Season Diary 3

Entry #3: Chicken McCurry

It was never going to work in our favour now was it? Mike McCurry, refereeing his first game since making a major arse of himself at Ibrox last season, is reported in the Sunday Mail for singing Simply the Best (Tina Turners probably best known song but far from her greatest) in church in his capacity as a Baptist Church minister. The context was that he was singing it about god, all well and good but doesnt really help us Killie fans who expected he would try redress some of the balance by giving Celtic some decisions, in my mind he duly delivered.

The result, 3-1 to Celtic means its two defeats on the bounce since i started writing this, i should maybe be worried but in reality we were very poor on Sunday, the players who I expected to offer something didnt offer much, Pascali was anonymous and Fernandez couldnt make anything stick and that was probably the biggest disapointment because the two celtic centre halves Caldwell and McManus could have been taken i think. the first Celtic goal was a bit of luck, the ball pinballed around from a clearance and Maloney plunked it in the top corner, Their third, a penalty for a foul that didnt exist, but the second was a carbon copy almost of failed premiership striker Giorgios Samaras' scored here last season, last year it was Simon Ford, this season Frazer Wright, why oh why didn't he chop him down at the halfway line, a cynical foul? Yes but a shirt grab or a trip or something, it could have kept us in the game.

Ach we were pish, a late consolation witht he penalty from Mehdi was all it was, a consolation, in fact a bigger consolation and highlight of the game was Gary Caldwell getting sent off, what a bawbag, cheered that moment with particular glee so i did.

Alan Combe has had a go at McCurry in all the Monday papers by saying that the weekend reports of his sermons didnt help and he got totally done when it came to Nakamuras "dive" for their second penalty, (he got done for the first in my mind too, Maloney steps over Hays foot then starts his fall, as he goes down he kicks Hays foot to seal the deal. In other words, dive) and claims he was just trying to get in the celtic fans good books, its refreshing to have our players stand up for themselves and for us fans as he says that 11players on the pitch and 5ooo Killie fans in the stands were upset by the poor decision. Incidentally, i thought it was nice that he called us killie fans, dunno what he could have said otherwise but reading the words "Killie fans" made me, at least, feel good. Back to McCurry, the Scottish tabloids The Sun and the Record describe the reaction to McCurry from the Celtic fans as jeering, showering him with abuse, a constant target of abuse. How teriffically vague but then i am one of the notoriously hard to please Killie fans so what do i know. The Guardian however described it as it happened:

"McCurry marked his return by awarding three penalties - two of which were for the visitors - and issuing one red card as Celtic's fans made it clear they have a low opinion of him. "We know you're a hun," chanted green-clad fans throughout the match. In fairness, all but two of McCurry's calls were straightforward."

Yes thats right, the Bhoys against bigotry chanted we know your a hun frequently during the afternoon, not that i care you understand, but it does grate that the double standards that exist mean that i could have stood up at Ibrox last week and chanted this but somehow its acceptable when there is a great big load of you. Quite sad.

But thats it all over for a wee while, both the Old Firm out the way. Cup business versus Aberdeen on Wednesday and if i can shake this illness im feeling then i will be there. incidentally, i was at the game on Sunday, a early morning call on the day of the game informed me that i had a comp if i wanted it, i jumped at it naturally and so kept my dosh for the wednesday game. I should add that my season ticket was cheaper this year as i got one for the Moffatt stand which doesnt include Old Firm visits (because in an act of insanity to my mind we turn over a large part of our ground, both ends, to these fans in favour of cash) and i always planned to buy tickets for them on an individual basis, howevewr the cup game straight after measn it was one or the other and the Celtic game was always on tv, hence it was a freebie or watching it on the box. See? makes perfect sense.

To draw a line under the weekend, we learnt nothing that we didnt already know, we are continually shafted by the old firm when it comes to refereeing decisions but because we played as poorly as we did, it probably didnt matter.