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Welcome to the inaugural edition of 'Monday View'. Each week, we'll be taking an in-depth look at one of the topical issues within the world of refereeing and providing you with opinion, debate, and analysis on the subject at hand. This week, we'll be discussing recent suggestions that there is a shortage of potential future Select Group referees currently operating in the Football League.
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It does seem somewhat incongruous that we are heading into the new season with just 4 of 17 Select Group Officials under the age of 40. Furthermore, when you consider that the list includes the likes of Phil Dowd (52 & missed much of the latter months of last season due to injury), Roger East (50) and Mike Dean (47), one must wonder why we are not seeing any younger officials progressing into the Premier League ranks. Even highly respected refereeing figures such as Keith Hackett and Mark Halsey have called for the introduction of more officials into the top-tier. Hackett has also suggested the phasing out of certain officials he deems to be underperforming. Whilst Dean and Dowd undoubtedly continue to be two of the best officials in the country and arguably still have a lot to offer over the coming season, it's surely time that the more experienced members of the Select Group are supplemented with some up and coming young talent.
The older members of the Select Group obviously can't go on forever, so it's important that there is some form of transition. When the older officials do hang up their whistle, having officials who are capable of taking over and handling the most challenging and important matches is vital. This argument gains momentum when you consider that England currently only 7 referees on the FIFA list, compared to the likes of Germany, Italy and Spain, who all have the maximum of 10. To be eligible for a place on the list, an official must be 37 and under when first nominated. Andre Marriner and Martin Atkinson are due to hand in their FIFA badges at the compulsory age of 45 within the next couple of years, and Bobby Madley is seemingly the only imminent potential candidate for nomination. The PGMOL must act soon to ensure that we preserve our reputation for producing top officials to operate in UEFA and FIFA competitions.
Clearly then, with the risk of becoming overstretched with the huge amount of domestic football to cover, an ageing list of officials, and an ever decreasing amount of FIFA referees, we need to see the emergence of some 'young guns' who will ultimately form the next generation of Select Group officials. So, who could PGMOL General Manager Mike Riley and his team turn to? Here's a closer look at some of the leading candidates:
Stuart Attwell
Attwell has the benefit of previous Premier League experience, having officiated in the top-flight between 2008 and 2012, before returning to the National List by mutual consent. Over the last few seasons, he's put in many excellent performances and is establishing a reputation as one of the best referees within the Football League. His form was rewarded last season when he was entrusted with the Premier League game between Leicester and West Brom, as well as taking charge of several other top-flight teams in a number of cup games since his reclassification. Attwell, who was well regarded in international refereeing circles having handled a UEFA Youth Cup Final and Europa League matches, is still at the relatively young age of 32, and could still become one of England's top officials in the coming years. He deserves a second shot at Select Group level, and could turn out to be one of our top referees. |
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Adcock is one of the youngest referees at Football League level, but now has several seasons of experience under his belt at Level 1 and took charge of 17 matches last season in the Championship. He has a very calm but effective man-management style and is one of the most consistent operators on the National List. The next stage of his development must surely be to test him at Premier League level and carefully integrate him into the Select Group. Without a doubt, he's one of our top talents.
Andrew Madley
Andy Madley is, of course, the brother of current Select Group referee Bobby, but is seen by many as a Premier League candidate in his own right. He's been trusted with several important games so far in his career including the FA Vase and League 1 play-off Final this season. Madley is a good, solid Football League referee who has the potential to progress to the Premier League. That said, he does need to eradicate the occasional key-match error he is prone to in big fixtures before he can be viewed as someone who can consistently perform in the top-flight.
Michael Naylor
Naylor missed the whole of last season due to an injury, but prior to that was another top performer on the Football League list who many have viewed as destined for the Premier League. He's very good at handling high-pressure games such as local derby matches and has also refereed a play-off final. Once fit, if Naylor is able to replicate his previous form then he should be entrusted with a Premier League trial game and, if all goes well, promotion to the Select Group.
Paul Tierney
Tierney has already refereed one Premier League game, and several games involving top division sides in domestic cup competitions. A very strong, capable performer, Tierrney can be trusted with top second division games and has past PL experience as an Assistant Referee. It's somewhat surprising that he was not promoted along with Scott, as he's definitely good enough to be refereeing in the Premier League.
Out of these candidates, Attwell and Tierney perhaps have the strongest cause for promotion, and given the current situation, should be included on the list sooner rather than later. Adcock, Naylor and Madley are also viable candidates and ultimately should also be considered for future places, perhaps alongside experienced officials such as Keith Stroud and Dean Whitestone. Whoever the PGMOL choose, they need to act fast before the dwindling number of Select Group officials becomes a real problem.
Do you think we're short on officials and who would you like to see in the Select Group? We want your views, so post them below!