what do you think? REFEREEING STANDARDS

[aroundincircles]

Think referees get scrutinised far too much, by people who dont know what is like to referee a game.LIKE MOST OF THE PEOPLE ON HERE.

[RMDrive]

Maybe this thread should start with a test on the rules to see how many of you actually know what you are talking about.

Usual bunch of clowns moaning.

Well lads if refs are so shite off you go and become one, you should all rise to the top quickly seeing than you are all experts ont eh subject matter.

I've done some referring at underage level, but don't have the personal time to do it more often. In fact your answer is nonsense, anyone making a critical reasoned case should be free to without being told "Why don't you step up?" I feel Brian Cowen is lousy at his job, should I put myself forward in his place?

The four occasions I refer to are on reflection cases where I do believe the referee did try to influence the outcome of the match (as opposed to thinking during the match that they did but on reflection they didn't, they were just incompetent or just made some bad decisions) as far as possible, in two cases they didn't succeed and in two they did. One of these had a referee who overruled his linesmen five times the decision for a sideline kick and gave a penalty against my team when the player fouled had just crossed the 20 metre line and was nowhere near the large square! To cap it all off, this was an All-Ireland final! Another one was an occasion where even county board officials present admitted that the ref was not calling the game down the line but could do little about it.

By far most referees I don't believe have a built in agenda to "target" a certain team over another, and that slip-ups occur because of genuine faults and errors. We all expect referees to be perfect when none of them can be and in the days of heavy TV analysis this doesn't make a job easier when pundits and viewers can get slow-mos, alternative angles, multiple replays etc. when the referee and his officials have to make a decision with their own eyes. Overall a team will over the course of the year will more or less get levelled out on refereeing decisions when the fact that the decisions that go for them don't stick in the head as much for when they don't go for them. This doesn't discount cases where teams know or at least feel that certain referees have agendas against them - look at the current Cork Hurling crises and read about comments here and elsewhere about club reps afraid to stand up against Frank Murphy in case when it comes to important games they get the "wrong" ref...

It's a wee bit easier for you to become a referee than to become Taoiseach.

[bredaghgael86]

No, I think some referees are cheats, plain and simple.

Have to agree with this entirely.  Obviously they would be in the minority, but i can thinkk of one or two in particular in down who are just cheats.  But for the most part, even if they are crap, most refs do try their best.  And after all, if they didnt take time out of their day to do it then none of us would be playing, spectating or otherwise....

[Open yer eyes Man]

I'm not so sure about them being dishonest, I just think alot of them are just pure shite.

Their interpretation of the rules varies from ref to ref and the inconsistencies are unreal.

I would prefer if the referee in the game was anonymous and just blew the frees rather than trying to be the centre of attention, which alot of them crave.

[RMDrive]

Maybe this thread should start with a test on the rules to see how many of you actually know what you are talking about.

Usual bunch of clowns moaning.

Well lads if refs are so shite off you go and become one, you should all rise to the top quickly seeing than you are all experts ont eh subject matter.

I've done some referring at underage level, but don't have the personal time to do it more often. In fact your answer is nonsense, anyone making a critical reasoned case should be free to without being told "Why don't you step up?" I feel Brian Cowen is lousy at his job, should I put myself forward in his place?

The four occasions I refer to are on reflection cases where I do believe the referee did try to influence the outcome of the match (as opposed to thinking during the match that they did but on reflection they didn't, they were just incompetent or just made some bad decisions) as far as possible, in two cases they didn't succeed and in two they did. One of these had a referee who overruled his linesmen five times the decision for a sideline kick and gave a penalty against my team when the player fouled had just crossed the 20 metre line and was nowhere near the large square! To cap it all off, this was an All-Ireland final! Another one was an occasion where even county board officials present admitted that the ref was not calling the game down the line but could do little about it.

By far most referees I don't believe have a built in agenda to "target" a certain team over another, and that slip-ups occur because of genuine faults and errors. We all expect referees to be perfect when none of them can be and in the days of heavy TV analysis this doesn't make a job easier when pundits and viewers can get slow-mos, alternative angles, multiple replays etc. when the referee and his officials have to make a decision with their own eyes. Overall a team will over the course of the year will more or less get levelled out on refereeing decisions when the fact that the decisions that go for them don't stick in the head as much for when they don't go for them. This doesn't discount cases where teams know or at least feel that certain referees have agendas against them - look at the current Cork Hurling crises and read about comments here and elsewhere about club reps afraid to stand up against Frank Murphy in case when it comes to important games they get the "wrong" ref...

It's a wee bit easier for you to become a referee than to become Taoiseach.

Maybe, but the point is that you should be able to make constructive criticism and ask reasonable questions about a person's role or job without having the question being directly thrown back in your face as a form a defence from answering the question in the first place. Going back to Brian Cowen, imagine if a journalist asked him some probing questions about the current state of the Irish economy and the first thing the Taoiseach tells the journalist is "Well do you think you can do a better job than me?" Cowen would rightly be ridiculed.

Fair point but the argument often put forward (not saying it applies to you) is that the very people who feel they can critique a referee's ability, integrity and performance and the ones who understand the least about what it takes to be a referee. On occasions where a lay-person criticises GAA players, it is often said " sure what would he know, he never kicked a ball in his life".
So I can understand the argument that people who have never refereed GAA games are not in the best position to critique referees and tell them how they should do their job.
And IMO, the standard of refereeing in the GAA is never going to improve until ...
- The rules are made as clear as possible (and changed where necessary in order to make them clearer)
- Players, coaches, fans and everyone else change their attitude towards the rules and understand that they are just as important and integral to the game as everything else. Rather than seeing them as hindrances and obstacles.

[antoinse]

How many of you know the rules and can apply them when you see the referee making a decision? What a load of crap about referees. I know in my county referees are monitored and awarded matches on a merit basis. Who could referee your matches?

Lads and lassies stand back and everytime a referee blows for a free either way and see if he is applying the rules before you belittle them.

Clear the smoke from your eyes

[Billys Boots]

Were you in Pearse Park on Sunday antoinse?

[antoinse]

No, was in Armagh

[bud]

In fairness though i think the majority of referees are fair, yeah they makes mistakes but sure don't we all.
However, in my own county i can think of a few who are on a complete ego trip.  One in particular is pints club mate, the worst i have ever seen!!  He does be on this ego trip from start to finish, doing his best to goad players into saying something so he can send them off.  I think i am right in saying there are a few clubs about who refuse to play when he is refereeing, i only wish my club would do the same!!

On another note, in armagh we always seem to have a referee officiating at our games who is from a club in the same division as ourselves.  Does this happen in any other counties?  I believe its very unfair as the ref can make a decision that can effect his own clubs position, ie by sending off a player from the rival club, awarding a pen  :oetc

I know if i was in the situation i would think about doing the same!

[North Longford]

Last Sunday was the first time I actually thought a referee didn't give free on purpose so as to influence the outcome of a game. After the second last kick of a game a player from the team leading 09-08 dropped the ball and touched it on the ground in his panic to pick the ball up on his own goal line . 3 seconds later after same player played the last kick of the game the bould David Goldrick blew the final whistle. To have given the 14 yard free which he should have and assuming it was scored would have meant the entire Leinster club championship schedule being moved back. I just wonder?!?!?

[witnof]

Last Sunday was the first time I actually thought a referee didn't give free on purpose so as to influence the outcome of a game. After the second last kick of a game a player from the team leading 09-08 dropped the ball and touched it on the ground in his panic to pick the ball up on his own goal line . 3 seconds later after same player played the last kick of the game the bould David Goldrick blew the final whistle. To have given the 14 yard free which he should have and assuming it was scored would have meant the entire Leinster club championship schedule being moved back. I just wonder?!?!?

I have seen some threads in my time but this one takes the biscuit, the bile vomitted forth is on a level not seen before.

A quick re-cap is:

a. ALL refs are cheats

b. they go around fixing games either to benefit, the GAA, certain clubs or themselves

[cornerback]

Last Sunday was the first time I actually thought a referee didn't give free on purpose so as to influence the outcome of a game. After the second last kick of a game a player from the team leading 09-08 dropped the ball and touched it on the ground in his panic to pick the ball up on his own goal line . 3 seconds later after same player played the last kick of the game the bould David Goldrick blew the final whistle. To have given the 14 yard free which he should have and assuming it was scored would have meant the entire Leinster club championship schedule being moved back. I just wonder?!?!?

Just goes to show, we're not all cut out to be refs, isn't that right NL? 

Technically it should have been a penalty (assuming the player wasn't the goalkeeper - and then it that case it isn't a foul)

[milltown row]

pog, your talking shite, as usual, anyway having played at all levels football and hurling i took up refereeing last year. i dislike all clubs bar my own. i could not give a dam who wins a match, means nothing to me. I'm sure most referees think the same.

what could maybe sway some referees is when arseholes on the line or players for that matter rant on and on and on. me? well i see a foul I'll blow. very hard to see all fouls committed. and some times you allow advantage and it doesn't work.

People have agreed with me on this thread or have said similar things to me, why are you crying about me talking shite? Why arent you accusing the others of talking shite?   

cause ya bite silly

[pintsofguinness]

 

[milltown row]

referees obviously need support from both the county and the clubs. i believe that referees need plenty of feedback, after the dust settles from both managers. be it well done ref or in calm tones, could you explain that one.  of course POG there are cocks who maybe take up positions within the Gaa for their own importance. every type of association has them. referees need to be ex players also, have good fitness and have a personality (I've them all ) people need to be encouraged to referee.

standardisation needs to come in. everybody wants the game refereed like the all ireland finals. who wouldn't? i think all referees should aspire to become the best, just as we all do/did as players. i was surprised about some of the rules, we all think we know them but we dont know them all.

i think the cheat word is very harsh. do we call players cheats when the try and cheat the referee into getting players sent off or con a free? think how you would react to our own players when the try and cheat the referee