On The Pitch
How do you cope with a difficult player?
It's about my management, isn't it? Football refereeing is no different to a manager off the field - not just football managers, but managers in general. If you've got people working for you, you've got to know how to react. You can go up to a guy, you know he's curt, and you can say, "I'm surprised at you. You don't normally do this, what's happening today?" and they'll probably say, "I've had a bad day." But another difficult player, you have to really sometimes just go up to him and say, "Pin your ears back and listen." Refereeing is all about working out the characters, the personalities of the people. Once you've refereed the teams, you'll remember the personalities and deal with them -- you'll have empathy with them, really, so you know you'll get some response and hopefully maintain your respect from them as well.
Who was your favourite player to referee?
I wouldn't say I had a favourite player, but there were some players that were easier to get on with, more than others. I always enjoyed reffing Peter Reid, because he didn't quibble, and if you pulled him up, and it was a fair cop - as you would say in the old expression - he'd accept it and say, "Fair enough, OK, sorry." And Dave Watson was another good one, and you know, your Hansons, and so forth. They didn't react like some of the players do today. They accepted if it was a foul and they'd been caught and so forth. I just think it was more enjoyable in our day because you could have a rapport with the players. Don't get me wrong, you didn't get on with all the players, and likewise, some of the players didn't like you as a person, perhaps as a referee. But by and large, you had a good rapport with players, and you could talk off a ball to them, and do your work off the ball. Going back to the question, it is all about man managing, knowing your players, knowing the personalities, and knowing how you're going to get the best response from them.
Who did you dread refereeing?
It would be hard to say a name - probably unfair to say a name - but there are some players who are just bad mannered. They're rude. They think they're 10,000 leagues above you or something. They say you can't talk to referees but some players, they don't want to know you. If you don't give it their way then they don't want to know you. To me, that's a real minority in the past; the majority would accept it. If they didn't like it they'd still accept it but there are some players who moan, moan, moan as well. But it's like nature, it's like life. I always say on the field the football game reflects attitudes off the field. So if you're aware of what life's like off the field, you're prepared for when you go on the field. And I think that applies to any aspiring referee. Always bare that in mind that it's not a different game because it's football. It's life, but in a football environment.
What happens if a referee makes a mistake?
What makes a good referee?
I think a good referee needs to apply the laws of the game, and be prepared to make the unpopular decisions. You're not a good referee just because you're pleasing everybody. At times, you won't please everybody. You've got to apply the laws of the game, be fit, read the game, understand the game, and have a personality that can cope with people. That doesn't mean to say that every referee has got to have the same personality. I find that some referees, when they start off, want to be another George Court or Keith Hackett or - God bless him - Neil Midgeley, when he was alive, but you've got to have the personality to be like them, so you've got to assess what your strengths are, what your personality is, because referees are their personalities. But I think the attributes are fitness, a knowledge and understanding of the laws, an ability to make the unpopular decisions, a strength of character to make them even when all around you are losing their head and being prepared to learn from your mistakes.
How do the Premier League choose new referees?
All season, all the referees in the football league are assessed and monitored, and then the information will be fed through into the system. They do talk to each other, of course, the respective referees appointments and secretaries, so they'll have lined people up who look as though they get on very well. If they do two seasons consecutively, they may feed them in for the odd game in the Premiership to see how they cope, but the information is exchanged through the system, and they're monitored, and then prepared, and looked at. At the end of the day, the Premiership will select the number of referees according to the vacancies they have.
Do referees have the right to turn down a game?
To the referee who comes out and turns down a game, you can actually say goodbye. You're expected to take any appointment because you're expected to referee the game. You can't say, "I don't like that team, I don't want to be the referee." You're expected, when appointed, to accept any appointment because you are neutral and you have been appointed to that game because they think you have the ability to do it. Therefore, if you turn it down, you're telling them that you can't be neutral or you're not competent enough to do that game. My advice is never turn a game down unless it is for, perhaps, family reasons - family illness or bereavements or those sort of circumstances. Don't just stop because you don't like that team or don't like that ground.
Can women be referees?
There are quite a few female referees. Women's football is one of the most quickly growing sports. In the academy we've had a girl referee who's been with us for about the past 4 years, and she's quite popular because she seems to be able to control the youngsters well. The thinking should be that if women have got the ability, let them get on with it. There's no reason why girls can't take the refereeing exam. There's no barring them; they have the same cause as anybody else.
How do referees cope with abuse from fans?
Abuse from fans is really part of the learning curve, because on your way up, you'll probably get more direct abuse than if you're on the very top. When there are 30,000, they may be singing songs about you, but it doesn't seem as personal. But if you're refereeing the Hamilton league or a semi-pro league, there might be 500 there, and when people make comments at you, you definitely hear them. By the time you get to the top, you should have got through that stage where you learn to see it as water off a duck's back, and if you listen to the advice you're being given, when you go to referee, you'll please none of the people none of the time, rather than you'll please all of the people all of the time. Then you'll get used to the abuse. You obviously are going to have to try to please everyone, but expect that you won't please everyone. Abuse is part of one of your learning skills, really; you have to cope with it. Just shut up for a minute - you've got to be concentrating on your game, focused on your game, and that's it, really.
How do referees cope with abuse from players?
My own view on a personal abuse from players is, if it's offensive and abusive, and it's directed at you and it's not very heat-of-the-moment or probably not meant, then you should take action under the laws of football. I think too many players get away with an offensive and abusive manner towards referees these days. But it's up to you. You set your standard as a referee. In the parks or something, I think if somebody's screaming out really loudly and there's people around, there's nothing to stop you from going up and saying, "Look, we don't want that. It's a public park. There are people around." If they don't respond to that, you've got the right to say, "Well, I can send you off under the law." If a player is abusive to you and offensive, and it comes under sending off for foul and abusive and offensive language, then I think you've got to take the action on this as a standard. You'll find that if you take the standards, players will not push you further and they'll respect you for it.
How do referees cope with abuse from managers?
You don't tend to see managers before a football game. If a manager did make some adverse comments, however, its probably best for a referee to have a quiet word to say: "It's not very wise to make comments like that before a game in front of people, because it's still under jurisdiction. I can take action but we don't really want to start the game off in that vein." I've never encountered it before a game because everyone is normally relaxed. It's more often after the game where you get those sort of things from managers.
How do referees deal with the managerial comments about them after a game?
If it's from a distance and it's not really at you, you tend to stay away. I think the best thing is to always hang back at the end of the game and let them all go. If a manager comes at you and starts to point his fingers and scream abuse at you, maybe he'll get reported like a player would do. What you do is report him for making comments to you after the game. The FA will then decide whether to bring the charge. If it's someone who's affected by a contentious decision and you can understand why he's reacted, you probably say, "Come and see me in five minutes and we'll talk it through if you're not busy." Managers will accept that they need time to calm down. Get in, shut the door, and explain your point of view - why he's done it, how he's done it. At the end of the day, most managers will accept it and be grateful for the opportunity to put their point of view across. Even if they don't accept what you said, at least you had the decency to explain it. But it's just like anything else: it's managing the situation appropriately.
How do referees deal with the managerial comments about them before a game?
You don't tend to see managers before a game, but if a manager made some adverse comments, it's probably best, if you get the opportunity, to have a quiet word and say, "It's not very wise to make comments like that before a game in front of people, because it's still going to screw the game up. I can take action, but we don't really want to start a game off in that vein." But it's more after the game where you get those sort of things.
What was the most exciting game you've refereed?
There's been some exciting games that I've refereed, for different reasons. I did, I think it was 7-0, Watford against Sunderland. I did a 4-4 draw, Watford and Everton. I think Watford were 4-1 up with only fifteen minutes to go. I also refereed a game, Man United and Oldham, which was something like 5-2, and it was a fantastic game of football. As you can imagine, I think Cantona was playing, and of course he can produce magic.
What is the scariest game you've refereed?
I refereed Newcastle and Sunderland, in the semi-final, first leg of one of the playoffs. That was at Sunderland, and the atmosphere was unbelievable. It really was. It was vitriolic in the crowd. That took some refereeing. I was absolutely exhausted, physically and mentally, after that game.
What was the proudest moment of your career?
I think to start with, my proudest moment as a referee was getting a promotion. Then, to get selected for the Premiership and be out on the opening day, when only nine or ten of you could be out. That was a great achievement and no one can take that away from you. It was nice to referee at Wembley for the trophies. Also, I've refereed a school boy international at Wembley. I think I was just proud to be there for fifteen years because the whole thing was a great experience and hugely enjoyable. You get the odd game you wish you hadn't have turned up to, because the fans probably felt the same. But the whole experience of refereeing is great, when you travel, you meet different people, you're doing something you love, involving the game you actually played as a kid and played as a youngster and watched. It was just great to be part of the whole game. The next best thing to playing there was refereeing there.
What was your strangest experience as a referee?
Before a game I've had strange things happen. We went to Bristol Rovers, and they played at Eastville then, the old Eastville Stadium, and they'd had a fire and the dressing rooms burned down. We had to get changed, and on the first game back at the stadium, the dressing rooms weren't ready, so we had to get changed back at the training ground. We went in this car between two coaches with a police escort on the M32 to Bristol with all the traffic being held up and people looking at this car, thinking, "Who's in there?" I'm in the referees kit, I'm waving out the window at all these people, and it was weird because you had the car, and you walked through the spectators who were going through the ground, to go into this holding room if you like, a porta-cabin at the ground. At half time, we had to come out through the spectators, believe it or not, into this porta-cabin again for the half time refreshments, and the same at the end of the game. That was a unique experience because there was a station wagon in front, or an estate vehicle with a camera van, because it was on the national news. It was such a sort of novelty, it was just a rare, an unusual thing which you don't really encounter as a referee.
What was your funniest experience as a referee?
Probably the funniest thing people have seen is when I was knocked out once, down at Swansea. I didn't see it, but everyone thought it was funny! It was just above the halfway line, it was bouncing - for once in my life I was close to play. Next thing I knew, something hit me, and I was coming down looking at the sky. Then bang - I must have been out. I didn't realise it, but a friend of mine from South Wales sent me a photo on the front of the paper, with me flat out and receiving treatment. It's a funny experience because you see the ball bounce and the next thing you are on your back - or your front, whatever it was - and you just don't know what has gone on for the last few minutes. Then - this is the interesting part - the players were very concerned for the next 10 minutes. There were a number of players that came up alongside me and said, "Are you alright Vic? Are you sure you are alright?" That's a side that people don't always see of players. Even Terry Yorath, who was manager of Swansea, came in after the game and checked, "Are you alright to drive home? Are you sure?" The care that they showed for your health was quite nice really, but I wouldn't want to go through that once or twice!
What do referees do at half-time?
At half-time, if it's pre-season, it's very, very hot so you want to cool yourself down. The best thing is to get your shirt off and soak yourself with cold water to get your head temperature down, and then you will discuss the game. As a referee, you'l say to your assistant, "Have I missed you at any time? Your signals?" These days you shouldn't, because they're all miked up at the very top level. We weren't miked up then, but just like a mate you'd say, "Have I missed you make any decisions?" I'd find out anything going on that I'm not aware of and try to get a general update. If two players perhaps are doing something, a good referee's assistant will tip you off, and so forth. Then just have a drink and just relax and get yourself ready for the second half - gee people up, make sure your assistants are up for it. My parting thing, before a game and at half-time, as we walked out the dressing room was: concentrate. It's what refereeing's all about: concentration; keep concentrating.
