Now, many fans would probably say they're all for respecting the referees in football. But this doesn't seem to apply when decisions go against their team. Norwich fans are guilty as any other group of fans, because every time we are losing at half time we boo the referee! It's easy for us to say that a referee has had a howler, but having to make a decision in the space of a few seconds under the pressure of tens of thousands of fans cannot be easy. And whatever decision the referee makes, he's going to be making one set of fans unhappy so will always be in line for some criticism. In my view a human referee who isn't perfect adds an element of variety and therefore excitement to the game. I'm sure the argument most of you would use is that football is more than just a game, and that fans are passionate about their team doing the best they probably could, and it is very frustrating when the referee is perceived to come in the way of this. There are also a few referees who do some to get repeated key decisions wrong like D'urso and Friend, and maybe these guys shouldn't ref at the highest level, but if you look at other games like cricket, the umpires frequently get decisions wrong, and this is accepted as being part of the game, and you never hear the players or fans complaining about it after the match, and they are no less passionate. So unless they are Andy D'urso or Kevin Friend or a select few others, can we please cut the refs some slack?
Agree DM, I am as guilty as any other fan but I like to think after a couple of hours (maybe a couple of days at a push if it has been a really bad ref) but what happened up here in Scotland where they still talk about ref decisions from November is beyond a joke. (I don't know if you're aware but there were even death threats made to the ref at the first Old Firm match this season - some idiots got his phone number and phoned his wife to threaten her too) There's suggestions from some, and I'm inclined to agree, that ref's should have more power for players who show dissent similar to those in rugby (ie move the ball forward 10 yards) . But you are right, refs are only human and will make mistakes on occassion but the luck for your team goes in swings and roundabouts. PS I like how this is so similar to 606 but allows for edits etc
Glad you agree with me, although if you give the ref more power, than any mistakes they make might come off even worse and make the fans *even* more angry, so really it's a double-edged sword. I also agree that this is similar to 606, but it allows lots of other things like it's alot easier to edit text size and colour etc, you can add friends and send private messages, have an avatar and... no moderators!!!
Would like to see the referees more accountable for there decisions. I appreciate its a thankless task but would like to see maybe hour or so after the game referees explaining why they made a particular call. Whether in hindsight with benefit of cameras the decision was called rightly or wrongly be good to see the referees thought process and how he came to that particular decision. This would lead to more respect given to refs and people respecting decisions. At the moment the refs do not have to answer publically to anyone and this leads to players/managers going vocal with their dissent and landing them in hot water!! By answering why they made the tough calls it would stop players/mangers getting frustrated and be good for the fans as well. Doubt it will ever happen........be nice tho!
I agree with wilder, there needs to be more respect for the ref on the field.. if you take rugby as the example, I have never seen a rugby ref being shouted at or abused in any way, just a pro doing his job, respected by fans and players alike. could this be because the refs are much more accountable in rugby? the use of a touchline/video ref, and the microphone on the field ref all mean that he is in control. you can always hear the ref explaining his decisions, and no one ever argues with him, because they will get a yellow card, and spend 10 mins in the bin. Compare this to football, and the way some players hit the deck and then immediatly go over to the ref, arms wide shouting at him for the free kick... (super Chrissy used to be slightely guilty of this one, but I havent seen him do it much lately, Ronaldo is the perfect example imo) it just doesnt seem like the ref ever commands enough repect from the players themselves, and when the fans see the players giving the ref a hard time, they do exactly the same thing. I think Fifa are way behind the times, and they need to introduce video technology now. Dinosaurs!! A post match interview with the ref would also be a vast step in the right direction, its for everyones benefit including the ref!
Players attempt to con referees by rolling around on the ground in perceived agony and then, on seeing the official award his side a free-kick, immediately get up and "leg it." If the referee allows the player to get away with that then he is his own worst enemy. Unfortunately, most do. The player is guilty of cheating or, in football parlance, simulation and should be shown a yellow card. Referees simply need to be stronger and apply the games laws stringently. Until they do that, players will continue to get away with taking the proverbial with them.
Yeah DM's still about. There's 5 guests viewing this apparently. Nice to show we're such a vibrant board that 3 year old threads get dug up!
I just thought that anything concerning referees would cause hackles to rise with fans, so as I was trolling around the site, found it and thought, "why not, let's see what debate it generates." Nothing much else going on here and seems to have woken a few up! That's good, isn't it?
