IT gives me no pleasure to say 2014 has not been a good year for refereeing at any level of the game.

There are plenty of talented officials out there but I think there are major flaws that desperately need to be addressed if we are going to improve the standards of refereeing in English football.

Regular readers will know I do not rate the evaluation system, a view which I know is shared among referees. It causes friction and you can see it is affecting performances and confidence at the highest level.

But it is not the only thing we need to look at – management and coaching needs to be looked at across the board, both by the PGMOL and the Football Association.

Premier League referees come under constant scrutiny in the media but I’m sure Bolton Wanderers fans will back me up in saying the standards are slipping in the Football League too.

Within a few minutes of the final whistle on Sunday at Huddersfield someone tweeted me a replay of the winning goal. I’m still not sure how Trevor Kettle didn’t spot the handball – it was right in front of him.

My brother manages in the non league and I also got chatting with the commentator Martin Tyler, who you might not know is also the assistant manager at Hampton and Richmond. Both of them complain that the standard is just not good enough, so it applies right across the board.

I’ve said for a while we need more ex-players to take up refereeing but the problem is that they have to start way down at level seven.

If you have played professionally you know football. You should be put in at Conference level.

I’m sure refereeing isn’t a career choice many Premier League players would make but I think there are plenty in League One or Two who could make a massive contribution to the game.

As it is the end of the year I thought I’d give out a few awards, starting with my Referee of the Year.

You want someone who has been consistent, and got the key match decisions right as often as possible. For me, two men stand out and they are Mike Dean and Mark Clattenburg.

I also think Martin Atkinson deserves a mention, for while he has made a few errors, he also produced the best performance I have seen this season when he took charge of the Newcastle United v Chelsea match a few weeks ago. His advantage for the second goal was superb.

There are a couple of contenders for best up and coming referee. Michael Oliver is coming along well but I think Craig Pawson is showing real potential to become a top official.

He had a great first season but it has been tough for him of late as he got bigger and bigger matches.

I think if the powers that be can look after him, he can be an excellent referee, and he has already been promoted to the FIFA list from tomorrow.

As for those who should be pushing on – there are a few.

The likes of Lee Mason, Anthony Taylor, Mike Jones, Jon Moss, Neil Swarbrick, Roger East, Kevin Friend and Robert Madeley should be looking to push on now. They should be the ones who should be getting the key matches, earning the trust and respect of the players and becoming the type of referees you can hang your hat on.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the system does them any favours.

 

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IF I was to hand out a gold medal for the worst dive of the year, I’m afraid my old mate Gary Cahill would win it hands down for his 9.5 against Hull City.

It was a bad one – but I wonder whether Chelsea are starting to get a reputation that is doing them no favours at all.

I couldn’t believe Cesc Fabregas didn’t get a penalty on Sunday against Southampton, and Anthony Taylor should know he is not a player who goes over easily.

I understand Anthony apologised after the game, and that his assistant had ruled simulation out at the time. That possibly shows how little trust there is between officials at the moment.

Jose Mourinho says there is a campaign against Chelsea and it is hard to argue to the contrary.

If referees are starting to think the Blues are going down to easily, it goes back to recognising what is a foul and what is a non-foul. Do our officials really know?

I think it’s wrong for the media to scream that just because a referee doesn’t award a penalty a player should be cautioned for simulation.

There can be contact but not enough to send someone to ground, for example Branislav Ivanovic on Boxing Day against West Ham.

He went down to easily under pressure from Andy Carroll but there was contact. I thought in that instance Michael Oliver did really well, told him to get up and got on with the game.

I think that little word in a player’s ear can be really important. If you feel someone is taking liberties, go and tell them they are not going to get anything else out of you all afternoon, see if that changes their attitude.

Players are certainly not helping themselves by going to ground too easily but you have to accept it is not always a clear-cut think. There are several shades of grey.

If I was to single out one instance as the worst decision I have seen all year, then I think Mike Jones denying Sergio Aguero a penalty – and giving him a caution for simulation – against Southampton has to take the trophy.

I’m still trying to get my head round those decisions.

 

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I’D love to have the power to change a couple of football laws in 2015.

If I had my way, if a goalkeeper made a genuine attempt to win the ball but subsequently brought a player down in the penalty box and denied him a goal-scoring opportunity, the spot kick would be sufficient punishment.

You don’t need a red card in that instance and it seems incredible that we haven’t tried to change that law yet as I don’t know anyone who thinks it’s a good idea.

The other one would be offside. It desperately needs to be simplified.

I saw Sam Allardyce felt he had been wronged against Arsenal when Alex Song’s goal was disallowed. I’m sorry Sam but I think the officials got that one right.

He was interfering with an opponent in my view but you can completely understand why there is confusion among the managers. Nobody seems to be able to get their story straight.

The other week the PGMOL came out and backed the decision to allow Sergio Aguero’s goal against Tottenham even though Frank Lampard was clearly in the eye-line of keeper Hugo Lloris and standing in an offside position, jumping over the ball.

Now when they are saying that’s okay – why did Song’s goal not stand?

With the speed of the game nowadays offside is a hard rule to police so why make it harder for ourselves?

I've been asked to name the biggest moaner of 2014 – but that’s a hard one to single out because almost every player does it.

Chelsea’s skipper John Terry was one who would always be in your ear, although – to be fair to him - he’d do it in a nice way and ask respectful questions of every decision.

 

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THEY say you’ve got to be a little bit mad to be a goalkeeper, and even madder to be a referee.

I played in goal during my younger days and then took up the whistle, so I don’t know where that leaves me.

I was asked which current player would make the best referee, and the one name that sprang to my mind was Manchester City’s Joe Hart.

For him to have held his hands up and admit he kicked the ball twice against QPR in November was spot on.

But I’d imagine the amount of money he gets to play for City, he wouldn’t bother getting out of bed for what the referees make.

My final award is for the player I’d least like to referee – and that one goes to Tottenham’s defender Jan Vertonghen.

I think he needs to take a good look at himself this year because too often I see him trying to get players cautioned or sent off.

He’s a talented lad but I think he needs to show professionalism and realise he’s a role model for a lot of people.

That’s everything for my final column of 2014 – all that is left to do is wish all the readers of The Bolton News a very happy new year.

It’s FA Cup weekend next up and we’ve got a local derby to look forward to against Wigan Athletic. I’m sure it will be a belter.