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wolf · Tennis legend

RE: General football thread

JonH · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
JonH wrote:
Celtic fans will be in a very bizarre place of hoping Rangers get a result and even a win over Hearts today!
Hearts 2 Rangers 1
35 games played, 3 left.
1. Hearts 76 points, GD 32
2. Celtic 73 points, GD 27
3. Rangers 69 points, GD 33
Now Hearts fans' turn to get hugely behind Rangers in Sunday's Old Firm match.

I guess Hearts hoping to thrash Falkirk and Motherwell and improve that goal difference to make it all but impossible for Celtic to make it back, whatever the score against Rangers!

indiana · Tennis legend

JonH wrote:
indiana wrote:
JonH wrote:
Celtic fans will be in a very bizarre place of hoping Rangers get a result and even a win over Hearts today!
Hearts 2 Rangers 1
35 games played, 3 left.
1. Hearts 76 points, GD 32
2. Celtic 73 points, GD 27
3. Rangers 69 points, GD 33
Now Hearts fans' turn to get hugely behind Rangers in Sunday's Old Firm match.
I guess Hearts hoping to thrash Falkirk and Motherwell and improve that goal difference to make it all but impossible for Celtic to make it back, whatever the score against Rangers!

I very much doubt Hearts will be thrashing Motherwell away, or Celtic who also play Motherwell away next Wednesday night ( when Hearts are at home to Falkirk which might be more opportunity ). In normal circmstances this season if you offered either any sort of win at Motherwell they'ed take it in an instant, and I'm pretty sure that still holds for Hearts. Obviously Celtic's needs will be clearer after the weekend. I'd be a bit surprised if both win there, Motherwell could be king makers.

But for now, if they match points and GD before that final clash, Celtic would need a 3 goals win vs Hearts.

indiana · Tennis legend

And then thers were 2 in the Scottish title race.

Motherwell proved to be the tough fixture I expected for Hearts ( and that I still expect for Celtic ) in a 1-1 draw. The result was fair enough based on the general play but the referee didn"t give an IMO very clear penalty to Hearts at 1-1 during the second half, and then when invited by VAR to look at the evidence and change his opinion, on this occasion stuck by it. Certainly divided opinion but mainly among folk with a horse in the race. Hearts lost 2 further important players during the match, crocked and out for what's left of the season.

Celtic beat Rangers 3-1 with the 3rd from Maeda another contender for overhead goal of the year.

2 matches to go :

1. Hearts 77. GD 32 (63-31)
2. Celtic 76. GD 29 (67-38)

Wednesday: Hearts vs Falkirk, Motherwell vs Celtic
Saturday: Celtic vs Hearts

Re the bottom of the table after a hopeless 0-3 loss by St Mirren at home to Kilmarnock: with Livingston akready relegated in 12th:

10. Kilmarnock. 34 GD -23 (43-66)
11. St Mirren. 30 GD -27 (27-54)

Here comes the play-off

JonH · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
And then thers were 2 in the Scottish title race.

Motherwell proved to be the tough fixture I expected for Hearts ( and that I still expect for Celtic ) in a 1-1 draw. The result was fair enough based on the general play but the referee didn"t give an IMO very clear penalty to Hearts at 1-1 during the second half, and then when invited by VAR to look at the evidence and change his opinion, on this occasion stuck by it. Certainly divided opinion but mainly among folk with a horse in the race. Hearts lost 2 further important players during the match, crocked and out for what's left of the season.

Celtic beat Rangers 3-1 with the 3rd from Maeda another contender for overhead goal of the year.

2 matches to go :

1. Hearts 77. GD 32 (63-31)
2. Celtic 76. GD 29 (67-38)

Wednesday: Hearts vs Falkirk, Motherwell vs Celtic
Saturday: Celtic vs Hearts

Re the bottom of the table after a hopeless 0-3 loss by St Mirren at home to Kilmarnock: with Livingston akready relegated in 12th:

10. Kilmarnock. 34 GD -23 (43-66)
11. St Mirren. 30 GD -27 (27-54)

Here comes the play-off

Looking forward to big match for the pride of Edinburgh! As Edinburgh City take on Brora in the promotion play off today!

Oh, and the small matter of Hearts at Celtic! Come on Hearts!

indiana · Tennis legend

Hearts would be going into the match 3 points ahead of Celtic with a 6 better GD, so only needing to avoid defeat by 3 goals or more, if it wasn't for Celtic's last gasp very controversial VAR penalty against Motherwell. Instead Celtic are only one point behind.

In fact there have been a string of VAR decisions in the last few weeks that have somehow ended up just going one way re the effect on Celtic and Hearts.

I'm no conspiracy theorist in general, and who knows what subconsciously influences referees and VAR officials, but the neutrals have been more and more drawn to Hearts and frankly it will leave a stink in the air ( after a gripping unpredictable season ) if Celtic get over the line.

Not just the Scottish sports media but the general media have been awash lately with the controversies.

On a lighter note, Rangers have so far lost all 4 of their post split fixtures, having come in with seemingly the most momentum. Hilarious.

JonH · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Hearts would be going into the match 3 points ahead of Celtic with a 6 better GD, so only needing to avoid defeat by 3 goals or more, if it wasn't for Celtic's last gasp very controversial VAR penalty against Motherwell. Instead Celtic are only one point behind.

In fact there have been a string of VAR decisions in the last few weeks that have somehow ended up just going one way re the effect on Celtic and Hearts.

I'm no conspiracy theorist in general, and who knows what subconsciously influences referees and VAR officials, but the neutrals have been more and more drawn to Hearts and frankly it will leave a stink in the air ( after a gripping unpredictable season ) if Celtic get over the line.

Not just the Scottish sports media but the general media have been awash lately with the controversies.

On a lighter note, Rangers have so far lost all 4 of their post split fixtures, having come in with seemingly the most momentum. Hilarious.

The VAR system is a massive debating point, worthy of a whole different discussion. Lets hope Hearts and Celtic dont see it determine todays outcome. I fear it will play a part. And in the FA Cup Final, for which Man Citeh and Chelski hold zero interest for me!

indiana · Tennis legend

JonH wrote:
indiana wrote:
Hearts would be going into the match 3 points ahead of Celtic with a 6 better GD, so only needing to avoid defeat by 3 goals or more, if it wasn't for Celtic's last gasp very controversial VAR penalty against Motherwell. Instead Celtic are only one point behind.

In fact there have been a string of VAR decisions in the last few weeks that have somehow ended up just going one way re the effect on Celtic and Hearts.

I'm no conspiracy theorist in general, and who knows what subconsciously influences referees and VAR officials, but the neutrals have been more and more drawn to Hearts and frankly it will leave a stink in the air ( after a gripping unpredictable season ) if Celtic get over the line.

Not just the Scottish sports media but the general media have been awash lately with the controversies.

On a lighter note, Rangers have so far lost all 4 of their post split fixtures, having come in with seemingly the most momentum. Hilarious.
The VAR system is a massive debating point, worthy of a whole different discussion. Lets hope Hearts and Celtic dont see it determine todays outcome. I fear it will play a part. And in the FA Cup Final, for which Man Citeh and Chelski hold zero interest for me!

The quality of referees is a massive debating point. The VAR system has highlighted this.

JonH · Tennis legend

Yay, go hearts! 1-0

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

JonH wrote:
Yay, go hearts! 1-0

Sadly, it finished 3-1 to the Bhoys. furious Hard luck, the Jam Tarts. cry

wolf · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
The quality of referees is a massive debating point. The VAR system has highlighted this.

But VAR is referees making decisions. That's the actual system. You can't say VAR is good but refs are bad. It's one and the same thing.

indiana · Tennis legend

wolf wrote:
indiana wrote:
The quality of referees is a massive debating point. The VAR system has highlighted this.
But VAR is referees making decisions. That's the actual system. You can't say VAR is good but refs are bad. It's one and the same thing.

The fact that there is now this video technology referral sysyem and referees making judgements based on it is of course the overall system. But one can surely have an oponion as to how competently the officials are overall coming to final decisions using that system.

It is possible tp take the view that having vidro technolofy is good in principle ( and I didn't express an opinion on that matter and clearly that in itself is a debate ) but that the officials too often make poor decisions after using it, that the whole might be much better ( indeed such as to become acceptable to people that currently find it unacceptable ) with better officials.

The workmen and their shiny new tools are separate components of a whole. And one can have views on the workmen if a job is dealt with unsatisfactorily.

indiana · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
JonH wrote:
Yay, go hearts! 1-0
Sadly, it finished 3-1 to the Bhoys. Hard luck, the Jam Tarts.

Pity that the minimum added time ended up closer to 7 minues than 8, with further minutes that should have been due to be added because of stoppages in play due to incidents during that time.

Pity that that the final whistle was blown not during play but during a pitch invasion by a fairly large number of Celtic fans.

Pity that during this invasion fans undoubtedly approached and allegedly ( reported by many sources such as Pat Nevin and later on by Hearts ) physically assaulted some Hearts players, perhaps one in particular more than once.

Pity that the Hearts players never got a chsnce to acknowledge their fans who had remained in the stadium at the end of such a great season, but had to scarper out of their dressing room without getting changed onto their team bus to head back to Edinburgh because their safety could not be guaranteed.

JonH · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:

deleted as my post was a little unfair on reflection!

-- Edited by JonH on Sunday 17th of May 2026 09:15:19 AM

indiana · Tennis legend

Glasgow has so many great people, just saying. Many would say generally friendlier and less aloof than rhe citizens of Edinburgh, a great city that I have lived in for nearly 40 years and love.