Give the Ref a break!

[Charlie Wayman]

Excellent article on the refs lot in the Guardian today. Long read indeed but stick with it; it gives a great insight into the problems and challenges facing referees today.

A must read for all footie fans with an open and fair mind.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/21/inside-world-premier-league-football-referees-pgmol-howard-webb-andre-marriner-darren-england

[Kenilworthy]

On 21/03/2023 at 09:27, Charlie Wayman said:

Excellent article on the refs lot in the Guardian today. Long read indeed but stick with it; it gives a great insight into the problems and challenges facing referees today.

A must read for all footie fans with an open and fair mind.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/21/inside-world-premier-league-football-referees-pgmol-howard-webb-andre-marriner-darren-england

Very good article. Excellent point made about trying to judge every decision when really its only the obvious errors that should go to VAR. When VAR was introduced we though the intent was to stop David Silva scoring when yards offside, and now it is making calls over inches.

[tajjuk]

It is a good read and I think a lot of football fans seem to forget that refs are humans and also ignore that they get so many decisions right but might get one or two wrong and that is all that gets focused on.

It also highlights what I think is the main issue with VAR, the technology is fine, the people running it are not and it's good to see they are looking at training specific VAR operators rather have existing refs doing it as it's basically a completely different job. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

Half the problem with refs is themselves. If they weren’t so incompetent they wouldn’t get so much clog. They’ve got the tools to clamp down on abuse, dissent and swearing but don’t have the balls to do so. They’re more interested in “managing” the game, rather than enforcing the laws of the game. 

[Charlie Wayman]

1 hour ago, Kenilworthy said:

Very good article. Excellent point made about trying to judge every decision when really its only the obvious errors that should go to VAR. When VAR was introduced we though the intent was to stop David Silva scoring when yards offside, and now it is making calls over inches.

Quite right. First and foremost the on-pitch referee is in charge of the match in real time;  the VAR refs should avoid the temptation of interfering or nit picking their decisions at every opportunity. It might be better for the on-pitch referee to be the person who initiates a VAR enquiry, if for example they are genuinely 50/50 on a decision. The idea of a Big Brother constantly looking over their shoulders surely can do nothing for the morale of referees.

Otherwise let the refs decisions stand. I agree, the nonsense of drawing lines 0.5mm apart to decide that an attacker is offside by a toenail is a complete nonsense and is ruining the game. I was also impressed by the common sense admission that refs usually can tell the seriousness of an incident by the collective responses of players.

Edited 22 March, 2023 by Charlie Wayman

[Saint Keef]

The accuracy or lack of with these marginal offsides is not where the lines are drawn, but the exact moment the ball is played by the player making the pass. Is it when the ball is in contact with the foot? Is is when the ball leaves the foot. I've seen VAR pictures where the ball appears to be be 3 feet wide (slight exaggeration. In those split seconds when a pass is made can be the difference between being mm onside or mm offside. Case in point was Walcott's recent offside against Grismby when JWP took the quick free-kick and Walcott broke their back line. I didn't see one decent picture of the ball leaving JWP's foot, so how can VAR say when the ball was actually played. I can't remember if the lino flagged on that one. If he didn't and the ref thinks it's a good goal - in my book it should stand unless VAR can clearly show they made a mistake and in that case I don't think they proved anything.   

[East Kent Saint]

4 hours ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Half the problem with refs is themselves. If they weren’t so incompetent they wouldn’t get so much clog. They’ve got the tools to clamp down on abuse, dissent and swearing but don’t have the balls to do so. They’re more interested in “managing” the game, rather than enforcing the laws of the game. 

I think it’s the FA , Prem etc who should be setting strict rules about players behaviour towards refs . Like rugby , the Man U v Fulham game was a typical disgrace , no ref should have to back peddle because the players are ‘in their face’ . It was both teams doing it as well . What’s the ref supposed to ? Grab them round the throat ?

[Lord Duckhunter]

1 hour ago, East Kent Saint said:

 It was both teams doing it as well . What’s the ref supposed to ? Grab them round the throat ?

Send them off. 

[Whitey Grandad]

On 21/03/2023 at 09:27, Charlie Wayman said:

Excellent article on the refs lot in the Guardian today. Long read indeed but stick with it; it gives a great insight into the problems and challenges facing referees today.

A must read for all footie fans with an open and fair mind.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/21/inside-world-premier-league-football-referees-pgmol-howard-webb-andre-marriner-darren-england

Thanks for that, very interesting. When I used to referee it was a Sunday morning and apart from the two teams there were only a couple of spectators. I always tried to be genuinely fair and even handed but I know I made some bad mistakes and they still haunt me now. 
 

Many people think that referees are useless but a competitive game without one is not possible. The players themselves are important in the way that they approach the game and some are a joy to referee but when big money gets involved dishonesty rears its ugly head.

[Turkish]

The under the Cosh podcast with Jeff Winter is very good. Didn’t really like him much when he was a ref but comes across as a real football guy and follows rangers and Middlesbrough home and away. It’s well worth a listen he’s quite funny and is very honest about the players and ref relationship, talks about some former refs and what bellends they are also the good ones. 
 

it’s a very difficult job but some of them don’t help themselves thinking they are celebrities themselves. 

[Saint_clark]

One change that needs to happen is that VAR officials need to be specially trained, not referees doing that as well, and they shouldn't be teamed up with the same referee every week.