IN some ways, I feel sorry for Celtic, now they cannot win a domestic Treble. However, in all honesty, I do not see the current Celtic squad as being good enough to deserve that rarity a Treble.
Of course, how they lost to Caley Thistle this afternoon has caused the usual overkill which seems to follow one of the "diddy" team besting either half of the Old Firm. I dare say the usual suspects from the wider Celtic Family will block the interweb for the next week, with accusations of a Masonic conspiracy to defeat their favourites. In response, several tribunes of Ra Peepul will be on with their usual: Celtic FC - Never defeated, always cheated suggestions.
In the case of today's most-contentious incident, the penalty which Celtic didn't get. Let's get it straight, the match officials have one look, in real time - a fraction of a second, in which to make their decision. With the benefit of several looks at the TV pictures, shot from various angles, it is impossible to come to any conclusion other than - it was a clear penalty.
However, the refereeing team do not have the luxury of several slo-mo views of the incident. In the case of poor old Alan Muir, the additional official behind the goal, from where he was stood, he had no way of seeing the ball hitting the Falkirk player's arm; ditto the far-side linesman. But, from where he was standing, it looked as if referee Stevie McLean had a clear, uninterrupted view of the incident. However, I am not so sure.
I reckon, from where Mr McLan was standing, it might have looked as if the ball had hit head, then arm - in which case, it isn't a penalty.
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There has been a lot of talk of late about using technology for contentious incidents of late. This single incident has surely reinforced these calls. I reckon, if, and it is a huge IF, clubs were allowed a couple of tennis or cricket-style challenges to contentious decisions, such controversies would be a thing of the past.
WELL, we ken noo. The Dyslexia Scotland Scottish Junior Cup final will feature Musselburgh Athletic and, yawn, not them again - Auchinleck Talbot. Once they had taken a two-goal lead from last Saturday's first leg semi-final at Blair Park, against cup-holders Hurlford, Talbot were always odds-on to reach the final. I cannot think when last visitors to Beechwood Park have gone away with the three-goal win United would have needed to rach back-to-back finals.
But, well done Athletic. The pressure was on them after snatching that odd-goal-in-five win at Linlithgow in the first leg, but, they survived to draw the second leg and go through. You still have to fancy Talbot for the final, however.
NEIL Doncaster has been getting pelters this week, after the shambles of the final Championship fixtures this season. I have never been convinced by Mr Doncaster, he strikes me as one of the many over-promoted English-trained administrators we have running so-many organisations in Scottish public life.
In my view, a lot of these guys have got their jobs, simply because they have English accents, and our officials have been guilty of the Scottish cringe in appointing them>
"They're English, they must be better than our own guys" is the wrong attitude, but, it will take a long time, I think, to rid our public life of this attitude.
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