26 Feb 2026 13:32:27
Let's have an interesting debate re time added on and var, , many on this site talk about them getting 7 minutes added on in games and it's to allow them to score.
Why did no one complain about the 11 minutes added on Sunday
26 Feb 2026 15:26:51
Because we're all biased, John. ??? To be fair, there was quite a bit of stoppage needed.
26 Feb 2026 15:28:27
Apparently we have more added minutes than Celtic. However, there are 2 teams in every game.
26 Feb 2026 15:51:09
I'd like to see the stats on how much added minutes we have compared to them when we need a goal, GDog. End of the day, no point greeting about it, though it is what it is. Referees are terrible all round, and it's not changing anytime soon.
26 Feb 2026 15:56:15
I'll voice my complaint about the 11 added. It was 2 minutes short, given the time they spent working their way around how to wave on a blatant red and freekick.
26 Feb 2026 16:04:42
I will ask 2 different questions.
When was the last time we played 11 mins of stoppage time?
Was it just a coincidence that we played 11 mins the week after some questionable data was put out on added time across the league?
I genuinely cannot remember us playing that long in any game.
For me, that game was just your bog-standard fixture, playing against teams in the league who always time-waste against us. btw I don't blame them, as I don't complain if we do it against bigger teams in Europe.
It was not a coincidence, imo, and my argument about referees is that all the rhetoric, from the Celtic side, who have been relentless in that rhetoric for about 25 years now, influences decision making and outcomes.
I don't even know if there was any truth in the data, but I don't even think it matters; the rhetoric is enough.
What happened in the last week has only enforced my view, because it's difficult to dismiss the correlation.
btw I hate feeling this way about referees. But I cannot just ignore it because I don't want to feel this way.
26 Feb 2026 16:07:31
John, because those minutes were for us. ?
I hear the referee and 4th official have a chat close to the end of their games to discuss how long to give when they need a goal.
It seems that the 4th officials are normally spot on in how long to give. Let us ignore the 7 they have lost and the 3 drawn in the discussion about extra time being given. ??
26 Feb 2026 16:37:36
John, I was very surprised with the added minutes on Sunday. I expected 5mins, I believe Livi had a couple of head knocks plus the subs. Obviously, the extra added minutes were for the VAR check; that's how it went to 11mins.
As we have all said, the so-called injury time is for both teams to try and win the game.
26 Feb 2026 16:38:55
Thanks for the replies. Good, honest answer, Kaiser. Very honest and refreshing.
26 Feb 2026 16:59:42
I have my moments, John. ?
26 Feb 2026 17:19:07
Problem is, there are usually brain farts. ? ? ?
26 Feb 2026 17:29:59
9 mins were added, then because of a VAR check another 2 mins were added, but the VAR check was between 2.30-3 mins, so there should have been another one min added. I won't complain about it. Just replying to Papac, saying it should have been 2, which it shouldn't have been. ?
26 Feb 2026 17:38:18
Not limited to the added time debate, but more generally the abysmal level of refereeing in this country. Until clubs / fans unite and take their complaints to the SFA erc, nothing will improve. For me, there is no bias, just really poor refs.
26 Feb 2026 17:40:41
VAR costs £!m per season to maintain. I'd scrap VAR completely and use that £1m to make the referees full-time.
VAR is just a tool. What good is a tool if the people using it are incompetent? It seems to me we should be investing more in the referees, and trying to get that standard as high as possible.
There are arguably just as many mistakes now as there were before VAR. So I would say the VAR experiment hasn't worked.
26 Feb 2026 17:51:31
I got a laugh on Sunday. This was before the matches, both due to the kick-off at the same time.
A Hearts fan on my WhatsApp group said he was looking forward to watching the Livingston v Rangers match and turn over to watch the last 20 minutes of Celtic v Hibs. ?
26 Feb 2026 18:31:04
Ouch Fork. ?
26 Feb 2026 18:42:10
Lol. ??
26 Feb 2026 19:16:47
Got to admit, on Sunday I was wondering where 11 mins came from, but how many fans on here thought we would score in that time? Not me, as we lack composure when we are chasing and don't score a lot of goals in injury time.
Also, I think if you get to injury time you have to see the game out and not concede.
The Kilmarnock game against them really frustrated me because it was self inflicted. I think it was the 95th minute and the Killie player tried a cross ball pass that was speculative instead of playing it five yards and keeping possession. Poor play cost Killie that day.
26 Feb 2026 19:25:16
In fairness to the refs, and most won't agree, a lot of the time they get it right, but because pundits and fans don't know the rules, it is claimed they are incompetent. What they are doing is applying the interpretation of the rules that the league have agreed on.
Yes, they get it wrong, perhaps too often, but a lot of the discussions on here and on fans' forums everywhere are based on opinion rather than the laws of the game. ?
26 Feb 2026 19:55:29
Fair point, Angus. Often, pundits don't know the rules correctly, or go on about how they don't like certain rules, but refs can't make decisions based on what is liked or not.
26 Feb 2026 20:05:43
Especially the use of 'force'. When does a kick to the head count as being delivered with too much force? Especially when the Atalanta incident we were discussing earlier did not require that force, because the foot was too high. Surely the risk is the same, so the rules should remove that subjectivity.
26 Feb 2026 20:12:08
Every minute of the 7 they got was accountable.
26 Feb 2026 20:26:45
The reason, John, is because we want Rangers to win and don't want Celtic to win. Thought it was obvious lol.
26 Feb 2026 20:35:21
That was meant to be another one, added to the two extra that were added on because of VAR check. ?♂️
26 Feb 2026 21:45:44
Celtic have an uncanny knack of scoring winners late in games.
Very fortunate at times, but they do it so often they must be making their own luck with their intensity and persistence.
I honestly thought the ref in our Livingston match was incompetent all match.
The match was very stop-start, due to the referee stopping it every time a Livi player decided to fall on the ground. That, and the ridiculous time it took for the VAR decisions, led to the 11 minutes added.
26 Feb 2026 22:36:09
Undecided about VAR, it seems to be the correct answer, but only if it's used correctly and with the correct personnel, and that is the problem.
When a goal is scored, you have to wait to see if there's a chance that the goal will be disallowed or allowed to stand, so don't celebrate.
Have heard from a few people that watching the Championship games is a bit better with no VAR; it's only brought up when the commentators say something is wrong, it justifies their job.
The only answer is for better referees. I don't think professional referees are the answer; the game has been going for years and given us lots of talking points, but it only depends on if it's for you or against you.
When I get the papers on a Sunday, I go to the sports pages to see what they thought about the referee, and most times nuff said.
This post is certainly not a dig at referees but football in general.
Still confident about Sunday.
27 Feb 2026 01:39:26
I completely despise VAR and believe there is no need for it here. It has completely ruined the flow of a game. I can understand it down south with the amount of money involved in that league, etc.
I agree about spending the money on training for refs and making them full time.
If the Arsene Wenger offside rule comes in, I think there'll be even less need for it up here, as it'll make offside even easier.
27 Feb 2026 08:47:18
Why don't we do it like rugby. Make the clock visible, and the referee stops the clock during any incident. A hooter goes at 90, and when the ball goes out of play, game over.