Quality of Referees in football

I thought the FA were trying to improve the quality of officials in our game?

The last 2 games at Oakwell have showed how woeful our referees and linesmen can be.

Surely if there is an assessor in the crowd, then these guys should be in for low marks and a relegation down the leagues. It's not as though there was one bad decision.......in both games we had multiple bad decisions.

 

The FA can't / won't sort it out at the very highest level so we've no chance. They do have a difficult job but sometimes they really are bordering on inept and we seem to get more than our fair share of bad decisions. The respect campaign is a gimmick and will never amount to anything more.

 

The one yesterday was a disgrace, some of the decisions he made were strange to say the least.

 

IMO the quality of referees has never changed its only that its highlighted more with television and the money involved.
Even in the sixties and seventies I can recall some absolute diabolical and outrageous decisions and non decisions from refs. And my father and uncles can recall the same in the forties and fifties.

 

I agree entirely. There are very few referees coming through for all the reasons you state. I read Pierluigi Collina's book a couple of years ago and it completely changed my view on referees. Despite what the arrogant tossers like Terry and Ferdinand et al think of themsleves, THE most important person on the pitch is the referee. I think people seem to forget that.

While not wanting to excuse diabolical refs (I will NEVER get over the Gary Willard experience), I just don't know where the refs will come from in the future because what is their incentive? Dogs abuse coming up through the ranks, dogs abuse from the fans and dogs abuse from the players. No thanks.

 

Fans usually only use the " the ref was crap " scenario after their team has lost. The fact that most on here have slagged off the refs from our last 2 matches, having won both games, really does highlight how bad they really were

 

The debate here is not about the incentives of becoming a referee...............and I do agree it is not a job I would do.

The debate here is not about how so-called role models such as Ferdinand, Terry, Ashely Cole, Suarez, etc. behave...........they have all acted in dispicable ways recently.

The debate IS about our last 2 games, where we have had referees who were simply not up to the task of refeering a Championship match. As IMER RED posted, we actually won both games, so the fact we still talk about this, does show how bad they really were. I watcehd both games live at Oakwell and some of the decisions were baffling......and you cannot use the excuse of TV cameras and replays, because you didn't need them.

A referee is a tough job....but very important job......the game needs to improve in this area, because to me, it stands out a country mile.

 

Not disputing the fact they were crap (if that's the concensus - I was not there), but again, what can you do about it? What makes someone want to be a ref? The ones you have witnessed at Oakwell this season are obviously the best that is available to the Championship - otherwise they wouldn't be there. We have probably been lucky - what do you think the standard is like in League 2, or the Conference? My other half supports Oldham and they seem to think they get the worst ref in the league every week! It's not just a "Barnsley thing".

It's a sad state of affairs, but what is the solution?

 

Most of us who go down to Oakwell have played football at some kind of level even if only pub team like me. We've done dark deeds on the field and have been on the end of them, too. We know what we are seeing when we witness some of the stuff going off, (ok, I'm a bit biased, but all fans are like that). What amazes us is when refs and linos just don't seem to be able to read what is going on right in front of them. I often turn to my mates and ask, "Do you think that ref has ever kicked a ball?" Time maybe for the FA to start a positive recruitment drive from retired players who can read the game and do know just what is going on around them. There must be a lot of them who have left the game and aren't working in coaching or management who would like to be involved back in football - fast track them, pay them and I think (perhaps wrongly?) that things would improve. Oh, and while ranting, I wonder if any of the officials at the last two games at Oakwell has ever taken a throw-in? And when did you last see a ref call a foul throw? I can't remember when, yet there were some players doing almost basketball passes back into play last week (and pinching yards and yards of ground, and, and and, .....nurse!)

 

relegation down the leagues................ WHY ? what is the difference in rules between the pifield and the nou camp, a referee is "promoted" on experience, if hes 5hite at old trafford how is he going to improve at barnet, same game same application of the rules

 

I think most refs are alright. They get some things wrong, but who doesn't. They do a very difficult job quite well imho. I thought the ref on Saturday was crap, but for me he was an exception. Anyway, could have just been a bad day for him.