Lennon critical of Old Firm referee

[ian1964 10,870]

Celtic manager Neil Lennon thought referee Willie Collum made two bad mistakes during Rangers' 3-1 derby win.

 

Lennon was aggrieved at the penalty Rangers were awarded for their third goal and thought that Lee McCulloch deserved a first half red card.

 

"He has got a lot of questions to answer," said Lennon, when asked about the performance of Collum.

 

"I have problems with my team but you have to get the big decisions right. I'll be asking for an explanation."

 

Lennon thought that Ibrox midfielder McCulloch, booked early in the game, should have been sent off after impeding Georgios Samaras when the Celtic forward was charging forward, with the game at 0-0.

 

Rangers had recovered from Gary Hooper's opener on the stroke of half time to lead through a Glenn Loovens own goal and Kenny Miller volley when Collum awarded a penalty to the visitors.

 

Rangers substitute Kirk Broadfoot tumbled after the merest connection with Daniel Majstorovic and Miller converted the spot-kick.

 

"I want to know why McCulloch was still on the pitch, it was blatant obstruction when we were breaking," fumed Lennon.

 

"It was a second yellow and they should have been down to 10 men in the second half.

 

"And I feel let down on the penalty incident for sure. It's a big decision. I have seen a replay of the penalty and it looked soft.

 

"I'm not sure he saw it and I'm not sure why he has given it.

 

"There was a long way to go in the game and we were trying to regroup but Daniel pulled out of the tackle and Broadfoot went down very easily.

 

"At 2-1 we were still in the game, at 3-1 it is very difficult for us."

 

Lennon also had a few harsh words for his side, who have now slipped three points behind their fierce rivals in the title race.

 

"We've given the game away," he told BBC Radio Scotland.

 

"The manner of the goals we conceded is the most disappointing thing. Our mentality to see the game out was poor.

 

"And that's from experienced players who should know better. We wanted to keep moving the ball and play in their half. We didn't do any of that."

 

Lennon was forgiving of Loovens' unfortunate own goal but was critical of his side for falling further behind soon after.

 

"I thought it was pretty eachy-peachy in the first half and we were pleased to go in a goal in front," he added.

 

"You can lose a goal from a set-piece, as Rangers did in the first half. That happens in games.

 

"We knew Rangers would come at us and we said if we concede a goal, just stick to what you're doing and be strong mentally.

 

"The second goal was criminal from our point of view. We were comfortable in possession, we've invited pressure on and we've given our goalkeeper kicking practice, which we really didn't need to do.

 

"I thought Ki Sung-Yeung had a really strong game and one or two others but I'll analyse the game later and see who didn't really show up.

 

"The difference is only three points. It's disappointing to lose a home game, it's disappointing to lose an Old Firm game but there's a long way to go in the season and I hope the players learn from this.

 

"We've got to pick the players up and go on another run. We've got a League Cup game on Wednesday and I'll be looking for a big performance."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/9122412.stm

[maineflyer 0]

No class, absolutely no class.

[Tannochsidebear 2,516]

No class, absolutely no class.

 

Might be something to do with the company he was keeping in the team hotel the night before.

 

Or it might just be that he has no class :spl:

[ian1964 10,870]

NEIL LENNON rounded on Old Firm ref Willie Collum last night and told him: You got it wrong.

 

Livid Lenny laid into the whistler after Celtic crashed to a 3-1 derby defeat to Rangers.

 

He'd cranked up the heat on 31-year-old Collum on the eve of the crunch clash at Parkhead.

 

And now the Hoops gaffer has demanded answers from the whistler on the decisions he felt turned the game.

 

Lennon fumed: "He has questions to answer. I thought he got the big decisions WRONG.

 

"You have to get the big decisions right and that is another big decision that went against us. I do not know about going public but I will be asking for an explanation from him."

 

Lennon was furious that Collum - making his derby debut - didn't send off Gers ace Lee McCulloch.

 

He was also seething at the second-half penalty award which sealed the win for the SPL champs.

 

He claimed Gers sub Kirk Broadfoot went down "very easily" and Collum didn't even see it.

 

Lennon's latest outburst is sure to deepen the ref feud between the Parkhead club and the SFA.

 

He wrote to Hampden and asked for answers on Dougie McDonald's display at Tannadice last week.

 

Now Lennon's on collision course with Collum after a derby defeat which ended their 100 per cent start to the SPL season.

 

He added: "I thought McCulloch should have gone for the one on Georgios Samaras.

 

"I do not know why he is still on the pitch after a blatant obstruction when we were breaking.

 

"It was a second yellow. That would have put them down to ten men for the second half.

 

"The penalty looks soft to me. If you look at the referee, I don't think he has seen it.

 

"I feel let down on the penalty decision for sure. It is a cruel decision and I am not sure how much he saw of it.

 

"Daniel has tried to pull out of the tackle and Broadfoot has gone over very, very easily. I don't know why he's given it."

 

 

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3194941/You-got-it-all-WRONG.html#ixzz13ME5sKpr

[ian1964 10,870]

WALTER SMITH has told Celtic: Rangers beat you - not the ref.

 

The Ibrox boss insists whistler Willie Collum was put under unfair pressure by the Hoops in the run-up to the Old Firm showdown.

 

And as Celts gaffer Neil Lennon laid into Collum over the penalty that sunk his team, Smith told him to stop bleating about decisions.

 

Lennon stoked up the first Old Firm clash of the season by demanding that Collum get the big calls right.

 

That came days after club chiefs wrote to the SFA over Dougie McDonald's U-turn on awarding them a penalty at Tannadice.

 

Smith said: "We have to have a look at ourselves and stop blaming everything on referees.

 

"We all fall out with them, but you have to look deeper at issues or there's no use playing the game.

 

"All the time I've been involved in Rangers-Celtic games, you have a look back and the best team wins.

 

"A lot of stuff gets exaggerated about these games, from the influence of the ref down, but in my experience it's who plays best that counts.

 

"There was unfair pressure put on the referee here in the build-up.

 

"That's two out of last three Old Firm games when the ref's been placed under that kind of pressure before the start.

 

"There's definitely too much focus on referees and there's no doubt that was the case with Willie Collum.

 

"I thought he handled it well. We'll always argue about decisions, but he did okay."

 

Smith leapt with joy on the trackside as his champs bounced back from Gary Hooper's 45th-minute goal to make it nine league wins on the trot thanks to a Glenn Loovens own goal and a Kenny Miller double.

 

He said: "It was a good afternoon and a good win.

 

"I felt we started very well with a spell where we hit the post and then had a good period for the first 20 minutes of the second half when we got in front.

 

"In between times we had little bits of scrappy play and some signs of tiredness.

 

"In the end, we're delighted to win.

 

"It's very early in the season to be talking about champions. A lot of games have still to be played and a lot of problems lie ahead - we have to come back from Champions League games and that's never easy. But I can't remember in either spell as manager here starting the season with nine wins in a row, so it's nice.

 

"Kenny Miller's first finish was excellent and he put the penalty away well.

 

"You always want to make home advantage count in Old Firm games, so to come away and win is a really good one for us. Away at Celtic Park is always your toughest test.

 

"Celtic have a new team and we weren't quite sure what to expect.

 

"But it's not experience that counts in these games as much as the way you play.

 

"When we started to play well in the second half we threatened their goal more.

 

"After the third goal, it was a matter of seeing it out and we did that well.

 

"We've come back from a goal down five times in these opening nine games and I'm not quite sure what that tells you about the team, apart from that we're prepared to fight back.

 

"I'm not quite sure why we keep going a goal down.

 

"But we've gone to places that are notoriously tough, like Aberdeen, Hearts and now Celtic and won, which is excellent going."

 

 

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3194915/Ref-didnt-beat-you-WE-did.html#ixzz13MFkeIgy

[Tannochsidebear 2,516]

There surely cannot be any tims out there anything other than completely embarrassed that instead of a balanced view on all the incidents, he tries to take away from the fact that his team were well and truly thumped by a clearly superior in every department opponent by picking out 2 incidents, 1 of which the ref got spot on, and slating the referee's performance. He really did learn a lot from O'Neill.

 

I feel your pain bigot, and i'm loving it.