Refereeing Standards

[handbags_harris]

I have said before within the realms of HNA that there should be a rule that an academy scholar who has been offered their first professional contract should be made to attend a referee's course and actually officiate 10 or so other league's academy games at something like U16 level. Maybe we could extend this to a part of the top level UEFA coaching badge so that those who want to coach to a good standard actually understand the rules and therefore minimise the impact of a "Chinese whispers" effect whereby an incorrect interpretation is coached into the game. Not only will this improve the knowledge of the laws of the game from the off, but I believe that it will also improve respect for officials.

Suonds like a great idea but is Colin not a qualified referee who has handled games - doesn't seem to make any difference to his outbursts

Fair point, well presented, and totally correct but he is currently an isolated figure. He should know better but there is a culture within football that is very much win at all costs and good ol' Colin has taken that to the highest level possible. He is there to win games, not to go on a one-man crusade because he holds a refereeing qualification.

Anyway, if this is an objection then it's a fruitless one IMO. Improving knowledge, or at least attempting to improve knowledge of the laws of the game can only be seen to be a good thing surely?

[Terminal Boardom]

To be honest if you're going to be a ref then you must realise what comes with it.

But why? In rugby and cricket, as well as many other sports, the officials are respected and the decisions made accepted. Why does football have to be different?

[royal tee]

I have said before within the realms of HNA that there should be a rule that an academy scholar who has been offered their first professional contract should be made to attend a referee's course and actually officiate 10 or so other league's academy games at something like U16 level. Maybe we could extend this to a part of the top level UEFA coaching badge so that those who want to coach to a good standard actually understand the rules and therefore minimise the impact of a "Chinese whispers" effect whereby an incorrect interpretation is coached into the game. Not only will this improve the knowledge of the laws of the game from the off, but I believe that it will also improve respect for officials.

Suonds like a great idea but is Colin not a qualified referee who has handled games - doesn't seem to make any difference to his outbursts

Fair point, well presented, and totally correct but he is currently an isolated figure. He should know better but there is a culture within football that is very much win at all costs and good ol' Colin has taken that to the highest level possible. He is there to win games, not to go on a one-man crusade because he holds a refereeing qualification.

Anyway, if this is an objection then it's a fruitless one IMO. Improving knowledge, or at least attempting to improve knowledge of the laws of the game can only be seen to be a good thing surely?

Not an objection at all - I completely agree with the point you are making. It is pretty disgraceful IMO the almost wilful lack of knowledge that players, manager and pundits show. It is almost like it is a badge of honour to appear stupid :S (ref: pundits at the world cup laughing and joking about not knowing anything about some of the teams).

I just wonder if it would all prove a futile exercise because quite frankly I seriously doubt whether the majority of players (and the majority of mangers/pundits are ex-players) have the basic intelligence to be able to read and fully comprehend the laws of the game.

[Terminal Boardom]

I just wonder if it would all prove a futile exercise because quite frankly I seriously doubt whether the majority of players (and the majority of mangers/pundits are ex-players) have the basic intelligence to be able to read and fully comprehend the laws of the game.

You can also add the majority of spectators too.

One interesting anecdote. Many years ago I played in the same team as a Football League referee. He would spend most of the game telling the referee what to do and look for

[cmonurz]

Graham Poll?

[Terminal Boardom]

Graham Poll?

No, but my ex-wife worked for the same company as him for a time back in the 90s.

[jumpers for goalposts]

I've said it before on his board that fortunately in English football we have the best sets of officials in the world- no joke.

Just look at the corruption elsewhere in Serie A, and the constant big team bias in La Liga is thoroughly embarassing.

The punditry and constant analysis of the game now is a massive turn off for me. The likes of Andy Gray and Alan Green in particular irk me no end. The former because he makes himself out to be the know-it-all of football, and Alan Green for his incessant, tiresome berating of the refs. The whole 'everyone gets a say' culture in the main does my head in, as highlighted by dross watched by the masses these days. Sadly football reflects this as well. As does the excuses culture of this country where it's always someone else's fault. Players and Managers are seldomly berated for their mistakes, but the referees are seem as fair game.

To answer the original question though, i'd say referees are no better or worse than when I first started watching football. Neither are th players and managers either, but the anlysis of football these days is just absurd, and self promotion seems to be never ending.

[Maguire]

'gree that the likes of Gray are a disgrace - paid to spout their ill-informed views about referees despite not understanding many of the laws of the game. For managers (who are generally under pressure), the referee is a convenient scapegoat to excuse poor performance and poor decision making. Sure the referees make errors but not as many as the multi-million pound footballers I see play each week.

Abuse at park level comes from the fact that most people are total pcunts, particualrly park footballers

And as for Atwell's decision at Watord - didn't the linesman give it?

[soggy biscuit]

Polish refs to take charge of Scottish SPL games this weekend.

Probably do a much better job at half the price

[Ian Royal]

agree with virtually everything posted on this thread.

better knowledge at all levels of the game, experience of reffing, more communication from officials... all would be great. The current situation with discipline is pretty much the officials fault though. They've taken shit for too many years from the players and managers without taking effective action. It'd be carnage clamping down on it now. You'd risk have a season of games finishing 8 a side.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

agree with virtually everything posted on this thread.

better knowledge at all levels of the game, experience of reffing, more communication from officials... all would be great. The current situation with discipline is pretty much the officials fault though. They've taken shit for too many years from the players and managers without taking effective action. It'd be carnage clamping down on it now. You'd risk have a season of games finishing 8 a side.

With regards to the last point Ian, The best way to deal with Dissent is to impose suspensions rather than Yellow Cards. You wouldnt get farcial games then in a clampdown. Eg, Player would have got a Yellow for verbals, just ban him for 1 game instead. 2 if he does it again.

[soggy biscuit]

Polish refs to take charge of Scottish SPL games this weekend.

the 12 Polish officials who have now abandoned plans to take charge of Scottish football matches this weekend were originally told they were travelling as part of a referee exchange programme between the two nations.

Marcin Borski, Pawel Gil and Hubert Siejewicz, together with six assistants and three fourth officials, all decided to cancel their plans to referee three of 11 fixtures scheduled when they learned they were instead needed to cover an ongoing strike.

LOL

[Royal With Cheese]

I'd like to see a sin bin for the minor offenses so you wouldn't have the drastic option of sending a player off you could sin bin them for 10 minutes.

[Y21_Royal]

I'd like to see a sin bin for the minor offenses so you wouldn't have the drastic option of sending a player off you could sin bin them for 10 minutes.

Agree with this. Seems silly that two technical offences eg taking your shirt off and time wasting get the same punishment (in the match) as a punch in the face. Two bookings should result in a 15 minute sin bin rather than a dismissal

[PEARCEY]

I'd like to see a sin bin for the minor offenses so you wouldn't have the drastic option of sending a player off you could sin bin them for 10 minutes.

Agreed. Good and radical option in my view.

[Victor Meldrew]

I'd like to see a sin bin for the minor offenses so you wouldn't have the drastic option of sending a player off you could sin bin them for 10 minutes.

Agreed and I agree with the general point about respect being shown to referees.
I don't agree with the view that we have the best referees in the world-Ithink they often cause problems when they have no rapport with the players but I do feel that the players don't help situations by regularly arguing the toss and being stupid enough to believe that the ref will change his mind.

From what I see week-in,week-out the annoying thing from a spectator's point of view is how often they are wrong about the simplest decisions.
If a player stays down longer (as with Harte v Norwich) the ref seems to assume that the foul must be worse than he first thought.
Players must bear some of the blame because of the increase in diving and exaggerating the effect of tackles but refs are far too easily conned and miss so much (as with Karacan's bad challenge in that same Norwich game.
For those that believe refs to be better nowadays I'll say just two words-Andy D'Urso.

[prostak]

Nice to see that refereeing is one sphere where there's no qualms over providing scab labor.

[PEARCEY]

Nice to see that refereeing is one sphere where there's no qualms over providing scab labor.

"labor". Are you American all of a sudden prostak?

[prostak]

Nah, just a TEFL habit I picked up. Haven't tried to change it cos it winds snobs up brilliantly.

[PEARCEY]

What the hells TEFL?