Bobby Madden left Scottish football because he felt he'd hit a glass ceiling - with Willie Collum 's lack of progress on the international scene proving to be the final straw. That's according to former top flight ref Charlie Richmond, who told Football Scotland of Madden's reasoning for leaving the Scottish game behind.
Madden was one of the SFA's most prominent whistlers and was a regular pick for the top games in the country before he left to join the English FA in the summer. Madden took charge of a number of pressure-cooker Rangers vs Celtic clashes, as well as being picked by UEFA to to run the rule over various Europa League, Champions League and international games over the years.
He and Collum were the two big names in Scottish refereeing but Madden watched on as his colleague, seen as the main man within the SFA, was overlooked for the Euros and missed out on the knockout stages of the Champions League. According to Richmond, Madden felt something had to change - and moving to the English game would give him the chance to progress.
