The thing is, it has to be something you love doing. I don’t know what refs get paid but I doubt it is a lot at our level, I doubt many/any are doing it for the money. I’m not sure how much job satisfaction you get from being called a w***** every decision.
The standard is really low, but I’m not sure what the solution is.
Linesman or assistant referees whatever they are called now annoy me even more than refs. They are pointless, they may as well just do offsides cos they offer nothing else. Even throw in decisions, the amount where they just stand there waiting for the ref to make the decision is ridiculous, you watch next game, even obvious ones.
I love playing football, but I’m crap at it and anyone calling out just how crap I’m playing would be absolutely correct.
I have run the line many, many times and a lot of refs would say to you to do exactly that, just do the offsides and I’ll do the rest, so yep annoying but suspect sometimes it may be down to the refs not exactly saying that but making it clear their help is neither needed or appreciated.
I couldnt be a ref though, i did one weeks training for it, and everyday when i walked out the house my nan shouted wanker at me to get me prepared, made me cry everytime. Found out years later she wasnt preparing me for being a ref
Years ago, 70’s I think, there was a one of drama on tv about a ref in a sunday league game.
The premise was that he was was a bit of a down trodden man who’s wife bossed him around and didn’t really get any respect in other aspects of his life and ref’ing was the one thing he did which gave him a sense of having any sort of power and control in his life.
Whilst I think most refs are just finding a way to be involved in a sport they love, there are undoubtedly some of these around and unfortunately a few which have been allowed to progress to the professional game.
I normally try and defend refs, but maybe yesterday isn’t the game to do that too strongly.
What I will say is that he was trying his best and it was the players who were cheating and breaking the rules. For instance Demetriou had his arms round Matt almost every time the ball was played towards him, and Matt had to push back. I’ve had sex with less physical contact than what they were getting up to. Our defenders were pulling and holding too. When corners are taken I reckon there must be six offences at least that could be given one way or the other.
Almost every decision is disputed, players steal yards and yards at throw ins and free kicks, players pretend to be injured when they are not (and what can a ref do? What if they are seriously hurt?), keepers fall to the ground for no reason to waste time, the ball is kicked away or held on to rather than return it to an opponent for a throw or free kick…it’s pathetic, a load of supposed grown-ups behaving like spoilt kids and managers who happily turn a blind eye to their own players behaviour but moan about opponents when they do it.
The refs lot would be a happier one if players behaved better and if managers demanded good behaviour.
This isn’t a dig at Sadler or our players, I think yesterday we were more sinned against than sinning, but it’s a problem throughout football at all levels and simply blaming a referee, even when they have a nightmare performance, is, I think, missing the point. Those who play and manage could make a refs job far easier.
Agree. I think Crewes way of playing as well as behaving in the game is all part of their approach to getting a result. Disrupt. Aggravate. Conflict and unrest. Especially away from home. It works for some sides fair play.
As for refereeing…
You are out on a course
Pass an assessment over the weeks
Then in the most part cut loose.
The leagues don’t help. The county fa’s are money driven. They don’t help.
Most referee assessors and the way I’ve heard them talk and feed back to refs is a disgrace.
This is before you address the lack of clarity and constant changes in guidance / laws / rules
Let alone the lack of knowledge about laws / guidance / rules that players, officials, fans have anyway.
Not sure players would be much better. Them “seeing it” differently wouldn’t make their “management” of players and the game any better. That’s a temperament / personality thing
Todays ref - he had no way of managing what was going on and the game spiralled away from him
I think you’re right to highlight that, and I wonder if part of the problem is that those who stick with it are the ones who can handle the abuse and the threats, rather than those who are necessarily the best at the job of refereeing.
I couldn’t put up with it. At non-league matches where every word, pretty much, can be heard, I’m appalled at what gets said (yelled or bellowed, more like) and bemused that offenders aren’t properly dealt with. My favourite this season is “guessing again, you arrogant prick” shouted at a linesman by a manager who was forty yards away from a correctly given offside decision. No action was taken.
You make some good points there but referees are surely aware of the dark arts too and that is what frustrates fans. Having supported Walsall for decades I think the standard of officiating is the worse I can remember. The constant tinkering of the rules doesn’t help and those at the top carry a heavy responsibility.
Maybe referees are fast tracked to quickly into the League these days. They all seem very young to me but then do most other people.
In my younger days if we had a poor referee it was rare. Nowadays it is nearly every week. Something is going wrong but I do t really know what the answer is. Maybe stop tinkering with the rules each season and giving young referees the chance to learn the game at lower levels for longer might help. Finally encourage more footballers to take up the job on retirement would be a good thing.
I’m sure they are but he is one man and there are 22 players all trying it on.
I wouldn’t disagree that the general standard is poor, I’m just not sure that all the blame should go on the hapless referee. And I would also agree that the rule changes have not helped.
But as others have said, they don’t seem to make anything like the use they could of their assistants, so have brought 1 v 22 on themselves to a degree.
@JumboTrudgeon but it’s about management of the players and games.
Did he interfere to much yesterday yes.
Did he let to many get away with to much yes.
Should he have known Crewe were arseholes yes. Refs should be aware of what they are coming in to. They should prep in the week like teams do. They should watch both teams previous games - understand the stats. Understand set plays. Identify any issues between clubs staffs players. Get feedback on consistency with colleagues.
Now none of that should influence the application of the LAWS.
But it should influence the management and the way in which they are enforced / implemented.
I absolutely agree refs have probably the hardest job in football, but that is the job. It takes a certain skill set to control a group of people in a heated environment who are pushed to do whatever it takes to win.
It is not sufficient to just know and understand the laws and how to apply them. It needs those skills and temperament as well.
At school I had 2 teachers that were by far the most knowledgable and brilliant at their subject, they were the worst teachers in the school and should have not been teachers because they could not control a class and didn’t have the skills to effectively communicate with kids that would frequently become more unruly in their classes than others because of this. End result chaos.
