RateTheRef

Oh I thought somebody said that three FL Referees had gone for interview for promotion to SG2?

Perhaps I misread that but I assumed that’s what was meant so I wondered who those three were

I heard on the grapevine that PGMOL interviews are this week.

Does anybody know who was invited to these interviews?

I believe Madley refereed the final last year which possibly rules him out this year anyway?

Toners name isn’t in these fixtures so one can assume he will play some part, probably as referee. I did think Bell would be in the play offs so perhaps he will be 4th Official?

Have to say I’m very surprised to see Barrott not refereeing a game unless he is destined to referee the final instead?

So only League 2 semi finals for these referees. By my reckoning that would be four referees on the semi finals and one for the final? Or would they choose the final referee from the four semi final referees? Not sure what the past format has been for selection for the final referee.

Just wondering who people think would be the four referees on semi finals and who the final referee would be? Personally I think Sam Barratt seems to be well rated on here so I think he may be the selection for the final. Saw him at Stockport v Bolton in the FA Cup earlier this year and I was very impressed

The referee here was absolutely correct in law, however whether proactive management of the situation would have been better remains to be discussed.

I believe the referee awarded a free kick to Wimbledon on the edge of their own penalty area. The goalkeeper appeared not to realise this and as a result played the ball three times. Of course in law, a second touch by the same player equates to an indirect free kick against them. So on this point of law the referee was completely correct.

However, I can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable about that. Yes it’s the goalkeeper at fault and I’m sure the ‘we’re not there to hold their hands’ comments will come which I understand, but surely on recognising that the keeper wasn’t aware it was a free kick the referee should have hit the whistle and communicated this clearly to the goalkeeper who was obviously unaware.

This decision has had a huge impact in the game and now on the league table. Again, I’ll stress that a referee has no obligation to help the keeper here but I would expect a referee of Mr Backhouse’s experience to have managed this is a much better way

Is Ms Welch injured at the moment? Haven’t seen her name for a few weeks, I could be mistaken of course. I always look out for a few names to see if fixtures are progressing with bigger games, especially now we are approaching the dreaded business end and Ms Welch is of course one of those. She just doesn’t seem to referee at all regularly in the EFL which I find baffling

I have it on reasonably good authority that this occurred when Mrs(?) Edwards flagged for a foul which the home manager felt was soft. He made a comment saying “come on it’s a man’s game”.

Now I absolutely appreciate that there are a number of contexts that can be said in and of course players and managers must choose their words wisely. However…this is a comment that I myself used as a throw away comment to players over my many years of refereeing, rightly or wrongly, as a way of saying get on with it. Only now we are probably realising that this comment shouldn’t be used, but it is a comment used regularly throughout football.

I don’t know how this was said nor do I know which context a manager has said this but I think an 8 game ban for this seems incredibly excessive when a horrendous tackle that breaks a leg gets only three

I believe a player at Shrewsbury was sent off for calling the referee something which was obviously bad enough to warrant a straight red card. Will that be an 8 game ban or just the three? I assume the latter

I will throw a name into the ring…Uriah Rennie.

Rennie is I believe a Referee Committee Chairman in one of the Yorkshire FAs, Sheffield I think, and I do wonder if the FA will see it as an opportunity to go for somebody from a BAME background and perhaps use this as a starting point for the removal of the claims that the FA are blocking black referees from coming through the system?

It’s a strange one in that even sitting and thinking of possible replacements I genuinely cannot come up with any other names or reasons for one particular person from another. For this reason I think Rennie will be the choice they will go with and show the FA taking a different direction to the perceived one that they had been on