pressure on refs

[APJones]

I see a football ref tried committing suicide a few hours before an important match

http://tinyurl.com/872yg3r

Is the pressure really too much ? do we fans give them too hard a time ?

[Tiglon]

I don't think there's any reason to believe his suicide is linked to his position as a referee.

I see that his main job is a banker...

[Chuckster]

"the referee's a banker"

I've heard it on the telly from time to time when watching the footy, there must be a lot of banking personnel doing second jobs...

[Kinoulton]

Referees in professional sport have a job I wouldn't envy.

They have to make a call in the blink on an eye whilst watching several facets of the game all at once (what's happening on the ball, off the ball, people straying offside etc) and then some smart-a*** in a warm TV studio watches several slow motion replays from 8 different angles, shakes his head and says: "I think the ref got that totally wrong."

I actualy think that Brian Moore might do a half decent job of reffing
if he lost a few pounds, but I would love to see the rest of these TV "experts" have a go. They wouldn't get out of the ground alive.

[fleabane]

I totally agree Kinny, but would add most supporters to the list of those who should "have a go"!

[Kinoulton]

Precisely.

[BJ.]

The thing that baffles me is why are the Fergusons and Wengers of this world perfectly happy to berate the decisions made by the referees yet they still won't advocate the use of goal-line technology and/or action replays with a TMO.

Could it possibly have something to do with them only ever criticising those decisions given against their teams?

p.s. That's a bad stutter you've got there, Kinny.

[Kinoulton]

(The curse of the double post lives on.)

Unfortunately, refs are relatively poorly paid people who are in awe of the huge public figures (Ferguson, Warnock etc) who are given a free microphone after every game and can (subtley) give the ref and absolute roasting.

I never used to like Warnock, but now I realise he's just doing his job.

His minnows Shef Utd (underdogs) were victims of an outrageous decision that cost them a result against mighty Arsenal. He went nuts, and several TV replays showed he was right.

But such was the vitriol that Warnock poured out following that incident that not one referee awarded a penalty to Sheff Utd's opponenents for the rest of the season, whilst 12 penalties were awarded to Sheff Utd.

If putting pressure on refs works, then people will put pressure on refs.

[Rizzo]

Well if you ask me nicely, I might delete the duplicate post for you....

[Kinoulton]

Please Miss Rizzo, delete my double post and give us a rendition of There Are Worse Things I Could Do.

[fleabane]

. . .like what, Kinny? Give us an example!


BTW, the German ref is now out of hospital, but still receiving medical care.

[Kinoulton]

As a rough calculation, if you watch a Premier League football game (obviousy I'm going to extreme here) the players, managers, coaches, subs, kit men etc, are probably costing the two clubs £2m for that week alone.

The stewards, turnstile operators and police will be costing £100k.

How much is splashed out on the ref and the flag wavers that will actually determine the outcome?

Hardly anything.

If the sports were willing to pay enough to entice ex-professionals into refereeing, i.e. people who understood the speed of the pro game and the naughty things that professionals get up to, rather than the best of the refs from parks pitches, then we would have more informed decision making.

I have to confess that when Geordan Murphy kicks a "Gary Owen" and then runs straight into an opponent, I can't tell if he was impeded or if he was just looking for the foul. Because I've never played at that speed and I couldn't personally catch Geordan if I had my bike with me.

That's why we need very fit ex-professionals paid handsomely to adjudicate top level sport.

[BJ.]

That's why we need very fit ex-professionals paid handsomely to adjudicate top level sport.

Poachers turned gamekeepers?

[Kinoulton]

That's why we need very fit ex-professionals paid handsomely to adjudicate top level sport.

Poachers turned gamekeepers?

There is an old saying that you should send a thief to catch a thief!