In fact there was never any official word that he was "demoted". As said, there are more refs than gigs, so maybe he simply made way to let the excellent Mr Roby improve yet further (if that were possible) with some more SL experience.

I see Mr Ganson has the south of France jolly this week, so he ain't exactly in any doghouse, is he, while the rest freeze off their nuts.

Maybe that why he went down a grade, so that he would get to go to france more often

Is it a coincidence that Stuart cummins has stepped down as refs boss today?

Oooooohhh the plot thickens

Anything is better than Roby (I hope)

Child's is the worst of a very bad bunch

Our lass could do a better job

No doubt 30+ penalties this week

Well looking at the stats, it seems Hicks has been the penalty machine. It shows how bad Roby was last week that my initial reaction when i saw we had Childs was, "Thank god we've not got Roby again" which says everything about his performance last week. Although i'm sure Mr. Childs will do his best to trump him

It was always a hope once the NRL changed the Referee Heads that Sod Hall would be looking to do the same?? maybe Nobby as the Daniel Anderson equivalent, there have been positive signs re the refs in the pre season matchs in the NRL, less refererals to the VR and when they do they say whether they think its a try or not when they refer, the policing of the shoulder charge will be interesting one the season gets under way!

I hope he passed the test last week - at least I hope he doesn't have to come back for a re-sit. Maybe he could take some videos home to study and do an on-line test before being inflicted on paying customers again?

I would have been very disappointed HAD Ganson been demoted. IMO he did nothing to warrant it at all.

Pleasingly very little on here celebrating the departure of Stuart Cummins, which has been met with celebrations akin to the death of Saddam Hussain on some of the inbred boards. It will make little difference to fans' reaction to decisions against their team.

I think we long ago tired of getting wound up about him. To be honest, he's been almost the invisible man for so long now anyway that its been easy to forget he was still on their payroll.

Interesting to see that they do not seem to be contemplating a direct replacement, instead dividing his duties between Ian Smith & Jon Sharp?

As long as it's consistent and not "one rule for the home team, another rule for the away team", that will be fine by me.

I don't think there is much more anyone can do, save possibly bringing in temporary fads such as PTB this season, then forgetting about it. From the limited gene pool available refs are as fit as they have ever been but are dealing with a product that has developed stretching the rules to an art. I am happy enough with Smith & Sharp but thought I had read it was temporary.

It is. Roby is being lined up.

By FA. With a gun. In the study?

No, the Dining Room. And with the lead piping.

Found it hard to really dislike the guy after his appearance at the BISA Q & A session a few years back. Pleasant, personable and clearly loved the game - maybe refs should do that kind of thing more often, then maybe fans could see them more as general human beings, rather than the ogre with the whistle doing 'our' team down all the time?

Why would anyone put themselves forward for the kind of unwarranted abuse officials get if they did not love the game? One bitter inbred has a grudge against Cummins for not sending off Dean Sampson 20 years ago, another is celebrating because refs no longer are staying at Leeds Carnegie accommodation as that obviously swayed them in favour of the Carnegie Rhinos. Officials often give up professional careers to do this stuff for nothing but criticism. Strangely, players seem to have far more actual respect, despite having more to lose.

What you say does lead to my last sentence though.

With the refs being full time it may well be a good idea to make visiting clubs, at social, or 'meet the ref' events, a part of the their job description. We do make much of our players being 'approachable' and part of the community so, on the face of it, having the refs in the same sort of position, seems to have a lot of positives if we want them to have a similar standing to players. It's difficult to dislike someone you were sharing a joke with a week or so ago.

I appreciate it may not be ideal for the younger ones with, shall I say a lesser developed personality, but most refs are a bit older anyway, so probably wouldn't find it quite such a challenge.

I wouldn't have any objections as long as it was facilitated in the right way. I've been to enough events, not necessarily RL ones, where the quality of the questions were pathetic (not mine Adey) & you left feeling embarrassed. I could also imagine the bitter inbred hillbillies' paranoia spreading to 'Child has been to 8 functions in Leeds but only 7 in Wigan, which shows the RFL's hatred of Wigan'. Obviously they wouldn't be able to put it as eloquently as that.

Well, the first question at the meeting with Stu Cummings was, "Does Russell Smith know the rules", which I guess was not meant as a compliment, but it made everyone laugh (including Cummings) so it broke the ice somewhat..

The same Russell SMith who a number of inbreds are suggesting as the saviour of RL refereeing?

and then went to Aussie, where I thought he still was, btw - then yes, I guess it is.

Russell Smith is the man who was directly and personally responsible for allowing the infamous non-try "wide to West" to be scored, first by giving an outrageous penalty, but more to the point, then allowing it to be taken quickly despite some Saints players being several yards offside, and despite that week's specific refereeing directive to clamp down on precisely this infringement.

Not that I bear a grudge, or anything.