Is it time for Hugh Dallas to make a big decision?

After talking blundering referee Brian Winter out of retirement perhaps Hugh Dallas might wish to consider his own position.

As Head of Referee Development at the SFA the buck surely stops with the man from Bonkle who is never happier than when the spotlight is on himself.

Winter’s failure to equate two yellow cards with one red for St Johnstone’s Stevie Anderson has again highlighted the failings of Scottish referees.

With ‘highlights’ of the game available on the BBC website fans throughout the UK can look in and judge the quality of Winter and his assistants for themselves.

Refereeing controversies are part of the game but too often in Scotland their mistakes go beyond the borderline judgement and bring the game into disrepute- as the fans witnessed at Tannadice on Saturday.

Last season former Motherwell manager Jim Gannon voiced some very public criticism of referees then really turned up the heat by suggesting that the mistakes by referee Craig Thomson in the opening derby match of the season could end up costing Celtic the title.

Rangers won the championship by six points.

Gannon was especially upset by the contempt that his complaints were treated with, a letter to the Motherwell secretary being preferred to a man to man phone call from Dallas.

After going public with his criticism of Dallas’s attitude the man in black struck back.

He said: “After days of intense media attention, caused by an unwelcome level of personal criticism and vilification, I feel I have no alternative but to respond in the hope that the focus can return to football.

“I am astonished by the personal attacks made by Jim Gannon, which have questioned my honesty and integrity, and wish to set the record straight on the chain of events that have created an air of tension and negativity.”

Dallas then went on to give a thoroughly boring blow by blow account of how the SFA track letters before becoming personal on the then Motherwell boss.

He added: “I am also insulted by Mr Gannon’s latest dispatch to the media, in which he stated, ‘The question for Hugh Dallas is ‘what is it that he gets paid for?’

“The type of adverse media coverage generated by Mr Gannon – which is extremely uncommon in Scottish football – has a negative effect on the confidence of referees and is counter-productive. His dissection of refereeing decisions involving Craig Thomson, one of Uefa’s elite referees, is wholly unnecessary.

“Finally, I find it staggering that Mr Gannon did not feel compelled to open two letters from the Scottish FA before conducting his latest media conference.”

The pesky Gannon soon quit Scottish football and it’s fair to say that he hasn’t been missed by Motherwell who turned to Craig Brown as successor.

Later in the season Dallas admitted: “If I am being honest, I would say this has been a disappointing season with some disappointing decisions which I wish we didn’t have to analyse and talk about.

“We examine these in detail at the Referee Development Department and the first question we always ask is ‘Why?’”

As any commentator or journalist will admit blowing your own trumpet is just asking for trouble.

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