REFEREES IN THE EYE OF A STORM
Old Firm clash can be a nightmare to control but our referees have missed it, insists Young
WHEN it comes to considering the most experienced Old Firm participants on show at Hampden, Craig Thomson would be tucked in not that far behind Scott Brown and Kenny Miller.
This will be the referee’s 12th assignment at Scotland’s most combustible match-up. Indeed, he remains the only man to have taken charge of the fixture over the past four seasons, having also officiated at last year’s League Cup semi-final.
That was a non-event unlikely to trouble Thomson’s memoirs, with a listless and bereft Rangers team succumbing to a 2-0 defeat. A mere five yellow cards were produced.
Tomorrow’s high-noon affair promises to be a little spicier. While not yet at the levels of the heavyweight duels of the past, you could argue this will be the first genuinely interesting derby since the Ibrox financial meltdown of 2012 altered the landscape.
Four more meetings are expected to follow in next season’s Premiership. At long last, this most storied and bitter of rivalries is returning to its traditional place at the very centre of Scottish football’s stage.
While marketing folk let out whoops of delight at that prospect — and some other people around the country gave a little shudder — what do those charged with keeping the on-field peace feel about it?
After all, the pressure that comes with an Old Firm match is like nothing else a referee will face. Mistakes made in this supercharged environment can carry lasting consequences. Conspiracy theories, recriminations and castigation could all lie in wait.
So perhaps it would be understandable if the nation’s officials had actually enjoyed their holiday from all the madness.
However, former FIFA-listed referee Willie Young — who took charge of Old Firm games in the 1990s and early 2000s — insists that nothing could be further from the truth.
‘I would say referees have definitely missed the fixture,’ said Young. ‘For some, refereeing an Old Firm match will represent the pinnacle of their career.
‘All referees want to officiate in that match, but few get the chance to do so. The referees have missed it — and it has also been missed from a development point of view.
‘To judge how your referees are progressing and how the next generation is coming along, you need that kind of test. You don’t really know everything about them until they have done that test.
‘Overall, the referees have a harder job nowadays than we had in my day. Scrutiny is far greater.
‘Having said that, the Old Firm game is exceptional. If the result is close then the fans on the wrong end of it will pore over every aspect of the game to see if there is something that might have affected the outcome. And it can live with you for a long time.’
Thomson knows exactly what he is getting into tomorrow. The stakes are clear. In no other fixture do the police visit the respective squads to remind them of their responsibilities.
‘There are no special instructions that come from the SFA,’ said Young. ‘Referees who do these games are crucially aware of the potential if things go wrong, both in terms of the match itself, the aftermath and, indeed, the referee’s career. These games are so highprofile and there is so much emotion surrounding them that you have to mentally prepare for them as much as physically.
‘The police will normally come in to speak to the referee before the match and it’s about areas of responsibility. The police in Scotland adopt a common-sense approach and basically leave the referee to deal with matters within the confines of the pitch. The police deal with matters outwith those confines.
‘It has been useful for football they have adopted that approach, probably since the Duncan Ferguson incident (when he headbutted Raith’s John McStay at Ibrox in 1994 and was subsequently jailed even though he was not sent off). They have allowed the referee and his team to police the match. The players will be well aware of the referee and his standards.’
Of course, it is not just players, managers and supporters who will offer their opinion on Thomson’s performance. He will also be assessed for the SFA by a referee observer.
Young fulfilled the role at last year’s Old Firm game and has no doubt Thomson will again handle proceedings wisely.
‘The observer will be looking at his application of the laws of the game, how many decisions he gets correct and how he goes about controlling the players,’ added Young.
‘They won’t be looking for anything different than in any other game, but they will take into account how difficult the match is in comparison.
‘If Craig does well in the game, he will get extra credit for that because the game is, by its nature, more difficult than a normal match.
‘Being consistent and firm are the main things for a game like Sunday. It will be impossible to get everything right. That is asking too much in any game. As long as he gets the big decisions right.
‘If there is an incident early on and he yellow-cards a player for a particular offence, you don’t want to find that someone from the other side doesn’t get the same punishment for a similar offence 10 minutes later.’
But what about the rest of the fraternity? Euro 2016-bound Willie Collum is the only other current referee to have taken charge of an Old Firm match.
It’s possible that a new face — possibly Bobby Madden, fourth official tomorrow, or John Beaton — will be blooded next season.
‘There are other guys capable of handling the fixture,’ insisted Young. ‘Obviously, you have to pick which specific game it is.
‘The talent is there. Most referees wouldn’t debut in an Old Firm game such as the one this weekend. You’d be looking for one early in the season or at a point in the season where there is a big gap between the teams in the league.’