“And it’s just things like that that makes you think it’s the old pals act” – Mark Guidi’s outstanding rant over Stuart Dougal’s embarrassing BBC stint

Referees are really copping it at the moment.

From last weeks ridiculous Ibrox VAR farce, the whole of Scottish can see VAR now for what it is.

A mechanism to advantage one team in Scotland.

It has to be, right? How else can you explain the incredible amount of favourable decisions the Ibrox get?

And last week took the biscuit. The sending off of Nicky Clark that was never a red card, the award of a penalty that should never have been awarded coupled with a tackle made by Ryan Jack that was a red all day long (even without VAR), there are serious questions being asked about the validity of the new refereeing technology.

But what really got on Mark Guidi’s goat was the appearance of former ref, Stuart Dougal on the BBC defending his colleagues.

I had written in here that the smug look on his face as he defended Willie Collum’s decision to send of Clarke was embarrassing and indicative of the refereeing shambles in this country.

But Guidi has had enough.

In this outstanding rant on The Go Radio Football Show, Mark let it all out. And then some, “The decisions are not good enough on the park.

“The SFA, the hierarchy in terms of coming out, lines of communication to supporters, to football fans who pay their money, to the media, to football clubs and backing their own.

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“Backing their own referees or for the supporters.

“I don’t think it’s there in good enough levels.

“And it makes you it makes you wonder should there be a reform? Should there be a look at how the whole refereeing situation is operated at Hampden and in Scottish football and should there be change?

“ VAR was meant to help them. We all knew that referees wanted VAR. Some of them still can’t get decisions right even with the benefit of VAR, with the benefit of replays.

“You even get Stuart Dougal on the BBC. Which again, I don’t think there’s any credibility in that for the SFA or for the BBC.

“And before the Nicky Clarke red card was rescinded, Stuart Dougal backed it up. And it’s just things like that that makes you think it’s the old pals act. You’ve got to be objective.“

Quite a change from the silence of the written press. If only the big man would cover it in his newspaper so that pressure can be put on the SFA to take action.

Talk is cheap. Something drastic needs to be done. Unless there is no appetite for change because of certain journalists in this countries football allegiences.