St Mirren manager has set Scottish football alight after launching an all-out verbal assault on Celtic and the match officials following Sunday’s 6-2 defeat at Parkhead.
The St Mirren manager has set Scottish football alight after launching an all-out verbal assault on Celtic and the match officials following Saturday’s 6-2 defeat at Parkhead. In what will surely go down as one of the most explosive post-match pressers of the season, the Buddies boss accused Celtic of benefiting from a “protection scheme” and claimed referees treat trips to Glasgow’s East End like pantomime.
“I’m sick of it,” he snapped, barely waiting for the first question to land. “We work all week, prep every detail, and it’s the same movie every time we come here — Celtic fall over, whistle goes, game’s dead. If that happens in our box? Play on, lads. Wake up.”
The flashpoint came on 34 minutes when St Mirren felt they should have had a penalty after their striker was bundled over. VAR checked and cleared it in seconds. Three minutes later, Celtic were awarded a soft free-kick on the edge of the area that led to the opener. That sequence had the away dugout in meltdown and the manager booked for dissent before half-time.
By full-time he’d clearly decided the fine was worth it. He doubled down in the press room, branding the contest “theatre” rather than football. “It’s not competition when one side gets every 50-50,” he said. “My players are out there getting kicked, pulled, blocked — nothing. Then one of theirs feels a breeze and the whole stadium acts like we’ve committed murder.”
Asked if he feared an SFA charge, he shrugged: “The SFA can fine me, I don’t care. Someone has to say it. If telling the truth costs me money, so be it. The fans deserve better than this script.”
Celtic, for their part, dismissed the comments. A club source called them “bitter and baseless,” pointing to possession and chance stats that showed a comfortable home win. But the damage was already done. Social media ignited within minutes of the clip dropping. Buddies fans hailed their gaffer as a folk hero, sharing memes of him as William Wallace with a VAR monitor. Celtic supporters demanded retrospective action, calling the “protection scheme” line defamatory.
Neutrals, as always, grabbed the popcorn. The broader talking point refereeing consistency in the Premiership is now back on the agenda whether the SFA likes it or not. Pundits were split on Sportscene later that night. One former ref said the St Mirren penalty shout was “soft but seen them given,” while an ex-Celtic striker called the rant “embarrassing excuses.”
Hampden’s compliance officer will have seen it by now and a notice of complaint looks inevitable. The usual charge would be “bringing the game into disrepute,” which carries anything from a touchline ban to a five-figure fine. St Mirren’s board haven’t commented yet, but insiders say they won’t ask him to apologise.
For a club that prides itself on doing things the right way, this was a grenade straight into the league’s front door. It’s also red meat for every conspiracy thread online from now until May. Was he right? Was it gamesmanship? Doesn’t matter. In the court of fan opinion, he said what half the league thinks but can’t afford to.
One thing’s certain: the reverse fixture in Paisley just became box office. Bring the fire extinguishers.
