Political machinations

CELTIC chairman John Reid comes across as rather a nasty piece of work. You don't reach the great offices of state which he filled without trampling over friends and rivals on your way up the greasy political pole, for a start.

But, that legendary spot of live mike eavesdropping, featuring Helen Liddell and Jack McConnel, telling each other exactly what they thought of the good Dr Reid rather emphasised that, not even his political colleagues were enamoured of him.

So, it should come as no surprise that Reid and his relations in 'the Celtic Family' should have managed to greatly embarrass the SFA blazers in the fall-out over "Dougiegate".

Celtic never liked Hugh Dallas - he has the mark on his forehead from that coin flung at him at the Tattiedome and the bill for replacing his replacement windows to show for TCF's disdain for him.

Similarly, TCF don't like Dougie McDonald - as witness the furore over Scott Brown's red card after his clash with Kyle Lafferty and the subsequent ratcheting-up of the venom after the Dundee United game.

Certainly, the SFA didn't cover themselves in glory with how they handled Celtic's squeals about the Tannadice penalty they didn't get.

HOWEVER.

Let's look at it again. McDonald, in the heat of battle, awarded Celtic a penalty, then rescinded his decision. Everyone and his brother is agreed - in the end, he got it right, since it wasn't a penalty.

Law V (i) says: "The referee is the sole judge of fact". Therefore, it wasn't a penalty. Celtic either accept the referee's decision and move on, or they show themselves up as rank bad losers (not that they actually lost, since the game finished 2-1 to them).

They can have no complaint about the decision; McDonald admitted he got it wrong first time, then corrected it.

Celtic do I feel have a case about the way the SFA handled the fall-out; but, they cannot have any cause to keep harping on about McDonald's handling of the game. To keep attacvking the referee is to attack the wrong target and I just hope the SFA sort them out for this, while sorting out their own inadequacies in administration.

What they are doing is conducting a witch-hunt against a good referee.

Nobody came out of this whole affair smelling of roses - now what is needed is a period of calm and silence.

I was speaking to a referee's supervisor this week and he was saying it is now all but impossible to appoint referees to Old Firm games, because of Celtic's constant whingeing and playing of the victim card.

If I was Hughie Dallas, I'd be putting Dougie McDonald immediately back onto the next Celtic game and instructing the Fourth Official: "The first time Lennon gets up off his erse - ping him, get Dougie in".

"And Dougie - send The Ginger Whinger straight to the stand and by the way, if you give Celtic any penalties, you're demoted."

A couple of weeks of not getting any breaks and they (Celtic) might shut up and let the refs get on with refereeing.

Celtic's complaints have also impacted on Rangers, and how their games are refereed - which was maybe something Celtic were seeking. My refereeing supervisor pal tells me one or two referees have sworn NOT to award penalties to Rangers if Kirk Broadfoot is the guy downed - following his alleged dive in the Old Firm game.

If this is the case, then Celtic have managed to compromise refereeing integrity, something they have complained about; since fear of allegations of pro-Rangers bias could prompt a referee to not award a justified penalty, should Broadfoot be up-ended.

It's a right mess.