REFEREES have been in the spotlight once again over the last couple of weeks.

They get a hard time, they are always going to get a hard time, and that is the case across Europe, not just in Scotland.

I have said for a while now that we need to do something to help them and the best way of doing that would be making them professional and full-time. It is an absolute must.

People go on about VAR but mistakes can still be made with that system. VAR, for me, is just something people want to say they have in place in Scotland.

I was in Poland with VAR and there were still mistakes so my opinion hasn’t changed when it comes to what I think will actually benefit the officials and the game here.

If we are talking about trying to find funding for VAR, then surely we could find the funding for full-time referees? Then you know who wants to be a referee and who is just doing it part-time on a Saturday for the match fee.

If we can get funding, we can get younger officials coming through and make it a full-time profession in Scotland. There are people out there that want to be a referee as their job.

Sometimes people need to be referees for financial reasons. It is a good part-time job and it pays well.

The answer for me is to get them full-time and it will help them and help our game. Then they will be working every day on their game, their decisions and maybe even be able to come out to explain their decisions and back their decisions up.

That would be a real game-changer for Scottish football but unfortunately it will come down to the finances and whether those in charge of the game and the clubs want to pay for it or not.