Ref didn't beat you..we did.

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

WALTER SMITH has told Celtic: Rangers beat you - not the ref.

The Ibrox boss insists whistler Willie Collum was put under unfair pressure by the Hoops in the run-up to the Old Firm showdown.

And as Celts gaffer Neil Lennon laid into Collum over the penalty that sunk his team, Smith told him to stop bleating about decisions.

Lennon stoked up the first Old Firm clash of the season by demanding that Collum get the big calls right.

That came days after club chiefs wrote to the SFA over Dougie McDonald's U-turn on awarding them a penalty at Tannadice.

Smith said: "We have to have a look at ourselves and stop blaming everything on referees.

"We all fall out with them, but you have to look deeper at issues or there's no use playing the game.

"All the time I've been involved in Rangers-Celtic games, you have a look back and the best team wins.

"A lot of stuff gets exaggerated about these games, from the influence of the ref down, but in my experience it's who plays best that counts.

"There was unfair pressure put on the referee here in the build-up.

"That's two out of last three Old Firm games when the ref's been placed under that kind of pressure before the start.

"There's definitely too much focus on referees and there's no doubt that was the case with Willie Collum.

"I thought he handled it well. We'll always argue about decisions, but he did okay."

Smith leapt with joy on the trackside as his champs bounced back from Gary Hooper's 45th-minute goal to make it nine league wins on the trot thanks to a Glenn Loovens own goal and a Kenny Miller double.

He said: "It was a good afternoon and a good win.

"I felt we started very well with a spell where we hit the post and then had a good period for the first 20 minutes of the second half when we got in front.

"In between times we had little bits of scrappy play and some signs of tiredness.

"In the end, we're delighted to win.

"It's very early in the season to be talking about champions. A lot of games have still to be played and a lot of problems lie ahead - we have to come back from Champions League games and that's never easy. But I can't remember in either spell as manager here starting the season with nine wins in a row, so it's nice.

"Kenny Miller's first finish was excellent and he put the penalty away well.

"You always want to make home advantage count in Old Firm games, so to come away and win is a really good one for us. Away at Celtic Park is always your toughest test.

"Celtic have a new team and we weren't quite sure what to expect.

"But it's not experience that counts in these games as much as the way you play.

"When we started to play well in the second half we threatened their goal more.

"After the third goal, it was a matter of seeing it out and we did that well.

"We've come back from a goal down five times in these opening nine games and I'm not quite sure what that tells you about the team, apart from that we're prepared to fight back.

"I'm not quite sure why we keep going a goal down.

"But we've gone to places that are notoriously tough, like Aberdeen, Hearts and now Celtic and won, which is excellent going."

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3194915/Ref-didnt-beat-you-WE-did.html#ixzz13KSuYB3e

Get it up ye Lhennon

[tgblue 2]

its ridiculous and predictable the way it's always someone elses fault, its simple really there not good enough to beat the mighty Gers

[orange-john 0]

**

[Thermopylae 15,286]

It must be nice never to actually loose

[IronRangerMN 2]

'The penalty that sunk his team'? WTF?

Last I checked, it was 2-1 at the time the penalty was given. I'm thinking we didn't need the penalty to win, especially not the way we were playing at that time of the match.

[laldo 4]

they always have someone to blame the shower of dirty unwashed bastards but never themselves for being so shite!!

brilliant performance gers to come back and win it

WATP!! :21:

[Poetry_In_Blue 1,043]

Good words by Walter and never a truer one spoken.

[BlueSuedeSambas 52,700]

Stokes and Samaras should have walked & they probably would have had the fouls been at different parts I'd the game & McCulloch was lucky too but on the whole, I don't think Collum had too bad a game.

Certainly no worse than Craig Thomson.

Lennon & Celtic need to be taken to task. The way they are constantly hounding referees, questioning their integrity and putting unfair pressure on them surely counts as bringing the game into disripute?

[Gid 46]

Gotta love Walter. Gets his point across in a dignified manner as always. Lennon should take note and learn how a real man conducts himself.

[Craigyboy9 416]

Sporting Integrity FC- Always Cheated, Never Defeated.

Stokes should have walked in the first minute, fuck knows why they are going on about Big Lee, he clearly got the ball when he was yellowed. Plus They took it in turn to draw the boot off Naisy

No Surrender

[Blue Stars Bearette 1]

even quite a few fans on kerrfail could see it and said we showed more passion and ability on the pitch than they did yesterday...Lennon is in a state of denial as per