Referees (and linesmen/women)

[Hazza Has A Gazza]

Everyone must have noticed how the standard of officiating has declined over the last few years? Yesterday's ref and his linesman on the East Stand side were prime examples of the tripe coming off the modern refereeing conveyor belt. We're mot getting poor officials every now and then as it used to be, its virtually every game. Is this the standard now? I've never seen so many poor decisions on a weekly basis.
We do tend to notice more when we lose, and I'm not blaming the officials for our team losing to Wycombe although their goal had more than a hint of offside, but these new generation refs are making the likes of Trevor Kettle, Graham Poll, Andy D'Urso etc look competent.

Is it collect 10 crisp packets to become a referee these days or what?

[Ronners]

Everyone must have noticed how the standard of officiating has declined over the last few years? Yesterday's ref and his linesman on the East Stand side were prime examples of the tripe coming off the modern refereeing conveyor belt. We're mot getting poor officials every now and then as it used to be, its virtually every game. Is this the standard now? I've never seen so many poor decisions on a weekly basis.
We do tend to notice more when we lose, and I'm not blaming the officials for our team losing to Wycombe although their goal had more than a hint of offside, but these new generation refs are making the likes of Trevor Kettle, Graham Poll, Andy D'Urso etc look competent.

Is it collect 10 crisp packets to become a referee these days or what?

In what way do you mean poor decisions Hazza, because trust me, no other referee in the world could make Trevor Kettle look competent. I went reffing after I stopped playing and stopped reffing in the early 2000''s so I do understand a little bit the difficulties of doing the job.
When I go to watch the millers (didn't go yesterday) I am usually having a go at the officials but then I go on the other teams website, and usually they are having a go at the officials too, but surely both sets of supporters can't be right that they were poor for both sides?
I also think that the changes in the rules in recent time's, especially the offside laws whereby players are active or not active in certain areas has made it hard to judge at times, but I'm not knocking the rule changes either because whilst it was easier to say if you're offside you're given offside, there were some cracking goals disallowed just because someone out on the wing was standing in a certain position.
Anyway I personally think that all supporters of all clubs will always see fouls on their own teams players but never the other way for similar fouls on the opposing teams players, and even though I'm sticking up for officials a little, I have come away from a match absolutely castigating the officials so I do think you have a point in maybe when we lose the officials seem worse than if we win or draw.

[jakethemiller]

You are right when you say you notice more when you lose but the ref in the Coventry match Sent one of their players off, gave us 2 pens, we won 4-0,and he was stoll abysmal.

[jakethemiller]

I'll answer one for Hazza about poor decisions yesterday. Oggy through on his own only him keeper and one defender within 20 yards of goal, defender wipes him out ref gives free kick (indirect I think he signalled) and the defender stays on the pitch, that was one of many.

[flourbasher]

I think the standards of cynical cheating have gone up considerably in recent years making the officials job a lot harder.
Cheating has always been there but players are a lot more subtle these days. Both Oxford and Wycombe weren,t dirty but committed a lot of niggly fouls, pushing in the back, shirt pulling.

Most are done just before the ball reaches them or when the view is shielded by other players so the officials dont notice. Once they realise the officials aren,t spotting offences by their subtleties they continue for the whole match.
Manager,s like Karl Robinson and Gareth Ainsworth must hold specific training sessions to master these arts.

[PerigordMiller]

I agree Flour. There is far more cheating these days. Prime example yesterday when Smith made no contact whatever with their defender & he goes down like he's been kicked in the nuts.

I do think though that at this level the refs are more naive to what's going on.

[jocksgloves]

Modern games are pretty much impossible to manage. The level of sportsmanship and cheating are appallng. I'm still amazed that anyone still wishes to do it.

[Grist_To_The_Mill]

I've always thought that the really crap officials are those that haven't played football to any appreciable standard.

Refs that have decided to be refs because they were no good at aactually playing the game. Even at school they were the kids picked last.

As a consequence they don't know the cheating when they see it.

Matters will only get worse with the desire to get more female refs, chosen on gender rather than on skill or understanding of the men's professional game.

[loyalmiller]

Cheating has always gone on in football. I’d bet any player at any level has cheated. I used to play in goal at Sunday league and always claimed a goal kick when I knew I’d saved the shot and that goes for everyone who’s claimed a throw in when they know they were the last to touch the ball. It’s technically still cheating.

[caytonmiller]

TBf the football association/FA/ref association are trying to combat the modern game. VAR was one technology along with goal line Tec introduced to aid ref's to get most of the decision right. ATM it's not working 100% of the time though given time, I would hope it will improve..
I find it a bit strange that in today's modern society. Technology can't be used successfully in a game but south Singapore is testing driverless cars..