St Mirren manager has set Scottish football alight after launching an all-out verbal assault on Celtic and the match officials following Saturday’s 1-2 defeat at The SMISA Stadium.
*ST MIRREN MANAGER POST-MATCH INTERVIEW: ST MIRREN 1-2 CELTIC, THE SMISA STADIUM*
Reporter: Gaffer, tough one to take today. 1-2 defeat at home to Celtic. Give us your thoughts on the game first.
St Mirren Manager:
Look, I’m proud of the boys. Proud of the effort, proud of the fight. For 90 minutes we went toe to toe with the champions. We scored, we created chances, we defended with everything. The supporters were incredible today. The SMISA was rocking.
But I’d be lying if I said I’m not angry. Because Scottish football deserves better than what I saw out there today. And I’m not just talking about the result.
Reporter: You look frustrated. Is that about specific decisions?
St Mirren Manager:
Frustrated? I’m beyond frustrated. I’m disappointed. I’m angry. Because my players deserve a fair contest.
We work all week. We prepare. We set up to hurt Celtic, and we did hurt them. We took the lead, we had them under pressure, and then key moments go against us. Not 50-50s. Not “you could argue it either way.” Clear moments.
The second goal — we’ve watched it back already in the dressing room. There’s a foul in the build-up. Clear as day. My player gets wiped out, no whistle, and 10 seconds later the ball’s in our net. How is that allowed at this level?
And don’t get me started on the consistency. Celtic get a soft free kick and suddenly it’s a yellow card for us. We make a tackle, same tackle, and it’s “play on.” That’s not officiating. That’s managing a game to suit one side.
Reporter: That sounds like you’re accusing the officials of bias?
St Mirren Manager:
I’m accusing nobody of bias. I’m accusing the officials today of not being good enough for this league. Full stop. If you’re going to referee a game between St Mirren and Celtic, you need to be brave enough to make the big calls both ways. Today we didn’t get that.
And Celtic? Look, they’re a top team. They’ll win games because they’re good. They don’t need help. But when decisions like that go their way every single week, it sets Scottish football back. It makes a mockery of the competition.
Reporter: Strong words. Have you spoken to the fourth official?
St Mirren Manager:
I have. And I’ll probably get a letter from the SFA on Monday for saying this now. I don’t care. Someone has to say it.
Because what message does that send to the young lads in my dressing room? We did everything right. We executed the game plan. We scored against Celtic at home. And we still walk away with nothing because of things outwith our control. That’s not football.
Reporter: Despite the result, what positives do you take?
St Mirren Manager:
The positives are the character. We didn’t roll over. Even at 1-2 we pushed. We had two big chances in the last 10 minutes to equalise. The fans deserve credit — they stuck with us.
But positives don’t get you points. And points are what keep clubs like St Mirren up. We’re fighting for everything in this league. Celtic are fighting for titles. The least we deserve is a level playing field.
Reporter: What happens next?
St Mirren Manager:
We go again. We’ll dust ourselves off. We’ve got another game Tuesday. But the SFA and the refereeing department need to look at themselves. Because today they’ve set Scottish football alight for all the wrong reasons.
I’ve launched an all-out verbal assault today because it needs to be said. Celtic are a great club. The match officials have a tough job. But tough job doesn’t mean no accountability.
We’ll be back. And we’ll make sure the next time we play Celtic, it’s decided by football. Not by anything else.
