Football Referees

Although this is getting dangerously close to becoming a blog on football, I am really having difficulty keeping off the suspect. If you do not want to know the score from the Manchester Derby (Or do not want to be reminded) please look away now.

Manchester City 1 Manchester United 0

The connotations of this being, that City are top of the table, having won all three of their games and not conceding any goals, whereas United have failed to win a game and languish near the foot of the table in 16th spot. Bliss!

Well enough gloating, and onto what appeared to be the main talking point of the weekend: Referees.

The papers have been full of it, the Internet buzzing, even the lead story on the national TV and radio news has concerned the refereeing of the weekends games. To listen to most managers talking after their games, you'd think the only person out there was the man in black (or green, or sometimes yellow!)

And with every column inch given over to the near hysteria is the ideas to eradicate this evil in the game is another telling us how we can overcome this weak link in our beautiful game.

Goal line cameras, instant replays, a panel of video referees with the ability to overturn a decision or tell the man in the middle what to say and do. All of this to make the game fairer - to take out the inconsistencies to stop the unfairness which can result in an individual or team staring down the barrel and the financial consequences that carries with it.

And for me, there lies the problem. Money. I know a lot of the teams we support rely on money, and peoples livelihoods and incomes of many people, all revolve a team doing well and staying in their specific league, or progressing to the next. But... it's a sport.

Don't get me wrong, I do not think that all the football league clubs and players are suddenly going to say, why Phil, you're right - Lets all go amateur and give our riches to charity!

But... I think people need reminding that our national sport is a game of skill and, well chance. And that chance extends to the referee. He (or she) has a split second to see something and make a decision. They will normally get it right, and sometimes get it wrong. I can think of so many instances where I see a referree make a decision in realtime, and swear blind he has got it wrong. I go home, see it on TV and the ref has got it correct.

At the same time, as happened in the game on sunday, when decisions are going for you, but you have to admit are blatently wrong (You normally say those under your breathe)

I guess what I am saying is that refs are normally right, and more importantly are all part of the game. To have everything going off for a video decision, would undoubtedly cut out mistakes, but would, for me, make the game boring and sterile.

If refs didn't mess up from time to time what would we have to moan about -"We'd have won the league if some of the referees had been on our side"

And on the media fueled money go round which is football in the 21st century - just how would they fill all those column inches?