A catch up of game week two and a League Cup special given the number of incidents that emerged in the two match ups involving Glasgow’s largest sides.
Special thanks to the Yorkshire Whistler who managed to turn around these decisions in quick order due to pressing commitments. Hence the usual fantastic in-depth detail is a bit less this time around.
The impact of big calls being incorrect can then be evaluated using the framework outlined here -> Honest Mistakes in the SPFL.
SPFL Game Week Two
13/08/23 Aberdeen vs Celtic
Incident 1
Referee | Kevin Clancy |
Game Minute | 57th |
Score At Time | 1-2 |
Incident | Maeda challenged in the box by Devlin |
Outcome | No decision |
Evidence | (16) Aberdeen 1-3 Celtic | Kyogo’s Goal Keeps Champions On Top | cinch Premiership – YouTube
At 3:00 |
Scottish League Cup Second Round
19/08/23 The Rangers vs Greenock Morton
Referee | David Dickinson |
Game Minute | 46th |
Score At Time | 0-0 |
Incident | Balogun challenges for header in box |
Outcome | No decision |
Evidence | https://twitter.com/Zeshankenzo/status/1693635688107737409?s=20 |
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict | Balogun challenges for header in box
Initial on field decision: No foul committed. Balogun appears to put his hands on the shoulder of the Morton player and at full speed I can see why this might not have been given. Morton player doesn’t seem to make any attempt to jump and challenge for the ball, whereas Balogun clearly wants to win the header. However, in slow motion you can argue that as Balogun is jumping, his arms on the shoulders of the attacker would prevent him from trying to jump even if he wanted to. Another subjective decision, which Rangers can consider themselves lucky with the outcome. Verdict: INCORRECT decision. Although not a clear and obvious wrong decision, I feel if the referee had been asked to review on field, he would have changed his decision and awarded a penalty kick. |
Expected Points
Outcome |
TRFC +0.59 xPts |
19/08/23 The Rangers vs Greenock Morton
Incident 2
Referee | David Dickinson |
Game Minute | 49th |
Score At Time | 0-0 |
Incident | Broadfoot goes down in box under Dessers challenge |
Outcome | No decision; Penalty to Morton on VAR review |
Evidence | (22) HIGHLIGHTS | Rangers 2-1 Greenock Morton | Beale’s men progress in Viaplay Cup with comeback win – YouTube
At 1:46 |
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict | Broadfoot goes down in box under Dessers challenge.
Initial on field decision: no decision, upon VAR review, penalty award to Morton Dessers has a big swing at a clearance and looks to catch Broadfoot. Again, can understand why on field ref might not have given the foul as the contact is minor at best and Morton player goes to ground pleading for the foul. Under slow motion review, there appears to be minor contact and when the clearance swing looks as clumsy as it does, I can understand why the penalty was given under review. Verdict: CORRECT decision to award the penalty. |
Expected Points
Outcome |
No impact |
Incident 3
Referee | David Dickinson |
Game Minute | 56th |
Score At Time | 0-1 |
Incident | Free kick goes into Morton box. |
Outcome | No decision; Penalty to TRFC on VAR review |
Evidence | (22) HIGHLIGHTS | Rangers 2-1 Greenock Morton | Beale’s men progress in Viaplay Cup with comeback win – YouTube
At 3:17 |
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict | Initial on field decision: no decision; after VAR review, penalty award to TRFC
There appears to be a shirt pull on the Rangers player as he slides in at far post. In real time, it’s very hard to spot this infringement and can understand why it is not seen or given. The player doesn’t make much of an appeal either. However, when reviewed in slow motion, you cannot deny the shirt pull on the left arm of the Rangers player happens and once this is brought to the referee’s attention, a penalty kick is the expected outcome. Verdict: CORRECT decision to award the goal |
Expected Points
Outcome |
No impact |
20/08/23 Kilmarnock vs Celtic
Incident 1
Referee | Alan Muir |
Game Minute | 57th |
Score At Time | 0-0 |
Incident | Taylor is fouled by Armstrong |
Outcome | Foul to Celtic |
Evidence | https://twitter.com/Zeshankenzo/status/1693306679863976198?s=20 |
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict | Taylor fouled by Armstrong.
Initial on field decision: Foul awarded to Celtic. The severity of this kind of incident can sometimes be missed in real time but in slow motion, there appears to be some intent shown by Armstrong just after the ball has moved on as he leans in with the elbow. I feel this should have been a recommended-on field review for serious foul play. Verdict. CORRECT to award the foul, INCORRECT sanction, sending off expected outcome. |
Expected Points
Outcome |
Celtic -0.35 xPts |
20/08/23 Kilmarnock vs Celtic
Incident 2
Referee | Alan Muir |
Game Minute | 59th |
Score At Time | 0-0 |
Incident | Watkins scores for Kilmarnock |
Outcome | Goal to Kilmarnock |
Evidence | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXf3P71xMdg at 2:55 and https://twitter.com/Gastro_Celtic/status/1693286038104326165?s=20 |
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict | Watkins scores for Kilmarnock.
Initial on field decision: Goal awarded. Offside decision here for the final pass, incredibly tight either way. From the footage presented I would say the Kilmarnock player just looks level and onside, but a marginal call either way. Verdict: CORRECT decision to award goal |
Expected Points
Outcome |
No impact |
Incident 3
Referee | Alan Muir |
Game Minute | 92nd |
Score At Time | 1-0 |
Incident | Haksabanovic goes down in the box |
Outcome | No decision |
Evidence | https://twitter.com/GetInvolvedRef/status/1693290528127791521?s=20 |
Yorkshire Whistler Verdict | Haksabanovic goes down in the box.
Initial on field decision: No foul committed. Celtic player goes down in box and claims a foul. He does seem to go to ground quite theatrically but this doesn’t stop me believing he was fouled. The defender seems to catch his right foot and doesn’t play the ball. Verdict: INCORRECT decision. Foul and penalty kick expected outcome. |
Expected Points
Outcome |
Celtic -0.75 xPts |
Summary
My thanks as always to the Yorkshire Whistler.
No major chances to the SPFL title race in terms of week two impacts.
The Rangers have 0.63 less points than expected due to the impact of Honest Mistakes.
Celtic lead by 3 points after 2 matches.
In terms of the League Cup, Greenock Morton did, remarkably, get a penalty at Ibrox. The Greenock side were probably in the topflight the last time that happened although it needed a VAR review to persuade Dickinson. However, they should already have had one and could a 0-2 deficit have been recovered?
At Kilmarnock there is no doubt Celtic laboured in the sun and on the plastic pitch against a well drilled Kilmarnock defence. However, they should expect equal treatment under the Laws and Alan Muir failed to send off the provider of the home sides’ goal. Indeed, Celtic were shorthanded because of the elbow to the head of Greg Taylor and the cross from the aggressor came from the vacant Celtic left back area.
The late penalty denial is inexplicable unless you remember Hampden 19th April 2015 versus Inverness Caley Thistle.
Muir received no help from VAR as far as we know, but transparency on who did not recommend the review would be helpful.
In two ties, Dickinson and Muir got 50% of the big call’s wrong despite VAR assistance.
But even more remarkable than all that is the utter lack of coverage and scrutiny over some of those big calls (guess which three?) in both the Viaplay Youtube highlights packages, or the local Scottish sports coverage. The BBC match report did not even mention Haksabanovic’s take down in their report.
And away we go!
william colquhoun says
var is there for a reason it was a deliberate elbow on Greig Taylor by Armstrong .And acertin penalty kick so var shows this clearly in both incidents this is deliberately missed by the people in charge why the referee not sent to look at these incidents very strange .
Reenfluff says
Business As Usual…nothing will ever change.
If Celtic complain – I know that’s highly unlikely – we’d hear the same old nonsense – Always Cheated Never Defeated – but can you imagine if the decisions against us at Killie happened to them, which we know is impossible, can you imagine what would happen, the Statements from their board, the fan’s reaction….it would be off the Richter scale.
On a different note – the draw is also as expected – so many easy, home games – must be an anomaly ?
celticbynumbers@btinternet.com says
TRFC since inception have had roughly 54% home draws
Martin says
I am shocked! Shocked I tell you! Well, not that shocked. Or at all.
The red card and the penalty incidents at Rugby Park were absolutely inexcusable in the VAR age. Missed in real time? Fair enough. No issues (though the blood on Taylor should have been a clue). But that VAR either felt no need to check, or saw them and let them be is internationally embarrassing for the Sfa.
Damian says
I was interested to hear your take, Martin.
I ran the penalty incident past a friend of mine who’s a ref and a Celtic fan and he said it wasn’t a penalty for him because Haskabanovic initiates the contact and goes down too easily.
My own initial reaction was that it looked like a penalty but when slowed down, it seemed pretty clear that Haskabanovic dives before the contact, which I presumed would be meaningful.
That was my Devil’s Advocate take – perhaps driven by the discovery that the VAR official was Don Robertson, who I’m pretty certain is a Celtic fan.
But, I have no intention of arguing with you and the YW: jury in, so to speak.
Martin says
The penalty incident, without VAR, I wouldn’t even have bothered thinking about to be honest. It should be a penalty, but we all know the way that game was going we would have missed. I wouldn’t generally get too upset about not getting a penalty in the 93rd minute of a match we’re losing 1-0 and playing terribly.
The elbow though, shocking. That’s the sort of thing that can easily escalate throughout a season. Taylor could’ve also gotten a very nasty face or head wound and be out for weeks. And it was clearly not an accident or a “coming together” as we often hear.
Part of the problem is the culture of football in Scotland tolerates a bit of “leaving something on them” which is why our teams get so many cards in Europe. The whole ethos top down for refereeing in Scotland is horrific.
Unfortunately VAR won’t change things. And it doesn’t even get called on for my own pet peeve players getting the ball against us (and presumably Rangers too, I don’t watch their games) and falling forwards under a phantom push to get a cheap free kick in our half and give them a breather. The bar for a free kick for us seems a lot higher.
Eddie says
When will the board challenge this cheating. Their inaction is only encouraging the refs and VAR to continue with their ‘ honest mistakes’. If they don’t speak out soon we may as well pack up and go home.
Tamcod says
Celtic fc must take this to the s f a
Oldbhoy says
Take this to Eufa as the Sfa will roll it under the carpet. Did not deserve owt at Killie BUT no one BUT no one should have to play on that pitch. It gives them a clear advantage , from a viewers perspective it was a horrible watch . As was our display , needed Oh up top. For me Maeda at 10 and Kyogo at 9 interchanging is the way forward. Maeda is not a winger.