BBC Scotland was in full outrage mode as Celtic won the League Cup semi-final at Hampden.
The pain was too much for the state broadcaster to cope with, especially Billy Dodds, their chief pundit covering Celtic’s 3-1 win.
That is Dodds who dropped the BBC suddenly in February to become part of Barry Ferguson’s coaching team. When that gig was up the BBC rolled out the red carpet for the former Inverness Caley Thistle boss.
It is unknown if Dodds has any journalistic qualifications or even training but that doesn’t matter for the state broadcaster.
BBC PUNDIT POOL
With Derek Ferguson, Steven Naismith, Andy Halliday, Cammy Bell, Steven Thompson and Neil McCann among their pool of pundits only one qualification is required. Bonus points are awarded if you had a selfie with a young Kenny Macintyre. Or took part in Dave Murray’s disguised remuneration to deny HMRC of Income Tax and National Insurance.
Dodds genuinely said that Auston Trusty raked his studs across Butland’s face! He repeated that claim. Sheepish Richard Gordon, on presenting duties refused to correct Dodds.
Gordon likes to give over the image of being a Dandy Don. You don’t survive 30 years in BBC Scotland Sport without knowing the script.
Jim Spence has gone off the rails lately but he did have personal integrity over the BBC policy imposed in 2012. Gordon was happy to play the game, push the survival lie and continue picking up his salary.
At Hampden yesterday he teed up his pal Dodds to make the most ridiculous claims. Almost like a barking Ibrox podcast, the sort that Derek Ferguson enjoys.
RADIO SCOTLAND POST MATCH ANALYSIS
GORDON: Celtic clearly finished the match as 3-1 winners, should they have finished the game with nine men because that will be a question that will be asked, the first one for anyone who hasn’t seen it. Right before half-time, Jack Butland comes out. He clearly gets the ball. He’s fine. There are two Celtic players there. It’s Austin Trusty who is coming in late and the the balls in the goalkeeper’s hands and Trusty is is just about to run past him and he just wafts out his right foot and he catches the keeper in the face. VAR has a look and decides you’re okay about the force and I saying no force.
DODDS: He was at it, it was so intentional. We’ve seen it again, Faddy and myself, and he could have he was right. You’re right. He’s actually bearing left once he gets the goalie and just leaves his foot foot raking along his face. He’s got to go.
If you’re going to be consistent and and Aasgaard goes, which we’re all saying it probably is a red and he (Aasgaard) gets a touch in the ball, but he’s his foot lands in the mid-rift.
Then by the letter of the law and this is intentional. He’s (Trusty) left his he’s left his foot in the face of Butland and that would have really levelled up the game because Rangers were doing well at that point. They had a real opportunity to go 10 men each and you wonder what might have happened.
Dodds then went on to explain why Tony Ralston should have been given a second yellow card for the penalty that created James Tavernier’s equaliser.
Gordon did suggest that Ralston had been pushed to the ground, Dodds instantly talked over and deflected from that issue, bringing in his mate Faddy as back up.
The BBC Scotland website reported:
“He just rakes his studs across Butland’s face,” Dodds said on Sportsound. “That would have really levelled up the game if he had been sent off and you wonder what might have happened.”
No reference was made to the brutal 24th assault by Derek Cornelius on Johnny Kenny. Nick Walsh judged it to be a yellow card, the lads on VAR duty agreed.
BACKGROUND CHECKS?
Today Walsh will be at work at Boclair Academy in Bearsden, the partner school of the Ibrox Tribute Act. VAR official Steven McLean is the brother of former Rangers starlet Brian. Assistant VAR is Andrew Dallas, son of Hugh, sacked by the SFA for emails sent at the time of the 2010 Papal visit to Scotland.
Outside of Scotland Cornelius would have been given a red card. No complaints. Getting away with it encouraged his team mates. Thelo Aasgaard took it too far.
Celtic had 51% possession in the match. The free kick count was 26-13 against Celtic. The yellow card count was 6-3 against Celtic. Some might describe that as levelling up.
Before the Cornelius assault on Kenny Celtic had a goal disallowed by VAR with the most dubious of thick etch-a-sketch lines produced as evidence.
HOME MADE VAR
The SFA use manual VAR, UEFA use 3-D graphics. This week every offside decision in their three competitions will be quickly illustrated.
Just before Nicky Raskin put the ball in his own net the ball was played to Ben Nygren who passed to Daizen Maeda. A still image showed Maeda played onside by the boot of Nasser Djiga.
In the VAR room McLean and Dallas worked on an image just before Nygren played the ball. They then applied the thick felt tip pens and tilted the image back towards the goal rather than showing a direct line.
Rory Hamilton on Premier Sports was happy to go with that version, so too were the team at BBC Scotland.
Dodds and a team funded by the BBC licence fee will be at Ibrox on Thursday for the visit of Roma in the Europa League. The state broadcaster isexpected to produce a four days of paranoia in the build up to that match.
First one was given as offside, and ruled out a perfectly good celtic goal
The second was the penalty you were awarded, which VAR approved
“Key decisions” and all that 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/Vj8qztDULw
— mmabhoy (@mmabhoy1888) November 2, 2025
