Celts had three years to moan... there's no class in doing it now Jim Duffy The Sun 03/03/2010 CELTIC won three in a row and said nothing about the standard of Scotland's referees. They could have pinpointed decisions which they believed had gone against their side as their name was being engraved on the SPL trophy. They could have raised an issue they felt so strongly about from a position of power as champions. They could have, but they didn't. Instead the Hoops waited until the eve of an Old Firm match which could see Rangers all but clinch the title if they won. Now the dust has settled on last Sunday's Old Firm defeat, their complaints seem so empty. All that's left is a bad taste in the mouth from the sour grapes of the last week. Their whole argument has been lost. It didn't need to be this way and it wouldn't have been had they acted at a time when they were on top. They could have given a dozen examples of decisions which had gone against them in the past. As champions everyone would have sat up and taken notice. Referees would also have been forced to look more closely at their performances as a result. Celtic could have emerged from the situation with dignity as the best team in the country highlighting flaws which they perceived in the Scottish game. Their credibility would have not been damaged by taking such a stance but they didn't do that. They waited until Rangers were on course to win the title before venting their anger at match officials. It looks like nothing more than a poor attempt to deflect attention from their own inadequacies. For me their stance is lacking in any class. The timing of their criticism of Scotland's referees was terrible and ill-advised. Apart from anything else, I don't believe for one minute Celts get a raw deal from match officials in this country. I once did hold that belief, but that's going back many years. Way back to the time when I was on the books at Parkhead as one of their up-and-coming young players. Having come through the ranks I heard it said time and time again that: 'Celtic never get anything'. When it's said often enough you begin to believe it but it simply wasn't true. Had I stayed at Celtic for my entire playing career I'd still hold that opinion now, I have no doubts about that. Instead, I played for and I managed smaller clubs and, believe me, Celtic got their fair share of big decisions. In fact, as a big club they got far more then they were entitled to. That's just the way of the world. Refs in Scotland aren't any different from refs anywhere else in the world. Human nature dictates they listen to the roar of the big crowd. The only difference is in this country we have certain social and cultural differences which come to the fore. The truth, however, is players only ever remember the decisions which went against them. I could recall half a dozen specific instances when a referee gave me a bad decision. I can't think of one single incident when I ran off thinking: 'The ref's done me a favour there'. The claim from Celtic they have been hard done to by refs is more than likely true when you run through the incidents they are unhappy about from this season, they are all bad calls. The bottom line is, though, that they are no different from any other club in the land. ***************************************************************************** That club is rotten to the ****ing core ! John Reid and his poodle the lurgan bigot are a joke. What makes it almost unbelievable is that so many Celtic fans believe this pish !
