2 weeks ago
ONE NORMAL DAY. WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
Having viewed nan incident that led to Celtic being awarded a spot-kick against Motherwell much often than we’ve put connected socks, Football Daily still can’t understand really referee John Beaton arrived astatine his decision. Of people we’ve seen each nan freeze-frame stills connected Social Media Disgrace that propose nan shot astir apt did deed Sam Nicholson’s forehead-adjacent paw, but moreover past it doesn’t automatically travel that it was a foul. The powerfulness and trajectory pinch which nan shot was sent backmost retired complete nan touchline was intelligibly generated by nan Motherwell defender’s large slab-head and not immoderate overarm service borrowed from nan volleyball court. More crucially, what has besides go abundantly clear successful nan ensuing frenzy of panic statement complete whether aliases not Nicholson handled nan ball, is that successful initially declining to grant Celtic a punishment nan referee definitively did not make a clear-and-obvious error. It was not until he was sent to his surface by nan curtain-twitchers successful McStockley Park that Beaton messed up, by electing to re-referee an incident he’d already adjudicated successful a perfectly satisfactory manner.
So arguable moreover English grandees specified arsenic Gary Lineker and Jeff Stelling couldn’t haud their wheesht, Beaton’s determination has been labelled successful immoderate quarters arsenic nan astir arguable successful Scottish Fitba history. While Football Daily would reason it isn’t moreover successful nan apical 3 astir arguable calls we’ve seen made successful Celtic’s favour since past Friday, nan ramifications could evidently beryllium seismic successful position of nan title race. “A horrendous determination that has erstwhile again embarrassed Scottish football,” thundered Ally McCoist connected TalkSport. “I’m conscionable trying to deliberation logically really he would make that decision. But equally, connected VAR guys, are we trying to show each different that is simply a clear-and-obvious error? Come on! And by nan way, precisely connected that spot connected Saturday night, Hearts should person been fixed a penalty.”
Having seen disconnected Falkirk astatine Tynecastle’s last lucifer of nan play successful conscionable capable clip to watch nan Fir Park fiasco unfold, convention leaders Hearts ended what mightiness person been an evening of ceremony connected a monolithic downer. “When you heard Celtic had a 96th-minute punishment going to VAR, you conscionable presume they get it,” seethed their caput coach Derek McInnes. “It’s disgusting. We’re up against it, we’re up against everybody. I don’t deliberation it’s a penalty. It’s truthful mediocre and it looks arsenic though [Celtic] person been fixed it. They person been very fortunate.” Unsurprisingly, his position was not shared by Celtic caput coach Martin O’Neill, who was not prepared to conscionable concede his broadside had sewage highly lucky. “I person seen it backmost very, very concisely … it’s a handball,” said nan man who has antecedently been highly vocal successful his disapproval of VAR for being “debilitating” and an “insult” to referees’ judgement. Hearts now request to debar conclusion astatine Celtic Park connected Saturday to prehend nan title successful a showdown for nan ages. It’s arguably nan biggest Scottish crippled successful a procreation and caller history suggests nan main post-match talking points will beryllium astir everything but nan Fitba.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
30 April 2026: “Let maine commencement astatine nan outset by confirming consecutive away, for those who possibly want to opportunity thing other aliases constitute thing else, that of people Iran will beryllium participating astatine nan Fifa World Cup 2026. And of course, Iran will play successful nan United States of America. The logic for that is simple, because we person to unite. We person to bring group together” – Big Gianni Infantino reiterated his belief that Iran will return portion successful nan Geopolitics World Cup erstwhile speaking astatine a Fifa congress, an arena successful Canada that Mehdi Taj, president of nan Iranian Football Federation, was denied from attending by Canadian authorities astatine Toronto’s Pearson airport.
14 May 2026: “Tomorrow aliases nan time aft tomorrow, we will person a decisive gathering pinch Fifa. They must springiness america guarantees, because nan visa rumor has still not been resolved. We person not received immoderate relationship from nan different broadside regarding who has been granted visas. No visas person been issued yet” – Mehdi Taj claims nary visas person yet been issued for nan Iranian nationalist squad to participate astatine nan GWC.
“If Southampton wanted this full Spygate worldly to get kicked into nan agelong writer (where 1 assumes location is astatine slightest 1 Saints ‘intern’), possibly they should person gone bigger. If they’d sent (at least) 115 spies, it would return years to benignant out, if ever” – Derek McGee.
“The full ‘spygate’ saga has been wholly blown retired of proportionality by nan media, and exacerbated by Hellberg manipulating nan business to effort to summation a psychological advantage for his team. He was quoted saying that nan Southampton expert was caught early successful nan training session, which by accusation suggests that small aliases nary information was really gathered, a truth borne retired by Middlesbrough’s full domination of nan lucifer astatine nan Riverside. Admittedly Southampton were successful nan incorrect to person a personnel of unit located astatine Middlesbrough’s training ground. However, nan outcry of ‘cheat’ is small worse than players adopting nan ‘dark arts’ astatine nan behest of their managers during a match; master fouls, diving successful nan punishment area, trying to get an guidance subordinate booked aliases sent off, scoring a extremity by utilizing nan manus (as Portsmouth did against Southampton astatine Fratton Park), or, to usage a cricketing word ‘sledging’ your opponent. Hellberg is besides utilizing spygate to distract from Middlesbrough’s driblet successful shape during nan past 2 months, nan consequence of which is that they vanished 4th successful nan array down Southampton. Man-up and move-on Middlesbrough” – Andrew Hayward (and nary others).
If you person any, please nonstop letters to [email protected]. Today’s prizeless missive o’ nan time victor is … Derek McGee. Terms and conditions for our competitions, erstwhile we tally them, are here.
MOVING THE GOALPOSTS
Our sister email’s latest version is retired now, and focuses connected really Eintracht Frankfurt person nan Frauen-Bundesliga’s large 2 clubs, and nan Champions League, successful their sights.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Wrap your ears (and eyes!) astir nan latest section of Football Weekly, successful which Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Will Unwin and Ewan Murray talk nan title races successful England and Scotland.
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