Willie Collum came close to quitting after relentless abuse

uneasydaz

uneasydaz

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WILLIE COLLUM has revealed he’s been close to QUITTING as a referee due to abuse.

Scotland’s top whistler opened up on the pressures of constantly operating in the spotlight.

Collum, 41, rose through the SFA ranks to reach the Fifa list, but admits he has considered walking away.

He said: “I’ve thought about quitting lots of times. My wife has said to me maybe it’s time to give it up.

“ That could be down to the stress being too much.

“I never came into refereeing to be in the media spotlight. I don’t think referees should have a profile where it’s some kind of celebrity status.

"That’s up to the players and managers as they are the entertainers. Referees are there to do a job.

“I’ve had some difficult times and you do worry about the negative effect it has on your own well-being and the wellbeing of your family.

“Who does a referee turn to for support? It can be very lonely.

“Yes, we have got colleagues we can turn to, but it can often be your wife you turn to on a Saturday night.”

Collum classes being selected to referee at Euro 2016 as one of the best moments of his long career.


But he revealed that high was immediately followed by a low that made him question continuing.


Collum, speaking to The Lockdown Tactics podcast, added: “In late 2015 I was appointed to the list for Euro 2016 to represent Scotland, probably the highlight of my career.

“The following Saturday I was refereeing Falkirk vs Rangers on live telly and it was not a good performance.

“There was a wrong penalty awarded for a handball and a penalty awarded incorrectly when the foul was committed outside the box.

“I knew people would slaughter me.


There was a snowball effect as I went on a run of three or four games when things didn’t go well.

“It was a really difficult period and the SFA made the decision to bring me out of the spotlight for a period.

“There was an online petition about me and thousands of people signed it for me to never referee again.
“Every single day, every single night, that was on my mind, nothing else.

"I    remember thinking if I should come out and speak in the media about how it was affecting me.

“That whole period really affected my wellbeing, and the wellbeing of my family.

“That was a time I was very close to giving up and my wife wanted me to finish.

When I got on the plane to go to Euro 2016 I was proud because I was representing Scotland.

“But my underlying thought was, ‘Don’t make a mess of this, don’t embarrass yourself’.

“I had two games and came back intact. I came back more determined than ever to succeed.”
 
Of course the only team to ever put him under pressure for an INCORRECT decision was Rangers, no mention of Celtic fans or any other club giving him stick.

Selective journalism again.

Any mention of the word "Celtic" and it's removed from articles within the hour.

What are we doing as a club to protect our name. It's a bloody free for all when it comes to us.
 
Well Wullie you know what to do.Referee the game your assigned to correctly.Instead of bending over backwards to aid your pals in green and grey.You are a cheat and a rheptile.Its ripping out you.Prove to everyone your impartial by refereeing EVERY game fairly.Instead of giving the monsters a leg up week in week out.
 
We won't be hearing about John Beaton's family getting death threats anytime soon
 
Think that may well have been the paper that has selected to only mention on team. Anyway stick to that real job that excludes others on the basis of faith
 
I hate that wee prick, that penalty against Falkirk he awarded should have seen him removed from his job
 
Willie Collum was the golden bhoy ref until that fateful day he awarded us a penalty at the Piggery. He received death threats at home and never ending harassment from the media ever since to have him demoted.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Rookie referee Willie Collum receives death threats after Old Firm game

On the rack for the third day in succession - that was the fate of Willie Collum, the man who took charge of his first Old Firm derby on Sunday.
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk
 
Collum claimed that in he was harangued during a shopping trip in Glasgow, Christmas 2018.

The chance was that it was either Rangers or CFC fans.
The last Celtc game he'd done for them, they'd beaten Hearts 0-3 away, without CFC getting a card.

A week after that, in November 2018, Rangers did beat St Mirren 0-2 away, but that was the famous game where Candeias was apparently sent off for blowing a kiss at Anton Ferdinand, who'd been squeezing him at leisure previously.

Further to that, Rangers were actually fined for their rightful criticism of Collum.

I simply cannot blame any Rangers fan who might have criticised Collum for such insane bias.
Even during a family shopping trip. I'd have done it myself.

Frankly, it's a shame that the barracking he got wasn't worse and maybe he might just have packed it in.
There's a moral there I suspect.
 
Funny how he cocked up in a Rangers game.....any truth in the rumour whilst officiating in a game his giant crucifix jangling nearly poked his eye oot
 
This is a good article for us. It shows when our fans do get together it can have an effect on referees. The tims have been doing it for decades and look at the effect it’s had on refereeing for them over the past few years. They get away with murder because referees are sh*t scared of the club’s PR power and their fan pressure. We as a fan base have a job to do. We must apply as much pressure on every bad decision against us as possible and in time we will enjoy the same advantage.
 
“I never came into refereeing to be in the media spotlight. I don’t think referees should have a profile where it’s some kind of celebrity status

This is a very interesting comment and a clear dig at Bobby Madman and this friendship between match officials and the absolute dregs in the scottish media. Celebrity status comes with cheating, being biased against Rangers going out to manipulate football games. Do it you are hero think back to Craig Thomson you would think he was Henrik Larsson or a playing legend if you listened to superscoreboard or bought a daily record. Now its Madden and Bobby loves every second of it.

i also think Collum is a decent guy an honest person but in a difficult position because he works for (and alongside) the most sleekit/ corrupt people in the history of world sport. Hes always being attacked by Celtic minded as hes the one ref, maybe only ref, that gives decisions against them.

Beaton mentioned survival which basically means giving decisions against Rangers all the time but never ever Celtic, Clancy decided to speak about the cheating performance in the last old firm game even if it was just bs excuses 4/5 months later, now this interview with Collum. If Rangers were smart we would now speak with the refs ask them about whats been going on as if we didnt know the tims have totally corrupted the game and the first place they would target is refereeing.
 
TN8 said:
No mention of the time the bheasts slaughtered him for the Broadfoot penalty. Nope. Just big bad Rangers.
Click to expand...
That's not really what it suggests tho.
He admitted thst he made 2 bad mistakes in a match immediately after a career high point.
Doesn't come close to making out we were the bad ones.
 
Speccy hotdog said:
Of course the only team to ever put him under pressure for an INCORRECT decision was Rangers, no mention of Celtic fans or any other club giving him stick.

Selective journalism again.

Any mention of the word "Celtic" and it's removed from articles within the hour.

What are we doing as a club to protect our name. It's a bloody free for all when it comes to us.
Click to expand...
The mentally challengeds were issuing threats after he gave Rangers a penalty when Clubfoot was given a 2 handed push to the ground by Mastsrovich(sp?).
The penalty he gave Falkirk was nearer the centre line than the penalty box! :eek:
 
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I couldn't do it at any level,Watched my grandson play he plays for 2004s and the stick refs get is shocking I'm surprised anybody does it.
 
I think he's a very poor referee. He just rushes or anticipates too many decisions when he'd do better to give himself a couple of seconds to check what he thought was going to happen was actually what happened.

Once he backs himself into a corner the school teacher comes out trying to maintain control once he knows he's botched it.
 
giphy.gif
 
Was he the ref that sent Halliday off for almost starting a riot from the centre of the pitch at Cappielow ?
 
Cullum, despite his background, was actually shaping up as a decent referee. One who, like everyone else, made mistakes but you got the impression that they were exactly that - mistakes.

Then he correctly gave a penalty in an OF game at the piggery and he was automatically a target.

Much like Beaton who was doing well and then was absolutely slaughtered for not red carding Joe Garner in a cup tie against Hamilton which we actually won 6-0.

Such was the criticism he received that we hardly got a decision in our favour from him, including the outrageous performance against Hibs, until the day he failed to send Alfie off against the beasts. A performance he was initially praised for but subsequently slaughtered for and hounded in his personal life for. Do we ever get the benefit of the doubt from him now?

This is what we are up against - one bad game from a ref in an OF game that goes against them and the ref is hounded until he is afraid to give anything for us or against them in any match of significance.

And now when Collum finally speaks out about intimidation it's about a game where we were the ones to suffer implying that we are the ones responsible for the intimidation of referees - suppose we did cause a strike after all. Oh wait a minute that was some other feckers.

Others like Clancy or Thomson are not afraid or intimidated - they know exactly what they are doing.
 
I'd probably want to quit my job too if I was hopeless at it.

There's human error then there's an incompetent referee.
 
He didn't come into refereeing to be in the media spotlight.

That's exactly what he does every single game we're involved in.

A useless, corrupt, cheating, plug faced little mentally challenged c.unt.

And that's being kind! :))
 
TN8 said:
No mention of the time the bheasts slaughtered him for the Broadfoot penalty. Nope. Just big bad Rangers.
Click to expand...
Fun fact: he was forced to leave Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill because he was bullied by the head teacher after giving the Broadfoot penalty.
 
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They should all do the right thing and resign as they are a disgrace to scottish football. Gone are the days when we had referee's in world rankings.
 
bearspakora said:
Willie Collum was the golden bhoy ref until that fateful day he awarded us a penalty at the Piggery. He received death threats at home and never ending harassment from the media ever since to have him demoted.
Click to expand...
Whenever they mention that penalty, they conveniently forget to bring up that the biggest blunder Collum made that day was not sending off Stokes for a shocking challenge in the first minute.
 
KGR98 said:
You need to face the criticisms that come with your handsomely paid job Willie when players are getting put in headlocks and your sending off the headlocked player it says a lot
Click to expand...

Exactly . Being paid for 90 minutes work what some nurses and healthcare assistants earn in a month , and he’s crying his eyes out . Get a Fcking grip Collum you imbecile .
 
TN8 said:
No mention of the time the bheasts slaughtered him for the Broadfoot penalty. Nope. Just big bad Rangers.
Click to expand...


His father in law told me that the abuse he was getting at his home from the celtc supporters was unbelievable.

His young daughter had picked the house phone up to answer it one night and was seemingly subjected to " absolute filth" from the caller he told me.
 
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