What job would you say is the most scrutinized in the world? It’s probably no surprise if I say that close to the top must be that of the Premiership referee, but I wonder if fans really understand how much scrutiny they are under.
We take for granted the supporters on the day at the ground, plus all the millions who watch on television, and don’t forget that most Premiership matches are shown around the world. The referees also face trail by television with the constant replays and slow motions along with uneducated criticism from commentators and pundits.
I have also reported before, how their every performance in monitored by Prozone which records how far they run, how fast they run, how far they are away from any incident when it happens and it can even tell how many minutes they play as shown in the dispute this season with Sir Alex Ferguson.
But there are others whose job it is to watch the referee and not only scrutinize their performance but to report on it and to award marks. The first of these are the assessors who are ex-referees and who will have officiated at that level themselves. Their job is to ensure that the referee maintains the standards expected. The assessor will meet the referee in the dressing room before the game and then afterwards when the referee will find out where he thinks he has done right or wrong. The assessor then goes off and writes his report, marking the referee out of one hundred.
I have always felt that it is a little unfair on the referee that the assessor will take with him a video of the match, which he can watch before completing his report. This means that he will possibly see angles that the referee didn’t have of vital incidents in the game.
The referee is also watched and reported on by a
match delegate. This rather secretive body of men is, I understand, made up of ex-players and managers. In some ways they represent the fans' viewpoint of the referee’s performance but with the added benefit of having played or managed the game. I have yet to meet a match delegate, although I have suggested that we track one down to talk at our referees’ meeting so we get a clearer understanding of their role.
The third way in which a referee’s performance gets assessed is by club markings. Referees experience club markings all through their refereeing careers, even in local football, where clubs marks are used for such things as awarding end-of-season cup finals. The only time local referees are watched by assessors is when they apply for promotion and probably for only three games in a season. As they progress up the refereeing ladder they get watched by assessors progressively more often until they are assessed at every game. But the club markings continue.
Many referees think club markings are suspect. Imagine a team losing the match in the dying seconds to a controversial penalty, what that’s going to do to their marks that week? Perhaps surprisingly, the average marks from assessors and from clubs at the top are very similar, with club marks are only slightly below those of the assessors. At Wycombe Wanderers marking is done by the club secretary, Keith Allen. Although Wycombe is not a Premiership club Keith’s comments on referees is interesting. He doesn’t think standards have improved, because he says they can’t use common sense anymore as they feel they won’t progress if they don’t referee by the book. Who does he blame for this?
The assessors. Referees, he says, are terrified of assessors.
Whether that’s true or not, the next time you want to have a go at the referee, just think - would your job stand up to this degree of scrutiny?
Dick Sawdon Smith
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