GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 03: Referee Duncan Nicolson awards Dundee a free kick as Dundee's Jon McCracken is fouled by Celtic's Daizen Maeda during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee at Cetlic Park, on December 03, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Duncan Nicolson will referee the Kilmarnock v Celtic match tomorrow. Live on Sky Sports, a chance to impress.
Nicolson is one of the emerging referees in Willie Collum’s stable. Much like Ryan Lee and Calum Scott who Celtic have suffered from in the last week.
Collum was the worst referee of his generation.
Someone with no feeling or interest in the game. As far as he was concerned the referee was the star of the show, the man that supporters and TV cameras wanted to see.
Collum picked up that attitude from Hugh Dallas. Without Dallas picking up on a box ticking exercise Collum’s career would never have progressed beyond the junior ranks.
With no ability Collum shot through the refereeing ranks just like Andrew Dallas. Both are members of the Lanarkshire Refereeing Association.
From Dallas to Collum we now have Nicolson, Scott and Lee. Sadly there are more clones in Collum’s pipeline.
All bereft of a feel for football. All knowing the route to the top, following in the footsteps of John Beaton, Don Robertson, Nick Walsh, David Dickinson, Steven McLean and the rest.
How to apply the Disadvantage Rule. How to award most of the free kicks in a match against the team with 70% possession or moRE.
Nicholson has refereed one Celtic match so far this season. Martin O’Neill’s ‘farewell’ against Dundee in December.
He lived up to expectations, that is why he has the Kilmarnock match tomorrow.
NICOLSON, CELTIC V DUNDEE IN DECEMBER
Against Dundee you could have been watching prime Beaton, Robertson or McLean. Incredible consistency.
Celtic had 71% possession but were fouled only four times.
Dundee had 29% but were awarded 13 fouls by the sympathetic Nicolson.
Delivering those sort of stats are an entry level requirement if you want to referee in the top flight.
BONUS BALL
As a bonus Nicolson awarded Jon McCracken a free kick when he fell to the ground and grabbed the ball from Daizen Maeda. Any other week and the Dundee keeper would have been sent off. A game changer.
In stoppage time Nicolson’s decision making got even worse.
That Nygren offside decision , then where the restart was taken from .
You could be forgiven for thinking that the officials were making things up as the game went on.
One of many strange calls last night. pic.twitter.com/i7iDbjFaJO— Highland__Paddy (@Highland__paddy) December 4, 2025
OFFSIDE!
Nicolson has been making his mark down the divisions.
Doing the things that earn you promotion up the ladder.
More high profile matches, bigger appearance fees, some media attention. All of the trimmings.
Neil Lennon knows about Nicholson.
After a defeat at Ross County in October he didn’t hold back in his comments with The Courier reporting the Pars boss saying:
Where do you want me to start? Well, I think that’s the only thing we’ll be talking about for half an hour. Honestly.
It was a really good game of football, ruined by a guy who is just totally out of his depth.
I don’t like blaming referees, I really don’t. But today that guy was well off it – and it cost us the game, it cost us two goals.
There’s no way that’s a free-kick for Ross County. Yes, we could have dealt with it better, but it should never have got to that because 30 seconds earlier Matty Todd gets a forearm smash in the face.
So, where’s the fairness for us, where’s the fairness for my club and my team? Like I say, I don’t like banging on about referees. But I’m apoplectic about this guy. Honestly, I’ve had enough.
Lennon picked up a six match touchline suspension for those comments, two of them suspended till the end of the season.
It has been worthwhile however, the SFA haven’t given Nicolson a Dunfermline match since the post Ross County outburst.
Nicolson refereed Dunfermline on September 27 and October 25.
Greg Aitken will be on VAR duty for the Kilmarnock match as an extra level of security.
If he’s as useless and hapless as his surnamesake then we’re well and truly Fu**ed…
Because Nicholson is a name that DESTROYS Celtic FC !