Blues skipper Luke Chambers believes ex-players should be fast-tracked into refereeing at the end of their careers.

Town have been on the wrong end of a number of poor refereeing decisions this season, the penalty decisions made by Keith Stroud at Aston Villa last week among them, and Chambers believes former players becoming officials would be beneficial.

“Look, it’s a hard job referees have,” Chambers told the club site. “Some of the rules we have in the game now, they don’t understand - and the players don’t understand either.

“There doesn’t seem to be any accountability for performances though. If I played like some of the refs we’ve had, I’d be dropped.

“I’d like to see a lot more players take up refereeing when they have finished. There should be a clear pathway for that to happen, so they can be fast-tracked.

“Players who have played the game at professional level for 15 years or so will have a real understanding of the game and that can only help when you are a referee.

“There might be an argument that they have an affinity with one or two clubs because they have played for them. Well, make sure they don’t referee those clubs.

“More players going into refereeing is the answer. There needs to be a big initiative to try and make that happen.”

In the 1990s former Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield, Bradford, Walsall, Scunthorpe and Chesterfield defender Steve Baines became one of a handful of former players to take up the whistle, officiating in a number of Town games.

Photo: TWTD

Saxonblue74 added 19:03 - Feb 1 Mattinlondon, 3 appeals per manager per game via VAR would keep the game free flowing? That's potentially an appeal every 15 minutes on average. Worse still, what if you get to the last 15 - 30 mins and both managers still have all 3 unused? They'd appeal for everything and the game would take an eternity!
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Saxonblue74 added 19:14 - Feb 1 Kind of like Bobbyblue's take on it. A VAR referee instantly reviewing key decisions and having a word with the on field ref where necessary. Game could flow and key decisions stand a greater chance of being correct ones.
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Saxonblue74 added 19:15 - Feb 1 ......sorry, Bobbybell not Bobbyblue!
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Cakeman added 07:30 - Feb 2 Our Captain is certainly on the right lines. Former players of the game at any standard should be encouraged more to want to ref. Not sure fast tracking is the answer although intensive training over a short time period could work as long as the participants gain some on field game time working through the levels starting at non-league. Ex players do have an advantage as they know all the angles and where the off the ball or out of sight incidents are likely to happen. It has been mentioned already by a few and I agree that whilst there is no obvious accountability for the current referees the services provided are not going to improve. We certainly need and deserve better than what we have at the moment. The pace of the game has moved on over the years but the referees have stood still like Subbuteo officials. The standard over the past couple of seasons has been shocking. Worse than that some of them think they are better than the game. If you watch them warm-up pre match it is like watching a muster of Peacocks all trying to impress prospective partners! To stop my waffle now I conclude by saying well said Chambo.

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NSL added 20:47 - Feb 2 LOL, Chambers can barely keep up with the pace now!
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kltractor added 12:36 - Feb 4 Can't think that ex players can be any worse than many of the clowns currently officiating. And at least everyone would know which clubs they have affiliation too and be appointed to avoid those clubs. Referees one would assume have an interest in the game and have favoured clubs but no-one is aware which clubs they do or don't favour.
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