A League Referees

I tried looking for a thread from long ago about this topic but the search engine could not find it.

Since day 1 of the A League, the debate about refereeing standards has long been the cause of heated arguments. Especially in regards to the Nix. We always seemed to get the newbies cutting their teeth, the experienced ones whom gave the impression they hate the idea of a New Zealand team, The ones, whom conspiracy theorists thought were encouraged to make sure "we" came off second to assist the FFA to nail our coffin. Then there were the refs whom thought the game was all about them and insisted on being the center of attention. NZ referees always seem to give the Nix a hard time as if to prove they did not favour us. 50/50 calls running against us.

Professional refs should not of course be any of the above. They should be impartial, should be allowing the game to flow and be entertaining. The referee should really have such a minimal impact that we rarely notice them because they are doing their job properly. I would hate to be a referee today as modern technology is so easy to pick up your cock-ups. Surely, referees today are more than aware of it.

Sadly though, the standards of the A League referees has not progressed with experience nor with the improving standards of the clubs and players. They are still as bad as those first seasons. They appear to be an autonomy all to themselves with a take it or leave attitude. The FFA are responsible for a lot of this by not demanding better standards. Over the lat 8-9 years I have literally watch hundreds of A League games and it saddens me that Match Officials are at the level they are now.

I always worked on the logic that if you are going to be a bad referee, be bad to both sides and show some consistency. In the case of the Nix, it is not a case of swings and roundabouts and that it would even out over a season. Sorry but in my humble opinion, we have been shafted a lot more than given the benefit of the doubt.

I think the FFA need to step up to the plate and address this. Not just for the Nix, but for the future of the A League. EVERY team deserves a fair shake of the rag but it is not happening. Some of today's referees should not be even allowed to referee a park game between 10 year olds. I think too, that the media should be and should be allowed to question the referees after a game as to why they made certain decisions so that fans can get a better understanding. It would be nice to to actually hear a referee speak up and say they made a mess of a decision and apologize for it. It is called openness and stops a lot of the crap being dished out to some referees. The referees themselves need to hold their own hands up and admit they are not up to scratch and get their governing body to do something about it. Make them accountable.

I am sick of seeing some potentially great games of football ruined by the match officials, regardless of who is playing. And I would also like to see the Nix actually play on a fair playing field. Sometimes I really do think we are playing 12. One thing I do like about the Nix, at least we usually don't get 8 players surrounding the referee. Durante usually is enough and questions such things....and he gets carded for questioning it which under the laws of the game, he is perfectly entitled to do.

Rant over. I may be wrong but I am just wishing to keep the referee debate in a single thread. What do you others think?

Yes it is very frustrating and must be so for the players and managers. However, do we think there are actually better officials out there that are not being used?

When you put it like that, it's quite a scary thought OOE. Those are the best they have...

Last night was horrific. That penalty, then five minutes later CCM player does even worse to us and Rodriguez gets yellow carded for touching him instead.

Everyone of their players should have had numerous yellows for constant grabbing and professional fouls. Completely ruins the game. The refs have absolutely no idea. Horrifically bad and inconsistent.

Saw a stat on Facebook but can't find it again, which said that our fouls-to-yellow-cards ratio is the lowest in the league. We get a yellow card every 4 and a bit fouls, whereas MV get one every 12 fouls or something. Now some of that may be the type of fouls we commit - a slow backline means we're vulnerable to counterattacks so we commit more professional fouls after losing the ball, but I really doubt that accounts for all of it... or even most of it...

Anyone who has ever done business in Australia knows you do not expect a level playing field. 

I can see O'Donovan getting a 2 game ban and Muscat a 4 game ban because that is another Metric for the FFA to fudge us over with.

No comment from the ref, after last nights game, Ben Williams said he made two obvious mistakes.

i think the ffa should get a marquee ref for the next season from the premier league

And why would the biggest league in the world give up one of their own referees for a tin pot league down under?

They would have a better shot of borrowing referees out of Japan since its within AFC.

It is also a shame a lot of Lines-people are also getting their calls wrong. Are they not meant to be backups or support for the Referee? The guy I refer to at games at Westpac - "Offside" is because his success ratio for calling it right is at about 20%. He has been the same ever since his first appearance there. Short stocky and bald fella. He knows Aisle 12 so well.

Except he thought it was aisle 14

Thanks WH,

A clickable URL here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/755...

If it's the same guy I'm thinking of, he has a massive ego but dosnt even do the middle in NRFL or ASBP

He knows us because immediately after yet another cock up we all start calling "Offside" every time the ball is in our attacking half.

Agreed. One quick look made me cringe. 

Luckily I still have some Harrington's left from NY Eve, a quick mercy dash to the fridge saved my sanity.

Decided to look myself. Fouls plotted against yellow cards. Numbers in the middle are fouls per yellow.

So we are getting fukked over?

TV 3 2nite said Nix have turned down offer to meet and talk with refs earlier to understand each other...

I don't blame them.

We are certainly an outlier. Too many variable to say we are getting screwed over. Not all fouls are the same.

FFA can argue that The Nix does not waste time on petty crime and only commits serious (card-able) fouls.

and that doesn't show fouls not given at all. How do previous years compare?

last year

Be interesting to see when they are conceded. I suspect we have been poor later in games and given away cheap card s then. Be interesting to see if the cards were issued the same as when we were more dominant.

Edit: slow phone typing. Some marginal calls of late, but when we are bossing we obviously get fewer calls against us.

Just going on the 2 charts - swings and roundabouts. Standard of officiating is  reasonably poor though.

New Metric introduced this season. "If there is the slightest hint of an impediment, Yellow Card the Nix hard"

As I said earlier, I think that at least some of it is because we play possession football with slow defenders so we are vulnerable to counterattacks, which means we commit more professional fouls and get more yellow cards. However, what annoys me isn't the Nix getting cards they shouldn't have, but other teams not getting cards they should have. For instance, repeated fouling of Roly, even by the same player, never seems to get a yellow card.

surprised no refs on forum sticking up for the refs in a- league, maybe they agree that a- league refs are no good.

All part of bloody Gallops and Loweys metrics probably.

And then Roly gets a yellow when he lashes out after being fouled for the fifth time in last 10 minutes.

On the general topic, yes the standard of refereeing is not great. Never has been. And is unlikely to dramatically change for the better from this point on, so you just get on with it.

Roly must be the most "fouled upon" player in the A League next to Berisha and it would make for an interesting stat. How many times has he been fouled and how many cards resulted to said foul tackler. I think it must be close to 1 card per twenty fouls.

If someone had the time and patience to look at the fouls against Thomas Broich in previous two - three seasons. 

I have not kept count but if my memory serves me the cards eventually started coming out last year, especially against Mariners and Jets.

it's been the same for years. Any player who shows a little bit of skill gets hacked down, and poor refereeing allows it to happen. 

I remember years ago, Felipe got taken off injured after being fouled about 20 times in a half. He was never really the same once teams realised they could foul him out of the game. The same seems to be happening with Roly unfortunately. 

It is not good for the league, but it is what it is. 

Surely the FFA should realise it would be a better spectacle if these sort of players are protected - I'm sure that people would be more willing to see Roly (and others of his ilk) perform than see him fouled every 7min.