Why leave all the talking to mouthpieces Clark and Dougal?

Just what do Scottish referees want?

Three days after word emerged that they had held a secret ballot at a meeting to hold strike action not a single word has been issued by the would be strikers.

Whilst former colleagues Stuart Dougal and Kenny Clark have been on a media blitz that their old mate Hugh Dallas would be proud of no-one from within the world of refereeing has issued a statement or said a word about what the proposed strike is about.

Which is just about par for the course for referees- unless the agenda suits them when they will be falling over themselves to speak out.

As Clark and Dougal prepare for another day of radio and television interviews the cause of the strike gets cloudier and cloudier.

By withdrawing their services from the SFA it can be assumed that they have a grievance with the ruling body.

The SFA can hardly be held responsible for personal attacks and threats as the dynamic duo of Clark and Dougal have suggested. With no word from the police on a clearly topical story it can safely be assumed to be the workings of Clark and Dougal’s imagination.

As Steven Regan confirmed in his resignation story to the Sunday Mail neither him nor his family received any threats after Dougie Dougie’s lies at Tannadice despite lots of speculation and wishful thinking that he had.

A number of other vague theories have been thrown up by the media blitz of Clark and Dougal with no clear reason for the strike action emerging.

Suggestions that referees integrity has been thrown into question has been popular. The lies of Dougie Dougie and an internal investigation into what Hugh Dallas sends by email are factual and beyond dispute.

Do referees wish to be exempt from lying to managers and free to send offensive sectarian emails from their SFA email addresses?

The level of abuse and questioning that referees take from managers is easier to deal with.

In recent weeks Neil Lennon, Derek McInnes and Scotland assistant manager Peter Houston have all been highly critical of refereeing decisions- when they overstep the mark they are disciplined by the SFA.

The silence of the whistlers is in clear contrast to the time when Craven’s view of events from Tannadice became known -suddenly the referees found their voice.

Dougie Dougie provided the Daily Record, The Sun and the BBC with interviews within 24 hours of Craven’s story emerging.

Martin Cryans wasn’t far behind him with a number of claims in support of Dallas and Dougie Dougie and also the false suggestion that Craven had been paid for his story.

During his onslaught it emerged that Cryans is the head of the little known Scottish Senior Football Referees’ Association  which is referred to as the referees union.

Despite their strike threat Cryans hasn’t had a word to say to explain to supporters, players and managers why his members are taking action this week.

Within any group of more than ten people you will never find views to be unanimous- there will always be shades of opinion and dissension.

Scotland’s top referees tend to come from middle class professional backgrounds- I’m certain that some of them must be questioning how this dispute is being led and cringe at the appearances of Dougal and Clark.

Some of them must be embarrassed to be associated with Dallas who is alleged to have sent out sectarian emails.

If Stewart Regan can push through a raft of changes to refereeing matters, bring in an era of transparency and accountability, some respect and credit will be restored for referees leaving the dynamic duo of Clark and Dougal to get on with their lives away from the cameras and microphones that the attention seekers clearly revel in.

George Peat on conspiracy theories

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