The Rangers administration saga has continued to dominate the back (and often front) pages in Scotland in recent weeks, although more than a few column inches have been devoted to the prospect of bitter rivals Celtic rubbing salt in the wounds of the Ibrox club, by claiming a clean sweep of this season’s domestic honours.
‘We’re not talking about the treble,’ was the official line emanating from Celtic. But, funnily enough, everyone was talking about the treble. After all, despite their dominance of Scottish football for a century and more, the domestic treble has remained surprisingly elusive for the Old Firm down the years.
However, that horrid prospect – they have, it’s fair to say, more than enough to worry about already - has at least been removed for those of a Rangers persuasion, following last weekend’s League Cup final. Celtic’s push for a treble was dashed at the first hurdle, when they were surprisingly defeated 1-0 by Kilmarnock at Hampden.
In claiming the League Cup for the first time in their history, Scotland’s oldest club became the eighth side to boast all three major trophies among their list of honours. Sadly triumph quickly turned to tragedy, with the news that the father of Kilmarnock player Liam Kelly had collapsed and died shortly after the final whistle.
It’s not difficult to grasp the impact this had on the post-match celebrations – what should have been the most joyous moment in the careers of Kelly and his team-mates was reduced to despair within a hellish few minutes.
For those who consider being a fan of the beautiful game to be an emotional roller coaster ride, you had it all right there – with more than a dash of perspective added for ‘good’ measure.
The game itself was something of a disappointment, and for all Celtic’s general domination of possession and chances created, they were unable to find a way past Killie keeper Cammy Bell, who turned in an inspired man of the match performance to keep Celtic’s strikers at bay.
As ever with matches such as this, the longer the game remained goalless, the more the feeling persisted that the underdogs may have their day. Sure enough, with the minutes ticking away, Kilmarnock substitute Dieter Van Tornhout marked his 27th birthday in style, the Belgian striker’s 84th minute header securing the cup for the Ayrshire side.
There was still time for a taste of controversy, however, coming in the shape of a penalty denied to Celtic deep into stoppage time, when striker Anthony Stokes was sent sprawling in the box by a despairing tackle. Referee Willie Collum – no stranger to upsetting the Parkhead legions – not only denied the spot-kick, he cautioned Stokes for allegedly diving. Stokes was aghast, Celtic Neil Lennon was apoplectic, and that was that.
The subsequent ire directed towards Collum by Lennon (he described the refusal of the penalty as ‘criminal’, a description unlikely to go unnoticed by the SFA) stretches back a couple of seasons. Then the same referee awarded Rangers a penalty kick against Celtic following a comically theatrical dive in the box by Kirk Broadfoot – despite not even watching the play when the ‘incident’ occurred.
Whatever we make of Lennon’s choice of words to describe the decision, it is easy to understand his chagrin given the widely-held view that the foul on Stokes on this occasion appeared to be an obvious infringement.
Still, given that we have to assume the integrity of our referees is beyond reproach – whilst acknowledging it is difficult to prove otherwise in any case, whatever we may sometimes think – then Collum, in this case, can merely be accused of incompetence.
To be fair, this is not the first time Collum has been described thus by those within Scottish football, (not exclusively by Celtic) although that alone will be of little consolation to Lennon and the club’s supporters.
Despite their disappointment, Celtic remain well ahead in the SPL title chase, and, if Motherwell fail to win the day before, the hoops could win the title if they beat Rangers in this Sunday’s Old Firm clash at Ibrox.
Such an outcome, of course, is a nightmare scenario for the football authorities and the police, given the usual hype that surrounds the fixture. And, given the wretched few weeks endured by Rangers, they will be in no mood to relinquish the title to their great foes on their own turf.
Fasten your seatbelts – it’s sure to be combustible, and doubtless perspective will be noticeable by its absence whatever the outcome.