Rotherham United Manager Matt Taylor has been somewhat critical of referees since he took over at the New York Stadium and I think a lot of us agree with him.
As fans, I think we are always going to have ‘a go’ at the referee and his assistants (though how they actually assist . . . well don’t get me started on them) and it’s probably become a bit of national pastime in football. Personally, although I’m not against VAR, I don’t think it’s helped the refs as I wonder if they are too frightened to actually give a decision thinking/knowing it will be overturned by someone many miles up the road with a close circuit TV to scrutinise.
On Saturday, at Luton, I was watching the Millers and didn’t think the ref had too bad first half but he came out in the second half like he’d just been made No. 1 Hatters fan. And it’s not just me who thought that. I know an independent fan who was sat with the Luton supporters and after the game he told me that he thought the referee was very much a ‘homer’ giving the Millers nothing.
Last month former Millers Manager Steve Evans suggested that Monday morning chats between the referee at the weekend game and the managers involved would be a good thing and used to happen. ‘Emotions have settled down by then,’ Evans told the Sun newspaper. It also gives the referee and the manager time to look at the recording of the game and point out anything they thought was wrong or right. Good idea in theory – whether it could ever happen now I’m not sure.
Sunderland Boss Tony Mowbray and Norwich City Manager Dean Smith have also had a bit of a moan at referees in the last month or so – and I’m sure there are many other managers too.
I know I’ve had a go at refs and linesmen, particularly this season but with no VAR available in the Championship I can’t really know if I was justified to do that. I do suspect we moan more when our team are losing and accept that it’s probably a way of venting our anger.
A report in the MailOnline in January told us that referees were ‘leaving in droves’ because of abuse being slung at them from not only the terraces but from players and coaches too. They are scared. And I think that’s a terrible thing to be scared when doing a job.
Perhaps we should actually ease up on calling the ref every time a decision goes against us? Perhaps we should think twice before hurling abuse at the man with the whistle? But, to be honest, football is a spontaneous game and usually our anger is only for a minute but there are people who take it too far.
But, you know, fans are just asking for consistency and I don’t think we’ve had that this season – even from the first forty-five minutes to the second forty-five things seem to have changed. We often joke ‘oh, you can see which manager has been in to see the ref at half-time’ – surely, that can’t be true?
What do you think?
