Paul hurst

Not very often I find the need to disagree with Paul hurst but I would like to take issue with one of his post match comments “ I CANNOT BE BOTHERED TO WASTE MY TIME IN PUTTING IN A COMPLAINT TO THE EFL” while I understand his comments but really we should be shouting and screaming about these refs just like you see on the touch line every week. We give the refs such an easy time and the EFL know therefore they get away week after week in sendin* us excrement after excrement

He knows it would be a waste of time and if anything, he would be the one to get sanctioned.

Been saying for years that there should be a drive to recruit ex players as refs and pay them accordingly to make it attractive. It would be another avenue for players coming to the end of their careers to stay in the game and earn a living.

Quoted from ginnywings

He knows it would be a waste of time and if anything, he would be the one to get sanctioned.

Been saying for years that there should be a drive to recruit ex players as refs and pay them accordingly to make it attractive. It would be another avenue for players coming to the end of their careers to stay in the game and earn a living.

They did do this, they were either dreadful or not interested.

He won’t put anything in because it’ll fall on deaf ears but if I’m honest, the refs we’ve had have been poor but that doesn’t legislate for professional footballers missing absolute sitters, teams being enable to defend set pieces etc…

I thought they were required to complete a referee's report after each game anyway?

Pretty sure the refs are that shite they would also notice certain managers that complain about them and possibly hold a grudge in this league………

Quoted from crusty ole pie

Not very often I find the need to disagree with Paul hurst but I would like to take issue with one of his post match comments “ I CANNOT BE BOTHERED TO WASTE MY TIME IN PUTTING IN A COMPLAINT TO THE EFL” while I understand his comments but really we should be shouting and screaming about these refs just like you see on the touch line every week. We give the refs such an easy time and the EFL know therefore they get away week after week in sendin* us excrement after excrement

I think he’s better placed than any of us to make that judgment. The ref was poor yesterday and too concerned about the role he wanted to play in the “spectacle” rather than keeping the game going for the players & spectators.

Like I said on another thread this is systemic as there is not enough talent coming through as kids are put off starting at the bottom as some of the crap they have to deal with at times is not worth the effort.

The FA has a big task here one that in my mind sits right at the top of their agendas around equality & the National teams structures. The authorities say they want to improve the game, I think we all know a good ref helps that for sure.

Are the refs poor or is how they are being asked to apply the laws poor?

I didn't think yesterday's ref was poor. It's not his fault our players constantly fouled them. They got their bodies in between and we bumbled into their back's. Taylor leads with his arm so is going to get fouls given against him a lot. We're not dirty, but do make a lot of needless fouls, probably over eagerness.

I couldn't see anything wrong with the corner that went in though, definitely not a foul on the keeper, so maybe some pushing elsewhere.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

Are the refs poor or is how they are being asked to apply the laws poor?

I suspect this is closer to the truth. The standard of decision making as become even more inconsistent since VAR was introduced. Then, which is ridiculous, they’ve tried to implement the same style of refereeing in leagues without VAR.

The powers that be governing refereeing are over complicating it and to be honest, why would anyone want to get involved in it?

It’s an impossible job being a ref.

Without them, they’d be no football. You’d all be shopping on a Saturday. Stone Island would go under.

I missed the match yesterday, but if Hurst and Ginny say the ref was poor, it suggests he was.

However, it’s lazy to say all four refs this season have been rubbish. I’m struggling to think of a key decision a ref has got obviously wrong in our opponents’ favour so far. Presumably the goal from the corner yesterday was disallowed due to pushing in the build up. There was little complaint from our players.

With Taylor being so isolated his only option is to try to win a free kick. Taylor knows this. The defenders know this. The ref knows it. As he should, Taylor backs into defenders, wrestles and uses his arms. There’s contact every time the ball goes up to him. You could give a free kick either way or let the game flow. The problem with the second option is that, if you let too many challenges go unpunished, the defending gets more brutal each time, Taylor’s arm gets straighter and straighter and before you know it you’ve got an injury or a red card.

For anyone who wants VAR introduced, if Taylor takes a better first touch and slides it through Rose’s legs, the goal would have been disallowed anyway because Bim was marginally offside following Clifton’s header.

The consolation is that they get the much sought after nominations, along with JF, for football twit of the week

Who the hell would want to be a ref?

Quoted from Withnail

Who the hell would want to be a ref?

Plenty of us have and some of us were/are decent at it. Sadly, the furthest you go, politics and pressure kicks in. A lack of understanding of my career and a mere obsession with being able to run rather than being able to identify fouls and understanding the play meant some of us walked away. I suspect I’m not the only one.

Then, sadly, what you’re left with is well meaning lads who dedicate their time and effort but they’re possibly not as good or don’t really read the game as well…

I know of four very good referees that could’ve had a good career in the game walked away for many of the same reasons but equally I know lads who are refereeing at a fairly decent level but they’re by no means the best…at some point things have to change and approaches need to be consistent and focused on developing understanding of play, recognition of fouls and so forth…

   The 'new' rules that have been adopted are shocking, handball in any exception is ridiculous as its not applied in all cases, it's either hand ball or it's not!.

    This stupid drop ball if a player has a head injury is mental (ala Northampton).

    Raising the flag after a player has been offside needs a serious dose of looking at.

    Anyone who knows me knows I am the biggest critics of referees they need help and not by VAR.

  I could go on , the people who decide what rule changes are implemented  would be better done by a body of football fans other than these invisible football bureaucrats.  

Quoted from Ruston AT

   The 'new' rules that have been adopted are shocking, handball in any exception is ridiculous as its not applied in all cases, it's either hand ball or it's not!.

    This stupid drop ball if a player has a head injury is mental (ala Northampton).

    Raising the flag after a player has been offside needs a serious dose of looking at.

    Anyone who knows me knows I am the biggest critics of referees they need help and not by VAR.

  I could go on , the people who decide what rule changes are implemented  would be better done by a body of football fans other than these invisible football bureaucrats.  

They need to be allowed to referee and they are not. I qualified on the night Cantona jumped into the crowd and got to a decent standard. As Aldi said sometimes they do not understand you have a career though and I stepped off the promotion grind, being happy to do Level 5 stuff. Lincs League/United Counties level. I see guys going through the system now who are very good refs but they have to comply. You are expected to be “safe”, you are expected to apply the laws exactly as written irrespective if you are doing park football, academy stuff or semi pro stuff. It’s already been said on this thread we have 4th division refs running games like there is VAR available. That’s just nonsense. The best bit of advice I ever had was to ref what’s in front of you. I’ve done a couple of Boston Academy games this morning so of course I’ve had to adapt things to suit the game.
The FA and VAR are making the game ridiculous at the moment, the head injury drop ball, hand ball, late offside calls, uncontested drop balls etc etc. it’s like they have to intercourse about with the laws just for the sake of it. Very few of these things make the game better, VAR being the biggest culprit of all.
I keep going because I like getting out there, it keeps me fit, it’s like being paid to go to the gym. I doubt I’d have gone into if I was a kid now though.

In the brief experience I had in the world of referees I found it to be a huge ‘promote your mates’ culture which is a small part of the bigger issue with refereeing in this country, it’s a closed door policy with most too arrogant to accept the horrendous errors every week.

Somebody said earlier in this thread that there would be an assessor, there would’ve been and you can bet your life that assessor will protect his own at all costs and make the ref think his decisions are acceptable. How on earth are we supposed to produce good refs with a culture like that?

Nigel Pearson was right, it’s tainting the game at the minute and I’ve never known it so bad, but the powers that be sit with their fingers in their ears and reward mediocrity.

The players are making it more difficult for referees with regards he still increasing tendency to niggle and cheat at every opportunity..Players recognise and exploit weaknesses in referees as the No 15 for Sutton did yesterday never being out of his ear. We are pretty well behaved in the context of what you see from other teams.Until this culture changes every time we play a excrement house team we are going to end up being unhappy with the referee.

Sadly, the comments were made by Nigel Pearson so it has little credibility given he’s a massive girl private.

He’s on the list with Evans as one of the most vile people I’ve met in the game…

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

It’s an impossible job being a ref.

Without them, they’d be no football. You’d all be shopping on a Saturday. Stone Island would go under.

I missed the match yesterday, but if Hurst and Ginny say the ref was poor, it suggests he was.

However, it’s lazy to say all four refs this season have been rubbish. I’m struggling to think of a key decision a ref has got obviously wrong in our opponents’ favour so far. Presumably the goal from the corner yesterday was disallowed due to pushing in the build up. There was little complaint from our players.

With Taylor being so isolated his only option is to try to win a free kick. Taylor knows this. The defenders know this. The ref knows it. As he should, Taylor backs into defenders, wrestles and uses his arms. There’s contact every time the ball goes up to him. You could give a free kick either way or let the game flow. The problem with the second option is that, if you let too many challenges go unpunished, the defending gets more brutal each time, Taylor’s arm gets straighter and straighter and before you know it you’ve got an injury or a red card.

For anyone who wants VAR introduced, if Taylor takes a better first touch and slides it through Rose’s legs, the goal would have been disallowed anyway because Bim was marginally offside following Clifton’s header.

It was the inconsistency and taking the easy option that made him so poor.

The disallowed goal was a case in point. The kick was delayed twice while the ref tried to sort out the usual pushing and shoving, at which point my brother said to me, "as soon as Glennon kicks this, the ref will blow for an infringement". He did just that and what was a perfectly good goal was ruled out for any number of pushes and pulls going on in the box. I don't think it was anything to do with the player stood in front of their goalie. He did the same thing from a couple of free kicks. As soon as the ball was hit, the whistle went and one of their players would be on the deck, having been supposedly impeded in some way. Easy option.

The inconsistency was evident when he didn't apply the same criteria to a series of three or four corners they had in succession in the second half. Just the same amount of argy bargy, but play was allowed to continue.

Of course there was the usual and frustrating episodes of their players going down holding their heads. Must have happened half a dozen times, all by their players. When Waterfall did get a proper and dangerous whack to the head, nothing was forthcoming from the ref. Two players were booked for a bit of afters, but nothing for the perpetrator, who went down like he had been shot, but recovered miraculously quickly.

The refs obviously have to stop the game for head injuries as that is their mandate, but this is now being exploited to the point of being extremely boring and predictable. I've yet to see a player go down with a head injury that actually needed treatment apart from Clifton against Northampton and that was genuine. Something needs to be done about it but I doubt it will be.

Quoted from Withnail

Who the hell would want to be a ref?

Yeah.  During the summer I went to see my nephew in an under 7's tournament.  Young lad was refereeing in boiling temperatures for hours without a break and one team manager was slagging him off.  Couldn't have been more than 16 years old.  

Quoted from pen penfras

I didn't think yesterday's ref was poor. It's not his fault our players constantly fouled them. They got their bodies in between and we bumbled into their back's. Taylor leads with his arm so is going to get fouls given against him a lot. We're not dirty, but do make a lot of needless fouls, probably over eagerness.

I couldn't see anything wrong with the corner that went in though, definitely not a foul on the keeper, so maybe some pushing elsewhere.

Was frustrating at times.  Sutton defender facing his own goal; nowhere to go.  Town player (can't remember who) pushes him in the back.  Pointless.  Whoever did it got the opposition out of jail. Thick as two short planks.  

I mean look at this from yesterday - Crewe v Northampton and Crewe’s first goal. Absolutely blatant and clear foul on the Northampton player for Crewe’s first goal and probably a booking as a challenge from behind. The referee is 10 yards away, looking right at it and gives nothing! Crewe score. If i was the Cobblers’ manager I’d be furious.
The standard of refereeing at NL/L2/L1 level is diabolical.

https://www.skysports.com/watc.....eague-two-highlights

Quoted from chaos33

I mean look at this from yesterday - Crewe v Northampton and Crewe’s first goal. Absolutely blatant and clear foul on the Northampton player for Crewe’s first goal and probably a booking as a challenge from behind. The referee is 10 yards away, looking right at it and gives nothing! Crewe score. If i was the Cobblers’ manager I’d be furious.
The standard of refereeing at NL/L2/L1 level is diabolical.

https://www.skysports.com/watc.....eague-two-highlights

It’s a great scapegoat though isn’t it?

  I am well aware that refs make mistakes, but I have to say after 50 years of watching live professional football, it's always been very noticeable to me that people shout loudest about crap refereeing when their team isn't doing the business on the field. The worse the team plays, the worse the referee is usually! The fact that we're really biased, and they are not, plays a large part in our perception of the referee's performance and always has! Can anyone honestly disagree with that?

Quoted from aldi_01

It’s a great scapegoat though isn’t it?

How do you mean?

Quoted from chaos33

I mean look at this from yesterday - Crewe v Northampton and Crewe’s first goal. Absolutely blatant and clear foul on the Northampton player for Crewe’s first goal and probably a booking as a challenge from behind. The referee is 10 yards away, looking right at it and gives nothing! Crewe score. If i was the Cobblers’ manager I’d be furious.
The standard of refereeing at NL/L2/L1 level is diabolical.

https://www.skysports.com/watc.....eague-two-highlights

Bit of a strange one this.

The Crewe player (Baker-Richardson) wraps his left leg around the Northampton player and nicks it off him with his studs. This is done cleanly without touching the NT player’s legs.

The momentum then causes Baker-Richardson to ‘help/shove’ the NT player to the floor but Baker-Richardson has already robbed the ball off him by then and technically has control of it.

I’m not convinced it’s a foul. It’s certainly not a booking. I agree with you that most referees would have given a free kick though.

Although NT could have played to the whistle and tried to close him down rather than letting him have a few seconds to set himself and Jevons it into the top corner.

Quoted from chaos33

How do you mean?

We moan about a goal being disallowed that, in our opinion, shouldn’t have been. Ignoring the fact we missed two clear cut chances to win the game.

Chelsea spent all week cryarsing about a refereeing decision, ignoring the fact they can’t defend, they turn up at Leeds and surprise surprise, what was their downfall last week was the same this week…and not a dodgy decision in sight…

Yes, we’ll get some excrement decisions against us but then so will everyone else. On the whole, as frustrating as the refereeing has been this year, it really hasn’t been as excrement as people have been whining about.

Regarding the current application of handball where intent has mostly been removed, Sutton still somehow got away with a few yesterday in midfield with the ball clearly bouncing up onto hands and helping them to keep possession. I thought that was supposed to be a free-kick given the current interpretation?

It was also particularly unfair that they got the drop ball in the corner where we had to stand back and just let him whack a cross into the box. That's because of uncontested drop balls, I suppose. Why on earth did they mess around with that law?

All you can do is ask a ref to give what he/she sees, yesterday he saw something to disallow the goal 6,000+ people couldn’t see.

The reaction of the Town players was interesting as they didn’t protest much at all really, I’ve seen it on different media and from different angles and can’t see anything more than you’ll get at any corner. Then again I wasn’t on the pitch at the time.

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

Bit of a strange one this.

The Crewe player (Baker-Richardson) wraps his left leg around the Northampton player and nicks it off him with his studs. This is done cleanly without touching the NT player’s legs.

The momentum then causes Baker-Richardson to ‘help/shove’ the NT player to the floor but Baker-Richardson has already robbed the ball off him by then and technically has control of it.

I’m not convinced it’s a foul. It’s certainly not a booking. I agree with you that most referees would have given a free kick though.

Although NT could have played to the whistle and tried to close him down rather than letting him have a few seconds to set himself and Jevons it into the top corner.

Interesting that you read it like that. I guess that must be the referees view too, but to me it is a blatant foul, regardless of whether he might’ve nicked the ball initially. He barges over the Northampton player in the process of acquiring it, and it seems a clear infringement to me, and, I suspect, pretty much everyone else in the stadium. I guess it kind of sums up the big issue - all refereeing decisions are somewhat controversial if you take everyone’s view into account.

Quoted from TonySmith

  I am well aware that refs make mistakes, but I have to say after 50 years of watching live professional football, it's always been very noticeable to me that people shout loudest about crap refereeing when their team isn't doing the business on the field. The worse the team plays, the worse the referee is usually! The fact that we're really biased, and they are not, plays a large part in our perception of the referee's performance and always has! Can anyone honestly disagree with that?

Yes!

Quoted from HertsGTFC

All you can do is ask a ref to give what he/she sees, yesterday he saw something to disallow the goal 6,000+ people couldn’t see.

The reaction of the Town players was interesting as they didn’t protest much at all really, I’ve seen it on different media and from different angles and can’t see anything more than you’ll get at any corner. Then again I wasn’t on the pitch at the time.

Re corners. What a palava it is before each one is taken.

Players jostle for position; ref comes over and talks to said players. Players resume jostling for position just as before. The ref might intervene again, but if he allows the corner surprise surprise he sees something in the box and blows for a foul, the majority for the defending side.

Why does the ref keep talking to players before a corner? He doesn't do it any other time but seems to insist on telling the players the rules at a corner. They know the rules so just let the corner be taken and if there is a genuine foul give a penalty or free kick.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Re corners. What a palava it is before each one is taken.

Players jostle for position; ref comes over and talks to said players. Players resume jostling for position just as before. The ref might intervene again, but if he allows the corner surprise surprise he sees something in the box and blows for a foul, the majority for the defending side.

Why does the ref keep talking to players before a corner? He doesn't do it any other time but seems to insist on telling the players the rules at a corner. They know the rules so just let the corner be taken and if there is a genuine foul give a penalty or free kick.

To be fair, the best referees spend all game ‘coaching’ players…not just at set pieces.

Just watched Newcastle v City and ref has had a stinker there too. God help us if they use VAR at lower level, we’ll be having 20 minutes injury time.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Just watched Newcastle v City and ref has had a stinker there too. God help us if they use VAR at lower level, we’ll be having 20 minutes injury time.

100% if someone makes a tackle like Trippiers on a town player on Tuesday we’d be flipping fuming if they didn’t get sent off.

Ref got it right but it’s almost like they’ve been told if you go or are told to go to the screen you best change your decisions…

Actually. I like how hurts has uses a direct statement about the EFL and makes it look indirect.

He can't exactly get a ban or fined for saying such a thing.

More managers that speak out in this way could get their point across without any risk of retaliation from the EFL

Moaning about the ref is just fooking boring and baby ar.se whining if you ask me . How about sticking the ball in the net 1v1 instead of blaming the ref .

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

Moaning about the ref is just fooking boring and baby ar.se whining if you ask me . How about sticking the ball in the net 1v1 instead of blaming the ref .

It obviously needs both but referees are a huge part in the way a game pans out. We often comment on a good ref, if we ever get one, but the last few have been  particularly bad. On Saturday for instance he was itching to give a foul instead of a goal from the corner. He may as well had a speech bubble saying "that 'll show em" even though thousands of corners result in jockeying for position as the ball comes across. He was pathetic as Hurst alluded to.

Quoted from aldi_01

To be fair, the best referees spend all game ‘coaching’ players…not just at set pieces.

The best referees might, but they also spend time at corners basically telling players the rules of the game which they already know, at least in respect of fouls. It is another thing to a growing list of why the ball is in play for less and less time. Just let the corner be taken and then judge what happens after that.

If I was a ref I would say to the captains before the game that I am not prepared to keep lecturing you whenever there is a corner, so face the consequences if you foul as its taken.

I was at Boston yesterday and was talking to their NLP writer who I sit next to. He spoke to a Southport director after Boston's 5-3 defeat on the first day (they were 5-0 down) and their original game plan was to try and keep the ball in play for less than 40 minutes! As it happened Boston were terrible but Southport still had a player booked for timewasting at 5-1 up.

I obviously don't know higher up the pyramid but the assessors at the lower levels are honest and very supportive. I've decided to take a step back and just referee for fun but one lad I've linesman for a few times is now at conference south level and is very good. Constantly communicating throughout the game and very rarely has a bad word said against him. Yes he makes mistakes but because of the way he conducts himself he's very well liked and respected. I'm looking forward to seeing him promoted even further within the next year

It's laughable that referees don't see defenders holding and pulling shirts at corners. Give a few more penalties for these offences and it would stop it - but they wont. There should have been penalties from every corner in just about every game played. Do referees close their eyes because they are cowards ?

Quoted from golfer

It's laughable that referees don't see defenders holding and pulling shirts at corners. Give a few more penalties for these offences and it would stop it - but they wont. There should have been penalties from every corner in just about every game played. Do referees close their eyes because they are cowards ?

I’d argue that anyone willing to go and stand in the middle of a football pitch, with a crowd, getting significantly less money than everyone else there, knowing how maligned they are is anything but a coward.

Remember when Rooney got sent off for swearing? The referee was reprimanded.

Remember early doors the other season when they did start giving penalties/red cards? They were told to stop because it was ruining the spectacle. They can’t win.

When VAR was introduced the game was no longer the same. Whilst the vast sums of cash, stadia, training facilities and quality at the top is loads better than at our level and below, fundamentally, the game was the same. VAR changed that. It essentially said ‘the game at the top is more important’.

VAR has confused the job even more, and the so called experts have still forgotten one key thing, it’s still just someone’s opinion.

For some bizarre reason, the people at the top within refereeing and to a further extent, football in general are seemingly after a black and white approach to applying the laws of the game but then, when it does happen they get itchy feet because there’s backlash from officials and clubs so they muddy the waters again.

Even in the real world, the law of the land isn’t necessarily implemented in a black and white form because police and legal folk understand that context, intent and the fact it’s humans means it’s nigh on impossible.

The first season VAR was rolled out that peanut headed moron, Mike Riley sat the select group down after one weekend and said that they’d copulated up because there should’ve have been something like 8/9 more penalties that weekend that a review of VAR had picked up, no manager, player, clubs or referee had said anything, no pundits whining about it, that itself should suggest they weren’t penalties in the context of those games or indeed penalties at all. As a referee, experienced and professional I’d feel like my bosses were taking the urine.

Similarly, Michael Oliver used a screen to reaffirm a decision he made, he changed his mind due to the technology available and all were happy…except his bosses who were still advising against using the monitors.

So no, I’m not sure any of them are cowards and when I was kicked and punched in the face for sending someone off, a sending off even his own team mates agreed with, and all I got was a visit from the police, no contact from the FA, local FA, league, nothing, I certainly wasn’t a coward. I have no doubt though that had I cracked him one I’d have been suspended as well, even though I’d made the correct decision and was defending myself…

Quoted from aldi_01

I’d argue that anyone willing to go and stand in the middle of a football pitch, with a crowd, getting significantly less money than everyone else there, knowing how maligned they are is anything but a coward.

Remember when Rooney got sent off for swearing? The referee was reprimanded.

Remember early doors the other season when they did start giving penalties/red cards? They were told to stop because it was ruining the spectacle. They can’t win.

When VAR was introduced the game was no longer the same. Whilst the vast sums of cash, stadia, training facilities and quality at the top is loads better than at our level and below, fundamentally, the game was the same. VAR changed that. It essentially said ‘the game at the top is more important’.

VAR has confused the job even more, and the so called experts have still forgotten one key thing, it’s still just someone’s opinion.

For some bizarre reason, the people at the top within refereeing and to a further extent, football in general are seemingly after a black and white approach to applying the laws of the game but then, when it does happen they get itchy feet because there’s backlash from officials and clubs so they muddy the waters again.

Even in the real world, the law of the land isn’t necessarily implemented in a black and white form because police and legal folk understand that context, intent and the fact it’s humans means it’s nigh on impossible.

The first season VAR was rolled out that peanut headed moron, Mike Riley sat the select group down after one weekend and said that they’d copulated up because there should’ve have been something like 8/9 more penalties that weekend that a review of VAR had picked up, no manager, player, clubs or referee had said anything, no pundits whining about it, that itself should suggest they weren’t penalties in the context of those games or indeed penalties at all. As a referee, experienced and professional I’d feel like my bosses were taking the urine.

Similarly, Michael Oliver used a screen to reaffirm a decision he made, he changed his mind due to the technology available and all were happy…except his bosses who were still advising against using the monitors.

So no, I’m not sure any of them are cowards and when I was kicked and punched in the face for sending someone off, a sending off even his own team mates agreed with, and all I got was a visit from the police, no contact from the FA, local FA, league, nothing, I certainly wasn’t a coward. I have no doubt though that had I cracked him one I’d have been suspended as well, even though I’d made the correct decision and was defending myself…

It's shocking that you were subjected to physical violence on the field but I think golfer was referring to a cowardice in the sense of not being brave enough to give penalties at corners when there has been an offence of fouling or pushing or holding.

All generations have had debates about referees and no doubt it will always continue as it will never be perfect.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

It's shocking that you were subjected to physical violence on the field but I think golfer was referring to a cowardice in the sense of not being brave enough to give penalties at corners when there has been an offence of fouling or pushing or holding.

All generations have had debates about referees and no doubt it will always continue as it will never be perfect.

It will forever finite given the human element to the game. I’d suggest to the powers that be that they need to think carefully about the sort of future they want for the game because removing the human element, in my opinion, ruins the game.

I get what he was saying but as I said, the first weekend all the referees start doing that, fans would probably agree but sadly, the powers that be would excrement a brick and end up reprimanding the officials, hence why they don’t do it. Much like players wanting to play, referees want to referee.

I'll weigh in here on both refereeing in general and VAR.   I personally think the officials should be shown more respect by the players, officials etc, and then as human nature goes you get more respect back. 4 players deciding to flap their arms and moan at the ref isn't going to change his mind, he's more likely to double down on the decision,  
Having played  Rugby Union for 20 years the ref's word was law, and the only player who could approach him was the captain. 9/10 we got clear instructions, we got fair warnings to stop doing what we were doing before any cards came out and laws were in general applied fairly.  When a contentious decision came up, the captain was able to calmly discuss it with the ref. And on those rare occasions where the whole team was up in arms about a decision it carried more weight because it so rarely happened. You'll always get a ref having an off day.  You'll always get some who rally should have gone to specsavers.  But I'd rather take the Paul Hurst approach and leave my complaints until there's that one decision you really need, otherwise the powers that be will just be thinking 'there goes Grimsby again, moaning about officials'....

onto VAR.  It's not fit for purpose. its plain awful. When I first saw it in union with TMO's it was great - an extra pair of eyes picking up foul play etc to help the ref and was only called on when the ref wasn't certain of a decision,  As the years went on the pressures of getting the decision wrong became higher and now the TMO is referred to for every little thing, slowing the game down and making it boring to watch.  I do think where in other sports the VAR/TMO goes on the big screen for all to see and all the fans can hear the conversation being had in real time would be a big improvement, at least everyone would know what is being discussed.

The way players dive and cheat going down with minimal contact holding there head when they were never even touched must be a nightmare for officials.
I criticise officials like most people do but the players and managers really don't help do they.

I genuinely think it’s impossible to be objective about referees unless you’re a neutral. I’ve been to a lot of spurs games and my mate is going mental at the red for giving the most obvious foul against Tottenham. He comes to town games and it’s the reverse
The ref isn’t helped by the diving and cheating but they don’t help themselves sometimes, like the hair pulling incident last week. And that was with VAR!

Quoted from buckstown

I genuinely think it’s impossible to be objective about referees unless you’re a neutral. I’ve been to a lot of spurs games and my mate is going mental at the red for giving the most obvious foul against Tottenham. He comes to town games and it’s the reverse
The ref isn’t helped by the diving and cheating but they don’t help themselves sometimes, like the hair pulling incident last week. And that was with VAR!

Actually, I think the ref did a pretty impressive job in that situation. Since there's no rule that declares pulling hair a foul, he technically got it 100% correct. That may seem stupid, because clearly it should be a foul, but refereeing is about correctly applying the rules, not trying to interpret what the spirit of a rule is.

Quoted from pen penfras

Actually, I think the ref did a pretty impressive job in that situation. Since there's no rule that declares pulling hair a foul, he technically got it 100% correct. That may seem stupid, because clearly it should be a foul, but refereeing is about correctly applying the rules, not trying to interpret what the spirit of a rule is.

There is a law, it’s violent conduct, the ball, to my knowledge wasn’t in play so that wouldn’t have changed the fact Chelsea still can’t defend a corner but he would’ve been sent off and players have been sent off for hair pulling…I’ve done it myself.