Why has the standard of refereeing deteriorated so much? With so much money in the game you'd think that referees should at least 70-80% of decisions correct.
So why is the refereeing (in many cases) quite poor?
Training? Lack of support from assistant referees? Dare I say lack of neutralism? I think it's safe to say that refereeing comes up on this forum often, and for the right reasons, however, how many other other club forums question the ability of the man/woman in the middle?
So...what's the answer? When was the last time you left a game and thought to yourself 'that ref was alright ya'know?'
The referee in the man United game earlier was brilliant. John Brooks. Slightly card happy but he's 1 of the better referee's out their.
I’m sure it’s more complicated than this, but a couple of reasons are a) the speed the game is played at nowadays make it far more difficult than it was say 20 or 30 years ago and b) there are 22 players conning, cheating and appealing for everything, then blaming the ref when they get it wrong.
theAtlasI’m sure it’s more complicated than this, but a couple of reasons are a) the speed the game is played at nowadays make it far more difficult than it was say 20 or 30 years ago and b) there are 22 players conning, cheating and appealing for everything, then blaming the ref when they get it wrong.
I think this is part of it.
Plus with social media etc I think we see a lot more - it makes sure any errors can be widely seen regardless of media coverage of them.
the game is under a microscope these days , every second is filmed from many angles so all of the refs decisions are analysed and replayed , they have a split second to decide , we sit back and look at those decisions and after 5 mins decide they were wrong . Before all this we just accepted the decision and moved on , remember the refs right , even when they are wrong
I don't think it's as bad as some fans make out. I think the partisan nature of the football fan ensures that you'll rarely get an objective opinion on refs.
But...
VAR has undermined them, at least at the top. Then you take the behaviour of idiot fans/parents at the lowest levels and you think why would anyone want to referee? I'm sure many potentially good refs never consider it because of the abuse they'll get.
I also think the rules have become incredibly muddied, which makes decisions inconsistent.
Saturdays ref clearly doesn't like us, 2 games this season and we've had 8 yellows.
[www.whoscored.com]
A lot of refs seem to be easily conned by teams who know how to play them
e17blueSaturdays ref clearly doesn't like us, 2 games this season and we've had 8 yellows.
[www.whoscored.com]
A lot of refs seem to be easily conned by teams who know how to play them
Players fault for conning them or refs fault for getting it wrong? Players will try anything to get a decision go in their favour, even when they know it’s wrong, then bleat like a spoilt child when it doesn’t! Impossible job at times.
I don't think it has deteriorated, it's pretty much always been like this - in fact I'd argue it's improved.
Think back to the days of Rennie, Thomas etc - some of the decisions were so random it was actually laugh out loud stuff.
They will always get it wrong, they are human and it will continue to be at a point where games are decided by refs' poor decisions at times - it's a question of whether you just accept it as part of the game and don't moan about it, or not, for me.
Shirley it's I'm Blue Da Ba Dee Da Ba Daa?
I don't think it's as bad as some fans make out. I think the partisan nature of the football fan ensures that you'll rarely get an objective opinion on refs.
Exactly. If we're at home and think a ref had a good game, there will be a few thousand who think it was the worst refereeing performance they've ever seen; and they will shout the loudest. Vice versa.
StechyBlueI don't think it's as bad as some fans make out. I think the partisan nature of the football fan ensures that you'll rarely get an objective opinion on refs.
Exactly. If we're at home and think a ref had a good game, there will be a few thousand who think it was the worst refereeing performance they've ever seen; and they will shout the loudest. Vice versa.
What did you make of the refs performance on Saturday?
DanStechyBlueI don't think it's as bad as some fans make out. I think the partisan nature of the football fan ensures that you'll rarely get an objective opinion on refs.
Exactly. If we're at home and think a ref had a good game, there will be a few thousand who think it was the worst refereeing performance they've ever seen; and they will shout the loudest. Vice versa.
What did you make of the refs performance on Saturday?
Didn't give 2 touching balls and missed a foul on the pink ball
theAtlasI’m sure it’s more complicated than this, but a couple of reasons are a) the speed the game is played at nowadays make it far more difficult than it was say 20 or 30 years ago and b) there are 22 players conning, cheating and appealing for everything, then blaming the ref when they get it wrong.
I think there's a lot in that.
Some people would point out that I, and a lot of other fans, don't understand the laws of the game properly. And I expect they would be right.
Saturday's ref was something different though. He just had a fundamental lack of understanding of the game he was reffing. Swansea were one of the most cynically and systematically cheating sides I have seen for ages and he enabled them time after time after time by awarding fouls that just weren't there. From 75 minutes onwards the game was painful. So many piss weak free-kicks, so many Swansea players going down "injured" with nobody anywhere near them. So much time wasting. At least he did stick 8 minutes on, and us equalising in that time was satisfying.
He was very poor though, generally a negative effect on the game.
Bluesince62I don't think it has deteriorated, it's pretty much always been like this - in fact I'd argue it's improved.
Refs have improved in terms of fitness and professionalism.
They are massively worse at actually handling games I think.
Football has changed a lot though, a lot of the free-kicks that are given now - not so very long ago the referees would have told them to get up and get the eff on with the game.