Pressure on our refs is far greater than it was 20 years ago
Kevin Toner was a top referee for a decade and was used to handling Old Firm bosses Dick Advocaat and Martin O’Neill when title races went to the wire and plenty was at stake.
Now, he is on the Board of Referees and is an Assessor, as well as a mentor, to many of our games’ top whistlers and others coming through the ranks.
As we approach February and with the business end of the season looming, he knows of the pressures involved for everyone in the game.
But Toner is confident the likes of Bobby Madden, Kevin Clancy and Willie Collum will cope and deliver a high-level of performance between now and the end of May.
Toner told The Sunday Post: “The pressure on referees now is much greater than what it was 20 years ago.
“There are 25 cameras at every live game and there is much more analysis and also instant comment on social media, from any member of the public from anywhere in the world.
“The exposure now is just unbelievable.
“I was fortunate that back in my day I never made any mistakes and if I did, the TV cameras wouldn’t get it on film!
“Seriously, all we had was Sportscene and Scotsport. But when Sky TV came in, you felt the difference.
“That said, a lot of the times the TV cameras actually proved you made the right decision.
“Now, the focus is intense.
“There will be enormous pressure on everyone in football as we are now into the second half of the season and trophies and relegation and promotion are at stake.
“Referees will be under the microscope for every decision – just as managers will be to pick the right team and formation.
“I remember a referees meeting that Tom ‘Tiny’ Wharton held many years ago and he produced newspaper headlines from managers’ comments and it said: ‘Disgraceful refereeing’ and ‘Shocking performance’ etc etc.
“They were all very similar down through the years and the decades.
“What was most telling, however, was that they were all from a similar time of the season, mainly end of November or late February/early March which was when clubs and managers were really feeling it.
“That’s when the focus on referees and intensity and scrutiny will go through the roof in the next few weeks. “But we are aware, and we do understand the pressure managers are under. There is enormous stress on them and we try our best to be as understanding as possible.
“Overall we are happy with the standard, and the feedback from the clubs is that they are mostly content with the standard and understanding of situations. There is respect there from the clubs for the jobs that the guys are doing.
“Scotland punches way above its weight in terms of international appointments for club and international games. Our referees are highly regarded. Willie Collum and Bobby Madden are in the elite bracket.
“I admire them because our top referees get criticised more often because they are doing the more high-profile games.
“It takes some nerve and composure to walk out into a game at Ibrox or Celtic Park in front of 50,000 or 60,000 knowing there are 25 cameras watching your every decision.”
Crawford Allan has been appointed head of referees at the SFA and he will work closely with Toner and other former top refs such as Kenny Clark, Willie Young and Callum Murray.
Toner said Allan will make sure standards remain high.
But they will constantly strive to improve.
He said: “In the summer, I joined the Referee Committee, which is essentially a board that deals with various issues in the game involving match officials at all levels.
“Part of the that involves me coaching three Class One refs on a one-to-one basis and helping their development.
“Interestingly, at the highest level, not that many mistakes are made. So, it then becomes talking more about being better at man-management on the pitch or being better placed positionally to make a decision.
“They know the laws of the game and they are very fit. Our referees are dedicated and treat the job very seriously.
“Their job is constant. They must all pass FIFA-standard fitness tests. Back in my day it was all about stamina. But now it’s just as much about short sprints, twisting and turning.
“They also need to eat properly and train on their own. If they fail the fitness tests then they lose their badge.
“They all dedicate an incredible amount of time to it.
“Part of the reason is because they love the game, they really do.”