The Ibrox Penalty Boxes - The Fifth Dimension

”BIG” as opposed to “Wee” - there are two of them: Kenny MacDonald, long-serving News International football writer, has a nice wee cottage industry on the side, publishing books of Scottish Football quotes.

Mind you, he has never published what I still consider the best one of all, Hugh Burns' take on what it meant to make his Rangers' debut (and rotter that I am, I am not using it here). But, until Hugh's brilliant statement is published, I suppose Ivan Golac, the former Dundee United manager, will hold the Number One spot.

Ivan Golac - a statement of the bleeding obvious

After a magnificently brutal and cynical Ian Ferguson “tackle” went unpunished in a Rangers v United game, Golac nailed it in his post-match press conference, saying:

“All over world was penalty – never at Ibrox though.”

Well, I suppose, if he hadn't been struggling to keep his temper and sense of grievous injustice in check, on Saturday night, St Mirren boss Oran Kearney might well have said something like:

“They were only ever penalties at Ibrox.”

Mind you, Andrew Dallas is not the first referee to lose the plot when it comes to awarding Rangers penalties at home, and he will not be the last, but, one wonders what his post-match de-brief with his supervisor was like. Let's just say, from the TV evidence, Saturday was not Andrew's best performance, and I wonder what his father – who really was a marvellous referee – made of it.

“Dissing” Scottish referees is almost a national obsession, and the Blessed Sir Stephen Clarke, the Kilmarnock manager, was on the case on Killie TV on Monday, in an interview which will probably see him invited up to Hampden for a wee chat and a big fine.

 Steve Clarke - can expect a "come up and see us" letter from Hampden

You see, that's one of the many things the stumble bums who run Scottish football get wrong – they fail totally to see, facts are sacred, but, opinion is free.

FIFA thoughtfully put the latest version of The Laws of the Game, in the writing of which Scotland, via the SFA, has a major say, us being members of IFAB, The International Football Associations Board – the supreme law-making body in the game, on the internet. And from these, I quote from Law V, which covers referees.

1. The authority of the referee

Each match is controlled by a referee who has full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match.

2. Decisions of the referee

Decisions will be made to the best of the referee`s ability according to the Laws of the Game and the ‘spirit of the game’ and will be based on the opinion of the referee who has the discretion to take appropriate action within the framework of the Laws of the Game.

The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final. The decisions of the referee, and all other match officials, must always be respected.

The above, to me, are the key points when it comes to referees. That second part, about decisions, is one of the crucial areas of the game, highlighting as it does:

• The seeming acceptance, referees are not going to get every decision correct, Law V (2) mentions decisions being made: “to the best of the referee's ability and the 'spirit of the game'”
  
  
• But for me, the crucial line in Law V (2) is that bit about: “the opinion of the referee.”

The law book goes on to make the crucial point, which sadly is too-often overlooked: that bit about the referee's decision being final, and about respecting that decision.

As one retired former Grade One official said to me: “A referee is never more right than when he gets it wrong – the decision must still be respected.”

I often feel, in today, under the seeming all-seeing eye of the television camera, and from the seeming overpowering desire of some retired player turned pundits to be “edgy” or “controversial”, we no long accept:

• Referees are human, and nobody gets every decision correct
  
  
• shite happens and we need to move on.

But, having said all that, I do not see why a manager, whose opinion differs from that of the referee, cannot have the freedom – always provided he does not slide into personal invective – to disagree, and say-so, without being invited up to Hampden to answer for his comments.

I also feel, football could learn from rugby when it comes to enforcing respect between referees and managers/coaches. Many a Saturday night, I have gone into a rugby club bar, to see the referee sitting down, having a beer with often both coaches, and explaining contentious decisions to them. I have yet to see such discussions not end amicably.

It is a side issue here, but, in rugby, we match reporting journalists are also free to approach the referees after the game and have things explained to us. I have never been told to go away by a referee, indeed, some of the nicest guys in the game are referees, and I find they are always willing to talk to the press.

The only time I can recall, in many years of covering football, of a referee voluntarily coming into the press room post-match, was the occasion of Willie Young's final game – Kilmarnock v Hibs at Rugby Park.

We asked if Willie would come up, he did, and his brief press conference was a joy. That is something the SFA should consider making more than a once in a career event.

Of course, in the grand scheme of things, Rangers getting handed a stream of contentious penalties at Ibrox, conspiracy theories – even Masonic conspiracy theories, are a handy wee diversion for the numpties along the sixth-floor corridors at Hampden.

For as long as our press corps are obsessed by and building up these incidents into major issues, they are not looking at the many other, more-serious issues which continue to bedevil the national game.