Celtic
Reo Hatate times Celtic return for title run in as bounce game tester tees him up for Rangers tussle
Reo Hatate has stepped up his Celtic return for the title race run in with 45 minutes in a bounce game.
The Japanese hasn’t played featured since the winter break after suffering a double calf injury while away on Asian Cup duty with Japan. In his absence, the champions saw their lead at the top of the Premiership table evaporate as Rangers overtook them, but have since regained top spot after beating St Johnstone at the weekend while Gers trip to Dundee was a washout and will be played next month.
And Hatate could be back in business by then after playing 45 minutes in a scratch game against St Mirren at the Hoops’ Lennoxtown training base on Wednesday. Assuming he suffers no adverse reaction to playing in the 2-2 draw with the Buddies, then he could well be in Brendan Rodgers’ squad for their return to domestic action away to Livingston a week on Sunday.
Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.
You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We’ve also entered the world of WhatsApp with our Rangers community and Celtic community up and running. Follow NOW to get your club’s latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone.
Imagine if that was a Celtic handball yesterday
Brendan Rodgers now has the perfect evidence to present at his SFA hearing…
Yesterday’s game at Celtic Park against St Johnstone was filled with yet more VAR controversy. Despite us winning the game in a comfortable fashion we still had a few legitimate complaints when it came to the much maligned technology.
None more so than the incident in the first half with the game still goalless when a St Johnstone player seemed to block a shot on the goal line with his elbow. Yes the elbow is part of the arm as far as I know, and despite it going to a VAR review it was deemed legitimate! “No handball” was their verdict.
It doesn’t matter that he didn’t know anything about it as it was going in the net, yes the player stopped a net bound shot with a part of his arm. Surely within the rules of the game that is a penalty kick?
Remember last season when we conceded two spot kicks at home to Dundee United and Ross County? Case one was for the ball hitting Alexandro Bernabei on the back of the arm when he didn’t know anything about it.
In the second instance it was Matt O’Riley being penalised for the ball bouncing off his arm just inside the box. Both incidents were sent to VAR and adjudged to be penalties. You can see our frustration.
Our biggest gripe though is the Tomoki Iwata incident at Tynecastle just a fortnight ago. The ball accidentally hits his arm after he was nudged by his own teammate just inside the penalty area. Nowhere near the goal I may add, and yet the VAR team adjudged it to be worthy of a spot kick. He was facing the other way. His eyes were closed. He was barged in the bag as three players jumped for the ball. He had zero knowledge that the penalty was give for his hand-ball offence and only found out in the dressing room at half time.
This is where it gets interesting. Brendan Rodgers is up in front of the SFA on a charge of making remarks about the officials, namely John Beaton. Brendan’s only ‘crime’ was calling Beaton ‘incompetent’ well that’s mild to what most of us have called him, but Brendan has now got evidence of his own now to put before the beaks.
Exhibit A your honour. “Incompetence has many meanings and one of them is that you aren’t doing your job efficiently or correctly. Before me I have footage of an incident at our last game, an incident similar to the one I have been accused of calling for clarity on.
“The footage shows said incident much more punishable according to the laws of the game, yet it was judged by the officials after having a quick look to be a ‘legal’ act.
“The incident that caused me to be up before you was in a similar if not lesser instance, yet I have been charged for making that point. Yes I called the official in question incompetent, but judging by this footage and the rules of the game doesn’t that make said official incompetent as he clearly went against the rules of the game?
“Either that or the officials on Saturday are guilty of incompetence and went against the rules of the game. So which is it to be your honour? Case closed.”
Another point, had that been a Celtic player, say the unfortunate Tomoki Iwata, standing on the Celtic goal-line with the ball hitting him in exactly the same spot…it goes to VAR for a review, their decision and the outcome would have been one of two alternatives:
- No penalty, no handball as was the outcome yesterday
- Penalty to St Johnstone and a red card for the Celtic player, with a one match ban. Celtic’s subsequent failed appeal would see that double to a two match ban.
Which option do you think VAR would have reached yesterday had it been a ball to arm situation on the Celtic goal-line preventing a St Johnstone goal?
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
-
North queenlands cowboys7 months ago
XXXX things you need to know: Round 6 v Eels
-
Blog5 months ago
Rangers’ goalkeeper officially ends his loan exit today.
-
Celtic7 months ago
Celtic fan dies ahead of Parkhead clash as tributes paid to ‘fierce’ club stalwart
-
Celtic7 months ago
Boyd brands Rodgers SFA ban as ‘weak’ and says Celtic statement made him laugh
-
Rangers5 months ago
Rangers to shell out £7.7m to seal new deal
-
Celtic7 months ago
Exclusive! Brendan Rodgers’ blast is the SFA’message’ for John Beaton Rangers vs. Celtic curveball.
-
Blog5 months ago
‘He’ll go to…’: A former teammate talks about what a £5 million Rangers target told him about the summer transfer period
-
Blog4 months ago
The American consortium’s plan to take over the Rangers for a lot of money was stopped by fear of the “most hated person in the UK”