When one of your opponents, your fiercest rival speaks out about refereeing favouritism then it can quite easily be dismissed as sour grapes.

Two? Well just another manager unhappy about a defeat.

But three. Well that’s a different story.

Tony Mowbray, Craig Brown and now Gus McPherson* have all accused Scottish referees of bias towards Rankers this season. Whether it be penalty kicks denied, perfectly good goals disallowed or inconsistency in cautions there can be no denying…..the officials have collaborated in making the title run-in as easy as possible for the Establishment team.

25% of SPL managers have now spoken out about this blatant cheating, yet the SPL themselves do nothing about it.

They are just as guilty of making this seasons title one of NO CREDIBILITY.

*McPherson was once on the MM’s books, unusual for ex-players to break rank and criticise their former paymasters.

The easiest thing to do when it appears that everything you try goes wrong is to ……quit.

Since the day that Tony Mowbray stepped through the front door of Celtic Park I’ve heard ‘fans’ calling for his head. And that was before a ball was kicked!

It was the same when Ghordon Strachan took the job. Three SPL titles and a few cups later and the same fans were still wanting him sacked.

What we have to remember is some people will NEVER be pleased. (I’m sure these ‘fans’ were the very same that booed Neil Lennon for keeping possession!)

Anyway, as this season has unfolded there has been very little for Tony or The Faithful to cheer about. Going back as far as August when the Champions League qualifiers were drawn, what was the team we didn’t want?

Dynamo Moscow. Who did we get? Yip, the Russians. And despite a defeat at Celtic Park the Bhoys won 2-0 away in Russia to qualify.

Next round. Who don’t we want…..? Arsenal. Who did we get?

Yip, once again we draw the toughest tie possible. Unfortunately, we didn’t get through this one, nor did we carry any luck. Gallas’ deflection, Gary Caldwell’s own goal, the Eduardo ‘dive’ everything that could go against us…did.

Little did we know that would set the tone for the rest of the season.

Now, it’s well documented about the horrendous refereeing bias shown against us, not only in the three Derby matches, and the missed chances from a variety of our players.

But something else has been overlooked.

And I’m NOT making excuses here.

However, can we honestly say that we’ve carried any luck during the course of the season? Got the rub of the green? I can’t remember anytime.

How many times have Celtic finished with the same back four as we started with? How many of our back four, including Danny Fox when he was here HAVEN’T been injured at some point?

Only youngster Josh Thompson has escaped injury.

Then there’s Shaun Maloney. How long has he been out?

Even now, in the first week in March we can’t field a recognised defence, one that includes Jos Hooiveld, the centre back we so desperately needed.

All of this may sound like I’m making excuses for Tony. I’m not. The performances at times have been abysmal.

But we do need to give the team and management time to get it right. And to the critics who slate him for making so many changes at once, well, who was it that wanted rid of the so called ‘underachievers’ of last season?

Try looking in the mirror Bhoys….

Team Tony is here to stay, let’s get behind the big man.

As if we didn’t already know just how biased they are, the Daily Record have once again nailed their colours to the mast.

While they try to convince us of media neutrality, the truth is, and has been for a long time now, the Daily Record’s Managing Director is fairly and squarely in the pocket of Sir Minty.

Celtic Fanzone have it on impeccable authority that the MD Bruce Waddell hosted a Sports Dinner in Edinburgh last week with the guest of honour being…….Sir Minty.

Yep. In the same week of a derby match Sir Minty is given the red carpet by the same media that claim we’re paranoid!

How can we expect fair coverage to be given to Celtic when the newspapers top man is entertaining our rivals biggest shareholder?

This is the same rag that accused Celtic supporters of assaulting Allan McGregor without a shred of evidence, tarnishing our name without a second thought.

And have they apologised?  Nope, didn’t think so….

Surely it’s time for the Celtic board to take this man to task, after all he is the man in charge of the paper.

There’s no point in calling for a Bhoycott, we can chose to patronise who ever we want, however the next time your buying your daily paper think carefully about your choice.

A goal in each half was enough to give Celtic a valuable three points at the Falkirk Stadium this afternoon.

Robbie’s fourth and fifth goals since his arrival will go a long way to repay the reputed £65,000,ooo a week Celtic are paying him( Or is it £66M?).

And, Artur was instrumental in the Hoops defence keeping a rare clean sheet, despite Mogga making four forced changes from the side that started last week

Hopefully, we can string a few wins together and get some momentum going towards a day out at Hampden on the last day of the season.

Funny that, now that the MM are sitting with a healthy lead at the top the manager with no surname has been bashing his gums about Celtic, the SFA, Appeal panels, the Oscars, Climate Change and everything else that suits him.

And what makes matters worse is the mainstream media continue to give him the space. (I suppose they have to as he’ll be redundant soon)

In fact they’ll give space to anyone, as long as the piece involves taking the piss out of Celtic or the Celtic support.

They’ve even stooped so low to have a headline with “Dougie The Best Scottish Ref”. It doesn’t take a genius to guess where that quote came from.

It’s little things like this that should be a constant reminder of what we’re up against.

Still you wouldn’t want to be one of them……

P.S. I can only guess this, but the supposed action against Scotland’s Shame singing the Famine Song doesn’t exist now, ofrwere the officials deaf as well as blind last Sunday?

Am I the only person  who thinks the timing of the ridiculous decision not to rescind the outrageous red card given to  Scott Brown by the SFA’s very own Coward of the Country Dougie MacDonald stinks to the high heavens?

It is obscene to think that the man described loosely as “one of Scotland’s top refs” can sit at a screen with the ref’s head honcho, Hugh Dallas, and actually think that he made the right decision and be fully supported on this….Yes that is right the SFA have fully condoned his performance at Ibrox!!!!

But even more obscene is the disgraceful way the whole procedure has been handled in that they wanted Broonie to help new the national manager, Craig Levein, get off to a winning start and then hold a get together the next day to boot Broonie & Celtic FC in the balls.

This meeting of the ref & his bosses could, and in fact  should,  have been held earlier in the week but they didn’t have the courage to do this whilst Broonie was still under their charge on International duty…What a pathetic shower of cowards they really are….

At the end of the game at Hampden last night Craig Levein was seen warmly greeting Broonie with a handshake, embrace and a few words in his ear…Do you think those words were…Sorry pal, I know you have been a model pro all this week and scored the winning goal but sadly my bosses at the SFA are going to give you a good kicking in your appeal against the disgusting red card your received against the Rankers because by tomorrow you will be just a Celtic player again and Scotland doesn’t need you again until August..

I think we have now reached a point where we as Celtic Supporters and indeed Celtic Football Club itself need to disassociate ourselves from the SFA by not supporting the National Team and any other SFA initiatives…The only was to hurt the “SFA Blazers & Friends” is to kick them right back in the balls the way they have regularly kicked Celtics for too many years…

Hail Hail….FRP…4th March 2010..

We shouldn’t really be surprised, should we?

Anyone who thought that Dougie McDonald was going to rescind Scott Brown’s red card from Sunday’s derby game was living in cloud-cuckooland.

This reprebate is the ONLY person on the planet who actually thought it was a red card. Even his ref and ex-ref buddies don’t really believe it was a sending-off, they’re just circling the wagons, as expected.

So, where do we go from here?

You can’t appeal and appeal, can you?

If not, then I’d go with our original plan. Tell the SPL and the SFA to shove it up their arse and apply to join another league.

What have we got to lose?

It’s really quite easy to make comment about other clubs when EVERY decision under the sun is going your way. But it hasn’t always been that way, has it Wattie?

Cast your mind back a couple of season’s ago to a game at Murderwell. To refresh your memory oh Loyal Cardigan (nicked that from Keep The Faith) you were less than diplomatic about the stand side linesman that evening a Mr Tom Murphy.

He was apparently wrong about flagging Kris Boyd offside before the huffy number nine scored, long after the whistle blew may I add.

In fact Wattie, you even questioned the origin of the linesman, (assistant referee’s) surname, implying his ‘Irishness’ was to blame for his decision. At the same time you reminded us that the same dude ran the line when Celtic won 3-2 at Paradise the season before.

So Wattie, have your day, say your piece and when the tables turn, which they will, the Faithful will take great pleasure in shoving your comments down your throat.

Well, maybe not, like your club, your on your last legs, so this might be your last hurrah.

Anybody see the picture printed in last night’s Glasgow Evening Times?

It shows what appears to be Scott Brown ‘butting’ that big streak of pish Kyle Lafferty while the cheating b*stard has his arms flailing in innocence.

They say the camera never lies. Want a bet?

What the picture doesn’t show is Lafferty holding Broonie in a headlock seconds before. Nor does it show him pulling Skoosh down and lashing out as the Celtic captain hits the ground.

Why is that, I wonder?

You see,the modern day photographer must take hundreds of ’stills’ in every game. Frame by frame second by second, so they can capture EVERY motion.

Yet the editor of the Glasgow Evening Times chose to print this one, depicting the innocence of Lafferty, and guilt of Scott Brown.

But it doesn’t stop there, The Sun are just as bad.

Mon The Hoops forum quite rightly pointed out the abuse of a Celtic fans’ human rights when the rag published a photograph of the bhoy holding up an Argentina strip.

Unless I’m mistaken, when was it a crime to hold up, own or wear an Argentina top? Doesn’t Greaves, JD and JJB Sports shops all SELL them?

No, this is another blatant act by the media to discredit the Faithful.

Funny I never saw anything in print praising the fans’ behaviour at the minutes’ silence for Gerry Neef.

This weekend epitomised the undercurrent of bias that does it’s level best to bring blame on Celtic the club, the Celtic support and anyone else associated with us.

As if we need further proof, read what  former ref, now on the Masonic after dinner speaking circuit Stuart Dougal had to say about the game….

One of the biggest grievances Celtic had was why Madjid Bougherra was allowed to stay in the pitch, despite being booked early doors and then continuing to foul throughout the game.

“What Dougie would have felt, as I did, was those subsequent fouls were, if you like, small ones.”

Says it all I suppose….

Although most of the media attention will focus on the sending-off of Celtic captain Scott Brown, the ‘act’ that summed up what we’re up against came in the second half and was caught fair and square on camera.

With only six minutes on the clock, Dougie McDonald booked the Algerian defender Boogera for taking out Robbie Keane from behind. It was the third clout Robbie had endured after Kevin Thomson twice was allowed to follow through on him.

Well, with his name in the book, you’d have though the defender would ‘go canny’ with his tackling there after.

Not the Boogy one.

On another three, or was it four, occasions the same player committed the exact same foul on Robbie. And every time he escaped without further punishment.

But what make a farce of this whole affair was the last time of fouling, he was caught on camera winking,  Ronaldo like*, knowing he wasn’t going to be sent-off.

What gave him the confidence to do this? How did he know? Surely the referee didn’t give him the nod?

Maybe I’m just paranoid….

* When Ronaldo winked after getting Rooney sent-off, the media castigated the Portuguese star as a cheat. Where’s the media story on Boogy cheating today?