Are referees being phased in too early and moved on too late? Zak Garner-Perkis writes…
“I think it was off” said baby faced linesman Simon Bennett without looking Luis Suarez in the eye. He looked uncomfortable, eager to leave the pitch and return to the relative safety of the official’s dressing room.
Moments earlier, the result of a Merseyside derby had been dramatically altered because in a panic he had bowed to the protestations of the Everton defence and raised his flag, denying Luis Suarez’s last minute winner.
Seemingly the thirty thousand screaming fans and gesticulating players had forced the young linesman into a poor decision.
It isn’t the first time that an inexperienced official has made a call that appears to have been influenced by the reactions of players and supporters.
In November 2010, the 25 year-old Michael Oliver sent off Norwich’s Grant Holt in a game at Reading, the away side had been two goals up, but with a player less they let the advantage slip. Afterwards, both managers criticised the decision and alluded to his lack of experience.
On other occasions fast-tracked officials have simply buckled under the pressure and been responsible for bizarre decisions. The most notorious being when Stuart Atwell’s awarded Reading a goal against Watford when the ball was four yards wide of the post.
If the PGMO (Professional Game Match Officials) believe players will show more respect to officials who they are closer in age or think that they will be able communicate on the same level, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Like a student teacher thrown in at the deep end with a class of unruly schoolchildren, footballers immediately sense weakness and indecision in an official. They take advantage of the situation and bully the man in the middle (or running the line).
Beyond the high profile mistakes that an inexperienced official inevitably makes on their road to learning how to deal with this high-pressure environment the fast track policy also encourages the worst trait a referee or linesman can have; self importance.
Yes, officials should be strong and unafraid to make hard decisions. However, when they begin to see themselves as an individual star it affects their judgement.
Officials who receive widespread praise by the media are examples of how poisonous such an attitude can be. The celebrated official starts to believe their own hype and think that their decision-making is without reproach; they make big decisions far quicker because they don’t entertain the possibility that they might be wrong.
After disallowing Everton’s perfectly good goal against Villarreal in the 2005 Champions League qualifier Pierluigi Collina told players not to argue with “the best referee in the world.”
Graham Poll informed John Motson that if he wanted something interesting to say in commentary he could reveal that his family were watching him referee the 2006 World Cup game between Croatia and Australia. Clearly, he didn’t entertain the possibility he might be mentioned for the wrong reasons, which turned out to be the case when he dished out 3 yellow cards the same player.
Self-importance in referees affects decision-making, which should always be done by taking any individual opinions out of the equation. Big calls in particular need to be made soberly and in consultation with their assistants.
Referees need to understand is that what they do is much more important than who they are. As they say, a good referee is one you don’t notice at all.
Not all referees should be grey or balding, but the PGMO should wait until officials are at least in their thirties with ten years or so experience in the lower leagues to draw from before promoting them to the top flight.
Maybe this way, the league will have modest experienced officials who will make better decisions more often.
What’s your view? Are a number of the Premier League’s officials too inexperienced?
image: © eepaul
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