Standard of refereeing

[Paddyfield]

I have been following the fortunes of Galway United since the early 1980's and have long accepted that referees are fickle. I don't expect them to get every decision correct ...which can go for or against my team. Referees are not athletes; they don't have eyes on the backs of their heads and they can make mistakes. Any one of us could list off a few dozen examples of inept refereeing.

However, my opinion changed on May 12th 2006 at Terryland Park. As part of a referee exchange programme with the Scottish FA, the ref for the Galway Utd game v Monaghan Utd was from Scotland. He was super fit, he let the game flow and spoke to the players when needed. He wasn't on an ego trip like some of the Irish refs.

If the truth be known, he was fitter than at least four or five of the players on the pitch.

Pity that his first experience of Irish football was a poorly attended, one sided game ( we won 6 - 2 ) on a heavily sanded pitch.

Based on this experience, we need more refs from Scotland to expose our dodgy ones.

[A face]

Based on this experience, we need more refs from Scotland to expose our dodgy ones.

They are full time though ... our guys are part-time, i agree some of their shíte attitudes do not help at all but what can you do.

[iceman]

We had a Scottish referee at United Park last season for a League game and I have to say I fully agree with Paddyfield. Some good NI refs in the Setanta Cup this season as well. Just wondering with clubs now going full-time , has the time come for the EL to employ full-time officials as well?

[A face]

We had a Scottish referee at United Park last season for a League game and I have to say I fully agree with Paddyfield. Some good NI refs in the Setanta Cup this season as well.

Did you think they were good? i thought the were brutal being honest, worse than ours .... and thats saying something !! :p


Just wondering with clubs now going full-time , has the time come for the EL to employ full-time officials as well?

It has to happen, i'd love to see a situation were clubs fund the refs wages to get them full time, and get sponsorship aswell (like Specsavers) .... it will have to happen at sometime and the sooner the better.

[SligoBrewer]

ref 4 de rovers game 2nite was desprete!

i mean sh!te

[pineapple stu]

If you want to improve refereeing standards - up you get and referee yourself.

Referee standards in the league are better than people realise because fans are remarkably ignorant/biased about the rules of the game.

[thomas]

Anyone can tell the difference between good and bad refs so PS thats not true.

The Main flaw with EL refs is they cant keep pace with the game so constantly break it up.

Thats closely followed by half of them being on ego trips and the other half on european blazer trips.

The simple solution is assement by overseas referees.

[BleusAvantTout]

We had a Scottish FA referee for our away game at Coleraine last January and he was poor. In the 1960s, very experienced, English, referees used to regularly come over for IL games and were excellent. It's a pity we can't bring them back, but the cost would be prohibitive!

[adamcarr]

We had a Scot refereeing us against Drogs last year and he was brutal.

[Dazzy]

The IFA ref we had againest Bray was actually pretty good and from a number of people i heard he was terrible in the IL, so maybe he was just looking to impress?? But he was the best ref in the Brandy i have seen in a long time.

[Sniffer]

Thankless job, no money would pay me to do it. Every decision you make is wrong according to one half of the spectators. You can only give what you see, so if a player gets a root up the rectum behind your back you can't do anything because you didn't see anything. No replays, how many times have you screamed at the box for a handball/ offside whatever only to realise you were completely wrong after a replay.

[pineapple stu]

Anyone can tell the difference between good and bad refs so PS thats not true.
I never said there weren't good and bad refs. I said people are overly harsh on refs because they don't understand the rules themselves.


The simple solution is assement by overseas referees.
Ah, the good old knee-jerk reaction of "Everything's perfect in other countries". Let's bring in a few Italian refs, shall we? I'm sure Ollie would relish working with them!

[thomas]

Ah, the good old knee-jerk reaction of "Everything's perfect in other countries". Let's bring in a few Italian refs, shall we? I'm sure Ollie would relish working with them!

He couldn't afford them so it would be fair.

Most conference refs in the UK are better thaan the Premier div. refs here. The old boys club stops anyone else who might be decent getting to this level.

[pineapple stu]

Most conference refs in the UK are better than the Premier div. refs here.
What are you basing that on? Have you asked Conference fans for their views about refs? Are you suggesting we get in Conference refs for the eL? Do you think that Conference refs (or any other foreign refs) would be prepared to travel to Ireland on a Friday, using up holidays? Do you think clubs would be prepared to pay the extra expenses which would have to come with such a move? Do you think the extra cost would be in any way justified? Do you think the English FA (or any other foreign association) would allow their refs to ref elsewhere, thus reducing the quality of refs in the Conference and below?

Refs coming in from abroad is a silly idea, invariably badly thought-out (usually never thought-out, in fact) and I can't for the life of me understand why people bring it up.

[pól-dcfc]

Trust me Conference refs are also horrendous. During term time at uni in Manchester I go and see Droylsden in the Conference North. We get a few Conference refs throughout the season, and they are as bad as Stokes and co (well maybe not Stokes...).

[Macy]

My two main problems with Referring in the eL imo...

1) The assesors are two close to the current ref's. There are part of the same gang, imo. How many times are ref's pulled up for poor performances. Even people sticking up for the ref's isn't going to suggest that every performance is top notch? And if there are warnings/ punishments they should be publicised as they are for players.

2) The lack of assistance from the linesmen. They fail to be the extra pair of eye's on the pitch. Whether this is a failing of them, or instruction from the ref's I'm not sure. For example, I've seen documentarys following ref's where they've been told not to contradict the ref, even if they've seen something differently. I can only assume this is prevalent in the eL. They sure as hell aren't concentrating on the offside decisions from what I can see.

[CuanaD]

Stu is right! Have you ever reffed? Have you ever read the rule book? Have you ever SEEN the rule book?

Educate yourselves first,
then you can argue about decisions.


:mad:

:ball:

[pineapple stu]

Stu is right! Have you ever reffed?
Exactly. To which the answer, for myself, is yes, I have reffed. And it helps a great deal, as well as being good craic. (I've never seen the rule book though! :D)

[Conor H]

Stu is right! Have you ever reffed? Have you ever read the rule book? Have you ever SEEN the rule book?

Educate yourselves first,
then you can argue about decisions.


:mad:

:ball:

Are you a referee?

[Macy]

There are part of the same gang, imo.
btw see Pineapple Stu's and CuanaD posts as to why ref's assessing themselves doesn't work. They'll always stick up for their fellow ref's before looking objectively.

[pineapple stu]

Saying that refs aren't as bad as they're made out to be isn't the same as sticking up for them. I acknowledge that there are bad refs, and that some refs have bad games sometimes. My point, though, is that a lot of people's perceptions about the standards of refereeing stems from their own ignorance about the job, and even the rules of the game.

[NY Hoop]

Bringing in refs from abroad will never improve the standard here long term. Assessments are a waste of time when you have super egos like Alan Kelly around who is assessed by, wait for it, his da:rolleyes:

I've said it for years the only way to have refs who would be consistently fair is try to recruit ex players. Another thing would be for the refs, managers, players and supporters to have regular sit downs and try to understand each other. Also the rule book should be widely available.

What I have noticed in the first division is that the refs have less egos and do let the game flow. Although in dundalk our players would have had to have lost a leg before he blew due to the kickers the home side had!


KOH

[Dodge]

I've a referee's qualification. Did it as a means to make a bit of weekend cash reffing schoolboy games.

With that in mind, refs in this country are awful.

[CuanaD]

Are you a referee?

I was a ref - 4 seasons up to 1997/98 in the Leinster Football League. I'll probably go back to it too, when my kids are older.

I'm sticking up for refs because of the amount of times i see people slagging them off, without knowing the rules. Most of the time the ref's interpretation is right, but not palletable for the fans.
If anyone cares I can look for a few examples of this from the next eL matches on TV.

I'm not saying the refs interpretation is always correct, & i'm certainly not saying that i know all the rules (last rule book i had was in 1999) - what i am saying is that MOST of the time, when the fans slag the ref off, THEY are wrong, not him.

[CuanaD]

BTW, here's a link to the laws of the game I just found by googling:

Laws of the game website (http://www.drblank.com/slaws.htm)