Refereeing Inconsistencies

[Kmcalpin]

Some interesting comments from Lee Wilkie in today's Dundee Courier. 

"I would scrap VAR in Scottish football tomorrow.

The technology affects the game far too much in a negative way and we saw the very worst of that in Dundee’s seemingly endless game at Kilmarnock.

Of course, we want to help referees get really close calls correct but the technology gets involved far too much.

And it affects the way players play the game, too. Again, not in a good way.

I think players dive even more now than they did before.

I’m not talking about blatant dives where there is no contact. I’m talking about situations where the forward feels a hand on the back and hits the deck.

They do that knowing the Video Assistant Referee is watching and they might get a penalty out of very little.

For me, that’s not what football should be about.

It is a technical game but there should still be the physical aspect of battling for the ball with someone else.

When VAR reviews a decision, they only look for contact but crucially not whether that contact is enough to constitute a foul.

You will see strikers running into the box thinking more about initiating contact with a defender than actually scoring the chance.

VAR in Scotland has not had many successes to shout about and Saturday at Rugby Park certainly wasn’t one of them.

An eight-minute delay doesn’t help anyone. Spectators don’t want to be hanging about that long and, even though Dundee eventually got the penalty, it didn’t help them either.

It doesn’t look good for our game. The SPFL and SFA are probably breathing a sigh of relief that didn’t happen in one of the title-deciding fixtures coming up."

[bobbybingo]

1 hour ago, Kmcalpin said:

"The SPFL and SFA are probably breathing a sigh of relief that didn’t happen in one of the title-deciding fixtures coming up."

But we all know it will. Hearts fans were delighted to take Saturday's decision, but you can almost guarantee they'll be greetin about VAR before the season's over. Three sides going for the title - it's an accident waiting to happen.

[Stuwell2]

Aye the phrase tainted title will be bandied about by supporters of the two losers no doubt. 

[Spiderpig]

5 hours ago, bobbybingo said:

But we all know it will. Hearts fans were delighted to take Saturday's decision, but you can almost guarantee they'll be greetin about VAR before the season's over. Three sides going for the title - it's an accident waiting to happen.

Hearts wont win the title, for me its MJC,'s big team, as they will get most of the Var calls in their favour as they always do.

[Happy Dosser]

On 4/13/2026 at 1:12 PM, dennyc said:

According to the match programme on Saturday the VAR Official was Steven McLean. The same VAR Official from the Aberdeen cup tie. The same referee who put in a shocking performance in the home game v Rangers a week before the cup tie and was loudly booed off at the end. Obviously just a coincidence as I'm sure he holds no grudges.

I didn't know that but I always had the feeling that he never forgave us for releasing his brother Brian, since the former's  "performances" against us almost always  seemed inconsistent at best or incompetent/biased at worst. 

It seems such behaviour is typical in the petty and largely unchallenged world of Scottish football refereeing.

Dae ye mind o' Craig Thomson? Dae ye?

[Spiderpig]

On 4/13/2026 at 1:12 PM, dennyc said:

According to the match programme on Saturday the VAR Official was Steven McLean. The same VAR Official from the Aberdeen cup tie. The same referee who put in a shocking performance in the home game v Rangers a week before the cup tie and was loudly booed off at the end. Obviously just a coincidence as I'm sure he holds no grudges.

He probably holds grudges a lot better than he does a whistle or VAR controls.

[star sail]

On 4/14/2026 at 5:03 PM, Happy Dosser said:

It seems such behaviour is typical in the petty and largely unchallenged world of Scottish football refereeing.

Was just reading in the BBC gossip column that Michael Stewart has been banned from Hampden for his comments about referees.

I remember Jim Traynor doing the same to the BBC at Ibrox in his role as Head of Communications. It seemed perfectly in step with that particular club given the control they like to have of the football narrative in Scotland. It seemed a very petty approach at the time.

It is really interesting that the SFA themselves have chosen the very same approach.

I am not a huge fan of Michael Stewart as a football personality but he is an articulate, intelligent reporter (and he LOVES Motherwell this season). It seems like a slippery slope when an organisation starts to sensor the voices it does not want to be heard.

 

 

[wellfan]

18 minutes ago, star sail said:

Was just reading in the BBC gossip column that Michael Stewart has been banned from Hampden for his comments about referees.

I remember Jim Traynor doing the same to the BBC at Ibrox in his role as Head of Communications. It seemed perfectly in step with that particular club given the control they like to have of the football narrative in Scotland. It seemed a very petty approach at the time.

It is really interesting that the SFA themselves have chosen the very same approach.

I am not a huge fan of Michael Stewart as a football personality but he is an articulate, intelligent reporter (and he LOVES Motherwell this season). It seems like a slippery slope when an organisation starts to sensor the voices it does not want to be heard.

Yep, and as I’ve suggested previously on this forum, we’re now seeing the wagons circling to protect the clowns. 

[Happy Dosser]

13 minutes ago, star sail said:

Was just reading in the BBC gossip column that Michael Stewart has been banned from Hampden for his comments about referees.

I remember Jim Traynor doing the same to the BBC at Ibrox in his role as Head of Communications. It seemed perfectly in step with that particular club given the control they like to have of the football narrative in Scotland. It seemed a very petty approach at the time.

It is really interesting that the SFA themselves have chosen the very same approach.

I am not a huge fan of Michael Stewart as a football personality but he is an articulate, intelligent reporter (and he LOVES Motherwell this season). It seems like a slippery slope when an organisation starts to sensor the voices it does not want to be heard.

 

 

Just checked in here this morning and I can't say I'm surprised at Stewart's treatment. He at least isn't afraid to court controversy, unlike the usual bland commentators and, as you say, he has praised us for our football this year.

I'm afraid cancel culture/censorship is always a  sign that the organisation employing  it doesn't have valid or credible arguments to use in rebuttal so has to get the sledgehammer out. This problem has spread far beyond the world of sport these days and I feel free speech generally is threatened. It's somewhat ironical that the BBC itself  suffered from it  via the Traynor ban, of course 😁.

[joewarkfanclub]

Its a very bad look for the SFA.

Banning someone like Mikey Stewart when all he is doing is saying publicly what most fans are feeling in relation to VAR does them no favours.

Better to invite critical parties on board in the close season to discuss how to improve the system and how it impacts on the product on the park.

This is a huge step backwards.

 

[Spiderpig]

The cosy clique that is the SFA dont give a toss how bad it looks, they are all far too busy organising their expense account trips to the USA over the summer. The whole set up is a shambles full of freeloading chancers who care more about their benefits and committee positions than they do about the clubs and fans.

Will it change, i doubt it, the turkeys never vote for christmas, the member clubs have the power to change it but again self interest comes first, not whats best for the game.

So for me fair play to michael stewart for calling them out, more people need to do the same.

[wellsince75]

Scottish Football is incredibly frustrating.  VAR is awful (being polite).  Having likes of pundits being banned for sharing an opinion which is no different to that of the paying public is a joke. @wellfan called it - a circling of wagons is accurate. 

Add to that the recent treatment we've been singled out for appear to be 'put Motherwell back in their box'  Recent decisions have been staggering and can't help but feel there's an element of showing who's boss.  

• Slattery's suspension wouldn't have happened to any of the top 3.
• The non penalty for TW against falkirk
• Hearts penalty decision.
• The general everything a Well player does must be a foul or a dive.   

How dare Motherwell do something as bold as play great football and start challenging at the top end of the league. 

I simply hope that's an end of the poor decisions for now and we can get some enjoyment back for the final 5 games. 
 

[twistandshout1983]

I think Michael Stewart is one of the more decent and fair minded pundits

I think it is a completly poor show by the SFA 

[joewarkfanclub]

22 minutes ago, twistandshout1983 said:

I think Michael Stewart is one of the more decent and fair minded pundits

I think it is a completly poor show by the SFA 

He is paid to be straight talking and a little bit controversial. But tbf its his personality anyway, so he embraces it! 

I dont have any issues with it. Better tham the usual OF arse kissers.

[wellfan]

I’d much rather listen to Michael Stewart than the likes of Chris Sutton and Kris Boyd. The latter two are critically illiterate, offering nothing of value to anyone other than Celtic and Rangers.