Another Famous Belgian Surfaces

I MISSED the 1997 celebrations, so there was no way I wasn't going to be out on John Finnie Street last night to watch Kilmarnock parade the League Cup, following their win over Celtic.

 

I had a feeling, watching the game, as Celtic scorned chance after chance - or to be more-correct, Cammy Bell made save after save, that their failure to convert even one of the many chances they had created would come back to haunt them, and, so it proved. If the hoary old pub quiz chestnut: Name five famous Belgians is ever again posed in a Killie pub - there's no way Dieter Van Tornhout's name isn't in there alongside those of Jean Claud Van Damme, Jean Marc Bosman, Tintin and Hercule Poirot.

 

Of course, the death of Liam Kelly's father, Jack, cast a pall over the celebrations, what a tragedy for the family.

 

Another cloud arrived with Neil Lennon's post-match remarks about the penalty which Willie Collum chose not to give when Anthony Stokes went down in the Killie box. It is through such press comments that Lennon, a highly-intelligent and able manager, let's himself down and enhances his image as a right wee ynaff with no breeding or dignity.

 

I don't doubt, in similar circumstances, the likes of Jock Stein or Billy McNeill felt equally angry and annoyed, but, they had the good sense to keep such opinions to themselves, and to hide behind platitudes - before retiring to the depths of Parkhead to properly vent their rage. Maybe wee Neil's just too honest, too emotional; on the other hand, maybe he really is a wee ynaff - but, somebody inside Celtic really has to take him in hand.

 

As for Willie Collum, ok, he made the call as he saw it. I must say, I've seen such tangles result in penalties, I've seen other occasions on which they weren't given. However, Neil Lennon and the entire Celtic family MUST realise: THE REFEREE IS THE SOLE JUDGE OF FACT - if he says it's not a penalty, it isn't, accept it, deal with it and move on. In any case, given the day Bell was having, I reckon had the penalty been given, he'd have saved it. However, to return to Collum - everyone known he is a Roman Catholic, therefore, by definition, we expect him to be "Celtic-minded". I have no knowledge whether or not he is.

 

However, might it be, given he knows he is because of his religion, expected to favour Celtic, he sub-consciously tries to not be seen to favour the club. I suspect, the same problem besets top Scottish rugby referee Andrew MacPherson, who seems to reserve his very-occasional off days for matches involving his home-town club, Ayr.

 

Given the way things have been going in Scottish football this season, I expect Stokes will have the "diving" yellow card rescinded by the Review Body, while Lennon's outrageous post-game rant will similarly be down-played.

 

Any way, it's good, after weeks of financial matters anent Rangers hogging the headlines, it's good to get back to proper football matters taking priority.

 

 

 

ABOUT Rangers, by the way - I note, with the off-field story settling down, some people are now starting to ask questions about Ally McCoist's managerial ability, or lack of the same.

 

Of course, managing Rangers, a huge job at the best of times, has been made harder by all the administration nonsense. But, the way the club is leaking points, Ally isn't exactly setting the heather on fire. In fact, his managerial career has started rather as his playing career did - at a very low level. However, if it picks-up the way his playing one did, McCoist the manager might, in the long term, prove to be just as big a man for Rangers as McCoist the player was.