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[cornishrobin]

why is it that EVERY time i watch Alty i always leave feeling hard done by the ref and or linesmen,
IS it me or does the standard of refereeing need addressing. I would very much like to read the match report of todays ref.
And this not because we lost today, 2nd half was poor, but some of the decisions were hard to understand on both sides.
so my question is where do these refs get their training, and why do they came up short on match days,
who refs the refs. THE STANDARD MUST IMPROVE.

[Bath Alty]

Evening Cornishrobin.  Hope you had a good trip back.  Good to meet you today (assuming it was you Dad & I sat next to!)

[cornishrobin]

its me alright .roads all clear time of a beer and relax

[distancetraveller]

I totally agree with you Cornishrobin... I realise that junior refs/Linesmen. have to ply there trade in the lower echelons to gain the experience. I acknowledge that they have to assess, and make split second decisions  but having said that, the basic decision making of a high percentage of refs in the BSP is alarming..

I realise that there are even more junior refs who post on this forum who would probably disagree with me but that is my personal opinion.

There are too many refs in this league who have an urge to be the centre of attention. Most football fans will agree that the good refs are the ones who you dont notice...

I do not see this situation changing anytime soon.

It took there player who was sent off, nigh on two minutes to walk the full diagonal of the pitch just so he could run down the clock (why else would he do that)? Moreso. Why didnt the ref make him go to the nearest touch line and walk round the pitch?  

 Why not use technology as they do to great success in Rugby league for instance? It also cuts out all the arguing from players with the officials..

Personally, I am all for technology. especially in the decision that denied us an equaliser in extra time today but that is a totally different topic.

PS     I liken referees to schoolteachers, They are always fkn right and refuse to listen to other opinions.
Any school teachers who read this >>> If the cap fits 

[jimmyhank]

Personally, I don't agree with technology in the modern game. When I look at a league table at the end of the season it never lies. If ever there was an argument for technology then the playoff game between Ireland and France should have highlighted this but the governing body's stance remained the same. Yes, ref's decisions can be a bit hit and miss but sometimes you get the rub of the green and sometimes you don't. For me the game would be less appealing for constant interruptions to refer decisions to an eye in the sky.

[Toff Apple]

I totally agree with you Cornishrobin... I realise that junior refs/Linesmen. have to ply there trade in the lower echelons to gain the experience. I acknowledge that they have to assess, and make split second decisions  but having said that, the basic decision making of a high percentage of refs in the BSP is alarming..

I realise that there are even more junior refs who post on this forum who would probably disagree with me but that is my personal opinion.

There are too many refs in this league who have an urge to be the centre of attention. Most football fans will agree that the good refs are the ones who you dont notice...

I do not see this situation changing anytime soon.

It took there player who was sent off, nigh on two minutes to walk the full diagonal of the pitch just so he could run down the clock (why else would he do that)? Moreso. Why didnt the ref make him go to the nearest touch line and walk round the pitch? 

 Why not use technology as they do to great success in Rugby league for instance? It also cuts out all the arguing from players with the officials..

Personally, I am all for technology. especially in the decision that denied us an equaliser in extra time today but that is a totally different topic.

PS     I liken referees to schoolteachers, They are always fkn right and refuse to listen to other opinions.
Any school teachers who read this >>> If the cap fits 

As both a school teacher and a ref, I do agree with you that it can often become about the personality and it shouldn't be.
As for the teacher thing, its time to let go and move on.

[RedhillAlty]

I agree with distance traveller. Refereeing standards are not going to improve when Refs are of the opinion that they are beyond fault or reproach. Do you really think refs criticising refereeing decisions is a subject discussed at Referees meetings? What really ruins a supporters and players day are the Refs that believe they are the centre of attraction and not the players.  I do not believe that these so called errors balance out over a season - and look what they do to teams and players in Cup matches.

I was not at the FGR game so cannot comment on Col's equaliser being offside or not. However the Ref would have been correct to take the linesman's decision who would have been in a better position to judge. The linesman is also entitled to take 5 seconds to raise his flag - there is also nothing in the laws of the game saying he cant. Its better to take tiem and get the decision correct than regretably raising it immediately and being wrong. In theory there should be less chance of an error if time to think is taken, which is needed with the current offside law. However the flag has to be raised as soon as possible.

As bad as some of the Refs are in the BSP, if there were not Refs/Officials the game would be total chaos.

[RedhillAlty]

Jimmyhank- I agree that the Ireland v France play-off was a classic reason for using technology especially when the officials missed 2 handballs and an offside in the same phase. In the case of that match there was no way the governing body was going to intervene with the match result as it was them that manipulated the rules half way through the competition to give France an advantage to qualify. Firstly FIFA changed its mind and seeded the play-off teams so the teams ranked higher by FIFA would not play each other. Then to balance out this change of rule, they allowed the non-seeded teams to have the advantage of playing the away leg first - except for Ireland where  France werre given the advantage of playing away first. So FIFA got what they wanted - France to play in the World Cup Finals. In this instance FIFA would not want technology to bring a serial cheat like Henry to justice, as the cheats are within FIFA.

[RedhillAlty]

I totally agree with ellisapple's comparison between Refs and teachers as both are remarkable at closing ranks when criticism is pointed in their directonor or even just questioned. I had an issue witn one of my young kids very young teacher and asked advice from a relative of mine that has been teaching for many years. I was told in no uncertain terms that teachers were well trained, monitored and mentored, highly qualified professionals whose ability is beyond reproach or questionable. Without hearing the facts I was assumed to be the one in the wrong.

[taxi Phil]

I totally agree with ellisapple's comparison between Refs and teachers as both are remarkable at closing ranks when criticism is pointed in their directonor or even just questioned. I had an issue witn one of my young kids very young teacher and asked advice from a relative of mine that has been teaching for many years. I was told in no uncertain terms that teachers were well trained, monitored and mentored, highly qualified professionals whose ability is beyond reproach or questionable. Without hearing the facts I was assumed to be the one in the wrong.

Bit like fkn Social Workers then !

[seasonticket]

I have been complaining for a long time about the falling standards of refereeing at all levels. I belive that the quality of referees has been going downwards at a time when it needs to get better. The financial penalty caused to clubs, by bad decisions at our level is bad but of course even worse higher up the leagues.
Managers can lose their jobs after bad results. What happens to refs after bad games? On very few occasions refs get demoted, but then only maybe for a game or two. After most bad games they go home believing that they are beyond reproach. The FA perpetuate that attitude by doing nothing useful to improve the situation and frequently upholding bad decisions by referees.
The so called assesors are a waste of time. Being ex referees they are not going to critisize as strongly as maybe an independant assesor might.
On several occasions I have seriously considered giving up paying to watch football because of games being ruined by whistle happy prima donna refs. I am sure others are put off by the performance of the likes of a certain Mr R Joyce and his ilk.

[hsmith1]

Cornish robin,if it is Rik as you could see i did not make it saturday,but all referees have an assessor at some of their games through out the season,if they are not upto the required level then they drop back toa lower league or to the fourth offical,if i remember correctly.I used to run with a football league ref from Exeter,until he quit the running group.They have to reach a certain level in fitness as well,this was why Andy joined our group.I also think they have to go on courses throughout the season.Our last trip to Muff the ref that missed all their bad tackles then sent one from each side off was then refereeing at the european champs.i think it was during the close season,he was another ref from Devon.

[Jezza]

It is their holier than thou cannot ever make a mistake and even if I got you relegated tough closing ranks attitude that really annoys me....everyone makes a mistake, we all understand and accept that.....players have to hold their hands up and take the flak when they miss an open net...but a ref??? no way...all we get is a load of looney left pc type management speak of sureptitious signalling and other gobbledygook to explain how the decision was in fact correct and the 1,000 watching spectators are wrong.

I'm really not sure if standards have gone down...just annoying that technology is more available to correct obvious miscarriages of justice instantly.....but I do think there are more look at me refs these days and fewer refs you don't notice in a game.

I wonder what FIFA would have said if ireland had scored an obviously illegal goal and knocked favourite seeded france out?

[OldhamAlty]

The nature of reffereeing is always going to lead itself to a profession that constantly closes ranks, because incompetent ones and decent ones seem to get just as much grief as each other.

A lot of incorrect decisions are made every season simply because the ref didn't see it properly, his view was blocked or the incident was at too high a speed or whatever, but this isn't incompetence it's sheer bad luck. But with the nature of football fans are always going to look for someone to blame.

This means when incompetent refs do get criticised it's impossible to tell from what is just people scapegoating.

[Aussie Bob]

Main problem is that referees are seen and never heard from. If after the game they could be interviewed and explain their decisions it would calm things no end. And to be honest it would give refs a chance to have a rant back at stupid managers eg Whinger and Ferguson who cry like babies when they have something go against them.
I dont think the authorities have backed the refs up that much either...the rules have changed players have become more aggressive and will question the ref much more and try and intimidate them. Add to that the increase in TV coverage of games and more camera's at each game the refs job has become harder.
Why would anyone be a ref ? The amount of crap you receive is ridiculous and i doubt that many people get assesed on their job performance and demoted / promoted as much as being a ref ? You are on a hiding to nothing....unless the football authorities try and attract the best people for the job .they will have to accept whoever put their heads on the chopping block.
Any suggestions apart from technology (which would only be available with full tv coverage eg Premiership / Internationals) ?