That's a very good point too. From a playing point of view the best refs are the ones who'll talk to you, explain decisions etc. The very worst are the autocratic types who make their pronouncements, explain nothing, and brook no discussion of any sort, even from captains. There seems be a majority of these in the eL. Whether they get that way from fielding abuse or constant whingeing is something I don't know. But it seems to me that taking a few seconds to say, 'look, that's how I saw that happening, so that's why I made that decision' would go a long way.
When I played the very best ref used to be a good player himself a few years before, knew all the tricks (especially those of centre-halves, he used to be a forward), kept up with play, had a good rapport with players, was consistent, but most of all talked to the players. When he explained his decisions and why he made them, even if we still thought he was wrong (which was rare), it was impossible not to respect them.
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