A referee can only officiate whats in front of them, All this rubbish about he had a bad game etc etc is in my view subjective, Every referee at whatever level will make a mistake, Kevin Friend in last nights game a perfect example, having been a top class referee for many years it is vitally important that he gets the game changing decisions correct and this is invariably where he is criticised. Players and managers have a major part to play in this yet they take no responsibility for there players saying the referee got it wrong. The FA also need to understand the game more and think of the supporters who all want to see the 25 yard goal and the be disappointed because a players arm is in front of the last defender or his foot is in a similar position, The award of a penalty for handball when it is kicked straight at him from 3 yards etc was crazy, thankfully this as been changed but never the less should not have been made a law, I am not advocating all referees are great because I have some which a very poor which is not helped by the fast tracking of some which results in them officiating in games which they are not up too.

The one that always gets me from pundits is, after they've looked at a replay : "Hmmm...it WAS offside, but only just". Doesn't that count as an excellent decision then ?

Interesting interview with Michael Oliver here https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... rpool.html where his chosen example of a "bad decision" involves Argyle, no less.

It's amazing how many people wouldn't pick up a whistle and try being the referee but would happily criticise the decisions they believe to be 'mistakes'

I haven't made it to the top level but I still enjoy going out on a weekend and refereeing whats in front of me ... its all about opinion much like our views on players

It's amazing how many people wouldn't pick up a whistle and try being the referee but would happily criticise the decisions they believe to be 'mistakes'

I haven't made it to the top level but I still enjoy going out on a weekend and refereeing whats in front of me ... its all about opinion much like our views on players

I couldn’t think of anything worse. I used to run the line occasionally for my son’s youth team and even hated that! Never criticised a ref or Lino when I watched him play but so many others did, even for kids of 10 years old. So good on you for doing it! You certainly need a thick skin

You get less insults thrown about as a referee then you do on here during a match day thread .

It's amazing how many people wouldn't pick up a whistle and try being the referee but would happily criticise the decisions they believe to be 'mistakes'

I haven't made it to the top level but I still enjoy going out on a weekend and refereeing whats in front of me ... its all about opinion much like our views on players

I couldn’t think of anything worse. I used to run the line occasionally for my son’s youth team and even hated that! Never criticised a ref or Lino when I watched him play but so many others did, even for kids of 10 years old. So good on you for doing it! You certainly need a thick skin

I ran the line for my son’s team just once, and found it a weird experience. I suddenly became a non-person, with comments about my decisions from people just a few feet away, speaking as if I didn’t exist.

It's amazing how many people wouldn't pick up a whistle and try being the referee but would happily criticise the decisions they believe to be 'mistakes'

I haven't made it to the top level but I still enjoy going out on a weekend and refereeing whats in front of me ... its all about opinion much like our views on players

Echo the above comments - anyone who gives their time and has the guts to referee amateur football games deserve enormous respect. Personally, I cannot think of anything worse - some of the stick they get and the awful stories you hear. I too have only ever run the line for youth matches and that is bad enough - it does make you realise just how difficult it is. As for Artell - I remember the last time we beat them at HP and he was an absolute a-hole towards the ref throughout the whole game and match-day moments showed the disgraceful way he harangued the ref virtually following him into the dressing room at half time and after the match.

Artell is playing mind games. He's always moaned about the refs Crewe have had especially if they lose. I'm sure I read somewhere that he studied psychology and to me this is an example of how manipulative he is. He'll be hoping that by making such comments it may somehow influence the ref in his decision making. He should just concentrate on doing his job and let the refs get on with doing theirs. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like to be publicly told he's a bad manager so he should shut his mouth and stop calling the refs bad. The guy is pretty much akin to the Evans character from Gillingham.