Good Will punting

Collum's talking good game over VAR, let's see how it all checks out..

- KEITH JACKSON

WHO knew all this time the salvation of Scottish football would come in the shape of a smaller than average Willie? And not just any wee Willie either.

But the OG Wee Willie.

As the SFA's newly-appointed head of referees, Willie Collum has jumped from the frying pan straight into the fire and the former match official was pushed out front and centre over the weekend, launching an attempted charm offensive ahead of the upcoming campaign.

It's fair to say Collum doesn't always help himself in that regard.

It's not easy to humanise an individual who, by his very nature, is just not like other people.

Let's face it, there is something different about referees - it's what makes them want to pick up a whistle in the first place - and that's a tricky starting point when trying to come across as a man of the people.

Often, it manifests in a tendency to come across as a little too tightly strung and occasionally the men in black can veer towards being downright condescending, These very traits might make it hard to warm to Wee Willie but, even so, let's cut the guy a bit of slack now that he's been charged with fixing all the wrongs which made so much of last season an insufferable, exasperating watch.

Collum was at the centre of much of the controversy while carrying out his old day job, either in the middle of the pitch or from inside the VAR bunker at Clydesdale House.

The unfathomable confusion surrounding the hand ball rule wasn't his doing-that was down to the lack of clear advice coming from his predecessor Crawford Allan - but Collum was one of the unfortunates who had to front it up on a weekly basis.