REF BACKLASH IS YOUR FAULT Ex-whistler Clark has pop at Lenny, Daily Record by Gordon Parks 29/10/10

Kenny Clark last night told Neil Lennon he IS whipping the nutters into a frenzy with his war on whistlers.

On Tuesday Record Sport told how the Celtic boss flatly denied his rage against refs led to Willie Collum receiving death threats after his decision to award Rangers a penalty in Sunday’s Old Firm showdown.

But former top whistler Clark has taken apart Lennon’s defence – and blasted Celtic’s insistence on demanding explanations over refereeing decisions.

Clark said: “There is no question that what the clubs do stoke the fires of the fanatics. And they don’t need to be wound up any more. It’s a sorry state of affairs when clubs are wanting explanations about individual decisions.

“It would be a strange world if a referee was to ask a club why their star striker missed a penalty .

“Could he talk us through it? The striker wouldn’t be able to explain how he did it.

“Referees are never going to get agreement on everything, with both teams happy about every decision after a highly charged game.”

Collum is the latest referee to come under fire for his display in Sunday’s Old Firm clash which followed the Dougie McDona ld U-turn saga at Tannadice two weeks ago which led to his assistant Steven Craven tendering his resignation. Now Clark fears there could be a mass exodus of officials.

He said: “You feel as if the morale is dropping a little and they feel they are in a siege situation.

“It’s more like Japanese water torture. The longer it goes on the more difficult it becomes for the officials in the front line.

“I’d like to think everyone will take a step back and show a bit of restraint in the comments they make about match officials.

“If any young man was contemplating taking up refereeing, then I’m sure after this week their family are trying to dissuade them. Retaining referees is also a problem.”

Clark also pointed the finger at bosses who use the display of officials to blur their own deficiencies and team failings.

He said: “From time to time, there is no doubt in my mind managers throw up criticism of referees as a smokescreen.”

Nope. I guess I must just be shit at this game.

Getting away from how shit I am at gullibly sapping in their doublespeak propaganda lies, let’s have a closer look at how Neil Lennon whipped the “nutters” into a “frenzy” with his “war on whistlers”:

After the Dundee Utd game Neil Lennon has this to say –

“It’s another strange decision that has gone against us in the last six to eight months. It’s very rare you see that happen. I thought Dougie had a far better position than the linesman.

He’s given the penalty and, for me, he can’t change his mind. From where I was, he got a really good look at it.

“Looking at the replay, Pernis got a touch of the ball, but he has taken Gary as well.

“It was a very strange decision, and we could have had a couple of other penalties as well. But I suppose you have to put that down to another honest mistake from the referee.”

Phew, strong stuff. Give that man a chill pill! Still, isn’t quite up to Jim Jeffries “he spoke to me like a wee boy after I bawled Collum out for mistakes he didn’t actually make” or the Man with Nosurname “that sending off is an incredible decision” standard.

But he really ramped up the “war on whistlers” after the Rangers game –

“But goals change the psychology of games and the penalty looked soft to me. I don’t think he saw the incident properly so why did he give it?

I feel let down by that decision and I think the referee has an obligation to explain that decision. He doesn’t necessarily have to make that explanation in public but I’d like to know why he gave it.

Kirk Broadfoot went over easily and a penalty was awarded at a time when we were trying to regroup after going behind for the first time. When you go 3-1 down it’s a very difficult road back from that deficit.”

Jeez-o. This is paranoid mental deranged stuff. You wouldn’t hear any sane person say that the Rangers penalty was dodgy or that Clubfoot went down “easily”.

This guy is aff his head and must be stopped by an avalanche of media hyperbole which feeds off itself letting fuckwits like Tam Cowan and his tweedledee chum Cosgrove rant about “Neil Lennon filling the back page of the Daily Record” on radio shortbread. I think ye’ll find its yer chum Union Jackson who’s responsible for filling up the back page with the smear campaign.

Can’t wait for Lenny’s next outburst in the “war on whistlers”. Maybe something along the lines of “I thought we should’ve had a corner there” to really cause the Hun FA’s heads to burst in an aneurysm of Timmy refusing to shut up and slink back into the corner hatred. Similar effects can be achieved with pepperami bars or green straws at Park Gardens I hear.