The Man in the Middle

(Image: Getty Images - BBC Sport website)

Not a week goes by where a match official doesn’t come under some kind of scrutiny, whether good, bad or indifferent. The level of positivity shown towards referees in particular isn’t getting any higher, especially at the top level.

A lot more has been made of diving, or ‘simulation’, in the past four or five seasons. This is no doubt due to the continental culture being adopted by the Premier League, as well as the increase in speed of the game.

When Gareth Bale graced the Premier League with his pace and power, he received countless cautions for diving. He contested that this was not intentional, but a measure taken to avoid being badly injured when he would burn past defenders at will.

In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek way, former referee Howard Webb was forever being accused of offering a home advantage to Manchester United, with the widespread perception being that fixtures at Old Trafford that were officiated by him usually swung in favour of the Red Devils.

But what makes the English game so focused on the performance of referees and their assistants? Is it the gravity of decisions being made? An incorrect offside call can be the difference between promotion and relegation, or cup final glory and a runners-up medal.

Player pressure

On the back of repeated incidents of players rushing to referees after a decision has been made against them – either rightly or wrongly – the governing bodies of football decided to take some action.

Fines and bans were used to prevent the referee being given a tirade of abuse, which could often turn from purely verbal to bordering on the physical.

Most of us will be familiar with Paolo Di Canio’s infamous shove on referee Paul Alcock in 1998. Having just been sent off in the game, the fiery Italian’s disapproval quickly turned into assault, receiving an 11-match ban as a result.

Referees are now afforded a protection, both from physical attacks and verbal onslaught on the pitch. Angel Di Maria was given his marching orders (a second yellow) a couple of weeks ago having pulled at the shirt of referee Michael Oliver and allegedly aiming expletives at him as well.

The player escaped with a one-match ban, but no additional ban for grabbing Oliver’s shirt.  Di Maria’s manager, Louis van Gaal has also spoken out in criticism of his player’s actions, saying that he had ‘no excuses’ for doing what he did.

Heat of the moment or not, the referee should be untouchable.

Censoring managers

Punishment even reaches as far as talking about referees now, something that is very much known to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and West Ham boss Sam Allardyce. Heavy fines are dished out for as much as even mentioning a referee’s name in passing during pre and post-match interviews.

Bad decisions are an inevitable part of the game at any level, so when pundits, fans and clubs have the luxury of instant video replays at the top level, the referee is perhaps going to be leveled with far more scrutiny than if he is officiating a Ryman Premier Division game.

Statistically speaking, referees make around two wrong or questionable decisions per game. That would mean making in excess of one hundred correct decisions per game. When the percentages of bad calls are so low, it makes you wonder where the criticism is actually coming from.

But it is more to do with the gravity of a missed incident, dive or mistimed tackle in the box that really riles managers, players and fans. To not see a blatant handball like the one seen when France played the Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifier in 2009, committed by Thierry Henry (and later admitted), being denied a place at a major tournament is almost unforgivable.

Even a place in the FA Cup, snatched away by a diving centre forward as experienced by Preston North End a few weeks ago, is a huge deal. Not just financially, but also for the sake of a club’s history. Wayne Rooney may protest that there was contact in the box, but that claim has been universally rejected. Even by the referee who made the decision, Phil Dowd.

With technology being a more important part of the game and the supposed standards of refereeing falling, the question remains as to how both can evolve together. Not only for the sake of quality control but also to protect the role of referee going forward.

The Production Line: Coaches and Players in the English Game

(Image: Birmingham Football Association)

Forty-eight years without a major tournament win. A large part of the footballing community blames a lack of success for England’s national team on the quality of coaching from grassroots upwards. 

Many ex-players and coaches have commented that the gulf in class between kids and young adults in this country compared to those on the continent and even in South and Central America is getting ever wider.

 

Our top leagues benefit from the talents of foreign players plying their trade here, whereas very few have gone the other way. Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Owen were qualified flops when giving Real Madrid a try - the former fairing worse than the latter, of course.

 

But as an overall assessment, it took pretty dire circumstances for the FA to finally put into action a programme of improvement. Failure after failure from our national side has been both baffling and concerning - each generation of players is heralded as ‘golden’ but never manages anything more than shortfall.

 

Strength in Numbers?

 

The FA’s Developing World-Class Coaches and Players report in 2008 made a point of highlighting the sad fact that English football is falling behind the rest of the major competing nations in tournaments.

 

An immediately obvious problem when compared to most - but not all - footballing nations, is the way coaching is both viewed and how it is executed, particularly at UEFA B, A and Pro license levels.

 

“In comparison to our European counterparts, we do not place the same degree of importance on the status of coaching in this country. This must change if we are going to progress.”

This was the opening gambit of John Peacock, the Head of Senior Elite Coach Development at the FA. As the current England under-17s manager, he also sees first-hand how coaching reaps the desired rewards.

He successfully guided his Young Lions to two UEFA European Under-17 Championship victories in 2010 and 2014.

"It's not just a numbers game - it's not about producing mediocre or above average players - it's very much about producing top players and more of them."

 

This was Peacock’s comment on player production following the unceremonious exit from the 2010 World Cup of the England senior team; it’s not just about having a huge pool to choose from, but a pool good enough to pick truly outstanding talent from.

 

What has been done?

 

The grand opening of St George’s Park in October 2012 was meant to mark the culmination of the efforts made in the above report to genuinely improve both coaches and players, not only in volume but also in ability.

 

The 330-acre, £105million facility in Burton-on-Trent was met with a lukewarm reception because of the stop/start nature of its completion and purpose. The project was halted in 2004 whilst Wembley Stadium was being built and was only restarted in 2008 with the insistence of Sir Trevor Brooking that it be done with by 2010 - another deadline it was destined to miss.

 

It was John Peacock's Under-17 squad, or his "Burton Guinea Pigs", that got to use the facility first in August of 2012. "From a development point of view it's fantastic and the facilities are second to none” he told the BBC.

 

“In terms of the quality of the pitches and the environment it is conducive to learning and education. From a coach education perspective it is the same.”

 

So, it passed the standard set by the top dogs on appearance. But the real acid test will be in delivering the substance. The elite game has moved on so dramatically since 1966 that any solutions being employed now will only bear fruit in another decade or so.

 

The victories enjoyed by England’s teenagers are a good sign that youth players are competing with their Spanish, French and German opponents.

 

The proposed solution appears to be two-fold: placing coaches in a higher category of professional recognition, and; putting enjoyment before competition in coaching youth players.

 

Under the cloak of damaging expectation, our players are burdened by the fear of failure. Maybe encouraging pleasure over pressure from a young age will give them the freedom they require to win.

Kitted Out: The Importance of Replica Shirts in Football

(Image: wallbol.net)

The biggest clubs in Europe have a lot to thank their fans for when it comes to funding new signings, stadiums and cup runs. But it’s not just about making the cash registers ring; it is also extremely important to build a brand presence.

We are all familiar with the financial successes enjoyed by the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan; but what exactly do clubs gain by forming partnerships with sportswear suppliers?

Not always about the money

According to sports marketing research company REPUCOM, its European Football Kit Supplier Report 2013 showed that the value to a club of having an extensive and reputable supply network goes far beyond simply selling shirts.

“A kit supplier plays an integral role in the positioning of a club from a marketing perspective” says Andrew Walsh, Director of Enterprise Services at REPUCOM.

“The distribution networks of the leading sportswear brands create a certain image perception and accessibility, which are crucial for building a global brand for a club.”

“It is largely down to market consolidation within a tough economic period and consumers have been watching their pennies a bit more closely. Therefore, those brands that can offer value and ease of access through stronger retail distribution - and of course a top image and street credibility - have a strong advantage over the rest.”

Face value

It’s quite obvious that a company latching on to the latest footballing superstar is an effective marketing tool. A handful of examples in recent times would be Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. Image is everything, so the faces of the biggest players in the world being splashed across TV adverts and posters will do sales no harm. 

A certain well-known Englishman had a big part to play in the explosion of player endorsements in the modern game. David Beckham’s long association with adidas allowed the German manufacturer to attribute vast amounts of money to shirt and boot sales – it is also no coincidence that three of the clubs he played for after leaving Manchester United had kits supplied by adidas (Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and AC Milan).

“We have seen quite a few instances where expensive player transfers have been refinanced on the back of shirt sales” says Walsh. “For some clubs, with the right partnership (and ambition), a smaller up-front fee in return for a cut of merchandise income can be a very attractive long term prospect for them.”

What does it all mean?

REPUCOM’s report also showed that the average kit supply fee paid by manufacturers to clubs in the Premier League in 2012/13 was £6million, dwarfing that of the Spanish Primera Liga at just £3.4million. Andrew Walsh believes that this figure highlights the commercial appeal of the English top division.

“The league’s global reach makes it a very attractive prospect for the world’s top sports merchandise manufacturers” he said. “In turn, kit contracts are becoming an ever-more relevant source of revenue for the clubs, not only at the top level, but right down the divisions.”

This point is further emphasised when we look at the total value of deals being struck by English sides in that year. The total value of Premier League clubs’ kit supply contracts rose by 32% on the previous one; up to £117.3 million (€145.5 million).

That figure accounted for over 37% of the total revenue generated through kit supply deals across Europe’s top five leagues. This is made understandable, however, when looking at the actual volume of shirts sold.

The 2012/13 season saw the league‘s 20 clubs sell a combined total of approximately five million jerseys worldwide - around one million more than in 2011/12. Not only is this more than double the number sold by Germany‘s 18 Bundesliga sides, but is yet another indicator of the continuing growth of the English game’s popularity globally.

Volume is also reflected in the actual cost to the fan, with the study revealing that although the average price of a Premier League club shirt has risen roughly 8.3% year-on-year, English fans shouldn’t feel too hard done by; prices over here are by no means the highest in Europe.

The average price of a replica Premier League shirt was £47.60; the lowest average across the five European leagues - the others being in Spain, Germany, France and Italy. Primera División jerseys cost between £48.30 and £68.50 - an average of £54.60. The most expensive are found in the Bundesliga; costing fans an average of £59.10 per shirt.