WATCH YOUR REFFIN’ AND BLINDING
YOU SWEAR IT WELL WHISTLER FEAR
ANDREW DALLAS is relishing a return to football – and dreading the sound of silence behind closed doors in the Premiership.
The whistler has revealed he’s been keeping in shape over the lockdown with the help of fitness guru Joe Wicks and TOWIE star Mark Wright.
But Dallas admits the only way is ethics now everyone at home will be able to tune in to the playful stick dished out during games between players, bosses and our men in black.
He confessed they’ll all have to mind their language or suffer the consequences as he openly explained how noisy crowds can often help officials in their decision making.
The top flight is gearing up for a return on August 1, almost five months after the last league games were played on the weekend of March 7 before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the authorities to call a halt.
Dallas said: “No crowds means less abuse aimed at referees and friends have been quick to tell me it’ll be great not to have fans shouting and bawling in our direction.
“However, the reality is referees shout and banter with players back and forth. The majority of players are very approachable and give as good as they get – and these days, so do we.
“Without a crowd, the problem is a manager or player shouting across the park will be heard by everyone and so it will be harder to turn a deaf ear.
“I’m very honest, so also when you go into the penalty box and something happens? I’m not saying you’re swayed but if 30,000 folk are shouting? Not everyone can be wrong.
“If you go into a penalty box and
BY GARY RALSTON something happens and no one claims, you could think there must not be anything there, only to find out later on the telly there was an incident, so the crowd tends to help.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave the go-ahead last week for clubs to resume playing after most top clubs returned to full-time training.
But the lack of opposition available to our clubs is as much a challenge for referees preparing for the new campaign as it is for our top players.
Dallas, 37, said: “A normal season will kick off with several friendlies, as well as League Cup fixtures. We’re still playing a waiting game in terms of announcements around friendlies, but our training will be ramped up the closer we get to August 1.
“The SFA have been great at giving us training plans and we all have Polar heart monitors, which have been feeding information every week back to Hampden on our fitness levels.
“I’m fortunate to have a wee gym at home. I’ve even been doing a few Hiit classes, a fad that seems to have kicked off with a number of celebrities.
“I’ve been taking part in sessions put on by Joe Wicks and Mark Wright.
“I wasn’t convinced about the benefits but a Mark Wright session throws up pretty much the same results as a workout on the treadmill, although your buns are a little sorer the next day with all those squats!”