is thumped in the back stonewall penalty nothing said.

look at the game brown is sent of for headbutting k-laff. edu legs whipped from in the box no pen. all the talk after the game is why was brown sent of he only headbutted k-laff's nipple.

i could go on all day. but the jist is when you have the press and radio wrapped up tight it all becomes about you.

[deleteduser1 169]

Cracking article Frankie.

Wonder what odds the bookies are giving on Rangers NOT being awarded a penalty at Parkshed in this match or indeed in any other fixture where we are forced to play at the Mechano set this season?

[scottyc06 6,927]

No-one is suggesting that we should't be able to beat Celtic regardless of who is the referee. I'd never make such an obvious excuse.

However, it is interesting that we've not been given a penalty in over 10 years which is worth discussing given the paranoia from Celtic supporters regarding officials.

Feel free to read another thread if you don't like this fun debate!

Exactly, the paranoia of celtic fans regarding officials!

But giving it the 'aw we haven't had a penalty in ten years' is just the same, granted its a long time.. But moaning about it just makes you as bad as them! Oh the conspiracy... Behave!

That's their way of dealing with it when things don't go their way, let's not lower ourselfs to that!

[Adoniram 1,919]

Exactly, the paranoia of celtic fans regarding officials!

But giving it the 'aw we haven't had a penalty in ten years' is just the same, granted its a long time.. But moaning about it just makes you as bad as them! Oh the conspiracy... Behave!

That's their way of dealing with it when things don't go their way, let's not lower ourselfs to that!

Why don't you behave and read the article again only more slowly this time.

It is a satirical tongue in cheek article with a serious point to it.

And if it is 10 years since we have had a penalty at the San Giro then please tell me what is paranoid about pointing out a fact?

[Frankie 505]

Exactly, the paranoia of celtic fans regarding officials!

But giving it the 'aw we haven't had a penalty in ten years' is just the same, granted its a long time.. But moaning about it just makes you as bad as them! Oh the conspiracy... Behave!

That's their way of dealing with it when things don't go their way, let's not lower ourselfs to that!

I think you're struggling to find the irony and satire within the article. Try smiling when you read it as opposed to gritting your teeth...

[Webby82 6]

Lets win the game with without the need to shout for Penalties.

We are good enough to do so, and to have an article on this is bordering paranoia, and bows to their level of insecurity.

[TheNuts 552]

it was pointed out to me earlier that lennon has not won a "must-win" game.

i think we will have them this sunday.

[papaguy51 912]

That's their way of dealing with it when things don't go their way, let's not lower ourselfs to that!

Ah, the dignified silence that has, over the past few years, led to Rangers fans not having a public voice to get behind.

Fuck. That.

[Adoniram 1,919]

Lets win the game with without the need to shout for Penalties.

We are good enough to do so, and to have an article on this is bordering paranoia, and bows to their level of insecurity.

Aye very good Declan :chopometer:

[Gid 46]

The number of idiots who do not understand the irony of the OP is sad.