Dougie Dougie- Neil got an explanation and was very happy

Shamed referee Dougie ‘Dougie Dougie’ McDonald has continued the cover up over the events at Tannadice.

Referee’s are supposedly banned from speaking to the media about specific incidents that they have been involved in but McDonald can be found today talking about Cravengate in The Sun and is featured in a 15 minute interview on the BBC website.

McDonald has claimed that the after match cover-up was instigated by Craven yet admits in the same interview that he was the one that came up with the infamous ‘Dougie Dougie’ phrase.

He also claims to have apologised to everyone involved but adds: ‘If I had the opportunity to speak to Neil (Lennon) I’d gladly put the record stright’ before claiming ‘Neil got a complete and thorough explanation and was very happy with it’.

So despite apologising to ‘everyone’ the shamed referee hasn’t spoken to the person most effected by his cover up- the manager of Celtic.

McDonald also says that he wants to referee Celtic again and would be happy to take charge of another Old Firm match.

After his pathetic display at Ibrox in February and the lies of the last fortnight surely the SFA will see sense and ease him out of the picture in the same manner that Steve Conroy has been sidelined.

Craven’s account of how Neil Lennon was lied to was the major issue yesterday but a fortnight after the incident McDonald feels that the lie was almost irrelevant.

He told The Sun: “I don’t think we deceived Neil Lennon. The only thing we said that was not true was that Stevie said ‘Dougie, Dougie’.

“The rest of it is 100 per cent the truth, bullet proof.

“Neil got a complete and thorough explanation and was very happy with it. He knew it wasn’t a penalty and he accepted that. Neil was brand new.

“If I had the opportunity to speak to Neil I’d gladly put the record straight with him and apologise. It wasn’t a bad call against Celtic. It happens to be against Celtic, but it was a good call.”

For the record and since Dougie Dougie is unlikely to be a subscriber to Channel 67 Lennon was far from happy with what went on in the referee’s room.

The Celtic boss told Channel 67: “I accepted the explanation, but still the decision rankles with me.

“I did the interview after the game and then I went to see the referee. I accepted his explanation of why he changed his mind, but I still don’t agree with it.”

Turning back to the on/off penalty and the aftermatch cover up Dougie Dougie admits that he suggested using the Dougie Dougie line and amazingly passes it off as Craven’s idea.

Dougie Dougie told The Sun: “Coming off the pitch I was feeling very low.

“Stevie Craven and I walked down the tunnel, met Charlie Smith the other assistant, and we walked into the dressing room. At that point Stevie pulled the wire from his own communication device and took my earpiece out and said ‘What are we going to tell Jim McBurney?’.

“I replied: ‘Stevie, I don’t give a s**t what you tell Jim McBurney! Tell him anything, tell him you said ‘Dougie, Dougie’ and I came over and spoke to you. I’m not interested.’

“I was up to high doh at that point and I couldn’t have cared less what the observer thought. But Stevie was concerned about his mark.

“Two or three minutes later Jim McBurney, the referee’s observer, came in and said we would have to talk him through the incident because with the Celtic fans going bananas he hadn’t been able to hear what we were saying through the communications set.

“I basically said to Jim that I knew right away the penalty was wrong and that Stevie was shouting ‘Dougie, Dougie’. That when I went over we both agreed the goalkeeper had touched the ball and we had to overturn the decision.

“At that point the observer was told the lie by me. Why? Who knows? With hindsight I wish I’d never done it. I’ve tormented myself ever since I said it. Believe me.”

Despite the catolgue of lies and half truths Dougie Dougie wants to referee Celtic again as soon as possible.

After a controversial performance against Celtic the referee will be eased back into action with a straightforward fixture at Parkhead against a side in the bottom half of the table.

Even with their own crassness it must surely be unlikely that the SFA will trust Dougie Dougie to take charge of another Celtic match.

Dougie Dougie seems oblivious to the anger his lies have created and wants to be in charge of Celtic again.

He added: “I definitely feel I can be trusted to do another Celtic game. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.

“My integrity on the football field is unquestioned. I’ve had 29 years of unblemished record and I’ve a year-and-a-half left of my career.

“I expect to see that out in the SPL and doing Celtic games as and when I’m appointed to them.

“I’ve refereed numerous matches involving the Old Firm. There’s only a few guys who get trusted with an Old Firm game and I’m one of them.”

The SFA have still to comment on Craven’s allegations, it has to be presumed that McDonald was given permission to speak to the BBC and The Sun.

The other Tannadice assistant referee Charlie Smith can be found opening his heart to the Herald and claims: “Hugh has brought Scottish refereeing standards forward by years.”

Things surely weren’t that bad pre 2005.

Steven Craven- We Lied to Lenny

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