Referees

[whitestreak]

Just a thought...
After many games of bad officiating
If EPL is really to step up and justify its boast of being the "world's best league"
It needs to go out and headhunt, and or recruit the worlds best referees, linesmen etc(and VAR officials if we are going to persist with VAR). I can not think of one referee out there at the moment that should be in the worlds best league, but even if i am wrong there are not many!
Go and pay the money and get the best. The current standards are awful.
Train them and make the decision making consistent.
Make them watch each others games and achieve consistent decision making..

 

[tooey]

It's literally the impossible job. What one set of fans perceive as a good call (benefits their team) the opposite set of fans deem a bad call (punishes their team).

Whilst there are still some objectively bad calls and real balls-ups, we'll never be in the position where the public agree that the level of officiating is high enough.

They watch hours of footage, attend countless meetings, they have weekly peer reviews, monthly reviews with seniors.

They're professionals and work their arses off for not a (relatively) large amount of money.

They're the pantomime villain and it's no wonder we can't get people to become refs, they can't win. If we want the standard to increase then it's simple-

1. Pay them more
2. Protect them properly
3. Take away VAR
4. Zero tolerance on any dissent
5. Stop creating conspiracy theories because a throw in has been called the wrong way.

Recruit whoever you like from whatever country you like, you'll still call them a c*** as soon as something isn't called o
in spurs favour. It's not about the standard of refereeing, it's about the decades and decades of pundits, fans and players being dickheads towards referees that's resulted in every mistake being treated like it's a personal attack.

 

[Krafty]

It’s a really hard job - but I don’t think they are helped with the way they are taught to conduct themselves. I’d love them to be empowered to explain their decisions more to players during the game, instead they make their decision and tell the players to go away.

They must also be taught not to stand up the players beyond that because they are always retreating when the players are coming to them - stand up to them, be strong, be commanding, you’re in charge.

flip side - the players behaviour can verge on disgraceful and mic-ing up refs so the players get exposed would be an eye opener. So much we can learn from rugby (which is hardly a game full of angels)

 

[Mr Pink]

Yes theyll always get jip from one set of fans but looking at the officiating on the pitch and some of the decisions are mind blowing.

The foul on Richarlison yesterday, shoved to the ground...

The one on Johnson against Brentford, literally flung to the ground.

These arenrt little niggly fouls whereby the interpretation for the ref isnt clear cut necessarilly....like Harrison on Vicario....i can understand the spliting on opinion on those.

Theyre hugely fucking obvious ones, and there is no excuse for the referee to fail with their interpretation there. And if they do VAR should step in immediately.

Until Web actually reprimands them for their incomptence (at times) we'll continue to see them.

 

[mcbridemartin]

As mentioned on here previously by myself and others there is a significant issue in that referees are largely from the north east of England, some in north-west and midlands, virtually none from the south (east or west). This is not a new situation, and it leaves me with a feeling that many referees are officiating with a form of unconscious bias. Of course they will deny this, and some of you will mock as always, but the older I get and the more games I watch referees at Spurs, the more I believe something must be going on. This is an issue the FA needs to sort out, are there really no competent referees down south, or is an historic power thing involving northern referee associations?

Some other things referees or the FA can easily do to make an immediate difference:

- Make sure officials shirts do not clash with either team and both goalkeepers (law 4 - basic rule yet seems to be an issue most weekends)
- Ensure the managers actually stand in the technical area throughout the game - and if they do not get out a yellow card (maybe after one warning) - not difficult for 4th official to spot this - he is next to both managers the entire game and does little else.
- Crack down on obvious time wasting from the start - verbal warning first offence, yellow cards each time after
- Apply laws consistently - if you want an injured player or sub. to leave the pitch via nearest point then apply the requirement the same in each game.
- Scrap the stupid rule about waiting to put a flag up even for an obvious offside, if it is obvious stop play before someone gets hurt.
- Avoid VAR screens being near the bench of home teams. I thought this was a rule, our screen is the other side, yet I have seen different things at Arsenal and Liverpool where the screens are very near the home team manager.
- Let people who have paid money to watch a game know what is happening. Currently we are standing around for ages not knowing what they are checking. Against Chelsea they went off to check a penalty and came back with a red card for Romero as well.
- Stop giving Liverpool every decision after the disallowed goal at Spurs - seriously not event trying to hide it now. The only exception was the penalty they should have got against Arsenal - but of course they are another team that officials are frightened to upset. Those two clubs are the absolute worst, get loads of generous decision then cry like babies when something goes against them (and this season issuing threatening statements in public - something they should have been charged for but of course were not).

 

[Beni]

I always thought it’s better to have referees shared out across the top 5 leagues where you don’t get a ref from your own country. For me, theres incompetence in referees but also unconscious/conscious bias going on for things they can get away on on 50/50 calls and interpretations. Having referees ref a game in another country where there is no affiliation or any type of bias would be a massive start.

 

[ParklaneDazza]

I agree with all of the above, but for me its the inconsistancy of it all. How one player can perform multiple fouls and get away with it, Maupay, Silva, Yates to name a few yet others perform the same types of tackles ( all fouls I know) but all get booked and or sent off frequently, Udogie, Romero, Bissouma. Also not sure how they do not see the blatent and constant grappling, holding and shirt pulling in the box at corners.
It is a difficult job, but the standard of the new referees coming through is poor, made worse by not making propoer decisions when needed.

 

[whitestreak]

For example in yesterdays game there were many other fouls on Vicario, even if you thought the goal was borderline....so why not punish one or 2 of the others with a card?
It would soon tend to stamp it out......

 

[easley91]

My one gripe is how consistently inconsistent they are with similar decisions. You can see the same scenario in two games on the same day with two different results. That's the problem. It's also game week to game week. They started the season booking delays and dissent, but have since stopped that. They called for fouls on keepers and now seem to have suddenly decided to let them go.

I agree it's an impossible job, but I don't think how they're running things is particularly helping themselves.

 

[Japhet]

My one gripe is how consistently inconsistent they are with similar decisions. You can see the same scenario in two games on the same day with two different results. That's the problem. It's also game week to game week. They started the season booking delays and dissent, but have since stopped that. They called for fouls on keepers and now seem to have suddenly decided to let them go.

I agree it's an impossible job, but I don't think how they're running things is particularly helping themselves.

VAR has also been a disaster. It was a golden opportunity to support Refs in giving correct, evidence based decisions but has been an absolute clusterfuck. As you say though, inconsistency is diabolical at times.

 

[cwy21]

We just saw people boo and whistle because Taylor had to change his headset. It doesn't matter who the refs are they are the villain by default.