Dundee vs Rangers call off protocol CORRECT as Don Robertson lands 2 point defence over Dens Park controversy

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has offered a defence of referee Don Robertson and his decision call off Rangers visit to Dundee.

The late call off of the lunchtime Scottish Premiership clash denied the Light Blues the chance to return to the top of the table - with Celtic going into the international break at the summit with heavy rainfall on Tayside sparking the postponement of the key fixture. For Dundee it is their fourth home game of the season fall victim – leaving Philippe Clement furious as he warned league bosses over the standard of the Dens Park pitch.

Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton was among those to criticise whistler Robertson over his arrival time - with the former Celtic hero arriving at the stadium at 9am for his punditry duties as a Sky Sports pundit. A local referee conducted an initial pitch inspection at 9.15am - but it was over an hour later before Robertson made the official decision following a second look at 10.15am.

But quizzed on the protocol that should be in place at Dens Park, Gallagher explained that bringing in the local referee was the correct call if the man in the middle was unable to arrive earlier. He also noted that Dundee could have raised concerns the night before if they felt the match was in jeopardy.

He told Sky Sports: “The referee is checking if the pitch is playable. Does the ball bounce and is it dangerous for the players? The referee did not feel it was up to scratch. The process for the club is that if they felt it was in doubt, get the referee in early or a local referee in early and to look at it of that calibre.

“The match referee went at 10.30 in the morning and called it off. The referee has the final say, or Dundee if they felt it was unplayable the