The turgid battle of Rugby Park in this season’s League Cup was lost in a variety of ways, not least in our own camp. Lessons learned from the Kilmarnock victory over the Ibrox side in the last fortnight were not used to our advantage, and that was compounded by the performance of the man who mattered, the shameless, Alan Muir.
Mr. Muir, of course, is the self-same referee who, as a linesman, refused Celtic a stonewall penalty kick in the Scottish Cup semi-final versus Inverness Caledonian Thistle as he turned a blind eye to a blatant handball only metres from the corrupt flagman, sending Celtic spinning out of the Cup.
On this occasion, Muir chose a different Cup scenario to openly display his wily ways of disgracing the game with two major decisions which decided what was, in fairness, a horrendous match. To see him laughing and congratulating ex-Rangers player and current Killie boss, Derek McInnes post-match was both galling and appalling.
Contrast that to John Beaton’s refusal to look Ange in the eye during the handshake after Celtic defeated theRangers last season and you will look down the eye of the black hole of Scottish football.
First decision; Greg Taylor copped Daniel Armstrong’s elbow to his head and went down heavily. Shockingly, no red card was shown to the Kilmarnock player who was on the pitch, (as Taylor was not), when the home side took the lead only two minutes later, a strike which ultimately put Celtic out of the Cup.
Incident that seen Taylor go off for treatment on a cut was caused by this elbow thrown by the Kilmarnock player. https://t.co/FuiCktn385 pic.twitter.com/XQo8lcEZWk
— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) August 20, 2023
Second decision; Celtic substitute, Sead Hakšabanović takes on the Killie defence in the last minute in a bid to salvage the game and is brought down on the touchline. No penalty! Indeed, VAR did not even give suitable viewing time to the crucial incident to merit a cursory look at what photographic evidence proved to be a wrong decision.
Contact was made with the attacking player when upright.
Please delete your account. https://t.co/bbaUiWOxMn pic.twitter.com/WR8lJLNLvG— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) August 21, 2023
These moments defined Celtic’s passage in Scottish football over the last 135 years, and even with the advent of VAR there is no real value in it for us. None. The viewing referees ultimately decide what to look at, or not!
There is a massive season ahead of us, and the defeat to Kilmarnock should not be seen as fatal to our chances of ultimate success in the grand scheme of things. There are three major competitions to be negotiated, and we shouldn’t be written off because we fell (or were pushed?) at the first hurdle. Yes, we were very poor and that was a major factor but our performance should not get in the way of fairness and an even hand from the judiciary!
It has to be remembered, we did so without our major players, and some important back-up members; Carter-Vickers, Hatate, Johnston, Oh, Welsh, Mikey J, Kobayashi, McCarthy and Tilio, all out injured. Losing Jota was massive!
Sure, some may not even make the bench at present, some soon to leave, but without so many important stars on the pitch it’s no wonder we struggled, especially on a sticky pub-like carpet which Real Madrid would battle to negotiate.
Celtic players, under ‘new’ gaffer, Brendan Rodgers are also pitting their wits against a new system, one which is overtly different to the system of the last couple of years and this takes time, especially with a raft of new squad members who are in and out the team due to injuries and tactical innovation.
This, however, should be taken as good news should Rodgers use his skills and experience wisely, for, as The Art Of War strategy will testify, “Do not repeat the tactics which has gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.”
Some circumstances are forced upon us, some by choice. We should utilise both to our advantage, taking each game as it comes, taking the opportunity to adopt light and shade variances as we flummox our opposition to win the war.
Desmond and Lawwell have bought and sold recently, and there is no doubt the incomers should always be match-fit and ready for battle whenever called upon. This has not always been the case, and this needs to be addressed. Buying injured players is poor governance.
It is unfortunate when our finest proponents of battle are sidelined, but the new incumbents must be ready to step in with the same authority and promise as those replaced. Our training regimes and schedules must ensure that every member is capable of taking the points no matter where we play. Ibrox?
The ‘big’ match is not at Ibrox, it is every single game, home or away. Ibrox is perhaps an opportunity to take a six-point lead over our only realistic rival for the crown, one which will reap rich rewards in the newly-formatted Champions League and multi-millions towards our already heaving bank stash.
If Rodgers is aware and savvy, which he will be, the Irishman will have his charges up for the battle, one which could go a long way to winning this particular war. We are only one victory away from making massive headway towards the Title. Should either rival falter in the interim, it changes everything.
Regardless of the names on the shirts there must be fire and brimstone allied with guile and nouse. Calm heads and an unshakeable self-belief will suffice as the boys in blue will attempt to disrupt and bully throughout. They may even recruit an Alan Muir-type to edge them towards three points which would restore parity with the Celts.
However, the home game against St. Johnstone this coming Saturday comes first and is every bit as important as the upcoming derby. As will be the Dundee match thereafter. Rodgers is battling to have his best eleven at his disposal, but in the interim, he must ensure his available players, no matter who he selects, are up for the challenge and battle-ready in the footballing version of The Art Of War.
I look forward to Brendan proving his disparaging doubters wrong over the course of the season with a full squad of fully fit players, and I welcome the challenge. HH.
Eddie Murray
Some good points Eddie. Pushing it, as you say, to include the latter three injured as game changers but all three have done good things in other games. OK, just one v St Johnstone for James but just one never appeared last Sunday.