A&H

Darren Ferguson’s Comments

The Referee Store
Il probably anger a few here and it's not intended, but as a Rovers fan and being at the game I totally applaud him with the rant... Bare with me.

The comment was taken out of context. Right or wrong a tongue in cheek comment, but he was being honest the standard is poor for the professional game.

Have you see the clip?

Last 2 weeks Rovers should have had 5 stone wall pens and got none. For me as a ref and fan I see both sides.

We all know the FA do just that for us referees... FA! A referee at a professional level club, should be professional full-time job. That means as fit as the players and clear minded as possible, but week on week we see mistakes through many factors.

I know we don't go out to make the mistakes but that doesn't warrant them laughing at the manager/players. Respect be a 2 way thing and watching him yesterday he game none to players or management.
 
Danny said:
Il probably anger a few here and it's not intended, but as a Rovers fan and being at the game I totally applaud him with the rant... Bare with me.

The comment was taken out of context. Right or wrong a tongue in cheek comment, but he was being honest the standard is poor for the professional game.

Have you see the clip?

Last 2 weeks Rovers should have had 5 stone wall pens and got none. For me as a ref and fan I see both sides.

We all know the FA do just that for us referees... FA! A referee at a professional level club, should be professional full-time job. That means as fit as the players and clear minded as possible, but week on week we see mistakes through many factors.

I know we don't go out to make the mistakes but that doesn't warrant them laughing at the manager/players. Respect be a 2 way thing and watching him yesterday he game none to players or management.
Click to expand...

Sorry Danny, defending the indefensible there I'm afraid. I've listened to the whole interview and it certainly didn't seem to be taken out of context to me. You can criticise the standard of refereeing without saying the referees should be shot, that is just going way too far.

In my opinion he should face a very harsh sanction, as an absolute minimum a 5 game stadium ban.
 
Not trying to justify the shoot comment at all, but listening to it fresh and listening to it off the back of what I have seen for many weeks will be seen/heard different mate.

The FA need to be proactive in helping referees and the game develope and progress.

It's like VAR used in 1 game of a competition and not in others of yhe same competition is wrong. Trials do have to be done, but we have to be fair across the board... That's the FA at fault. That lead to frustrations, then it filters down to semi pros and grass roots. :-/
 
Maybe Doncaster didn't get 5 stonewall penalties, maybe they didn't.

Either way his remarks are bang out of order, and he deserves a long ban and hefty fine for being such an idiot.

As season ticket holder at Gillingham I have been to almost all of the home games so far this season with a smattering of away games thrown in for good measure, including the first game of the season at Doncaster.

And while the standard of officiating does vary and some referees/assistants do have bad games, don't we all, my experience of the officiating as a referee and a spectator don't match what you describe.
 
He's on our local Radio blathering on about this and that every week, always someone elses' fault, its not his first pop at officiating and im sure it won't be his last. He had a good Mentor from memory!!! I hope the FA throw the book at him because comments like that although said tongue in cheek you only need one idiot and we have a very dark day for referees!!
 
Last edited:
He also isn't helping his argument with his "fitness levels are a disgrace" comment. The FL fitness test is difficult, and the officials operating at that level are certainly fit. You just do not pass that test unless you have a very good level of fitness. They might well be making mistakes, but referees these days are fitter than they ever have been.
 
Disgusting comments being made there about officials and what bugs me the most is that whenever a player makes a mistake - lets say an own goal (that's roughly the same as one of us giving a penalty which shouldn't have been a penalty) they aren't spoken about as being a poor standard.
 
Making a comment like this in some countries with a lot of idiots and there is bound to be a shooting at referees soon after. I wonder if he has committed any criminal offence saying that. I am absolutely gobsmacked.
 
zarathustra said:
Maybe Doncaster didn't get 5 stonewall penalties, maybe they didn't.

Either way his remarks are bang out of order, and he deserves a long ban and hefty fine for being such an idiot.

As season ticket holder at Gillingham I have been to almost all of the home games so far this season with a smattering of away games thrown in for good measure, including the first game of the season at Doncaster.

And while the standard of officiating does vary and some referees/assistants do have bad games, don't we all, my experience of the officiating as a referee and a spectator don't match what you describe.
Click to expand...


Yep and me at Championship level.

The fact that the managers and players don't even know the laws, along of course with the species really for me undermines any criticism.

Really surprised that a fellow ref is saying criticism is OK if the decisions are 'wrong' - it really doesn't matter - THAT is what 'Respect' means.

You wouldn't expect a manager to go the pitch after the game and a laugh in the face of oppo player who had just made a mistake - why? Respect.

End of a professional match - 99% of the time you will see players shake hands with each other - whatever has happened in previous 90 - that is the level of respect that we should be given - its sadly a long long way from that currently.
 
It baffles me this level of hostility and disrespect that seems so embedded in football. Why is treated as a normal expected behaviour of football? I find that claims that this due to it being a passionate sport very laughable! What about rugby? Surely that's highly emotional and testerone levels are jumping through the roof! Ok rant over....
 
I believe John Gregory said the same when Dwight Yorke left Villa for United and last time I saw his name in an article, he stands by his comments
There is a simple way to let Mr Ferguson see his comments are bang out of order, and that would be for this weekends appointed officials to refuse to turn up. Drastic and extreme? Yes. But so are those remarks.
Heat of the moment? This is a man who has breathed football since birth and I have always classed as semi respectable. To say the referee had a pood game or say you are raging with a decision, not ideal but, I guess it can be classed as understandable
To even link in your head, shooting, to football referees, sorry, something in the brain cells is not quite right and for me, its worse than the attributed comments this evening made to the Dean/Wenger case. Wenger accusing Dean of bias is of course out of order but you can at least link percieved favouritism to football.
I cannot find any justification for even joking that someone should be shot for not giving a penalty kick
 
Surely saying "they should be shot" is just an old figure of speech? We have examples of it every day in other areas of life.

If he'd said, "referees should be executed by firing squad" or "that ref should be beaten to death with a claw hammer for not awarding that penalty"then I could understand the perceived outrage on here but frankly, it seems much ado about nowt to me.

There.

I've said it. :rolleyes: :D :p
 
Get that people can be unhappy with a referees decision. And yes they can be criticised for making a mistake. If a striker misses and open goal, they are criticised. When a keeper makes an error that leads to a goal they are criticised. Referees are not immune from criticism and where there is a clear and obvious error I get that managers are going to complain and highlight those errors.
But, there is a way and a means to express dismay in a positive and respectful manner, and this from Mr Ferguson is bang out of line.
 
Kes said:
Surely saying "they should be shot" is just an old figure of speech? We have examples of it every day in other areas of life.

If he'd said, "referees should be executed by firing squad" or "that ref should be beaten to death with a claw hammer for not awarding that penalty"then I could understand the perceived outrage on here but frankly, it seems much ado about nowt to me.

There.

I've said it. :rolleyes: :D :p
Click to expand...



Maybe that Escobar dude from Columbia should have been shot for scoring an own goal............
 
Ciley Myrus said:
Maybe that Escobar dude from Columbia should have been shot for scoring an own goal............
Click to expand...

Irrelevant.

Ferguson hasn't suggested that anybody should seek out this referee and kill him in a bar with a handgun. he's simply used an age-old figure of speech.

Stop being a drama Queen.
 
I dont know about your environemt or upbringing but certainly in my work if my boss said " make a mistake and I will shoot you". Questions would be asked!
I have also never been threatened with a shooting for not getting a round in, or forgetting the mums birthday.
Maybe figure of speeches where you are are less respectful
Should we bring back racial insults too, as they were very much figures of speech once.
People in his position and with his public platform to express opinions should really be more articulate than that.
Would you be impressed if after your game the coach came in with your match fee and said "btw I think you should be shot for missing that offside"?
Each to own but for me, that crosses a line between banter, fustration, and is downright unnecessary.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top