Smith (far right) feels criticism of referees has become excessive

Rangers manager Walter Smith feels recent criticism of referees in Scotland has become "ridiculous".

"It's becoming the referees who are influencing games," said Smith after his side's 3-1 win over St Mirren.

"It should be players and managers that influence games and the better the job we do at it, the better our teams do.

"I moan at referees' decisions but it's reaching a ridiculous proportion and it's not giving the referees the proper opportunity to do their job."

Gus MacPherson was unhappy at referee Charlie Richmond's decision not to punish Rangers captain David Weir for an early foul on Michael Higdon in Saturday's match at Ibrox.

"Everybody wants people to get ordered off and everybody wants penalties against us and everybody wants everything against us at the present moment," said Smith.

"I don't know what road we're going down in that respect.

"We seem to be reaching a ridiculous stage where refereeing decisions are actually becoming far more important than the game itself.

"It's a game of football. Refereeing decisions - good, bad or indifferent - have been part of our football for a good number of years.

"When I started, Jim McLean, Alex Ferguson, Jock Stein all moaned about refereeing decisions. I moan about them. Everybody moans about them.

"But now, in Scotland, they seem to be going into an area that's taking far greater significance than what they are. Your team's got to be good enough to overcome them."

Meanwhile, Smith would not be drawn on speculation about a takeover bid for Rangers by a London-based consortium.

"I don't know anything about it, that's not in my domain," he added.

"I had enough problems trying to win a football match this afternoon."

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