One simple, small thing, that might encourage more people to aspire to the role of referee, IMO, is to not to give them kit that would garish at a Brazilian Carnival. Lime green and cerise, with respectively, yellow and blue check.

And that ref cam makes them look like partially assimilated Borg.

Okay, refs are maybe never going to be 'cool', but going out of our way to make them look idiots isn't going to inspire respect.

Yes, that's definitely it.

I did all my referees qualifications and when Big Nige gave me my kit I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

If I wanted to go around looking like a scouser on a day trip to Blackpool I'd be shopping at TK Max.

Oh temp demotions happen but at no point has a ref in SL been demoted and one from the lower league taken his place permanently in SL history (Unless someone can think of one).

This must be for 1 of 2 reasons surely.
1 There has never been a ref in the league below better than the worst in SL which is hard to believe in just short of 18 years.
Or.
2 Slap's on the wrist aside a SL ref is certain he can retain his SL status even if he power slams a player or tries to garrote a lino

.

This is my point as whilst a SL ref is so certain he is safe he subconsciously won't push himself because nobody would. The complete lack of pressure from below isn't healthy.

I don't think your opinion is laughable because you're a Rovers fan, I think it's laughable because it's laughable. And I would think exactly the same if you were the fan of any other club whose coach and supporters spent as much time whining about refs as your lot.

You are aware I'm not Craig Sandercock or those other supporters right?
How about you actually ignore them and join the debate.

I'd say your point would be wrong then, or maybe gives more insight into your personal approach the job.

The RFL directly employ the referees, they are on Red Hall's payroll and as such are covered by UK and EU employment law. I think you'd find it extremely difficult rocking up to a tribunal with "he was crap" as a reason for dismissal

You might not be them, but the rhetoric sounds eerily similar. It's amazing how fans of clubs who have had a few calls go against them want a 'debate' about refereeing standards, and yet when they get a few in their favour they go strangely quiet.

The standards of officiating in RL are no better or no worse than in any other team sport. Humans make the decisions, so there will always be errors. The sooner everyone accepts that and stops bleating when their team cops for a dodgy call, the better. The constant griping about refs in both football and rugby is bordering on pathetic.

So folks don't get comfy when they know their job is safe then?

I'm not sure I mentioned them being dismissed. In fact I didn't. I did mention a demotion however which could easily be covered if the wording of the employment contract.

It looks like your arguement here is that because they are fulltime that means they can never be demoted no matter how 'crap' they are.

Because you want it to. I have in the past made this very point myself.I'll ask you a question if you don't mind.
Should we have the best refs in the top league or just those that happen to be in the SL spots ATM. That is my whole point.

We seem to have no method for swapping out a ref who isn't making the grade for one that is.

So we have seven full-time referees and you decide to demote one.

Where is he demoted to?

Is the demotion temporary or permanent?

What happens to his salary package?

What salary package will the promoted referee be on?

What happens to the promoted referee if it's found that he is no better, or possibly worse than the demoted ref?

That's probably why we need a bigger pool of fulltime refs, so we can do that. But then of course there is the money needed to employ these refs.

If we had say 7 Full time refs in SL and the same in the CC then it would probably be ok and a good idea to demote them if they aren't performing. However the performance of refs can be interpreted in different ways so there would need to be a proper referees performance department made up of ex-players etc..

1. Championship, lower league etc

2. Temporary dependant on his performances at that level.

3. A full review of referees money is needed, should be a set amount depending on what league you are officiating in.

4. See answer 3

5. Replace him with best performing referee from the Championship/lower level.

Roby, Hicks, and Child are IMO the worst three officials in SL. By some margin. All three were slated regularly when plying their trade in the Championship and fans of clubs in that league were glad to see them go. That suggests that quite possibly there [ihasn't[/i been any refs of a better standard in the Championship than in SL for many, many years. Which is quite depressing.

I keep mentioning this, but with SL refs now full time it makes it almost impossible to demote one permanently as you'd essentially be sacking him and he no longer has his former job to go back to. The result would almost certainly be either an employment tribunal or a ref lost to the game altogether - or both.

The whole structure needs looking at from top to bottom. Cummins sat on his hands throughout his entire tenure and did nothing to address the lack of referees coming through the system nor the issues around quality and training. Ganson and Sharp need to start over IMO.

Or they strangely promoted the wrong ones as others don't get the same abuse.

But it's been happening for longer then they have been full time so argueably they just made a bad situation worse when you would have thought it would have made it better.

Ganson should never have got the job, I still cannot believe they gave an egotistical maniac the job of overseeing the refs

Agree but is it not the case you pay peanuts you get monkeys and I mean the RFL has well has the refs

Yup I can see how that will really encourage more people to take up the whistle

Should have been no surprise given that he succeeded another in Cummins.



Although in fairness it's Sharp that does the overseeing; Ganson is in charge of training and development IIRC.

That doesn't make it sound any better

That ginger lad will be the next one to step up, the one who runs the line in Superleague. He's a decent ref. Tall & imposing figure.

Best hope he's got a strong character, being a ginner AND a referee would be too much for most people to bear

He would feel at home then at CP, we might even get some decisions in our favour!

Is it to late to sign this petition ? Terry hallibut was p#ss poor lats night

It must be true as i read in the sun this week the rfl are seriously looking in to having 2 ref for matches next season.
As rugby league is woth 30 million plus a year surley as a sport it needs better officials.
I find it strange when Stuart Cummins was in charge of refs he never had a bad word to say about them,now sky pay his wage he has slipped off the fence.

Hoards will sign it now after Silverwood failed to refer Cox's try to the VR. Useless get.

Were are these new refs going to come from refs have been slagged off since the dawn of time and nothing will change no matter who it is