Dougal Balls

Despite new evidence showin' that Linesman John Gilmour was correct to chop aff Motherwells, Ross Forbes, goal the other night against The Forces Of Evil (see above) former "top whistler" Stuart Dougal, as expected, has come out wie a spirited defence of the under fire lino.



The full laughable defence is below

John Gilmour was once left with badly bruised ribs after a run-in with Rangers and this time he will be nursing a thumping headache of regret.

If anyone has cause to feel ill will against Walter Smith's side it's Gilmour, as honest as they come and one of the best assistants in our game, but revenge has never been part of the vocabulary of our officials.

Kris Boyd cemented him in the Scottish Cup Final of 2008 as the striker raced for a ball on the touchline against Queen of the South and it took the official a fortnight to recover from being barged so heavily with 13 stones of solid muscle it left him doubled up in agony.

It was an accident, of course, as Boyd made a fair decision to go for the ball, only to end up causing a lot of pain.

In fact, that incident was much like the flag Gilmour hoisted in the air at Fir Park on Wednesday night that prevented Motherwell taking a 2-0 lead against the SPL leaders.

Let me cut to the chase. Gilmour got the decision wrong - you know it and I know it but he doesn't need anyone to tell him that, although there would've been no shortage of fans ready to do so yesterday.

But spare me the outcries, the conspiracy theories and the insidious nudge-nudge, wink-wink punditry that points the finger solely at the assistant for the gap at the top of the SPL not being seven points today.

Here's what I reckon happened early in the second half, with Motherwell a goal in front and their players already wheeling away to celebrate a second goal before Gilmour raised his flag.

In all likelihood Gilmour lost concentration at the vital moment as he saw the ball heading for the corner of the net off the shin of Stephen Craigan and considered his job done.

Suddenly, Ross Forbes appeared on the scene to bundle the ball over the line. The linesman didn't see him arrive - even the ESPN commentators claimed he came from nowhere - and the official suddenly had a decision to make.

To put it bluntly, Gilmour gambled that Forbes had come from an offside position - and he got it wrong. Take note all those who say I never admit to mistakes from officials.

As always, the assistant became the fall guy for Motherwell's failure to win but the Fir Park faithful - and other fans as well - should look closer to home for the culprits.

Firstly, Forbes showed stupidity and selfishness to knock the ball over the line when it was already on its way into the net.

Critics will fire back that's what good strikers do but the very best strikers are aware of everything going on around them and Forbes needlessly attempted to pick the pocket of his skipper by taking his goal.

It was a senseless thing to do because it immediately asked a question of an assistant that didn't need to be asked. Trust me on this, the assistant will be hurting about that decision for some time to come.

The critics have been out in force, alleging that decision cost Well three points, but that unwanted title must go to Mark Reynolds as it was his poor defending that allowed Boyd in near the end to snatch an equaliser.

If Gilmour cost Motherwell a 2-0 lead, defender Reynolds cost his side all three points by his failure to close down Boyd.

Now, I'm a fan of Craig Brown and his comments afterwards were measured and diplomatic as he voiced support of officials and conceded his players played a part in their own failure to win the game.

But I'm also a firm believer that actions speak louder than words and this was not the message Craig was giving out just 10 minutes earlier as he vented his spleen against the officials as they tried to get off the pitch.

Why wasn't Craig as vociferous in his public condemnation of Reynolds?

I have immense respect for Craig but if he really wants to point the finger he should have done it at individuals within his defence. Let's face it, if they had done their jobs they would have won 1-0. Instead, the only rebukes we have been reading about and hearing are against an official.

I know Hotline callers will only say it's Dougal trying to defend refs again but there needs to be a balance to the fierce criticism that seems to envelope our men in black, especially as the title heads towards another exciting climax.

I don't want to have a go at anyone for the sake of it but as an ex-official I get fed up with good, decent, former colleagues copping all the flak when some of the biggest mistakes in the game are made by players who don't receive half the public condemnation doled out to referees and assistants.

By the way, don't think my anger has anything to do with the fact I fancied a fixed odds double - Rangers and Motherwell to draw, along with Manchester United at Villa.

It duly came up but yours truly didn't have time to get to the bookies and stake his 10 bob. You could say Gilmour wasn't the only official left cursing a gambling decision this week.

 Unbelievable? Naw, expected.
**thank you to John H on KDS for the photoshop.**