Stop managers confronting the referees

Willie Collum, Andrew Dallas, Steven Mclean, Bobby Madden, Don Robertson and Craig Thomson have all got it in the neck.

And now Celtic have demanded a meeting with referees’ supremo John Fleming and SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell over Beaton’s failure to punish Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos, either during or after the Hoops’ 1-0 defeat at Ibrox last weekend.

Nevin, though, insists that nothing will change until the SFA and SPFL introduce Video Assistant Referees to help them. “I spend most of my time working in England, so I see less Scottish football than I used to,” said the man who won 28 Scotland caps.

“But every week there seems to be two or three decisions where you just can’t understand why they were made.

“The biggest issue is referees and their assistants getting things wrong because they haven’t seen them – or haven’t seen them properly.

“So clearly they need as much help as they can get.

“I’m an evangelist for VAR. “They have it in Italy at the moment, the Premier League in England will have it next season – and I believe that every major league should have it.”

Nevin also argues that under-fire whistlers would embrace the technology because it would mean they’d receive less stick from punters, players and managers. “Most referees would welcome it,” he claims.

“I believe that they’re honest and that they’re trying their best.

“So who wouldn’t want the opportunity to improve their strike rate when it comes to the big decisions?

“I can’t believe that there are some people who argue against it.

“They say that the game thrives on controversy and debate. But everyone who works in it would rather they got the big calls right.

“The biggest problem would be clubs having to install huge TV screens at their grounds, so that fans would know what was going on while the referee studied replays of crucial incidents. “Another drawback is that, for financial reasons, VAR could only be used in the top division.

“But surely anything that creates a more level playing field can only be a good thing?”