The man in charge of Scotland's referees last night insisted the spate of controversies over decisions in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League was down to "bad luck".

The man in charge of Scotland's referees last night insisted the spate of controversies over decisions in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League was down to "bad luck".

"There will always be dubious decisions and human beings will make errors," said Donald McVicar, head of referee development at the Scottish Football Association.

McVicar, who confirmed that Dougie McDonald had been chosen to take control of the Old Firm match on Sunday, said Scottish referees were well-prepared but needed to have "a bit of luck".

He was speaking after a series of decisions going back to the final weeks of last season which have dominated the headlines. The controversies have continued since Mike McCurry admitted he was wrong in crucial decisions in the Rangers v Dundee United match in May. Craig Levein, the United manager, believed his side had a goal wrongly disallowed and were denied a penalty. Charlie Richmond was also accused of making an error by not awarding Dundee United a penalty against Celtic last week.

On Saturday, Iain Brines missed Stephen McManus scoring the first goal of Celtic's 3-0 home win over Falkirk with a hand. Michael Higdon, the Falkirk striker, accused the referee of "bottling it" and John Hughes, his manager, said the hand-ball was visible from the stand.

Brines, too, was at the centre of a controversy at the same venue last season when he signalled for an infringement before Zander Diamond put the ball into the net for what would have been an Aberdeen equaliser against Celtic.

At Pittodrie last weekend, Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, claimed referees were under pressure not to show Old Firm bias after an offside decision shortly before DaMarcus Beasley hit what would been the winning goal against Aberdeen.

"A couple of things have happened that should not have happened," conceded McVicar. "But it must be remembered that generally referees have performed well. We are also constantly trying to improve all aspects of their game. They are given advice on nutrition, fitness and sports psychology. There are regular training camps and we are constantly talking to the guys."

This form of communication is sometimes conducted by email and one was leaked last week that suggested McVicar was not happy with recent events. "I can confirm that referees were given a message about the need to communicate," he said. "We stressed during the close season that assistant referees and referees have the facility to communicate with each other and they should use it.

"Hugh Dallas the SFA's referees development officer and I have observed some failings in this, so we reinforced the message to referees and assistant referees: do not be afraid to communicate."

He emphasised that the message merely "reinforced" previous advice and that referees were being told to "get back to doing their job well".

McVicar also said referees had to operate in the most difficult of circumstances. "Most people who criticise players have played football," he said. "But most people who criticise referees have never refereed.

"It is a goldfish bowl, particularly in Scotland. Down south there are different regions in a football sense and thus a refereeing row is rarely national news. Up here, football is a main topic and generates a lot of media coverage.

"What happens is there is one mistake and there appears to be a cumulation from then on. This does not mean there is a major refereeing crisis. The guys are well-prepared and all they need is a bit of luck." He said referees could be the victim of "un-luck or bad luck".

The pressure on referees has been cranked up by the all-seeing eye of the television camera. "Action replays have certainly done us no favours," said McVicar. "We will never win that battle. The referee must react in an instant and repeated television pictures can make a tough decision look easy."

However, he is not a supporter of television aids for officials as he feels they are not suited to the way football is played. He conceded, however, that refereeing decisions were now the staple diet of a voracious media, adding: "All the tired phone-ins need something like this."

On McDonald's appointment to the Old Firm match, McVicar said: "He had been pencilled in for this one for quite a few weeks. He's fit, alert and focused and has a lot of experience both at home at abroad. He's comfortable refereeing at the top level because he has experience."