by Andrew Crawshaw
The PGMO have 17 referees on its list of Select Group (i.e those fully accredited to take charge of Premier League matches). In addition, so far this season, four referees from the Select Group 2 have each taken charge of a single game. This group comprises those referees accredited up to Championship level and (I presume) are awarded by their performance at this lower level with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on the bigger PL stage with a view to promotion in the future.
The matches this coming weekend are for week 27 of our 38 week season so we are 71% of the way through the season. Assuming an equal workload between the referees we should expect each to have done 16 matches, however, this isn’t the case. Martin Atkinson has done 23, Anthony Taylor, Michael Oliver and Mike Dean have each done 21 whilst at the other end of the scale, Peter Bankes had done 7, Simon Hooper and Andy Madley 8, David Coote 11 and Lee Mason 13.
So despite all being accredited to the same level, it seems that the referees are not regarded as being equally competent.
It has long been the opinion of Untold that no referee should be given charge of matches involving any team more than twice per year, once at home and once away. This is to minimize the risks of a referee having an undue influence on match results due to any overt or unintended bias or influence from home/away fans.
With nearly three-quarters of the season gone every club had had referees at least three times and in the most extreme cases five times. No team has seen all 17 Select Group referees and six clubs including Arsenal have only had 12 referees to date.
Here is a team by team table showing which referees have visited more than twice, the numbers of referees who have done one or two matches and the Select Group referees yet to put in an appearance.
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| Club | No of Refs seen | Referees Visiting | Yet to appear | ||||
| 5 times | 4 Times | 3 times | Twice | Once | |||
| Arsenal | 12 | Martin Atkinson
Mike Dean Chris Kavanagh |
Paul Tierney
Stuart Attwell |
2 | 5 | Andre Marriner
David Coote, Simon Hooper, Peter Bankes, Andy Madley |
|
| Burnley | 15 | Michael Oliver
Mike Dean Paul Tierney Jon Moss |
4 | 7 | Andre Marriner
David Coote Andy Madley |
||
| Bournemouth | 13 | Martin Atkinson
Chris Kavanagh |
Mike Dean
Paul tierney |
4 | 5 | Craig Pawson
David Coote Andy Madley |
|
| Brighton | 14 | Kevin Friend
Jon Moss |
Graham Scott | 5 | 6 | Andre Marriner
Lee Mason Simon Hooper Peter Bankes |
|
| Burnley | 15 | Michael Oliver
Mike Dean Kevin Friend Jon Moss |
4 | 7 | Chris Kavanagh
Stuart Attwell Andy Madley |
||
| Chelsea | 14 | Anthony Taylor
Stuart Attwell |
Mickael Oliver
Chris Kavanagh |
3 | 7 | David Coote
Simon Hooper Peter Bankes Andy Madley |
|
| Crystal Palace | 15 | Paul Tierney
Jon Moss |
7 | 5 | Chris Kavanagh
Lee Mason |
||
| Everton | 15 | Anthony Taylor
Michael Oliver Paul Tierney |
6 | 6 | Chris Kavanagh
Peter Bankes |
||
| Leicester | 15 | Mike Dean
Paul Tierney |
5 | 5 | Kevin Friend
Stuart Attwell |
||
| Liverpool | 12 | Michael Oliver | Anthony Taylor | Martin Atkinson
Chris Kavanagh Jon Moss Andre Marriner |
1 | 4 | Lee Mason
David Coote Simon Hooper Peter Bankes Andy Madley |
| Man City | 12 | Mike Dean | Michael Oliver
Jon Moss |
8 | 1 | Stuart Attwell
David Coote Simon Hooper Peter bankes Andy Madley |
|
| Man United | 12 | Anthony Taylor | Martin Atkinson
Mike Dean Paul Tierney Kevin Friend Jon Moss |
3 | 4 | Graham Scott
David Coote Simon Hooper Peter bankes Andy Madley |
|
| Newcastle | 13 | Martin Atkinson | Stuart Attwell
Lee Mason |
6 | 4 | Mike Dean
Michael Oliver Jon Moss Andy Madley |
|
| Norwich | 14 | Kevin Friend | Paul Tierney
Jon Moss Stuart Attwell |
4 | 6 | Paul Tierney
Craig Pawson Graham Scott |
|
| Sheffield | 16 | David Coote | Simon Hooper | Craig Pawson | |||
| Spurs | 12 | Martin Atkinson
Michael Oliver |
Mike Dean
Chris Kavanagh Graham Scott |
3 | 4 | Andre Marriner
David Coote Simon Hooper Peter bankes Andy Madley |
|
| Southampton | 16 | Kevin Friend
Andre Marriner Lee Mason |
5 | 8 | Anthony Taylor | ||
| Watford | 14 | Martin Atkinson
Mike Dean Andre Marriner Graham Scott |
4 | 3 | Jon Moss
Stuart Attwell Peter Bankes |
||
| West Ham | 12 | Michael Oliver | Mike Dean
Jon Moss Andre Marriner David Coote |
4 | 3 | Craig Pawson
Lee Mason Simon Hooper Peter bankes Andy Madley |
|
| Wolves | 16 | Anthony Taylor
Peter Bankes |
6 | 9 | Lee Mason | ||
Sheffield have had all but one of the Select Group referees this season, along with Southampton and Wolverhampton, the most of any Club, but why have they had David Coote four times – he has only been given 11 matches, so over a third of them for one club!
Similarly, Wolverhampton have had Peter Bankes three times out of his seven starts so nearly half of his matches for one club. Statistically, both are unlikely matches awarded randomly.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Man United, Tottenham and West Ham have all had the fewest referees this season with 12.
Here is the percentage of the matches for each of these clubs that have been refereed by the multiple officials
| No of referees visiting more than twice | No of matches with referees visiting more than twice | % of matches potentially affected by these referees | |
| Arsenal | 5 | 18 | 66.7% |
| Liverpool | 6 | 21 | 77.8% |
| Man City | 3 | 10 | 37.0% |
| Man United | 6 | 20 | 74.1% |
| Spurs | 5 | 17 | 63.0% |
| West Ham | 5 | 16 | 59.3% |
Whilst there is no conclusive proof that referees are anything other than scrupulously honest in their work, the potential for match-fixing by a relatively small number of individuals is clearly there. Nearly 80% of Liverpool and Man United games have been supervised by six individuals and two thirds of Arsenal and Spurs games by five.
The most used referees in the league have three times the workload of the least used.
The PGMO clearly does not select referees to matches randomly, so this means that there is active selection to determine which referees do which games. This process in itself is clearly open to the possibility of bias coming into play.
- Working with Arsenal: how supporters are influencing the club. The Fans’ Forum.
- How one website launched a major assault on Arsenal hour by hour day by day
- Do Granit Xhaka’s yellow cards make him an absolute liability?
Whenever I see Dermot Gallagher on ref watch he has his hands in a double compass shape.
Is this some kind of Masonic signal ?
Is Dermot a Mason ?
Could this be the secret society behind the PGMO secret society ? Just asking…
Andrew, the concept you have evidenced is obviously well known to regular readers. The issue for me is the one Tony has regularly raised. Why is nobody (especially the media) asking why?
If it’s all open and above board then what does anybody have to fear. But if it’s all open and honest, why would the authorities put themselves in a position of being open to accusations of potential bias and/or corruption. Why not just change it and do it more randomly?
I do understand that one or two referees may be seen (in theory) as more experienced at managing big games and that a top of the table clash at the end of the season may benefit from having such a referee in charge. But in terms of referees getting that experience surely less experienced referees need to gain that experience through getting more (and varied) matches.
The issue is, I can see no logical explanation as to why the PGMO operate in this way and if there is, why don’t they tell us……..and why don’t the media ask them to tell us?
@Mikey,
the thing is, without asking about why and why not, this just proves that it DOES NOT even out at the end. LiVARPool! have results definitely being influenced by two referee being there for a third of the games … they are the only team with that configuration…and another 4 referees in charge of 45 % of the games. That is 3 quarters of the games by repeat referees
Arsenal have 3 referees present for 45 % of their games…not any better in statistical terms
It’s not long now until we launch a major new initiative on refereeing in the Premier League. I think everyone who is interested in the “why?” question will find it… well, stimulating and interesting.
Not long to go now.
Thanks Andrew.
A person does need to include the VAR people in who PGMO has oversee teams. I would say it is at least a (almost) calear and obvious why this is happening.
https://untold-arsenal.com/archives/79627#comment-973913
In the comment I submitted there, I reduced to text some data presented on how a change suggested by Wenger might have affected the EPL this season. VAR for whatever reason is providing real benefit to at least 2 teams; LiVARpool! and the spuds. In that “alternate reality” LiVARpool! would have one loss this season and no more talk about being invincible.
Andrew, your closing observations on the PGMO selection process summed it up perfectly ! Begs the question what process did they use to select the officials for the Chelsea v Manchester United game ?
Antony Taylor ( qualified through Manchester FA ) Referee
Chris Kavanagh ( qualified through Manchester FA ) VAR
Random ? Neutral ? I don’t think so. It was unsafe and unfair to both officials, both teams and all football lovers.
I keep saying we need a ref league that allows refs to be promoted and relegated like the teams. This would mean refs get a sort of league table for points given to them in games. This would ensure that the refs try their hardest to be top by being better.