THE end of the campaign is a time for reflection and managers, players and supporters will spend the coming weeks looking back at their failures or success and looking forward to the new season.

It can only be hoped that the Scottish FA use the summer to have a long, hard look at themselves as well because our game certainly doesn’t need another season like this one when it comes to disciplinary controversies and cock-ups.

The list of incidents - from Daniel Candeias being sent off for blowing a kiss to Steve Clarke’s post-match hatchet job on Steven McLean - have made for great headlines and sparked plenty of debates.

But it hardly paints our game in a positive light when referees or the role of the Compliance Officer are amongst the main talking points.

Managers and players repeatedly call for consistency, while supporters struggle to comprehend the rules and the process as cases that are seemingly the same are treated differently.

The SFA must know what they are doing, but there is a damning feeling amongst fans at times that they are making it up as they go along.

Until she was appointed at Hampden last August, almost nobody in Scottish football would have heard of Clare Whyte.

The fact that she is now one of the most talked about figures in the sport sums up just how farcical a season this has been at Hampden.

It is fair to say that Ian Maxwell has had quite a major item on his to-do list in recent weeks. The sacking of Alex McLeish was one big decision, but the hiring of his replacement could make or break Maxwell’s tenure as chief executive.

Once that process is complete, there needs to be a serious discussion in the corridors of power about the standard of refereeing and the disciplinary process.

Both have left managers bemused and supporters furious at various stages of the season. It is some going to upset each side of the Old Firm in one go, but that is what Whyte and the SFA achieved following Rangers’ derby win at Ibrox.

The decision to cite Jon Flanagan for his elbow on Scott Brown, despite refereeing Kevin Clancy taking action at the time and giving the Rangers defender a yellow card, angered the Light Blues. As did the perplexing call not to make Jozo Simunovic defend himself for his off the ball incident with Jermain Defoe.

Then it was Celtic’s turn. After Neil Lennon claimed Celtic were ‘above all that’ as he addressed Rangers’ statement on the incident, the Hoops labelled the matter a ‘huge embarrassment for Scottish football’ when Flanagan won his appeal on Friday morning.

It should never have reached that stage, though. It should be the referee’s decision that is final, not the panel at Hampden.

If Clancy, as he did, sees the incident with Brown and decides Flanagan should be booked, then that has to be the end of the matter.

In January and February, the SFA sent out two emails detailing the Compliance Officer process. In both, they state that Whyte can only get involved if the referee hasn’t seen an incident in its entirety or if part of the incident is unseen.

Of course, no official can view moments like Whyte can. He doesn’t have several camera angles or a slow-motion replay in that split second where he has been trusted to make a decision on the field.

Incidents that have been missed are fair game for the Compliance Officer but the match official’s decision on the park must be final.

This process of ‘re-refereeing’ games once the highlight packages have been broadcast is a nonsense.

And it does nothing for the reputation of a system that isn’t fit for purpose and is almost under fire on a weekly basis.

Rangers have been firm advocates of change throughout the season and there will be more to come out of Ibrox sooner rather than later.

The Gers were confident Flanagan’s challenge was only a yellow card offence, but the appeal was two-fold in purpose as it also allowed them to ask questions of the SFA at Friday’s hearing. Accepting the ban wouldn’t have given them that opportunity and their strategy wouldn’t be as effective.

But the process will only be altered if more clubs throw their weight behind the push. It is the members, after all, that have the most power at Hampden.

Scottish football should use the summer wisely, therefore, and learn from the mistakes. There are too many grey areas when it should all really be black and white.