The best current EPL referee

[Stevondo8]

In recent memory, there has always been one referee who clearly stood out above the rest as being the best ref in the premier league. Howard Webb, followed by Mark Clattenberg, then Michael Oliver for a bit.

Now that VAR exists, the standard of refereeing appears to have plummeted, with two of the most senior referees being stood down due to their recent errors (Dean and Mason).

So who is the best referee working in the premier league today? Is it still Oliver, or are they all just a bit rubbish these days?

 

[RashyForPM]

Oliver, and I feel Taylor is decent too.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

In recent memory, there has always been one referee who clearly stood out above the rest as being the best ref in the premier league. Howard Webb, followed by Mark Clattenberg, then Michael Oliver for a bit.

Now that VAR exists, the standard of refereeing appears to have plummeted, with two of the most senior referees being stood down due to their recent errors (Dean and Mason).

So who is the best referee working in the premier league today? Is it still Oliver, or are they all just a bit rubbish these days?

Seriously? All were and are absolutely horrendous refs especially Clattenberg.

 

[Cutch]

Horrible question but I'd probably say Anthony Taylor

 

[Stevondo8]

Seriously? All were and are absolutely horrendous refs especially Clattenberg.

There’s a reason likes of Webb and Clattenberg have referee’d the games they have on an international stage.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Horrible question but I'd probably say Anthony Taylor

Had to google him but yep he's probably the best for me. Can't remember him absolutely screwing us over.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

There’s a reason likes of Webb and Clattenberg have referee’d the games they have on an international stage.

He could have been a decent ref but he let his bias get in the way once people started to say he favoured Utd to the point he would actively give us nothing at all. To be fair he probably was better than the ones currently. Not having Clattenberg though, all that shows is how poor the quality is now and maybe the refs abroad were weaker at that time. He was an awful ref.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Before VAR it was (and hear me out) Mike Dean.

The thing with Dean that for me put him above other refs was that at least you know he wouldn't be swayed... whether by fans or players or whatever, whatever he says goes and he definitely doesn't have time for your shit. He may have got things wrong, but at least you know he was getting it wrong because it was what HE thought, not because of anyone influencing him.

However, that same quality of "I'm definitely right" has had a bit of a negative effect when it comes to VARing... as he seemingly just wants to ignore video evidence and just stick to his convictions/the convictions of other refs, despite clear video evidence to the contrary.

 

[Samid]

Had to google him but yep he's probably the best for me. Can't remember him absolutely screwing us over.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Ahh I tried, I'll add him to my hit list...

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Surely there has to be one decent one who hasn't screwed us over?

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

Its a battle of attrition, which is also shows how tough the job is but I like Marriner and Pawson as they usually don't put their imprint on the game too often.

 

[Stevondo8]

Its a battle of attrition, which is also shows how tough the job is but I like Marriner and Pawson as they usually don't put their imprint on the game too often.

It’s probably still Oliver for me, tends to let the game flow more than most of the others.

Taylor and Marriner probably the best of the rest.

We seem to get Jon Moss an awful lot for some reason...

 

[Annihilate Now!]

To be fair he was told by the VAR ref to send him off wasn't he?

 

[Xaviesta]

It's a good question raised by the op. Nobody really comes to mind. If there's a title decider late in the season, there's no standout ref to officiate that match. I like the point @Annihilate Now! made about Mike Dean pre VAR.

 

[Xaviesta]

Michael Oliver is despised (maybe that's too strong) on here yet gets so many of the matches involving the so called 'big 6'. That doesn't happen by chance.

 

[Conor]

Michael Oliver is despised (maybe that's too strong) on here yet gets so many of the matches involving the so called 'big 6'. That doesn't happen by chance.

It's the speed stripe.

 

[awop]

Sending off Di Maria made Michael Oliver the GOAT. He's not perfect but he usually gets it right and he has this aura of authority for his age that helps him control the games a bit more.
Pawson/Moss for the worst one.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

I don't rate any of them, I think the level of officiating in the Premier League is close to shambolic currently.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

This guy.

 

[AltiUn]

Best referee we had all season was the one in the PSG away game, we should've snuck him back with us.

 

[freeurmind]

They're all crap. Taylor is dogshite, Oliver even worse. Lots of wrong decisions, no consistency etc.

 

[AltiUn]

I'm in the boat where I don't think there are any good referees in the PL, at least in terms of someone who gets the majority of big and small decisions right. There's a certain personality you need to have to be a referee which leads to them to be very stubborn with their decisions which is frustrating for the fans and players. I do think they've lost a lot of excuses with VAR because now they're afforded the same variety of angles and slow motion that we're afforded as viewers, so the mistakes theoretically should've been reduced but in reality it's just highlighting most referees are just poor at what they do, unfortunately there's just not an unending talent pool to choose from and it's a very difficult and thankless job. I'd never, ever want to be a referee. It's easy to forget they're human too so are often swayed by external factors and are prone to mistakes.

The thing is, the PL referees genuinely are the best ones in the country, if you think the PL ones are bad you should see the state of some of the ones in the lower leagues.

 

[P-Nut]

There isn't really a stand out ref in Europe lately is there. Be interested to know what fans of other leagues think of their refs.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

I can’t see how anyone can be a good ref with the level scrutiny and the way VAR undermines the onfield refs.

 

[SuperiorXI]

The refs we have are shocking, can't remember a time they were as bad as this

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Personally I feel it's Marriner fairly comfortably, at least on the pitch. Taylor is decent too. I'm blown away that anyone has mentioned Pawson positively; for me he's comfortably the worst ref in the division by a mile.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Michael Oliver is despised (maybe that's too strong) on here yet gets so many of the matches involving the so called 'big 6'. That doesn't happen by chance.

Clattenburg was also a much hyped ref. Didn't mean he wasn't inconsistent or biased.

 

[Matt007a]

There's not been many good refs for a long time really. Remember when Collina was on the front cover of PES? There hasn't been a referee that universally respected since and that was nearly 20 years ago.

 

[11101]

Oliver. Probably spends longer on his hair than Pogba, but he's at least capable of keeping up with play (Moss), he's not determined to outshine the players (Dean), and he doesn't look like he's just guessing (Taylor). I still wouldn't say he is the best though, rather the least worst.

Atkinson used to be high profile but he's just hanging around for a PGMOB job to come up now.

 

[man united 4eva]

Best - Graham Scott... Worst - Michael Oliver.

 

[Kasper]

These threads are always a great illustration of how pointless discussions with biased fans are about refs.
People are falling over each other dismissing every suggestions with "What this guy? He screwed us over in 394 BC don`t you remember?"

 

[Rozay]

Jamie Oliver.

 

[Manoucha09]

To be fair, refereeing is a really hard job and, as someone has already pointed out, the refs are under even more scrutiny with VAR there now. It's strange because VAR should be there to help the refs, but it feels as though they've taken it as competition. It's as though any decision made by VAR is considered a mistake by the ref when they could have simply missed/misinterpreted the decision in real time.

I'd say Mike Dean was the best ref before VAR. I still think he's one of the best as I really don't see that he has any bias. You could also add Mariner and Taylor to the OK list. If you ask the question the other way round, the list just goes on and on. I honestly have no idea how these are still referees at Premier League level:

• Kevin Friend
• Jonathon Moss
• Lee Mason
• Peter Bankes

It's a hard job but the standard definitely needs to be addressed. I don't know if there are any young referees ready to make the step up but they're really needed at the moment. The heavy schedule isn't helping the refs at all.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

It's a thankless task to be fair.

The game moves at such a fast pace that decisions have to be made in a split second with decisiveness and replays will prove if they were right or wrong. That is some pressure.
Plus, whatever decision you make, the opposing view will be thrown at you in anger, which happens with the nature of a job that has a lot of subjectivity/bias involved.
Then you get players getting in your face about every decision.
Then you have abuse from fans in the stadium.
Then you have abuse on social media.

Therfore, normally, I have sympathy for some refs.

But what Dean did was just stupid. He literally watched the video evidence and STILL made the wrong call. That one is hard to excuse.

 

[Hoboman]

Best referees usually serve the game, not their ego. They have calming precence and know when they should interfere with the game, without being yellow and red cards merchants.

EPL is very difficult to referee though. From current crop Tierney is decent - lacks authority, but usually don't make huge mistakes.
Oliver was good before he started trying to act like hardman.
Taylor usually looks competent, but hesitates too much and can screw up big decisions.

On the other hand, Moss and Mason are physically incapable to officiate EPL games, while Friend and Dean are just totally clueless.

 

[Chipper]

Thought Bobby Madley was decent but he got sacked for jokingly saying to his now ex-wife that he might beat a disabled person in a race as far as I remember, would probably say Anthony Taylor.

 

[Bojan11]

Its a battle of attrition, which is also shows how tough the job is but I like Marriner and Pawson as they usually don't put their imprint on the game too often.

You need to go to specsavers.

Terrible ref.

 

[SER19]

The ones you don't even notice.

 

[PoTMS]

Who has refereed the least amount of games? Him.