Collum: Refs Should Talk More

Photo by Jeff Holmes

William Hill Scottish Cup final referee Willie Collum believes it could help the country's embattled match officials if they were given the chance to explain some decisions.

Collum takes charge of Saturday's Hampden clash between Inverness and Falkirk despite finding himself at the centre of several controversies earlier in the year.

But, in a rare chance to speak to the media to launch the Scottish Centre of Refereeing Excellence, he explained how much he hurts after making mistakes and how hard he works to improve.

And he feels there might be more understanding from fans if referees were allowed to speak on individual decisions, something which is frowned upon by football's governing bodies.

Collum said: "I think there's an opportunity at times where it would be good to explain decisions, but that's not my decision.

"Any opportunity the Scottish FA asks me to speak to the media, I'm happy to speak to the media.

"I don't think necessarily right after the match is a good time to speak to the media, because people would judge things perhaps too quickly. Sometimes it's better to watch a match back two or three days after, rather than the evening of the match, because sometimes you are too raw.

"You maybe defend everything, but two or three days later you maybe sit back and think you could have improved."

Collum began 2015 by handing out four penalties and three sendings-off in his first two matches, but the two straight red cards, for then St Mirren midfielder Kenny McLean and Motherwell defender Stephen McManus, were both overturned on the same day.

But Collum has no problem with the Scottish Football Association appeals process and insists he hurts more than anyone when he makes a poor decision.

"We are not judge and jury," the Lanarkshire schoolteacher said.

"We make a decision on the field at the time and then it's up to other people to make that decision. I don't have much involvement in the process. So it really doesn't affect me."

Collum added: "Like anybody involved in football, you are always disappointed when you make the wrong decision. But we will make mistakes, it's how you pick yourself up.

"People think we referee a match and then forget about it. I can tell you that's far from the truth. I can tell you on a Saturday night and I've rewound a clip 300 times and my wife's a bit fed up with that, and my kids can't watch the cartoons - we are always trying to improve.

"Any mistake, no matter how big or small, you need to improve on game by game and make sure you don't make that mistake again. But we are humans and we will always make mistakes.

"We also hurt when we make mistakes. We are disappointed. Nobody likes to make errors.

"No game this season have I looked back and thought there wasn't something I could improve on. You need to always try to improve."

Collum was also at the centre of controversy when he missed a clear goal for Aberdeen and disallowed two others in the Dons' win over Hamilton in February, but he was soon taking charge of a Champions League quarter-final between Juventus and Monaco, and given his second Scottish Cup final in three years.

"I don't know if I would call it vindication," he said.

"Referees are like players and coaches and everybody involved in the game has good games and not-so-good games. That's life, we just need to accept that. I'm just delighted other people have put their faith in me.

"Anybody who wants to knock Scottish referees, we are not getting these appointments by chance. And we are judged on our domestic performances as well."