Classic Quotations made about Referees

Back in April 2008 I started a thread on the subject of badly worded or simply daft comments made by football managers, past and present. Following this I then went on a crusade to poke fun at not only football managers but also players, fans, and chairman alike who have at various times spouted out drivel, in an attempt to get their point across.

Like a phoenix from the flames I have resurrected the topic, but this time the emphasis is on the referees, not so much what they have to say, but what is said about them!

There is enough material on the subject to write a novel, but here is just a taster of some of my favourite comments made about referees over the years.


We've got drug-testers here today. I assume they'll ignore the players and go straight to the officials - MICK McCARTHY, Wolves manager, after a controversial home defeat by Birmingham, 2007.

The ref was a big time homer, more interested in his rub-on suntan - DAVID MOYES, Everton manager talking about referee Jeff Winter, 2003.

Can anyone tell me why they give referees a watch? It's certainly not for keeping the time - ALEX FERGUSON, Manchester United manager, after Graham Poll added 'only three minutes' v Everton, 1996.

I tried to talk to the ref but it's easier to get an audience with the Pope. If I'm in London again and I get mugged, I hope the same amount of people turn up - there were six police officers, four stewards and a UN peace-keeping observer - GORDON STRACHAN, after controversy at Arsenal shortly before resigning as Southampton manager, 2004.

If the ref had stood still we wouldn't have had to chase him - ROY KEANE, Manchester United captain, on the Andy D'Urso incident, 2000.

When Paolo Di Canio pushed over the referee (Paul Alcock), if the referee had been a player he'd have been booked for diving - BARRY DAVIES, TV commentator, recalling the 1998 match between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday, 2004.

I'm 27 years-old and yet the referee tells me I'm not allowed to swear - VINNIE JONES, Wimbledon midfielder, after being dismissed for foul and abusive language, 1992.

I have nothing against the visually handicapped as such, but I am surprised they are allowed to referee at this level - THE SOUP, Kidderminster Harriers fanzine, 1989.

My players wouldn't take a throw-in for that sort of money - GORDON STRACHAN, Coventry manager on learning that referee Gerald Ashby's match fee was £200, 1998.

I can't understand why the ref wasn't more sympathetic. After all, we used to go to the same bookies - STEVE CLARIDGE, Portsmouth player-manager, after his team incurred two red cards v Fulham, 2001.

I don't think we should have shoot-outs. We should have a shoot-the-ref shoot-out. After that penalty, the referee should have been shot - JOHN GREGORY, Aston Villa manager, afer a last-minute penalty was awarded to West Ham against Villa, 1999.

In the tunnel I said to David Ellery: 'You might as well book me now and get it over with.' He takes it pretty well but he still books me - ROY KEANE, Manchester United captain, 2000.

How the mega-rich male model referee slipped out of Molineux in his luxury Mercedes after a day of mayhem - HEADLINE in Wolvehampton's Express & Star, after referee Uriah Rennie's 'diabolical' handling of a game between Wolves and Bolton, 2004.

What makes a sane and rational person subject himself to such humiliation? Why on earth does anyone want to become a Premiership referee - LORD HATTERSLEY, Sheffield Wednesday supporter, 2002.

.......and to finish off here are a couple of comments made by the officials themselves:

At Stoke an elderly lady was waiting by the dressing room after the game. She said: "Mr. Night, I'm 74 and a grandmother, and I'd just like to say you're the worst f*cking referee I've ever seen." Certainly put me in my place - BARRY NIGHT, Football League referee, 2005.

You're out there with 22 multi-millionaires who you have to control with a whistle and two, sometimes three cards - GRAHAM POLL, English referee on quitting the game, 2007. A year earlier Poll had been cut from the World Cup after cautioning Croatia's Jossip Simunic three times, before sending him off against Australia.

Who's the Bastard in the Black? - TITLE of former Premiership referee Jeff Winter's autobiography, 2006.


To see previous posts by Beer Footy and Birds, on 'Classic Quotations' click on the links below:

Ten Classic Football Quotations made by Football Managers

Ten Classic Football Quotations made by Football Chairman

Classic Football Quotations said by Football Fans or made about Football Fans - Part One

Stoppage Time or Fergie Time?

After Manchester United's 4-3 victory in their derby match with Manchester City last Sunday, care of a Michael Owen strike deep into stoppage time, City boss Mark Hughes was left furious that the referee Martin Atkinson had added so much time on.
Was Hughes correct and is there really such a thing as 'Fergie' time?

After watching the game on television, reading various post match reports in the newspapers, scouring the net, looking up the laws of the game, reading Club messageboards and listening to several radio phone-ins, I personally feel City have a right to feel aggrieved at the amount of added/injury/stoppage time allowed.

There's been much talk about whether the time added on was or was not correct.

So lets look at what the rules say:

FA Rules:

Many stoppages in play are entirely natural (e.g. throw-ins, goal kicks). An allowance is to be made only when these delays are excessive.

The fourth official indicates the minimum additional time decided by the referee at the end of the final minute of each period of play.

The announcement of the additional time does not indicate the exact amount of time left in the match. The time may be increased if the referee considers it appropriate but never reduced.

The referee must not compensate for a timekeeping error during the first half by increasing or reducing the length of the second half.

Dermot Gallagher (former referee)

"From Euro 96 we've had this standardisation that we're going to play 30 seconds per substitution, and for excessive goal celebrations we're to play another 30 seconds - so it starts to tot up, and this is why we find the three or four minutes we have on average at most games."

Right so lets break it down:

In the second half there were no injury delays and the medical team never went on the pitch once.

There was no time wasting by either side.

There was three substitutions in total in the 2nd half. So now we are on one minute 30 seconds (30 seconds per sub).

There were four goals in the 2nd half, (before the Owen stoppage time goal and the sub in stoppage time). That's another 30 seconds for each of the four goals.
That's a total of 2 minutes following the goals. So now with subs and goals taken into account the total is 3 minutes 30 seconds.

So where did the initial four minutes come from? I make it three minutes 30 seconds. Within the given 4 minutes, there was a substitution in the 93rd minute. An additional 30 seconds for the sub in extra time leads me to a grand total of four minutes 30 seconds.
If my mathematics are correct the referee should have blown the final whistle to signal the end of the game after 94 mins 30 seconds.

Micheal Owen's winning goal was timed at 95 mins 28 secs, almost exactly one minute after the match should have finished.

Referee Atkinson I assume then takes into account the excessive goal celebrations, following Owen's goal, (which is only applied by him and is based solely on his own opinion on events and remains questionable).

However allowing a full minute following Owen's goal he eventually blows the final whistle after 96 mins 58 seconds.......almost a full 3 minutes after the originally allotted 4 mins of added time.


Fergie time - Does it exist? The Guardian examines the phenomena using statistics.

'After the controversy over Michael Owen's winning goal in Sunday's Manchester derby, the 'Guardian' has looked at all of United's league matches at Old Trafford since the start of the 2006-07 season and discovered that, on average, there has been over a minute extra added by referees when United do not have the lead after 90 minutes, compared to when they are in front.
In 48 games when United were ahead, the average amount of stoppage time was 191.35 seconds. In 12 matches when United were drawing or losing there was an average of 257.17sec.

But there is also evidence to support the suspicions of many managers, players and supporters that United get preferential treatment at home. When Owen made it 4-3 on Sunday the game was five minutes and 26 seconds into stoppage time. In total, the referee, Martin Atkinson, allowed almost seven minutes, even though the fourth official had signalled a minimum of four. Mark Hughes, the City manager, spoke of feeling "robbed". His sense of grievance will not be helped if he analyses the last three seasons.'

In 2006-07, for example, United were winning 15 times on entering stoppage time and referees added an average 194.53sec. In the four games when United were not winning there was an average of 217.25sec. The following year the disparity was greater, Opta's figures showing an average 178.29sec added when United were winning and 254.5sec when they were not. Last season it was 187.71sec compared to 258.6sec.

The pattern has continued in the first three games of the season. In the two games United have led they have played an average 304sec of injury time. On Sunday, Atkinson allowed the game to go on for 415sec.


Make your own mind up and leave me a comment. I would very much like to hear what all fans of all Clubs feel about the outcome of the Manchester derby, the statistics that seem to favour United when they play at Old Trafford and the subject of stoppage time in general.

A Roll Call Of ‘Refereeing’ Faux Pas!

The season is barely up and running – but we've already had one of the blunders (faux pas) of the season courtesy of referee Rob Shoebridge and his officiating assistants, who somehow missed the fact that Crystal Palace striker Freddie Sears' shot hit the back of the net, before rebounding out off the stanchion inside the goal during Palace's defeat at Bristol City last Saturday – choosing to award a goal-kick instead.

Although I am Palace fan and season ticket ticket holder, I am not going to get into a debate about the use of technology, the actions of both sets of players, managers or chairmen, and the subsequent post-match mud-slinging by all concerned.

Of course I have my own thoughts and opinions on the incident, and I could write a dissertation on the subject if required, but I shall not be disseminating them on here.

The newspapers, football websites, radio phone-ins, club messageboards and so forth have gone into meltdown with the coverage of the incident, and its all getting rather irritating and tedious.

Nothing is going to change the events of last weekend, and as long as Sepp Blatter remains President of FIFA these 'goalgate' issues will never go away.

The game is over, Palace lost 1-0. End of story........until of course the next time that controversy of a similar nature rears it's ugly head!

But as major refereeing blunders go, Shoebridge has plenty of competition, as I shall substantiate for you now.

How many of you, the readers of this blog article remember the following six refereeing/refereeing assistant 'howler's ranging from just last season to almost 30 years ago?

To watch a video of the incidents click on the link inserted into the line containing the referee's name, the clubs involved and the date.

1/ STUART ATTWELL – Watford v Reading 2008

Possibly the strangest decision of the lot? In a Championship match last year Reading winger Stephen Hunt's corner hit Watford defender John Eustace and looked to go out of play for another corner.

Unbelievably Attwell awarded a goal after his assistant informed him that the ball had crossed the goal line when in fact it had gone wide of the upright, much to the bemusement of both sets of players.

2/ CHARLES CORVER – France v West Germany 1982

West Germany keeper Harald Schumacher's vicious attack on France's Patrick Battiston was the most brutal foul ever seen on a football pitch.

Instead of producing a card or awarding a penalty, Corver inscrutably signalled for a goal-kick, as Battiston lay motionless on the pitch with his own teeth lying around him.

Germany went on to win on penalties and book a place in the World Cup final – Battison eventually recovered but only after slipping into a coma.

3/ RAY LEWIS – Man Utd v Spurs 2005

Tottenham Hotspur looked to have secured a famous win at Old Trafford back in 2005 when in the last minute Pedro Medes' audacious effort from the halfway line beat United keeper Roy Carroll.

However, despite the ball having clearly crossed the line, assistant referee Lewis did not give the goal and the game finished in a 0-0 draw.

4/ DEREK WEBB - Coventry v Crystal Palace 1980

In similar circumstances to Freddie Sears' 'goal' last weekend, Clive Allen 'scored' one of the most controversial disallowed goals of all time in a game between Coventry and Palace in 1980. Allen curled a stunning direct free-kick into the top corner of the net where it rebounded off the stanchion and back into play. Webb enigmately waved play on despite the protests of the Palace players. Palace went on to lose that game too!

5/ GRAHAM POLL – Australia v Croatia 2006

Graham Poll's long and distinguished refereeing career will be remembered predominantly for his highest-profile error.

Poll has never been a stranger to controversy and his critics were given plenty of ammunition when he messed up on the biggest stage of all – the World Cup.

Poll had been tipped as a possible World Cup final referee – but his tournament ended in the group stage with his famous three-card trick.

After booking Croatia's Josip Šimuniæ, Poll then failed to send the same player off when he booked him a second time and only showed him red when issuing a third yellow card.

6/ STEVE CREIGHTON - Millwall v Peterborough 2009

Last season Millwall beat Peterborough 2-0 at The New Den thanks in part to a thrice-taken penalty. Gary Alexander twice saw his spotkicks saved by Joe Lewis but each time assistant referee Steve Creighton ruled the England Under-21 keeper had come off his line. Winger Dave Martin made no mistake third time around.

However on watching the video footage you will notice that yes the goalkeeper Lewis does come off his line, not once, not twice but on all three occasions. Yet Creighton did not flag the third time.........the only time the penalty was actually scored!!!!!!!!