Our Prayers Could be Answered

[tm4tj]

We might make it 1 year on the road undefeated in the leagues without playing if this strike goes ahead.

Lookey Lookey

[TopSix]

I'd rather play them on Saturday tbh.

Highlights are now up on BBC Sport.

[Harry Chibber]

you dancer!!

[+MrCaleyjag]

I can't say I'm surprised by this tbh, the criticism this season has been awful and hasn't been helped by Hugh Dallas' comments that appear to be in the Sunday Mail today.

Not sure if I'm happy about it or not though, we're on a great run of form and I genuinely believe that we have a great chance next Saturday of taking something from the game.

It would be awesome to keep the record going but wouldn't we want to do it ourselves rather than having outside influences helping us?

[Doresboy]

I support the refs on this one..good on them

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

I have the utmost sympathy with referees. They are ordinary guys like most supporters and yet week in week out they get abuse. There has to be far more respect for them with severe punishments handed out to clubs who seek to impose their own rules on the game. Mistakes by players and officials are an historic part of football's history.

The ruling bodies should begin by insisting that demented managers or players who abuse fficials with foul or abusive language should be given automatic 10 game bans. Repeat offences would result in a double punishment. Such disgraceful behaviour as we have recently witnessed would then result in 'offenders' being isolated to prevent them repeating their offensive behaviour.

Finally, officials should receive fixed sum compensation for abuse. We do not have to put up with this in our workplaces.

As an aside it would be great to make 12 months without an away defeat - is there another club near that record in Britain?

[MissICT]

It's good and bad.

It's good because we'll be unbeaten away from home for a whole year

It's abd because it'll be rescheduled for midweek and I won't be able to go and I have my tickets

[Scotty]

I keep thinking back to my days in the amateur leagues ..... I ran a team, occasionally played (when they were desperate), and was also on the committee of the Inverness & District AFA.

At every meeting we had to deal with disciplinary stuff after the main meeting finished. Most of it was mundane stuff, but on the few occasions that anything came up that included referee abuse - either verbal or in one case physical - it was manadated from above (the SAFA, and by extension, the SFA) that we had to come down on it like a ton of bricks. The referee report was 'gospel' and unquestionable, even if (as happened on one occasion) it could be shown to be at the very least 'inconsistent' with other witnesses (from both sides). If we went soft on any decision involving referees it would be turned over at Park Gardens (at the time), they would impose a harsher penalty, and we (the committee) would get our own warning from the beaks !!!

I have been there when full season bans were given out to players or officials for stuff that seemed innocuous by today's standards and I have heard other stuff from down the road (Glasgow area) where people got 'sine die' lifetime bans.

It alway seemed to me that punishment in the amateur leagues was far far harsher than in the professional leagues ..... perhaps we do need to crack down on managers and players who either abuse the refs or who by their words maybe incite some of the less intelligent fans to take action like scratching cars, breaking windows or uttering threats .....

However, by the same token, the refs also need to get their own house in order .... they need to be transparent, they need to explain decisions, and they need to engage both fans and officials on an equal basis rather than clamming shut and relying solely on referee reports. They are not infallible, they have a split second to make decisions using eyesight alone, none of the technical wizardry available to pundits or tv companies, and they can get it wrong. If they can admit that, and be open about things perhaps they would get less of a hard time !!!

As for Dougie McDonald. Its cut and dried as far as I am concerned, He officiated a game and lied about a decision. It doesnt matter why, it now puts all his past and future decisions under the microscope and makes his position untenable. If the referees association chose to expel him rather than back him up, the other referees would not get such a hard time as it would show they were prepared to get their own house in order rather than close ranks..

- where did that whistleblower site go ? -

[starchief]

Another here supporting the refs. An impossible job. No surprise that the Machiavellian John Reid is fanning the flames of criticism. Mind you, no-one's died yet this time. Usually happens as the result of this idiot's actions.

Strachan lost the league as he didn't strengthen his front line, Tony Mowbray lost by bringing in sub-standard talent and Neil Lennon just isn't experienced enough to take on Walter Smith or Europe (or Ross County or any match he needed to win).

Likewise, they're not against Vlad's Hearts, Gus's St Mirren or even the Stirling Albion/East Fife/Arbroath etc etc teams that fans come on to Sportsound to complain about.

The league position is usually a pretty good guide to the standard of your team. Refereeing mistakes don't seem to make a big difference. Time to stop the whining and on with the play.

[TopSix]

I actually support Douglas Mcdonald. It's very easy to have a pop at referees - especially if you've never ref'd a game. I was driving in to work on Friday morning and John reid was on the radio demanding mcdonald's resignation. Err...? No, sorry, don't think so. It' s not up to the clubs to decide. Also, this whole shyte about refs having to "declare their loyalty" is a load of absolute rubbish. If you referee your own team you tend to be biased against them! Would ross tokely not bother trying against hearts because he supported them when he was growing up? It's the same situation with refs IMVHO. most have been involved in football - especially at junior level and want to be part of the game.

Anyway, rant over.

Who's going to suffer? I feel sorry for north based fans - like Miss ICT - if this game is postponed it will be played in a midweek. People have booked trains, etc for games and believe it or not but I feel really sorry for county and QoS fans with their cup final. (Though on a more negative note it might give county more time to get a decent manager appointed before it.)

Could we now have Roy's testimonial v county on Saturday at 3 PLEASE!!!

[Bombabim]

think the refs are quite right to strike. the abuse is getting ridiculous and someone should really tell the entire team and celtic, from the chairman to the players, to shut up and get on with it. I don't see anyone yapping on about whether neil lennon is fit to do his job after getting a couple decisions (team for hearts etc etc... he has said it himself) wrong.... anyways.

its a little dissapointing we won't be able to get the year properly however, something in me relishes the prospect of a postponed game having to be replayed mid week at a wintery parkhead i dunno might just be clinging to false hopes there. although i do remember all to vividly the last mid-week trip we made to parkhead

either way

[ictchris]

Unsure about this. Dougie McDonald deliberately lied and covered up what he'd done - his position is untenable and he should resign. The pressure being put on referees from the likes of John Reid and Neil Lennon is unacceptable but the SFA can deal with that.

[MissICT]

I support this decision as I would strike if I was consistently been moaned at and being accused of being bast and making wrong decisions. The refs are human at the end of the day and until they get better resources to help them they will carry on making these decisions. I would also stike if Neil Lennon was whining too me all the time.

[Renegade]

The sickeningly hypocritical thing for me is that John Reid has no problem calling for the resignation of someone over what they lied about. He's calling for the resignation of man who does a part time job on weekends that involves taking control of a game...a game, not life and death. If this is so important to Mr Reid then why didn't he resign when he, and the rest of his cronies lied about why we went into Iraq? Something that has cost over a million lives and yet, by the sounds of things, the former is the thing that keeps him up at night. Sure, the referee lied and then covered it up, but it sounds a lot like somebody else to me.

[Sean93]

Alas we don't need the strike to get to a year i have faith in the boys to do it.

[Caleyjag]

Am stuck in the middle on this one. To be honest it would be a right pain in the bum for a number of folk, myself included as travel plans have been made, tickets bought etc and a midweek game doesn't suit everyone.

However, I feel that John Reid and his club have a lot to answer for on this subject, they have carried on and on about that one decision, at the end of the day they won the game get over it!!! I think the ref made an honest mistake, we all do it, the world goes on.

And another thing, he should look down at his own team benches antics before having the audacity to criticise anyone else's behaviour. If TB acted the way that he did, I would put my house on the fact that he would have had numerous 'bringing the game into disrepute' charges, however Lennon thinks he's immune????

[qwerty11]

I do support the refs on this decision tbh!

[Div1309]

if the game goes ahead on sat lets get a chant going for the ref!! (in support that is)

[+DoofersDad]

I'm with the refs as well. I hate it when players surround and intimidate the referee when a decision is made they don't like. Being verbally agressive to the referee should be an automatic yellow card - at least - and a free kick to the opposition - or move the ball 10 yards further forward if they already have one. What a contrast to Rugby where the referees are held in great respect and decisions are accepted without question even when they are blatently wrong. Part of the reason there is that referees can penalise teams distance for backchat and referees are supported by the authorities.

One can, nevertherless understand players reacting in the heat of the moment but there is no excuse for the abuse referees have been given recently from some managers and club officials. It is time the SFA took sanctions such as the docking of points for these outbursts. A 10 point fine would soon shut Lennon and Reid up.

[+DoofersDad]

if the game goes ahead on sat lets get a chant going for the ref!! (in support that is)

"The referee's a wonder!"

Or do you think the referee would maybe miss the change to the wording?

[+MrCaleyjag]

The SFA have to take a long hard look at themselves amongst all this as well, they fanned the flames by not coming out and backing their ref's throughout the whole situation and the way that Steven Craven left was a joke, he was left to hang out and dry. All they had to do was release a statement saying that it was being dealt with in house and the ref's had their full backing. Nobody should have been coming out and speaking to the press the way they did.

Everyone makes mistakes day in day out and like a lot have already said lets not forget these guys do it part time, love the game and officiate for this reason and more often than not because they can't play the game themselves either through injury or not being good enough. It's about time they were backed. Mistakes happen all the time in games, look at England, they made their ref's go professional and it still happens down there and will continue too. Without controversy what would we speak about in the pub?

I know that if I went to work and made a mistake and my boss openly criticised me in front of others I would be affronted, shocked and angry.

John Reid and Celtic have acted shamefully throughout and their actions both in the media and on the touchline are a disgrace to the point of being detrimental to the Scottish game. For Reid to demand the resignation of a man for one lie after all his lies over the years is completely hypocritical, hopefully he will take heed of his own fans reactions and either shut up or get out. Scottish football doesn't need a man like this involved nor do we need to listen to the p*sh that comes out of his mouth. This is not politics it's a game, a game that everyone loves and unites people of all cultures and classes, someone should remind him of this.

[davie]

As an occasional, unpaid and admittedly shoite referee I'm fully with the guys in the middle. I don't know what makes otherwise responsible people act like utter lunatics on a football field. I don't know what makes them think they can speak to me the way that some do. I don't know why I volunteer for the job! Anyway it would be ironic if the game at the home of the team acting most reprehensibly in this whole thing was called off, because I think all the advantage would be theirs. We are on a roll, they are not. We are the more motivated team for this game and we should have the biggest travelling support for a while behind the team. Lennon will be chuffed to bits. They should simply call him in and ban him for as many games as are required and make sure that he and Dougie MacDonald don't cross paths again this season. Dougie can then be quietly demoted in the close season; you just can't lie in his position. John Reid merits no response really, can you imagine our chairman behaving like that? Far from being the oppressed that the arrogant weegies portray themselves as, they are trying to drive the agenda again. I hope we don't let them.

[ilpadrino]

I'm with the referees most of the way. Dougie McDonald on the other hand, made the correct decision during the game, having made an initial mistake. If he'd reported it as it was I'd still be with him, but lying in the report was inexcusable, and there should be consequences.

[lukemackay]

well done ceptic youve ruined it for every other team and their fans again can they not just acept that they are pish

[CaleyD]

As Scotty says, it has to be a two way street, and I think Refs have brought the current situation on themselves by operating the way they do.

I don't agree with them having to endure any abuse, but what constitutes abuse and when is the line crossed? IMO, a manager stating after a game that he thinks a Ref got decision/s wrong is not abuse and should not be subject to punishment/sanctions. It's when Managers, Players or Club Officials take it beyond that with suggestions of deliberate cheating, bias and conspiracies...in effect where they start calling a Refs character and integrity into question...that the line is crossed.

If they truly believe a Ref is corrupt, then ranting in post match interviews and to the press is not the way to deal with the problem...but in saying that, if the Refs Association is not dealing with things properly when reported to them then I can understand the frustrations and when you let the problems and pressures build up then it needs to find a way to escape (voice of experience).

Players surrounding Refs or pushing their luck when on the pitch should not be a problem...the Ref is in control of that situation and if someone crosses the line they get booked...simple as. Nothing more needs done and it's not a situation that should be allowed to cloud the main issue.

I don't necessarily agree with Refs striking as they are, IMO, as much a part of the problem as everyone else right now. Although, again, if the beaks are not doing enough to change things on the officiating side of the process by having a more proactive and transparent system then the Refs are, in effect, stuck in the middle and something has to give.

Get everyone in a room and start banging heads together till they all learn to grow the feck up.