Firstly, let me say i'm very much in the "there are some bad referees" camp - Refs like Charles Brakespear show more cards year after year - thats not because players behave worse in the games he referee's - the law of averages tells you thats not possible - he is just an individual that cannot help getting involved.

This particular instance it is unprofessional and he'll have to take whatever punishment is dished out on the chin, however player behaviour is truly diabolical, its cease pit stuff that has gone unpunished for years. Fergie and Jose spotted the weakness in the games authorities to help referee's so instructed their players to challenge and intimidate referees at every opportunity, the FA/UEFA have had ample opportunity to address it and chose to do so in the weakest ways possible. Since then every manager/coach and team have seen it, so they all do, its now just the norm.

The "no crowd" option on Sky lets you hear far more than you normally would, lets be honest if you gave a Rugby referee,with excellent knowledge of football a premier league game this weekend and asked him to referee ill-discipline in the way he normally would you'd end up with a game of 7 a side.

Until the authorities give referee's backing to be incredibly strict and support them in all cases of foul and abusive language, then incidents like this will occur.

The only thing that surprises me is that this doesn't happen more often.
Agree with another post that says there are obviously some poor referees out there, but with the constant mobbing that some of them get, usually from the same teams coincidentally, it's a wonder more refs haven't had the red mist descend if they're being berated by 5, 6, 7 players. Yes they should maintain composure but they are human and everyone has a snapping point

Hear the FA are charging Drysdale with improper conduct.

Wasn't there a rule last season about touching touching red brings an instant yellow?

Cant see why mobbing the ref can't be banned. Like others have said it's getting unacceptable and it does influence some decisions.

Players and managers need to start behaving like adults if football is ever going to lose its thuggish appearance

He is RAF, just not used to dealing with spoilt Civilians

ref should have given him a Glasgow kiss.

All day, absolutely pathetic comments by Lambert,

Refereeing is getting harder and harder.

No respect from the pampered, spoilt players with their verbal abuse and constant cheating, including Judge last night.

These problems are compounded by Managers who encourage their players bad behaviour, the worst culprits being Ferguson and Mourinho who set the standard for other Managers to follow. There is little help for Referees from the football authorities or the morally bankrupt PFA.

However, I don't have much sympathy for Darren Drysdale and not just because of the crap penalty he couldn't wait to give Exeter last season.

He is possibly the worst Referee since Roger Kirkpatrick for his flamboyant showmanship. He seems to think the fans have come to watch him, not the 2 teams.

Ah Kirkpatrick famous for running backwards ☺️

Refereeing is getting harder and harder.

No respect from the pampered, spoilt players with their verbal abuse and constant cheating, including Judge last night.

These problems are compounded by Managers who encourage their players bad behaviour, the worst culprits being Ferguson and Mourinho who set the standard for other Managers to follow. There is little help for Referees from the football authorities or the morally bankrupt PFA.

However, I don't have much sympathy for Darren Drysdale and not just because of the crap penalty he couldn't wait to give Exeter last season.

He is possibly the worst Referee since Roger Kirkpatrick for his flamboyant showmanship. He seems to think the fans have come to watch him, not the 2 teams.

Do footy fans go to watch TWO teams? Even on PASOTI we have "Argyle MotM" and "Rate the Referee" but never any rating of the other team's players..... because nobody cares about the opponents.

Needs to be sacked.

He's there to officiate nothing else.

Another ref' who can't understand he's not part of the entertainment.

A player would get a three match ban but a referee should be sacked? If the player had accepted that the ref is there to officiate then there would be no incident.

He's a 'personality ref' - Needs to be sacked.

Good refs need to be seen and not heard, he's the opposite of that. Probably a frustrated and crap player like most referees are. Should be booted out and given a VAR job (driving the van).

Blimey Ian, where would we be without refs? What this guy did was wrong and he's owned up to it, but the disrespect players show towards refs is appalling. I think I'd snap if I was getting abuse week after week from players and fans. They are not the enemy although football culture has characterised them as just that.

He's not right down in the "clown tier" of referees (Kettle, Hooper and Sarginson the liar) imo, however as others have alluded to, he has a real tendency to make it all about him.

In that Coventry game mentioned earlier on this thread, last minute, Taylor fouled in the box. Drysdale whistles, runs to the incident, pauses for at least 3 seconds to make sure the entire ground is looking at him... and then dramatically points the other way for simulation.

He deserves a reprimand for the Judge incident - players get 3 match bans for such and therefore he should get penalised too. Definitely not worthy of being sacked though.

[Daz]

Players do not get 3 game bans for squaring up to each other at all.

He was thrown under the bus by pgmol yesterday and the FA are going to do that to him too.

I wonder whether this guy was made to apologise for this?

https://twitter.com/MundialMag/status/8 ... 69/video/1