Consistency

[Sylar]

Quite delighted to see Stuart McCall refusing to take the offered one match ban from the SFA after his "outburst" at the Scottish Cup game vs Aberdeen last weekend.

There is absolutely no level of consistency with which managers are being hauled over the coals in relation to their comments/interactions with referees - an example:


“For the second goal, the ref has had a nightmare. I’ve just watched it on video and it was never a penalty. It was a really, really poor decision.”

The result of the above was a 2 match ban.


”When you see it on TV, you will be embarrassed.”

The result of the above was sent to the stand and a 1 game ban offered


"It's a stonewall penalty. It's a shocking decision, absolutely shocking. He is clean through, holding the boy off, the guy lunges at him and he takes his legs away. The defender doesn't get anywhere near the ball so it's a penalty and a red card in the final minute of the game where we have banged away at the door. For me it's a criminal decision and it has cost us the Treble. I have only just seen the incident again there on the TV five or ten minutes ago from every angle. So how he can make that decision from where he was I don't know. To rub salt in the wounds he books Anthony for diving, which is awful. Awful refereeing."

The result of the above? Nothing. No discussions, no comments from the SFA - nada. As a result of this, Willie Collum has been subject of a barrage of sectarian abuse and threats on Twitter (http://i43.tinypic.com/33jjry9.jpg), (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/03/20/police-investigate-internet-threats-against-referee-willie-collum-after-league-cup-final-decision-86908-23794978/)

The double standards are sickening.

[Brebners Bookie]

Good point

[BEEJ]

Excellent piece of analysis by the OP. :top marks

You should send this off in a letter to the CEO of the SFA, Stewart Regan. If no adequate response is forthcoming from him, select a Scottish sports journalist with some degree of neutrality (if that's possible) and see if he'll / she'll write an article on it.

The extent of such inconsistency, which we've lived with in Scottish football for decades, needs now to be made far more evident to the footballing public at large, using evidence such as is shown here.

[soupy]

When I heard Lennon on the radio come out with this stuff, I thought he would be in trouble, seems he's invincible, maybe diny want him getting further depressed......

[Sylar]

They've benefited this season from the pressure they've placed on referees through the course of last season and the diatribes against them continue unabated.

This is going to put further pressure on whichever referee has the misfortune of handling the Old Firm game this weekend, in what is already likely to be a very stormy atmosphere, particularly if Motherwell lose on Saturday.

Celtic have played this very well indeed and are reaping the rewards as a result - that's not to say they wouldn't have won the league regardless, not at all, but referees are utterly petrified to take action against them thus far. The stats at the end of the season, compared with last season (I've already written a blog based on early stats, but will write a more complete one once the season is up) are going to show a marked change in handling games involving Celtic, all because the SFA show unparalleled leniency towards them.

[easty]

The stats at the end of the season, compared with last season (I've already written a blog based on early stats, but will write a more complete one once the season is up) are going to show a marked change in handling games involving Celtic, all because the SFA show unparalleled leniency towards them.

I bet Jack Regan has a blog showing the exact opposite!

[BEEJ]

Celtic have played this very well indeed and are reaping the rewards as a result - that's not to say they wouldn't have won the league regardless, not at all, but referees are utterly petrified to take action against them thus far.
But we're talking in this instance not about referees but about Vincent Lunny et al taking action against Neil Lennon post-match.

Yet still nothing is done.

[Broken Gnome]

Inevitable defence of Lennon's comments being towards an SFL referee appointment rather than SPL or SFA one?

[blackpoolhibs]

But we're talking in this instance not about referees but about Vincent Lunny et al taking action against Neil Lennon post-match.

Yet still nothing is done.

What has to be done to bring this to his attention, does someone not have to bring this up, or is it just his opinion if there's charges to bring? :confused:

[Sylar]

But we're talking in this instance not about referees but about Vincent Lunny et al taking action against Neil Lennon post-match.

Yet still nothing is done.

The point I was trying to make (evidently not too well) was that by failing to take action and put Lennon in his place, it escalates to referees doing what they can (not necessarily consciously) to ensure that they're not next in Lennon's firing line. Every time Celtic perceive a mistake against them, the same old approach is taken and it unmistakably has an impact on the ability for the referee of the following games to do his job without fear of reprisal if he does indeed make a genuine mistake.

The relevant body (this passing the buck approach is a nonsense) for the competitions need to stand up and make Lennon know that he doesn't have a right to say what he's saying, particularly when the ref in this instance was spot on.

[Seveno]

The point I was trying to make (evidently not too well) was that by failing to take action and put Lennon in his place, it escalates to referees doing what they can (not necessarily consciously) to ensure that they're not next in Lennon's firing line. Every time Celtic perceive a mistake against them, the same old approach is taken and it unmistakably has an impact on the ability for the referee of the following games to do his job without fear of reprisal if he does indeed make a genuine mistake.

The relevant body (this passing the buck approach is a nonsense) for the competitions need to stand up and make Lennon know that he doesn't have a right to say what he's saying, particularly when the ref in this instance was spot on.

Quite right. Celtic have the authorities running scared of them.

[Hibbyradge]

Quite delighted to see Stuart McCall refusing to take the offered one match ban from the SFA after his "outburst" at the Scottish Cup game vs Aberdeen last weekend.

There is absolutely no level of consistency with which managers are being hauled over the coals in relation to their comments/interactions with referees - an example:



The result of the above was a 2 match ban.



The result of the above was sent to the stand and a 1 game ban offered



The result of the above? Nothing. No discussions, no comments from the SFA - nada. As a result of this, Willie Collum has been subject of a barrage of sectarian abuse and threats on Twitter (http://i43.tinypic.com/33jjry9.jpg), (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/03/20/police-investigate-internet-threats-against-referee-willie-collum-after-league-cup-final-decision-86908-23794978/)

The double standards are sickening.

You should copy that post to the papers or the SFA or SPL or all of them.

[BEEJ]

The point I was trying to make (evidently not too well) was that by failing to take action and put Lennon in his place, it escalates to referees doing what they can (not necessarily consciously) to ensure that they're not next in Lennon's firing line. Every time Celtic perceive a mistake against them, the same old approach is taken and it unmistakably has an impact on the ability for the referee of the following games to do his job without fear of reprisal if he does indeed make a genuine mistake.

The relevant body (this passing the buck approach is a nonsense) for the competitions need to stand up and make Lennon know that he doesn't have a right to say what he's saying, particularly when the ref in this instance was spot on.
Wasn't actually disagreeing with you. :wink:

Simply pointing out that the Hoops-phobia within officialdom is not apparently confined to the 90+ minutes on the pitch.

As I originally stated, please send your OP off to the SFA or the media and request a response.

[hibsbollah]

Great work on the OP. Id love to see that sent to the powers.

[CallumLaidlaw]

This is a joke -

@BBCchrismclaug: #SFA confirm that compliance officer has written to #Celtic manager Neil Lennon asking him to explain ref comments post cup final.

Should it not just be offering him a ban like the rest????

[TheEastTerrace]

There was a letter in this morning's Herald re: the lack of consistency.

Shame it's the fans who have to bring this to the SFA's attention.

[Sylar]

This is a joke -

@BBCchrismclaug: #SFA confirm that compliance officer has written to #Celtic manager Neil Lennon asking him to explain ref comments post cup final.

Should it not just be offering him a ban like the rest????

I'd say his comments are pretty black and white and don't need much in the way of explanation :confused: