ian1964

The phrase "stop start" doesn't quite do justice to the ups and downs in the nascent career of John Fleck. Having only turned 19 in August, Fleck seems to have been around the scene at Rangers for ages, having made his first-team debut in a pre-season tour at 15, his league debut at 16, and set a record as the youngest ever player in a Scottish Cup final when he came on for the last five minutes of the 2008 win over Queen of the South, aged just 16 years and 274 days. So much was expected of him that Fleck appeared to be overwhelmed by the hype, which included being nominated as Scotland's Wayne Rooney, only for him to suffer a disappointingly long spell off the boil. It must be mentioned that he had some extra-curricular problems that would have been normal teenage activity - a tantrum here, an illicit pub visit there - except for the fact that he lives in the Old Firm goldfish bowl where all such misdemeanors are exaggerated into grand felonies. In retrospect, was that early introduction to the big time a hindrance rather than a help? The lad himself is uncertain. "I thought it was great being involved," said Fleck, "but maybe it was too early. I'm not so sure myself, but I just did my best and got out of it what I got out of it. I just tried to let (all the hype] go past me, but obviously there was a bit of pressure on my shoulders with everybody expecting me to do probably a lot more than I did. But I just tried to get on with it myself and do the best that I could." Season 2010-11 was supposed to see Fleck put all that behind him and make the impact which his undoubted talents demand, only for the player to injure a hamstring during a pre-season friendly with Clyde. He made his belated return for 45 minutes against Inverness last week and looked fit again. Fleck explained: "It was just a wee tear of my hamstring at the start, but I did it another twice when I came back into training. It was obviously very disappointing because I just wanted to get back as quickly as I could. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do. "After the last time I did it I had a few weeks off, and that's me back fine to full fitness now." He is trying to break into a team that is unbeaten in the league as Rangers prepare to face St Mirren today in the final match of the opening third of the season, and as such he is realistic enough to know an early return is no gimme. "The team's been doing well, so you can't expect to go straight back in," said Fleck. "You just have to take your chance when it comes. "Everybody's fighting for their places just now, you can't complain because they can't get left out with how well they've been doing." That includes the Champions League matches he sorely misse I felt bad for myself, but the boys did great, which is the main thing that matters here. It's not more important than any other season to me, but the more games I get the better it's going to be for me." His manager Walter Smith has mentioned the possibility of a midfield role for the youngster. Fleck said: "I like playing behind the strikers, but I'd play anywhere really to try to get a shot. "I've played centre-mid, on the left and just off the strikers. I feel comfortable in any of the positions. Wherever I'm put in, I'll just do my best. I'm an attacking player, but I have been working on defending. When you've not got the ball, you've got to get back for the rest of the boys and not let them down." Many Rangers fans thought that Fleck being handed the No.10 jersey for the season after signing a three-year deal was a sure sign that he would be a regular first choice player, but it has not worked out that way. "There's a lot of people keep saying that to me, how did I get the No.10 jersey, but it doesn't bother me. I could wear No.50, it's not a problem to me. If anybody else wants the number, they can take it. "It was Nacho Novo, he said to (kit man] Jimmy Bell to give it to me. Obviously I was happy, but any number is good to me." Fleck will be in the squad for today's match at St Mirren Park, and Smith is delighted that the player's career could soon be back on track: "He started the season really well in Australia, but the injury has gone on for two months. I hope this season he will get more playing time and have more influence on games. His attitude has always been good and there is more of a realisation in him now about what he has to do to make the step up from youth football." The prospect of a fit John Fleck back to his best would have the fans drooling at Ibrox, but this time around, everyone concerned about his future for Rangers and Scotland should perhaps resist hyperbolic urges. "Give the boy time" is the message. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport/Interview-John-Fleck-Rangers-player.6615898.jp?articlepage=2

Celtic fans you should be ashamed - Liverpool fans http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=266093.0

Here we go again:) Spanish giants Sevilla have become the latest big-name club to show an interest in Rangers keeper Allan McGregor. SportTimes understands the La Liga side had a delegation at Rangersââ?¬â?¢ Champions League clash with Valencia on Tuesday to run the rule over the Ibrox No.1 It now looks almost certain that following his heroics against Spain for Scotland, and his display in the Mestalla, McGregor will be the subject of a bid either in the January transfer window or the summer. McGregor is also believed to be on the radar of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as he looks to find a successor for veteran keeper Edwin Van der Sar. However, Gers have moved quickly to make sure that they have long-term cover in place with McGregorââ?¬â?¢s deputy, Neil Alexander, penning a new deal to stay at Ibrox until 2013. Alexander said: ââ?¬Å?I have always said that I am happy at Rangers. As a young boy growing up you look at Rangers as one of the top clubs in the world and I always wanted to play for a club like that. ââ?¬Å?I have worked my whole career to get to a club like Rangers so why would I want to be in a hurry to leave? ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m just delighted to be involved in the tremendous successes at Rangers. I hadnââ?¬â?¢t won a lot before I came to Rangers and now I have won every domestic honour going so itââ?¬â?¢s fantastic. I am very keen to win more.ââ?¬Â With McGregor in the form of his life, Alexanderââ?¬â?¢s only SPL appearance this season came when the Gers number one was suspended for the 4-1 win over Motherwell. He has also been given the nod by manager Walter Smith in the Co-operative Insurance Cup this term, while the former Cardiff and Ipswich keeper has played in four cup finals since arriving at Ibrox in January 2008. The 32-year-old said: ââ?¬Å?Obviously I would like to play more when these games come along itââ?¬â?¢s great.ââ?¬Â http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/sevilla-join-chase-for-keeper-allan-mcgregor-1.1066281

http://www.silentsingle.com/Store/DII-46-5-2+minute+silence.html

The managers can do lot more IMO,they can insist that the players stay out of the faces of refs or they will be fined,I don't mean claiming for decisions but not growling in their faces,unfortunately the WLB wants his players to be in the faces of the refs at every opportunity and this,again IMO,is contributing to some mistakes by the refs

All of the above mentioned youths do have potential,what we need for them to do is start making an impact when given any game time and push themselves to the max,they will never have a better opportunity to break through into the first team.

Ex FIFA Ref. George Cumming was the first FIFA Head of Refereeing

In Scotland the Glasgow derby match took place on Sunday between Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers. It is called ââ?¬Ë?the Old Firm Derby.ââ?¬â?¢ Their rivalry goes back over a hundred years and is still as intense and tribal today as it ever was. Basically it a religious divide between Catholic and Protestant although today many protestant players play for Celtic and many catholic players play for Rangers. Before Sundayââ?¬â?¢s match both teams had won all their eight previous Scottish Premier League matches so there was a lot at stake on the result. The winning team would go to the top of the league. Add to the mix that the Scottish FA appointed 31 year old FIFA Referee, Willie Collum for the match. Willie is a young referee who is close to the UEFA Premier Referee Group and this was his first Old Firm Derby. He is a very competent referee and is the youngest ever to be appointed to a Rangers v Celtic match. Add to the mix that that during the week before the match the Celtic Coach, Neil Lennon, had made public statements criticising the officials in Celticââ?¬â?¢s last match against Dundee United. Add to the mix that in the build up to the match Lennon made public statements about how he wanted the referee to be strong and to make sure his team was treated fairly. No pressure on the referee then! As it turned out Celtic lost 3-1and the third goal was a controversial penalty. Lennon also thought a Rangers player should have been sent off. The better team won but after the match, Lennon succeeded in turning the public attention from his teamââ?¬â?¢s defeat onto the decisions of the referee. He demanded to know from the Scottish FA why these two decisions had been taken and received massive media coverage in Scotland. What of referee Willie Collum? After Lennon had made his statements, which many considered to be irresponsible and inflammatory, the referee and his family received telephone death threats from Celtic supporters. A tribal contest of sport was taken over by a few Neanderthal supporters, justifying their actions by comments from a coach who should have known better. How tragic that our game has come to this. Posted by George Cumming http://georgecumming.com/?p=578

PARANOIA, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a mental derangement, which, especially in chronic forms, is characterised by delusions. I thought it would be useful to clarify the exact meaning of the word before exploring examples of paranoia raging around various websites in the last few days. It would seem Celtic supporters are deluding themselves into believing the club they support has always been treated badly by the Scottish Football Association. Indeed, the Celtic Underground site went so far as to say that the SFA has always been governed by people with an anti-Celtic bias. That is a serious allegation. It is also the delusion of chronic paranoia. For a start, of all the people who are both employed by the SFA , and who make up the reprepresentation from clubs and other bodies, who would appear to be the best paid.? That might well prove to be Eric Riley, who is the Celtic executive director of finance, and who earned, according to accounts in the public domain, �£222, 765 last year. That's more than new SFA chief executive Stewart Regan has signed up for. Riley has been the Glasgow Association's member on the SFA for many years, and sits on two of its most powerful bodies. He is vice chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and a member of the Appeals Committee, and has previously been the vice chairman of the General Purposes Committee, which has a wide range of powers.. There is of course nothing wrong, or in any way improper, about that. In fact, it is both right and proper that a club such as Celtic should be represented and have its voice heard at the highest level of the game. Celtic supporters though, blinded by their delusions, cannot see the influence Riley has at that rarified level. They also seem to be suffering from amnesia. For instance, though the latter half of the 1990s and into the 21st Century, a Celtic director - indeed a one time Celtic chairman - Jack McGinn, sat at the pinnacle of Scottish football's power structure as the President of the Scottish Football Association. Such was his power that his reign extended even beyond the normal two terms in office. A sort of SFA FDR is you like. McGinn was therefore one of the most powerful and influential figures in Scottish football....ever! The Scottish Football Association, over which former Celtic chairman McGinn ruled for longer than other presidents, and where Celtic's highly paid director of finance, Riley, sits on one powerful committee, is the vice chairman of another, and has occupied that position on a third, can therefore not be said, by any rational person, to be governed now, or in the past, by people with an anti-Celtic bias. To go even further back, probably the most influential of all Scottish Football Association presidents I can recall was that towering figure from Celtic's history, Bob Kelly, whose trenchant statements in the 1960s were viewed as the authentic voice of Scottish football. In fact, both then and now, it could be claimed that of all of Scotland's major clubs, Celtic have been the most influential . And yet the Parkhead paranoia continues, with a letter from Joe O'Rourke of the Celtic Supporters Association on that group's behalf, and also speaking for the Celtic Trust, the Affiliation of Registered Celtic Supporters Clubs and the North American Federation of Celtic Supporters Clubs, having been sent to Celtic saying that they are all 100per cent behind Celtic's campaign. What campaign would that be? For we have heard nothing - open and above board and on the record - from either Celtic chairman Lord Reid, or chief executive Peter Lawwell, about any Celtic campaign. It was a point well made in his Monday column in the Record by Jim Traynor when he called for these two powerbrokers to make a statement. Celtic's fans have shown no such reticence, and the Celtic Supporters Association went on to reveal that a number of organisations of Celtic supporters hope to meet in the next few days to discuss and decide on the way forward. As for Celtic Football Club, it will be represented at Hampden later this week as part of a previously arranged meeting between the clubs and the SFA. It is not known if Celtic director and SFA member Eric Riley will ride the two horses at the meeting, or if Reid or Lawwell will attend. Hampden is also the venue for some wild calls out there in cyberspace for Celtic supporters to descend upon and stage a protest on Saturday. There is though one website point which deserves careful attention and thought. The Huddleboard claims Celtic supporters have been denied an independent investigation into refereeing in Scotland. Actually I think such an independent probe would be a good thing, as I am sure its findings would once again reveal the true level of paranoia. It would have to be conducted by someone with impeccable refereeing credentials, who understood written and spoken English, in order that there could be no misunderstandings. England therefore appears to be the obvious place to look for a likely candidate. Maybe someone like....Jeff Winter? http://davidleggat-leggoland.blogspot.com/

REFEREES out to get Celtic? It's nothing new. It's been happening for years. Ever since the days I was a manager During my career I always felt there were referees who targeted Celtic when they took charge of our games. They operated with attitudes that were anti-Celtic. I genuinely believe that. People used to think Tom Wharton had an agenda against us. I don't. He was one of my favourite refs and I used to get on really well with him. He was pretty fair in the games I was involved in. I can't say that about a lot of them though. All this stuff this week has simply confirmed those beliefs. Don't get me wrong, there's probably people from clubs throughout Scottish football who also think refs don't give them anything. But I don't think anyone gets it as bad as Celtic. In my day, there were referees who made mistakes but there were others who didn't give Celtic a fair crack and who found it very difficult to be perfectly fair and honest about what they did. Is that the same today? Well, this week's events don't do much to pour cold water on the theory. But no matter referee's decisions. Celtic's players have to rise above it all. They have to be good enough to win without any help from the officials. That might sound harsh - but after what happened with Dougie McDonald at Tannadice, for me it's fair comment. Refs have a tough job, no question. The higher they go, the harder it becomes. But sometimes it's just in their nature to produce performances that makes them a target for the fans. But to hear guys like McDonald openly admit things like this is incredible. They should concentrate on being as efficient as they possibly can - without telling the world about their mistakes. This simply gives ammunition to those who believe refs are against Celtic. What happens next will be interesting. Maybe Celtic won't be too happy with the findings of SFA chief executive Stewart Regan. Perhaps they'll want their own independent investigation to get some answers. For me, taking the matter into their own hands would be difficult. To go outside the organisation would create a whole load of problems and I'm not sure that would work. I'm not sure clubs should be involved in that sort of thing anyway. That's why the SFA have to really crack down and keep an eye on the men in the middle. If they believe these guys are blatantly - or silently - being unfair, they need to throw them out. The suggestion of bringing continental refs in for the likes of Old Firm games has cropped up again and that might be a sound idea. But then you watch them in the Champions League or whatever and these guys can be just as bad. It's a difficult job and we need to work hard to understand that. However, the SFA need to work even harder to improve the quality of these guys in the first place. They're benefiting financially from being on reasonable money. Now it's time to improve their conduct on the pitch to reflect that. In a small country like ours, it's hard for the refs to avoid criticism. The second they go out on to the pitch they'll be accused of SOMETHING. What we have to do to avoid that is simply improve the standard and better the system. The one thing you have to appreciate is refereeing at the top level is very difficult. Every ref will find problems doing the job properly. Not one of them will go through their career truly satisfied with every one of their performances. That can't be easy for them - I'm sure they would love to go home after doing a game knowing they've had the perfect match. Sadly, I do think we're in a position nowadays where the players disillusioned with the standard of refereeing. The big problem we have now is getting a new generation of referees. Because let's be honest, who the hell would want to do the job right now? If there are any referees out there who questioned the vocation before last week, they certainly won't be rushing to sign up for it now. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/columnists/billymcneill/3209159/Refs-were-anti-Celtic-when-I-was-bossI-think-they-still-are.html#ixzz14CwQz0U6

Tough one tonight but as I've already said if we recapture our best form,pre ICT game,then I think we'll get a couple of chances. Valencia 1 Rangers 1 Miller

I hope you're right mate:)

The wee RHAT has acheived what he promised he would do anyway,when he took over he spoke about '' bringing back the thunder '', '' I want my players to be in the faces of the refs '', '' snarling and fighting ''.

IT has been interesting today to see the "TannadiceGate" affair take another turn, with Steven Craven no longer being able to get away Scot fee with playing the victim. In fact, when you go right back to the very beginning of this sad sorry mess, Craven was actually the villain for failing to call what he saw, honestly and without fear or favour. Craven's sin of omission! Had he done so then there would have been the usual wee rammy, which would have blown itself out within 48 hours, apart from the usual moans of Celtic supporters, none of which any sensible person attaches any credibility to. However, Craven did not act according to what he admits he saw, and what he concedes the decision should have been.... which was no penalty. That much is crystal clear. When referee Dougie McDonald originally pointed to the spot, Craven immediately moved to take up the required assistant's position for a penalty kick. He did this despite knowing - as he has stated clearly - that the challenge was fair, and that Celtic should most certainly not been given such an award. All he had to do was stand his ground. No verbal communication into McDonald's earpiece was required. That he did not do that put McDonald, who was already doubting his original decision, in a difficult position. Since then Craven, who accrording to more than one source is not popular with many of his senior colleagues, has whinged and whined and appeared to suffer from almost as much paranonia as those Celtic supporters who think everyone is out to get them. He also appears to some to be the man responsible for the press leak of his resignation letter - something which, if it were the case would surely be a breach of trust. For 48 hours - from the the outcome of Friday's appearance by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan - through Craven's claims in the Sunday Mail, he was portrayed as the poor put upon victim, with everyone ganging up to do him down. He even attempted to embroil the Inverness Caley manager, Terry Butcher, a former Rangers and England captain, as some sort of surrogate character witness, something which smacked of the pathetic and the desperate. Now McDonald has had his own say, at length and expressed in an interview with the highly experienced Jim Traynor. You can bet your bottom dollar Traynor, a skilled and tough interregator, would have given him a rough ride to get at the truth. But the impression gained is of a decent enough guy who got caught up in trying to help Craven, for whom he may originally have felt a twinge of sympathy. But when he asked what he had to gain by going along with the original story, it was a question which is worth pondering. In fact McDonald had nothing to gain. Maybe his biggest mistake was in misjugding the character of the man he was trying to help. It was also interesting to read what the other linesman that day, Charlie Smith's view of Craven is, as he revealed to Michael Grant in the Herald. Craven, according to the long serving and highly respected Smith, jumped for twenty pieces of silver. That is a pretty damning indictment of Craven, and in the sort of colourful language we can all understand. Then there is the chairman of the Scottish Football Senior Referees' Association, Martyn Cryans, whose support for McDonald can also be interpreted as a jaundiced view of Craven. There also lurks in the background what many suspect is Celtic's unhappiness that the man in charge of Scotland's referees is Hugh Dallas. That is the elephant in the room. One Parkhead chief executive, Allan McDonald , once laid himself open to ridicule by revealing how Celtic employed a psychologist to compile a report of Dallas' body language when he handled the Celtic shame game at Parkhead in May 1999 when Rangers won to clinch title. McDonald's revelations came one midweek afternoon when reporters, who had been invited to a social occasion at Parkhead, took the chance to talk to the chief executive about this and that in the Parkhead boardroom. The Celtic chief executive was happy to oblige, tape recorders were in evidence, and there was no attempt to trap McDonald, who freely volunteered his astonishing tale. Which is why it is worth returning to Jim Traynor's fascinating interview with McDonald in the Record, and examine what the referee has to say about Craven and about Dallas - who was the best whistler Scotland has produced for a quarter of a century. It was Dallas, ref McDonald reveals, who encouraged him to come clean over what actually happened, and the sequence of events relating to the penalty which never was. McDonald says that Craven has never seen eye to eye with both Dallas and the SFA. He added that Craven had made it clear to come colleagues that he intended to resign and that maybe he saw this as a high profile way out. A chance, in McDonald's words, to make hay at the same time, and to have a go at Dallas. Of course Dallas is a highly skilled operator and hugely intelligent man. As well as being a tough cookie, whose physical bravery was there to see in that Celtic shame game, when despite being attacked and wounded by Celtic fans, he carried on. It would appear that the SFA's head of refereeing is already taking action to protect and preserve his reputation for integrity. M'Learned friends could well find this becomes a nice little earner. Craven's original sin of omission could well come back to haunt him. http://davidleggat-leggoland.blogspot.com/2010/11/cravens-sin-of-omission.html

2-0 to Killie now make that 3-0,cracking strike

Borrowed From Another Forum By Siobhan McFadyen ( Notw ) Celtic have banned a charity from selling poppies at Parkhead for Rememberance Sunday . Now fundraisers are hoping that hoops chairman John Reid - former defence Secretary - will overturnn the ruling. The ban follows protestes by supporters who claim poppies are " hugely insensitive " to Irish fans. The Poppy Appeal,with its 48 member charities,helps raise millions for war veterans injured in active service. A charity insider said : " We've never been turned away by any of the big clubs and we find it shocking that Celtic would implement this ban " . Our welfare work is a lifeline for thousands.We hope Mr Reid will reconsider ". About 100 fansd walked out of a match in2008 when players wore poppies on their shirts. But most of the 50,000 fans joined a one-minute round of applause to mark the anniversary of the end of WWI. A Celtic spokesman said " We don't do collections in the grounds for anything ".

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfgf0q_rangers-v-inverness-ct-fulltime-show-oct-30th-2010_sport

STEVEN CRAVEN today reveals the truth behind the lies of a controversial Tannadice cover-up. In an explosive MailSport exclusive that will rock the SFA to its core, Craven lifts the lid on the spot-kick storm from Celtic's clash with Dundee United. The linesman opens up about the lies and bullying that led to his resignation and reveals how: Ref Dougie McDonald lied to Hoops boss Neil Lennon about his sensational penalty U-turn. Both he and McDonald came clean to refs chief Hugh Dallas. Dallas tried TWICE to get him to repeat what he knew to be a lie. Bullying, harassment and victimisation in the corridors of power will lead to refs quitting. Craven told MailSport: "Dougie ran towards me and said: 'I think I've f***** up.' After the game Dougie said we should tell the referee supervisor (Jim McBurnie) that I called him over to question the penalty award. "I went along with it because I wanted to be supportive of Dougie. "But then Neil Lennon came in after the game and asked Dougie why he hadn't given the penalty kick. "We told Neil the version that was a lie. "It was wrong to lie. And I'm not proud that I went along with Dougie's suggestion. "I decided to quit a few days later. I'd had enough of Hugh Dallas and John Fleming (the SFA referee development officer). "For a while I felt I had been a victim of harassment and bullying from them. "A lot of guys are not happy with it and are ready to walk away." SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said: "Dougie hasn't accepted responsibility for Steven's resignation. "His resignation covers other matters and we are looking at those." Dallas tried TWICE to make me repeat what he knew was just a LIE STEVEN CRAVEN knew he was wrong to go along with Dougie McDonald's lies after the Dundee United v Celtic game. But he was stunned and shocked when refs supremo Hugh Dallas wouldn't listen to the TRUTH after the officials decided to come clean. Craven says in his resignation letter that Dallas twice tried to make him repeat a version of events he knew to be untrue. That was when the linesman realised he was going to be hung out to dry for McDonald's decision to overturn the penalty he had awarded the Hoops. Inaccurate stories started to appear on a daily basis in an attempt to cover up the real version of events - and that's why Craven has decided to speak out. Now the match official - who quit the SFA last week as exclusively revealed in the Daily Record - can tell us the full story. He told MailSport: "I can remember it all clearly. Dougie blew for the penalty but I could see the United keeper Dusan Pernis did touch the ball. "However, Dougie was no more than seven yards away from the spot-kick incident while I was 25 yards away. "I was with Dougie in a game between Aberdeen and Kilmarnock two years ago. "Craig Bryson fell inside the Aberdeen box and I screamed to Dougie to give Killie a penalty. "But he ignored my call and cautioned Bryson for simulation. "We spoke about it at half-time and Dougie was adamant he called it right. Television evidence proved he was right. "So that incident was going through my mind immediately after he gave Celtic the penalty at Tannadice. "I thought he had the perfect position. There was no way I could question him. "He then ran towards me and said: 'I think I've f***** up. Did the keeper get a hand to the ball?' I told him I believed the goalie played the ball and that it wasn't a penalty. So he decided it should be a drop ball. "To make it clear, Dougie approached me. I did not call for him to come over. "After the game, in front of the other assistant referee and the fourth official, we spoke about it. Dougie said we should tell the referee supervisor (Jim McBurney) that I called him over to question the penalty award. He claimed it would give the decision to overturn the spot-kick more credibility. "I went along with it because I wanted to be supportive of Dougie and back him up. "That's the first time I've lied after a game. It was the wrong thing to do. With hindsight, I regret it. I'd never lie again. "The supervisors have earpieces and can hear all communication between officials during games. "Jim said he didn't hear me calling over Dougie but that the stadium was noisy." Supervisor McBurney wasn't the only person the officials tried to deceive. They even lied to Hoops boss Neil Lennon when he asked for an explanation. Craven revealed: "Lennon came into the room after the game and asked Dougie why he hadn't given the penalty. "We told him the version that was a lie. He seemed fine with the explanation. But, then, I suppose his side had still managed to win thanks to a late goal. "I told Neil it was better to win with a legitimate goal rather than a dodgy penalty. He agreed." McDonald's controversial U-turn led to a media storm and the worried ref decided to come clean to Dallas. But Craven claims the refs supremo wasn't interested in the truth and wanted the linesman to keep taking the flak. That then kicked off a series of events that led to Craven handing in his resignation and the SFA starting an investigation. The first part of that probe led to McDonald receiving an official warning but the investigation is still ongoing. Craven said: "On the Monday morning there was quite a reaction in the papers. "I sent Dougie a text to ask what he thought of the fall-out. "He called immediately and told me he had talked with Hugh the night before and decided to come clean. "Dougie told Hugh lies were told to the supervisor. He then told Hugh the truth - that I had not shouted for him to come over. "I was then urged to tell Hugh the truth when he called me. I was happy to do so and felt quite relieved. "When Hugh phoned he asked me to talk over the penalty. He said: 'So what happened after you called out for Dougie to come over? You called out Dougie, Dougie, Dougie?' "My wife was in the room and I told him that was not the case. I told Hugh he now knew the truth. "The truth was the version Dougie had told him over the phone. "But Hugh repeated: 'What are you talking about, you said Dougie, Dougie, Dougie and called him over' but I told Dallas I did no such thing. "Dougie came clean and so did I. But Hugh didn't seem to accept that. "I phoned Dougie back and told him Hugh tried to make out this wasn't true and denied having the conversation with Dougie on the Sunday night. "Dougie's response was he thought Hugh was just trying to test me, that he wanted to see if I would tell the truth or stick to the previous story. "My reading of the situation was Hugh wanted to protect Dougie and leave me to take the flak. "It was wrong to lie and I'm not proud that I went along with Dougie's suggestion. Rewind the clock and I wouldn't do it. "But it was worse to continue the lie. "I was really upset after that conversation with Hugh." Craven then got even angrier when he checked his email and received the official match report. He was criticised for his performance at Tannadice and that convinced him it was time to get out of the game. Craven said: "When I got my match report from the game emailed to me that proved to be the final straw. "I was down-marked for getting an offside decision wrong. "When I got the match report I phoned Drew Herbertson at the SFA and told him I'd had enough. "I was going to quit at Christmas - but not because of my ankles, as has been reported elsewhere. It was because of all the nonsense with Hugh. "I got my letter from the SFA on Friday morning to say my resignation had been formally accepted."

You'll never know if Goodwillie,or any other player,will make the step up unless they get the opportunity to do so?.

Agreed. If we can reproduce our best form then I would be confident in getting a result against Valencia,make no mistake they will be slightly worried about Rangers.

Neil Lennon will turn into a coach at midnight By Tam Cowan on Oct 30, 10 09:54 AM in According to the rumours, Neil Lennon is going out for his Hallowe'en dressed as a pumpkin. He's hoping he'll turn into a coach at midnight. The Celtic boss has already had the Willies put up him this week - first it was referee Collum then linesman Conquer - but what's even scarier is the rubber-faced bloke from Angola who can put a can of Coke in his cakehole and has now been credited with the biggest mouth in the world. Surely Celtic will now fire off a letter to the Guinness Book of Records to point out that Lennon's gub is even bigger? Sending a formal complaint to the SFA on the same day it was reported Willie Collum had received vile death threats was really classy, eh? That's about as sensitive as delivering a box of Leonard Cohen CDs to Lennon's door when the news broke he was suffering from depression. Don't Celtic realise the guy they're effectively writing to is Hugh Dallas - a man who had both his head and his windows cracked open after another mental Old Firm fixture back in 1999? And are the morons who threatened Collum and his young family not bright enough to realise we don't have a game without the referees? Three goals of a start wasn't good enough for Lennon at Perth in midweek - he still wanted to castigate the linesman after he raised his flag for the sort of decision you'll see every week. Mainly because he must have been touching cloth when St Johnstone fought back and Celtic nearly blew it. But well done, Lenny. After your verbal attack on Collum in the wake of last Sunday's defeat - pummelled at home by your oldest rivals after getting a goal of a start - hardly anyone was talking about a truly abject team performance. So your plan worked. In saying that, well done also to the vast majority of Celtic fans who, after slamming the death threats, have turned their attention away from the ref to focus on that woeful display from the players. How many Celtic supporters now fancy writing to the club to seek "clarification" over why Glenn Loovens keeps getting a game? And why is Lennon even writing to the SFA when he should be saving the first-class stamps for Loovens' P45? Loovens and Daniel Majstorovic are the worst double act since Cannon and Ball. And the rest of the Celtic team didn't exactly cover themselves in glory at Parkhead last Sunday. Sure, he was terrific as Jaws in the James Bond movies but Frather Forthter was toothless against Rangers and set up their second goal with a dreadful clearance. Pound for pound, it was a bigger blunder than Collum's. And if Mark Wilson keeps insisting on crossing the ball and attempting half-volleys at goal, I think the club will have to deploy ballboys at Glasgow Cross. Fresh from being caught on camera calling Dougie McDonald a "f****** cheat" (four times, remember) what does Lenny have to say about the players who fleeced 50,000 Celtic fans last Sunday lunchtime? Lennon denies whipping up the frenzy that led to the death threats. Bollocks. He started it at Tannadice by spitting, screaming and snarling in the fourth official's face. "Until last weekend, I didn't have a problem with any referees," he claimed. Aye right. Have you forgotten the Tasmanian Devil routine with Stuart Dougal at Ibrox? Incidentally, blaming Collum for the penalty at Parkhead is like blaming Dougal for Charlie Mulgrew's infamous red card at Ibrox. Both whistlers were simply deceived by a cheating Rangers player. However, I still say Broadfoot's biggest crime last week was giving Lennon a Get Out Of Jail Free card and allowing the Celtic boss to yap on about the penalty - when his side was already gubbed - rather than talk about a terrible team performance. And make no mistake, until he was conned by Broadfoot's belly flop, Collum had been enjoying a much better game than Celtic's overpaid foreign mercenaries. Actually, that's a point. Just days before the Old Firm match, Collum took charge of a big Champions League group game between Schalke and Hapoel Tel Aviv. So why the hell is he getting a lecture from a Celtic boss - thumped already by Utrecht and Braga - who can only dream of operating at that level? Ps: Jim Jefferies (or was it really Vladimir Romanov?) says Scotland's match officials should get a grip and react to criticism the same way managers and players do. What, by just blaming it all on the refs? Pps: According to regular reader Colin Graham, two local teams were playing an amateur cup-tie in the north of Scotland and the ref failed to appear. So they went to the pub and asked a retired match offical if he'd do it. As you can imagine, sobriety hadn't been high on his agenda and the first time the ball went out for a shy one of the players asked: "Whose ball, ref?" To which he replied: "It's ours." Can you imagine the outcry if that happened in the next Old Firm game?

http://www.4shared.com/audio/f1rJ9VD5/Eddie_socks_it_to_them.html

Welcome mate,enjoy

Hately does spout a lot of pish from time to time,however me thinks he has maybe heard a few whispers about Webster & WS relationship??,I could be totally wrong of course and Hately could be spouting some more pish,but I seem to remember the rumour going about that WS did not rate him and Webster had spat the dummy out!!.One thing's for sure Webster needs to come out and respond to this criticism and they best/only way he can do that IMO is to start earning his wages,or just GTF

THE SFA stand accused of a whitewash after finding referee Dougie McDonald guilty of a cover-up. The FIFA whistler was let off with a slap on the wrists by Hampden beaks as chief executive Stewart Regan claimed the under-fire official was only trying to PROTECT walkway assistant Steven Craven during his recent controversial penalty U-turn at Tannadice. McDonald dodged the axe following a meeting of the SFA's Referee Committee at Hampden yesterday but was given a warning for his postmatch version of events after Dundee United's clash with Celtic. McDonald told the referee supervisor that linesman Craven intervened in his decision to give a spot-kick. But that was not the case and Craven was going along with the award until the ref himself changed the decision. Regan insisted McDonald was full of regret at the incident which led to Celtic making an official complaint but claimed he was trying to help out Craven, despite the assistant referee quitting in the aftermath. Asked outright if McDonald had lied in his post-match report, Regan said: "It's not about lying. It's Dougie trying to protect his assistant. "Potentially Steven was going to be marked down for getting involved in that particular incident. "In the post-match report, Steven Craven's role wasn't fully articulated and each of the steps wasn't made clear to the referee observer in the way we'd expect it to be. "You can call that a lie if you wish. The view of our committee was that he acted in the spur of the moment and said something he regretted. "I think there's acceptance within the referee committee that Dougie said things which were in the heat of the moment. Things that weren't true, no. "I don't think he was trying to implicate Steven in his mistake - if anything it's the exact opposite. "Dougie realised the minute he blew the whistle he had got it wrong so he went to Steven to test what he had in his own mind about the decision and asked if the keeper got a hand. "Steven said his head was spinning and didn't know what was going on but that he too had doubts. "He also said the keeper got a hand on the ball. "On that basis, Dougie made what was the right decision. "It would have been very easy for Dougie, having blown the whistle, just to carry on. But he was man enough to say he called it wrong. "Dougie has apologised to everyone. This is a guy with 29 years' experience and an unblemished record." Regan has since seen another letter from Celtic land in his office following Willie Collum's penalty decision against them in the Old Firm derby - but the SFA chief denied any bias against the Hoops. He said: "I categorically deny any suggestion of bias against Celtic. "I've met all the staff involved in all the areas and a number of the referees that are involved are all working extremely hard for the good of Scottish football and any suggestion of bias is totally unfounded." A Celtic spokesperson said last night: "We have no comment to make at this stage." Steven Craven tells all: Only in tomorrow's Sunday Mail