WILL REFEREES STRIKE OVER RANGERS TANTRUMS? PRECEDENT SAYS THEY SHOULD
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
We’ve still got almost a week until the next Celtic game, but already I’m concerned how the imminent strike by our referees and other match officials will impact this difficult run of upcoming fixtures.
Oh, you haven’t heard anything about the upcoming strike and widespread protest action from Scotland’s referees and match officials?
Well, neither have I, but I just assume that’s the next natural step. After all, they walked on over far less when Celtic took them to task previously.
What is the End Game for Rangers Tantrums About Referees?
This Friday marks 15 years to the day that Scotland’s referees voted to strike, amid claims they’re bosses “weren’t doing enough to protect them.” The whole argument stemmed from comments by then Celtic manager Neil Lennon, alleging that referee Dougie McDonald lied about his reasoning to award, and then rescind a penalty for Celtic during a league match against Dundee United the previous month.
McDonald, somewhat conveniently, retired and disappeared from the public eye soon after, once it became clear that Neil Lennon was indeed, correct to call the official a liar.
Nevertheless, referees went on strike amid claims of unfair treatment.
I’ll remind you once again, the episode of the 2010 referees’ strike, stemmed from their own hysterical reaction to one interview, given by the Celtic manager, and in which, despite clearly being angry, he was proven ultimately, to have been speaking the truth.
We are now moving into the 3rd week of the latest in a series of increasingly pathetic verbal proxy wars between Rangers and officialdom over the Ibrox side’s inability, once again, to accept that they legitimately lost to a superior Celtic team.
Rangers have consistently, and quite deliberately singled out individual officials for direct accusations and criticism on a number of occasions over the past few years. Yet, at no point have our officials even considered, at least not publicly, the prospect of going on strike.
Surely it can’t be the case that Rangers, the perennial victims, “robbed of their rightful place” at the top of Scottish football yet again, have actually been getting preferential treatment from the same refereeing body all along?
Well, actually, yes, that’s exactly the case. I know it, you know it, what’s most embarrassing of all, the clowns with the crayons scribbling these statements in the Ibrox boardroom know it too.
What is the point of all this, other than pandering to the supremacy complex of the worst elements of the Rangers fanbase?
Even if the SFA turned round tomorrow and said “You know what Rangers, you’re right, Auston Trusty should have been red-carded. At the earliest opportunity, he’ll be issued with a season-long ban, and ordered to turn up outside Ibrox tomorrow morning on his knees, begging forgiveness for his crimes. He’ll then be locked up in Barlinnie before being deported to Guantanamo.”
The increasing hysteria we’ve seen from some amongst their fanbase and their fan media in recent days suggests the aforementioned is about the bare minimum they would accept to “right this wrong” against them and their fans.
If this fantasy were actually entertained, what would happen next?
Rangers would still be out of the League Cup. They’d still be five points behind Celtic and at least nine points behind Hearts in the title race.
I’d imagine that surely by now, even most Rangers fans are getting embarrassed by all this constant “greetin’ and moanin”.
I hope that the SFA do not cave on this. These Rangers tantrums have been tolerated for far too long. It’s high time they were told: the decision is final, now shut up and get on with it!
