It's the curve ball that no-one in their right mind would want to receive.
So it’s probably just as well then that referees don’t think like normal people. Because when
John Beatonopened his emails on Tuesday morning to discover that the hottest potato in town had just landed in his inbox, he’ll have regarded it as a badge of honour rather than see it for what it really is - the ultimate hospital pass.
Former grade one ref Stuart Dougal knows the feeling. Which is why he believes Beaton will be buzzing at the prospect of taking charge of Sunday’s powderkeg Old Firm derby when his every human instinct ought to have him quivering at the thought. To ramp up the pressure, Beaton’s card was marked very publicly by
Celtic boss
Brendan Rodgers after the champions crashed to defeat at Tynecastle last month.
Rodgers jabbed a finger of blame at the officials for that 2-0 loss and called out Beaton for ‘incompetence’ in his role in the
VAR studio, stoking the flames of a thousand whorey old conspiracy theories.
Which is precisely why his appointment as the man in the middle this weekend - for a potential title decider - almost broke the internet on Tuesday morning. But, according to Dougal, Beaton will have been protected from the blast.
Speaking exclusively to
Record Sport the former FIFA whistler said: “Believe it or not, referees don’t actually bother with all that stuff. I know we’re only human but if you stay away from social media and try not to read the newspapers then, as a match official, you go into your own little world.
They have their own support network and that’s who John will be speaking to - other top referees, his referees’ association and obviously his family. John is an experienced official and this is not the first time he’ll have gone into an Old Firm game with people questioning him - whether it’s his impartiality or his ability.
“But he wouldn’t be getting an Old Firm game if the Scottish FA didn’t believe in him. Referees are monitored every week by the referees’ observer or supervisor. So you don’t get these top games if you are not performing.
“People say, ‘Referees can have a bad game and nothing happens to them,’ but that’s simply not the case. Trust me, you don’t get games of this magnitude if you are not performing week in, week out.
“Whether fans, players or managers don’t think referees are performing it’s not them who make the decisions - it’s the authorities. That’s the same for all the top referees - these guys need to keep performing to be considered.
“John will be delighted to get it because it’s a seal of approval from the SFA.
And it’s also a wee message to the clubs in general that clubs will not dictate to the SFA or to the referees’ department who is put in charge of their games. Or who is not.
“Referees will get their games on merit regardless of who has criticised them. And John’s not just been criticised by Celtic or by Brendan Rodgers. John will have had criticism throughout the season, as every other referee will have had. That’s just the nature of the beast and part of the job.
“They are trained for it now whereas, dare I say, back in my day we just dealt with it. They have a support mechanism in place these days which is much greater than it was when I was refereeing and that has to be welcomed.”
And yet the fact remains that Beaton is facing a no win situation when he runs out into the eye of the storm at Ibrox. Make a decision which benefits Rangers and he’ll be hounded by Celtic and their supporters. Make one which benefits Celtic and he’ll be accused of being bullied and brow beaten by Rodgers.
Dougal shrugged: “It was ever thus. That’s why the comments from Brendan Rodgers were unhelpful. If a referee makes a decision that goes against one team then the fans or, in some cases, the club will find a reason for why that decision was made rather than just say, ‘Well that was unfortunate,’.
“Just look at the way Gregor Townsend handled himself after Scotland had been denied a match winning try in the Six Nations against France. He didn’t come out and slaughter the TMO or the match referee. He just said it was all part of the game and unfortunate. Can we get that in football? I don’t think so. The next question is why?”
Rodgers, of course, was hit with a two game suspension for his blast at Beaton and could have been watching this one from the main stand had he not had his ban cut in half on appeal.
And Dougal believes Rodgers was wrong to make it so highly personal with an official who needed police protection at his family home after handling this very fixture five years ago.
He went on: “The concern is that there was a charter signed a number of years ago, that this type of thing wouldn’t happen because of previous threats and abuse of referees, particularly on social media. My understanding is that this charter was put in place in order to stop this kind of behaviour and to maintain a mutual respect.
Of course, there is still freedom of speech. Brendan Rodgers or any other manager can, if he feels strongly enough, come out and mention a referee by name. But it’s probably unwise, generally. Match referees don’t come out after games and criticise a player for missing a penalty, a keeper who lets in a soft goal or a manager who got his tactics wrong.
“Where would the game be if we lost that respect and referees started doing the same thing that some managers do? Let referees referee. If they make a mistake it’s always an honest mistake - if indeed it is an actual mistake and not just a perceived one. But I think we all know there should be a level of respect in the game and particularly in this part of the world.”
It should not be forgotten either that Rangers have similarly singled out Willie Collum over the years and that, earlier this season, they demanded that he be blackballed from officiating any of their games. While Beaton will be out on centre stage on Sunday, Collum will act as his wing man and fourth official.
And Dougal said: “To be fair to the SFA and the referees department they have always publicly backed their officials. But let’s not forget they are not just there out of spite. They are there because they are two of the top referees.
“People want to criticise John and Willie and everybody else - or VAR for that matter - but they’ve got to take cognisance of the fact that the reason these guys are there is to try to help the game.
“The decision making and the process might not be perfect, it will never be perfect, but it’s better than it was in my day, that’s for sure. I only found out about my mistakes when I went down the road and watched the highlights on TV!”