Rangers boss Smith fed-up with referee debate

After victory over St Mirren, Rangers boss Walter Smith says the SPL is being overshadowed by talk of referees.

Smith believes a preoccupation with match officials has reached a "ridiculous" level in Scottish football after their 3-1 win over St Mirren was tinged with controversy.

Saints boss Gus MacPherson felt David Weir should have been at least cautioned for denying Michael Higdon a goalscoring opportunity after the veteran defender escaped without punishment for the foul from referee Charlie Richmond.

"I got no real view on that one," said Smith. "Everybody wants people to get ordered off and everybody wants penalties against us. Everybody wants everything against us at the moment.

"I don't know what road we are going down in that respect. I didn't see much in it myself, I've got to say.

"We seem to be reaching a ridiculous stage where refereeing decisions are actually becoming far more important than the game itself."

Smith also spoke out following last weekend's Old Firm derby triumph when he criticised the unnamed Celtic source who revealed the club's unhappiness with decisions which they felt had gone against them this season - including the previous two games against Rangers.

The Ibrox boss added: "Everybody starts talking about the refereeing decisions but it's a game of football.

"Refereeing decisions good, bad or indifferent have been part of football for a good number of years.

"When I started, Jim McLean, Alex Ferguson, Jock Stein - they all moaned about refereeing decisions. I moan about them. Everybody moans about them.

"But now, in Scotland, it seems to be going into an area where it's taking on far greater significance.

"Your team has got to be good enough to overcome them. As far as referees are concerned, they make their decisions and we've got to get on with it.

"Referees in every league in the world are under scrutiny for the decisions they make.

"Now, in ours, it's every weekend that we are playing it's becoming the referees who are influencing games. It should be players and managers who are influencing games.

"The better the job we do at it, then the better our teams do. I moan at referees' decisions, and I have done over my career, but I think it's reaching a ridiculous proportion in Scotland at the moment and it's not giving the referees the proper opportunity to do their jobs."