Craig Thomson has told how he once begged to be taken off an Old Firm game after being handed three in a row. The former referee - who retired in 2019 - handled countless Celtic vs Rangers games over the years. He loved the occasion but admitted there weren't enough experienced whistlers during his days to manage the fixture.
Thomson told The Scottish Sun: “I handled one in May 2009, then the first game between the clubs the following season. I was supposed to do the next league game too and I spoke to Hugh Dallas about it. I just felt three in a row was too many, that you were always likely to be remembered for something in one of them. But there was a feeling in the SFA that there just wasn’t referees experienced enough to handle the game. I was eventually taken off the game and soon regretted it because Rangers were sent down the leagues and the game wasn’t on the league calendar for four seasons. The SFA style tends to be to blood Old Firm referees in the game at the start of the season or in the last one if nothing is going to be decided in it. “The significance of the games restricts who gets to referee them. It didn’t surprise me Bobby [Madden] was appointed to the Scottish Cup semi-final this weekend. Willie Collum came through the league game earlier this month with no issues and it wouldn’t surprise me if he got the game on May 1, especially if it could decide the title. But if the title isn’t going to be decided that day, the SFA might give it to someone else.”
Source: Football Scotland