More refs retiring from the EPL

Kenya Cherrie

UTC Legend
I read 4 of the top EPL refs are retiring, with the awful ref decisions seen last season
isn't it about time the EPL employed some of the better refs from abroad.
 
I don't think any of the issues will go away by bringing in new individuals. The job has become far too complicated, something which VAR was supposed to simplify but now becomes another variable in the whole farcical chain of inconsistency which now seems more influenced by the rich and powerful clubs than ever. The PGMOL is not doing what it was set up to do and needs a massive rethink.
 
I don't think any of the issues will go away by bringing in new individuals. The job has become far too complicated, something which VAR was supposed to simplify but now becomes another variable in the whole farcical chain of inconsistency which now seems more influenced by the rich and powerful clubs than ever. The PGMOL is not doing what it was set up to do and needs a massive rethink.
I agree but I do feel sorry for refs to an extent.

Here you have guys who need to make an instant decision based only on what they can see and often involving professional players who try and cheat (call it what it is).

They know that their every decision is then analysed by the VAR guys who may overturn it.

Then it is analysed to death by partial pundits back in the studio. Generally speaking, said pundits have never read the rules of the game and are judging the incident based on a cliche they heard someone say 30 years ago.

Then the losing manager comes out and blames the ref because he knows that he's probably under pressure if he loses four games in a season so it is much better to blame someone else. The winning manager 'didn't see it' or had an 'obstructed view'.

Then tens of thousands of fans pile in with half-baked, biased word views and little or no knowledge of the professional game or its rules.

Then a couple of days later he gets to do it all again.

I wouldn't be a ref for all the tea in China.
 
Agree with both @Notmarcjackson and @RobTrent comments.

But there have been pages of posts on here on how to fix what's broken, and it's not all down to the refs. Enforcement of simulation, new rules to discourage the cheating (ball turned over to other team), sinbin, only the captain can approach the ref, and on and on. However, the regulatory bodies don't have the nuts to bring this about. If the rules are largely inconsistent, the officiating will be so as well. The "best league in the world" should be leading the cause to improve the sport and the experience.
 
Agree with both @Notmarcjackson and @RobTrent comments.

But there have been pages of posts on here on how to fix what's broken, and it's not all down to the refs. Enforcement of simulation, new rules to discourage the cheating (ball turned over to other team), sinbin, only the captain can approach the ref, and on and on. However, the regulatory bodies don't have the nuts to bring this about. If the rules are largely inconsistent, the officiating will be so as well. The "best league in the world" should be leading the cause to improve the sport and the experience.
As a lifelong cynic part of me thinks that they don't want to change it.
Think about it in terms of this board, the rare posts where we all agree die very quickly, the ones where there are genuine (or otherwise) disagreements go on for ever.
That's good for the EPL, the advertisers and the broadcasters because it means Carragher and Neville can do their pantomime argument, it appears on the messageboards and the newspapers cream themselves.
From an EPL marketing POV that's good.

Also wouldn't it be really boring if every decision was right?
 
As a lifelong cynic part of me thinks that they don't want to change it.
Think about it in terms of this board, the rare posts where we all agree die very quickly, the ones where there are genuine (or otherwise) disagreements go on for ever.
That's good for the EPL, the advertisers and the broadcasters because it means Carragher and Neville can do their pantomime argument, it appears on the messageboards and the newspapers cream themselves.
From an EPL marketing POV that's good.

Also wouldn't it be really boring if every decision was right?

how can a decision be "right"? everyones right is very often different! and theres one of the issues. the idea (used to be) that one man makes a decision, and regardless if its "right" or "wrong", it was respected.
 
how can a decision be "right"? everyones right is very often different! and theres one of the issues. the idea (used to be) that one man makes a decision, and regardless if its "right" or "wrong", it was respected.

If a ball comes off a player and crosses the touchline, it is a throw-in to the other team. I think you'd struggle to find someone who disagrees that is right. There are dozens of examples like that.

The problem is the subjective rules where the referee is asked to interpret player intentions.

"intentional" fouls require the referee to decide a player's motive. We saw Lerma fall foul of this while Kane got a free pass last season.

A "careless trip" should be a foul but it could mean anything from a player failing to prevent another from running into him to catching a player while attempting to win the ball. The latter is even often interpreted as a fair attempt to win the ball outside the penalty area but the former is a foul in the penalty area.
 
I remember seeing two spanish refs do big games in the last few months, and was struck by how good they were. they didnt stop the game every time someone fell over & whinged, they took no **************** from anyone, and it made for a much better spectacle. but of course, a lot of people moaned about them!
 
Like the Australian we had at Brentford in the play off final?!

I thought he had an excellent game on the day, managed the game very well - I can think of a few "top" refs who would have lost control of that game as we lost our heads.
Yes, the Kelly penalty incident was very harsh, but the assistant gave that as Gillett was unsighted.
 
I thought he had an excellent game on the day, managed the game very well - I can think of a few "top" refs who would have lost control of that game as we lost our heads.
Yes, the Kelly penalty incident was very harsh, but the assistant gave that as Gillett was unsighted.
Shush Jim, don’t ruin the conspiracy theories
 

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