Our refs need a hand to prevent howlers

Aug 19 2007 ROB MACLEAN

I'M not expecting a surge of sympathy from Dundee United fans when I tell you that ref Brian Winter hasn't slept much this week.

Preparing to officiate at yesterday's Third Division clash between Stranraer and Montrose, he was still agonising over his Monday night blunder.

Brian told refereeing colleagues that he's 'horrified' to have got his Rugby Park decision so wrong.

It was inevitable the red card he flashed in the face of United defender Christian Kalvenes would be wiped from the record.

The Norwegian's slide tackle on Kilmarnock striker Steven Naismith was perfectly executed and even a yellow card would have been wrong.

But Winter clearly spotted an offence that escaped everyone else in the ground, and watching on TV.

He was obviously 100 per cent sure of himself and couldn't have charged over to Kalvenes any quicker.

The ref's actions were as reckless as the challenge he imagined seeing and the impact was severe.

Until that single moment of madness 1 5 minutes from time, United looked likely to mark their strong start to the season with six points out of six.

They were a goal ahead and looking defensively solid.

But the dismissal of Kalvenes threw Killie a lifeline and they certainly took advantage with goals from Willie Gibson and Colin Nish turning the game.

Going off his head in the after-match interview was United gaffer Craig Levein.

His face was red with rage and his words wavered with emotion as he launched a tirade in Winter's direction.

Craig wondered aloud if the bungling whistler, on realising his howler, might refund the United fans for their travel costs or pay players' lost win bonus.

He shouldn't hold out for any compensation and despite the red card appeal being upheld on Friday, it's the three SPL points he'll miss the most.

It was a costly error for United and one that was easily avoidable.

Winter could have consulted assistant referee Mark Doyle, who was only 10 yards away from the scene, rather than rush into a ruling.

That would have given him extra time to clear his mind.

The officials are wired for sound, of course, and you wonder why Doyle didn't have a quick word in Winter's ear.

But, sadly, there wasn't time for that. The ref was reaching into his top pocket before Kalvenes was back on his feet.

And Dougie McDonald was another top-rated whistler who was too trigger happy last weekend and, he too, had his ruling reversed.

There were two problems with his sending off of Falkirk defender Kenny Milne.

Milne didn't commit the foul and it was not a blatant goal-scoring chance.

Celtic star Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink is a top striker with lots of strengths but pace isn't one of them.

As he raced through the middle at the Falkirk Stadium last Saturday, he was clearly waiting for the inevitable tug at his shirt.

Big Jan wasn't going all the way and he knew it.

So there was no way that, when Darren Barr pulled him back, not Milne, a straight red should have been an option.

But just like Winter, referee McDonald didn't dally in delivering the ultimate sanction.

He should have bought himself some time.

The assistants wouldn't have been a whole lot of help to him, with the incident having taken place in the middle of the pitch.

But a brief chat would have allowed him some thinking space and maybe the chance to re-assess his decision.

That's exactly what Iain Brines did at Pittodrie last Sunday when he booked Hearts defender Lee Wallace.

The youngster grabbed a handful of Chris Maguire's shirt as the Aberdeen sub skipped away from him.

But Maguire had already been flagged for offside a split-second earlier and, after a chat with his assistant, Brines cancelled the booking.

It was a prime example of the sort of collaboration and communication that the SFA are trying to encourage.

In fact, the officials had a recent get-together at which one of the hot topics was the idea of working together.

Assistants have to get involved - the top ones do - and shake off their mindset that they merely operate on the fringes of the match.

They don't always have to defer decisions to the man in the middle.

A bit of back-up, and the willingness of the ref to take advice before taking the plunge, could have stopped the custard pies in mid-flight.

But maybe now we can avoid any further mess.

It's good to talk. Especially if it stops accusations that our referees are incompetent.