Why referees are the least of our worries

 

While the refereeing decisions that have gone against Celtic – and just as importantly, gone in favour of Rangers – this season are a factor in our decline they are not the real reason for our fall from grace.

The problems currently afflicting Celtic go far deeper than being on the receiving end of dodgy refereeing decisions. Blaming the referees is an easy option, albeit often justified, but the real blame lies at the door of our Board of Directors.

It wasn’t the Scottish refereeing fraternity that decided in January 2009 not to spend the cash necessary to help WGS win the league that season. The board in January 2009 had a chance to provide the manager with the funds that would, in all likelihood, have seen Celtic win last season’s SPL title. They didn’t. An opportunity to make Celtic the dominant force in Scottish football was spurned.

In their complacency the board seemed to think that last season’s team were good enough to beat a poor Rangers team to the title. Why spend, when the league will be won anyway seems to have been their irrational belief. Only trouble was we didn’t win the league, Rangers did.

Instead of investing in the team to ensure Celtic would win the league and qualify directly into the cash cow that is the Champions’ league group stages their complacency not only cost us the title it also led to failure to qualify for the Champions’ League Group Stages as a result of being defeated by Arsenal in the final qualifying round.

If they had invested in the squad and the league had been won then perhaps the much heralded talk of Celtic entering a Generation of Domination within Scottish football might have had a chance of being realised.

With regard to the furore over refereeing standards this season I would suggest that Board have once again sold the supporters short. Their reluctance to comment on the many poor decisions that have gone against Celtic has perhaps encouraged the refereeing brotherhood – and the laptop loyal - to think Celtic are an easy touch.

If the best they can do, before the last Rangers game, is for an anonymous spokesperson to hint that Celtic are not happy then, quite frankly, that is not good enough.

Perhaps if the board had spoken out earlier we might not have been the victims of so many poor decisions.

Contrast the lack of leadership from the current board with how Fergus McCann faced up to the Scottish football hierarchy. Mind you, unlike the present board, McCann was a real leader. He didn’t court short term popularity, but took on allcomers and put the club first. Just ask Jim Farry.

Again, while many legitimate questions can be aired re the suitability of Tony Mowbray to be Celtic manager we should always remember who appointed him.

Sure, the manager has been unlucky this season. Just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Injuries, especially in defence, have meant Celtic have hardly played the same starting 11 twice in a row.

And, yes, decisions have gone against us, especially in games against Rangers, but is Tony Mowbray really the best manager that Celtic’s self declared, ‘World Class Board’ could come up with?

I can’t blame referees for some of the manager’s baffling tactics. Scott Brown coming on at Rugby Park to play left back when we were trailing 1-0. What was the logic in that?

A stubborn insistence on playing some kind of fantasy football 4-2-4 formation that sees us outgunned in midfield in just about every game we play?

A disastrous campaign in a Europa Cup group that could hardly be viewed as challenging?

Much as though I’d like to I can’t blame referees for some of the easy chances our forward line have missed this season, and neither are the referees to blame for some of the amateur defending we have had to witness.

The referee can hardly be held responsible for Celtic conceding 4 goals at Pittodrie.

Is it the fault of the referees that our central midfield have hardly scored a goal between them all season?

Nope, while this season’s referees have been woeful, blaming them is a smokescreen. The referees haven’t helped, but our problems go far deeper than being the victims of poor refereeing decisions.

The ultimate blame for our demise must lie with our, ’World Class Board.’ Their failure to invest last January could haunt us for years. That gave Rangers a lifeline, a lifeline that they have grabbed.

It was our, ‘World Class Board’ that appointed Tony Mowbray to the managers chair and it’s our, ‘World Class Board’ that have remained silent when Celtic have been the victims of poor decisions this season.

Our, ‘World Class Board’ also seem unable (or unwilling?) to stand up for the club while the Scottish media put their collective boot in.

If only our, ‘World Class Board’ had a fraction of the love, enthusiasm and ambition for Celtic that the support have then perhaps we wouldn’t be reduced to blaming referees for all our troubles.

They show no ambition beyond keeping the debt down.

By the way, am I the only one who finds it ironic being lectured on the dangers of debt by John Reid, a leading figure in a Labour govt that has burdened the country with a record level of debt?

So while referees deserve all the criticism they are getting don’t be fooled into thinking they are the main cause of our fall from grace.

Referees are the least of our worries, the real problem lies with our, ‘World Class Board.’ They, far more than referees or the manager, are the people ultimately responsible for our sad decline.

 

GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE