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Big John urges SFA to punt bungling Robertson

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Big bad John Hartson has called for referee Don Robertson to be replaced for the glamour tie of the season, the Scottish Cup Semi Final.

The bungling referee has a position behind the goals, a place once occupied by Alan Muir.

Celtic of course have fallen out of the competition at this stage in both of Ronny Deila’s attempts, once scandalously with Steve McClean and Alan Muir refusing to give a stone wall penalty for handball.

Hartson was quoted in the Herald saying:

“I think there’s too much pressure,” said Hartson. “Too much pressure for him, personally. I don’t know why he would want to do that. It’s a very delicate situation. He’s obviously feeling very embarrassed, if he’s a realist and he’s honest, I personally would just say ‘look, leave me out of that one’ if I was the referee or the assistant.”

Big John is being extremely diplomatic, he is commenting under the premise that it was a mistake.

Celtic fans across social media believe that this honest mistake is just the latest in a long line of institutionalized anti Celtic bias.

In the last 2 years we were robbed of one Scottish Cup and fell meekly to a lower division team in the other.

Rodgers has been training with 10 men in preparation for an honest mistake, siege mentality is what’s needed by Celtic from now to the end of the season.

Simply, we must gub teams because if it is close there is a lingering expectation that the referees will give the opposition a piggy back.

The same goes for fouls, whilst Kenny Miller can try and break Armstrong’s legs, Clint Hill can kick Griffiths around the waste and a straight legged hack on Tierney above the knee is a mere yellow for Bowman, any indiscretions for Celtic will have the referees reaching for red.

We saw this with Broony last weekend.

I honestly believe that this carte blanche mentality for anyone but Celtic will lead to injuries over the two games, our stars are being offered no protection.

Closing the gap on Celtic equals attack our players, award dodgy penalties and send our players off with a hair trigger.

If we are yet again stiffed by the SFA, surely it will be time for an appeal to UEFA for assistance.

That could be in the way of International officials or more simply by putting in place some of the safe guards that exist in the EPL for example.

In England referees have to declare their allegiances as well as the teams they dislike.

This system is long overdue in Scotland.

The only problem would be finding a referee that isn’t a Rangers fan and who doesn’t hate Celtic.

From where i sit, I cant think of one.

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