KEVIN CLANCY has been given the whistle for the Glasgow Derby between Celtic and the Rangers at Paradise on Beautiful Sunday, 29 December.
This is the referee who made two honest mistakes in Celtic’s 1-1 draw at Easter Road earlier in the season to deny Neil Lennon’s league leaders two stonewall penalties. There was no suggestion that Clancy rushed to apologise to the Celtic manager after reviewing the incidents which as we have already mentioned were of the stonewall variety.
Yet when John Beaton failed to award a penalty to the Rangers up at Pittodrie earlier this month, the man with the whistle was distraught and immediately apologised to Steven Gerrard for an incident that frankly was a close call either way. Indeed it could have been a foul outside the area (as Beaton decided at the time), a penalty or indeed no foul at all, so the term ‘stonewaller’ isn’t really appropriate.
Yet Beaton rushed to apologise – Gerrard even said that the whistler was more upset than him about failing to give the Rangers a penalty.
Clancy as far as we know said nothing at all to Neil Lennon since his double dodgy decision moments at Easter Road.
The other day Neil Lennon said that he welcomed the introduction of VAR into the Scottish game as Celtic would be further ahead in the league if it was used at the moment. Given that we have only dropped points and Easter Road and the 2-0 defeat at Livingston (which had zero to do with VAR) then it is clear that the Celtic boss was directing his comments at Clancy, without mentioning him by name, possibly with advance warning that he’d be given the refereeing duties on 29 December.
Clancy will be assisted by David McGeachie and Dougie Potter with Nick Walsh on the touchline as the fourth official.
Bobby Madden and Willie Collum have refereed the previous two meetings this season but could do nothing to stop Celtic turning both Sundays Beautiful with Odsonne Edouard and Jonny Hayes scoring in the 2-0 Premiership win at Ibrox in September with Madden in charge and Christopher Jullien grabbing the only goal of the game in the League Cup Final earlier this month.
Collum refereed that one, gave the Rangers and penalty and sent off Jeremie Frimpong before Fraser Forster saved the spot kick from Alfredo Morelos. The ten men held out to pick up the silverware, Celtic’s tenth consecutive trophy and the club’s 18th of the decade of dominance.
Founded in 2012, the Rangers are still waiting to win their first major honour.
