Reffing Has Hit New Lows.

[lesgeo]

So. Seven highly dubious penalty awards we have had to endure.
When I used to keep records on refs of our team’s match marks – the lowest average for an entire season’s officialing was 5.88 (Twice.) Usually it would be around 6.3.
Over time, the team consisted of: a local ref, an international linesman, two statisticians and yours truly.
6 was average, 5 below par and 7 was a pretty good game. Most marks inevitably fell into this band.
There might be a 9 once every three seasons and maybe 4 x 8s in a given season.
There would be a couple of fours but anything lower would occur – maybe only once a year.
Sorry to say that I have not kept any records this season but I have seen every single match.
2s, 3s and 4s are everywhere.
My impression is that this is the worst season for reffing I have ever seen – and by a considerable margin.
I do believe that there is little likelihood that the average could even be hitting the dizzy heights of 4.5
Truly wretched!

[Rudyboy]

What is baffling me is that if the penalty was given for dangerous play, which it presumably was as their manager said that his player was kicked in the face, why wasn’t Bedeau sent off or at least booked?
Conversely, if their player wasn’t kicked in the face why wasn’t he booked for simulation?

[Ferrite]

I’ve not noticed any particular drop in refereeing standards, nothing like the drop-off in the quality of our time at times this season.

Often people blame referees for laws of the game that they don’t like or understand.

[lesgeo]

When you have sat alongside a ref for decades – you learn a bit.
When you sit alongside someone, who for years, lined throughout the Premiership and in two cup finals as well as reffing in the Conference – you learn a whole lot more – especially when negotiating the final mark to be given.
If you sit with match assessors – as I have done on a number of occasions – you get into the thought patterns and do not make hasty decisions.
Your final sentence will apply to some, Ferrite, but I may respectfully point out that it is hardly applicable to me – someone who has had a working lifetime endeavouring to give fair and balanced assessments.

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inspector

[Gurnelista]

Quite unlike anyone else.

[Ferrite]

Can you offer any concrete examples of a decline in refereeing standards? I can’t recall any particularly outrageous decisions for/against us this season.

Your suggestion of neutrality is a bit undermined by saying we’ve had “seven highly dubious penalty awards” against us. Granted there have been some soft penalties but none of them were particularly bad decisions. The one at Bolton was absolutely clear-cut as far as I could see. Correct me if I’m wrong but kicking someone in the face is not permitted under the laws of the game?

[cassidystash]

Doesn’t a kick in the face usually result in a visit from the physio?

[Bartoniron66]

As someone else said a kick in the face surely warrants some attention from a physio! Bedeau kick was clean as the ball want straight out, Bolton’s player also ducked into the ball and was around waist height.
So what do you do allow an attacker a clear site at goal and get a bollocking from his team mates and manager or defend the box as Jacob did.

[Ferrite]

Where do you keep your waist? It was at least chest height. Just because Bedeau kicked the ball, doesn’t mean you can follow through and hit someone in the face. You might not like it but them’s the rules.

Bartoniron66 wrote:

So what do you do allow an attacker a clear site at goal and get a bollocking from his team mates and manager or defend the box as Jacob did.

Probably try to play the game within the laws like you’re supposed to? He could have headed it. I’d rather he tried that than gave away a daft penalty.

What would you say if Bedeau had shoved him in the back as he was going for the header?

[lesgeo]

After 32 years of writing up refs with marks, I chose the Covid period as my time to call it a day.
Rather wish I hadn’t, now.

[DarrynStampGoalMachine]

Ferrite wrote:

Can you offer any concrete examples of a decline in refereeing standards? I can’t recall any particularly outrageous decisions for/against us this season.

What was your opinion on the Taft penalty the game before out of interest Ferrite?

From my point of view he was running in a straight line back towards his own goal line and the Harrogate player ran across him, deliberately made contact with him and fell over. Other than stop completely and allow him to take the ball not sure what Taft could have done.
That was a much worse decision for me and I would definitely call that one outrageous personally.

[Ferrite]

From the camera view available, I didn’t think it was outrageous but it wasn’t the best view of it.

I can certainly see your point of view but as someone who used to stand in that corner of GP, I spent many seasons watching Andy Butler who was a master at winning free kicks in exactly the same way – getting between the ball & the attacker and just stopping for half a second. The attacker would bundle him over & he would get a defensive free kick. No one ever debated those.

Rightly or wrongly, the interpretation of the laws is pretty tough on defenders at the moment with strict liability, so I think the ref had to give it. Personally, I’d like to see that change because a penalty is too big a reward for a minor foul, even if it’s in the box. And giving so many penalties will only encourage more diving & make life much harder for referees.

[Northumbiron]

When did you last see an indirect free-kick given?

[Ferrite]

Northumbiron wrote:

When did you last see an indirect free-kick given?

No such thing in the penalty area anymore, apart from backpasses I think.

[SST]

DarrynStampGoalMachine wrote:

What was your opinion on the Taft penalty the game before

I thought Taft got caught out and despite the fact the striker made a meal of it, it was definitely a penalty. Tuesday on the other hand was a very poor decision.

[DarrynStampGoalMachine]

My opinion is the complete opposite. I thought Bedeau was the one caught out. He made a stupid move and even though his foot wasn’t anywhere near as high as the ref indicated when he started waving his arms about and I don’t think there was contact he gave the ref the chance to make the wrong decision.

Watching the Taft one again I’m at a loss as to what he could have done? he made no move towards the player, didn’t stick out his leg and wasn’t the one who instigated contact. The player deliberatly made contact with Taft and not the ball which should be our free kick no? But he flung himself to the ground and the ref ate it up.

[Bishops Finger]

Taft should have kicked it out for a throw in.

[Bartoniron66]

A penalty IMO should only be given if a defender makes an attempt to play the ball, so the bebeau penalty was the one if there was contact that should have been given.
The Taft penalty was a joke! He made no attempt to challenge the player or go for the ball he just tried to shadow the player into the box when the player caught his leg against tafts.

[Bartoniron66]

He didn’t kick the player in the face?

[bartonscorpion]

It was another case of blatant cheating, he was after a penalty and got one, last week we had two players running side by side on the edg of the pemalty area, going nowhere, then their guy decided todrop to the ground trying for a penalty, he got one, while in both cases they should have got yellow cards instead of penalties.

This used to be common in the Italian League years ago, then it spread into our Premier League due to so many foreigb players coming here, now it is the done thing in our lower leagues, its a bit like Covid-19, it has spread very quickly, the big problem is that Refs are tht crap nowadays, they all fall for this divibg, and are only too pleased to go along with it. That player last Saturday continued to dive and fall down throughout the match, but was still on the pitch at the end of the game.

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[cassidystash]

Bartoniron66 wrote:

He didn’t kick the player in the face?

He can’t have done can he. As I said earlier, had the player been kicked in the face the physio would have been on for a concussion check and necessary treatment. I can only think the ref gave it for “intent”, players don’t actually have to make contact if they throw a punch or shove their head towards another. Very harsh IMO but as DSGM said, Bedeau gave the ref the opportunity to get it wrong.

[Ferrite]

DarrynStampGoalMachine wrote:

Watching the Taft one again I’m at a loss as to what he could have done? he made no move towards the player, didn’t stick out his leg and wasn’t the one who instigated contact. The player deliberatly made contact with Taft and not the ball which should be our free kick no? But he flung himself to the ground and the ref ate it up.

I can definitely see where you’re coming from on that one. The alternative is it’s up to Taft to get out of the way – it’s like obstruction, sometimes doing nothing/standing still is not good enough.

Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t think the current strict liability interpretation of the laws is good for the game BUT the players should know what’s what & deal with it. Everyone else has to.

[Greylag]

If it is accepted that reffing has hit new lows, then all clubs are affected, not just the Iron. Whether the Iron is more affected negatively than other clubs is debatable.

[Northumbiron]

bartonscorpion wrote:

This used to be common in the Italian League years ago, then it spread into our Premier League due to so many foreigb players coming here

Hmm!

The PL refs still get it wrong when they have VAR to consult. No chance in L2!

[Ferrite]

bartonscorpion wrote:

This used to be common in the Italian League years ago, then it spread into our Premier League due to so many foreigb players coming here, now it is the done thing in our lower leagues, its a bit like Covid-19, it has spread very quickly, the big problem is that Refs are tht crap nowadays, they all fall for this divibg, and are only too pleased to go along with it. That player last Saturday continued to dive and fall down throughout the match, but was still on the pitch at the end of the game.

You’re going to be shocked when you hear about a player called Francis Lee!

[DarrynStampGoalMachine]

Ferrite wrote:

Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t think the current strict liability interpretation of the laws is good for the game BUT the players should know what’s what & deal with it. Everyone else has to.

Well I don’t keep up with the laws if that is the rule then maybe that’s the problem not the refs. If the ref has correctly applied the laws of the game in the Taft situation that is baffling and needs to be looked at.

How can anyone in charge of the game watch that and believe it is the correct outcome?

[DarrynStampGoalMachine]

Greylag wrote:

If it is accepted that reffing has hit new lows, then all clubs are affected, not just the Iron. Whether the Iron is more affected negatively than other clubs is debatable.

Fully agree with this. I only watch us play now but these same refs are going out every week and presumably performing at the same levels.

Only got Cox’s stats to go on that we’ve been unlucky to be on the wrong end of decisions more in our own games but I’m sure there are many teams just as bad as us.

It feels like I come out of a game much more regularly now thinking that the ref was poor. People like Deadman used to be an anomaly but now it seems constant.

However maybe it’s as Ferrite said and the laws are being correctly applied and it’s the rules of the game changing and not the officials which are the problem.

[Ferrite]

The other thing I’d add DSGM is that situations like the Taft one are similar to the daft handball penalties you are seeing at all levels of the game where a defender may have no chance to get out of the way of a shot but is still penalised for the ball hitting their hand. I think it’s crazy but it’s the way the laws are.

All that said, I still think the penalty against Bolton was a penalty no matter what the latest interpretation.

[lesgeo]

There are plenty of issues with soft penalties – sure.
But what gets me even more is free kicks awarded for the most minor of contact all over the pitch: fouls given for the equivalent of a Paddington hard stare.
Is football to become the new basketball when contact is made?

[Sanfran49]

I didn’t realise Prem Refs can get a bonus of up to £50 K a season !! They actually lose money for bad decisions !!

Do not understand that you get a bonus for doing the job correctly despite their salary of over £100K a season. If you cannot do it then you shouldn’t have a job !

[Author]

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