Meet the Ref!
Author: Stephen Taylor Date: Wednesday, 2nd Nov 2005The Pars Supporters Trust invited top referee Stuart Dougal to face a question and answer session from Pars fans.
It was into the lions den on Tuesday night as one of our top referees, Stuart Dougal, made an “unofficial” appearance at East End Park as a guest of the Pars Supporters Trust. The “Meet the Ref” night was organised to give Pars fans a chance to quiz Stuart about the vagaries of the offside rule, the use of technology, his views on Neil Lennon’s punishment and why Iain Campbell was lucky to get only a yellow card at Tannadice last season!
It was inevitable that Stuart was also grilled on his non-decision to award the Pars a penalty for Balde’s handball in the Cup Final last year! This was particularly poignant for Aaron Labonte, who was at the meeting, as Aaron found himself one on one with Henrik Larssen moments after the Balde incident. The man in black was quite happy to admit he did not see the incident and even after viewing it on TV he was still not convinced it was a penalty!
Stuart fielded a number of questions and was refreshingly open and showed he had a good sense of humour. He admitted that all referees have good and bad days in similar fashion to players and mangers. Jim Leishman got his moneys worth with a series of three questions for the Ref including the recent incident when the Falkirk goalkeeper handled the ball outside his area. It would appear there were three possible scenarios for the referee to consider for that incident. Jim did not agree with any of them!
for dissent shortly after this.
It was a very useful exercise and one which should be repeated throughout the country. The referees get a lot of stick from supporters, players and coaches but more often than not they are the ones closest to the action and often see what the fans do not see. Stuart Dougal came across as a very straightforward and honest individual and was delighted at the reception he was given but wondered if he will be given such a warm welcome when he returns to East End Park next week when he is in charge of the CIS Cup tie against Hibs!
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