We are in a really bad state if the best ref in SL is Steve "I didn't quite see it, I'll have to go to the screen" Ganson. As for getting him onside you've got no chance. The bloke is arrogant in the extreme. My dad shouted to him at the club end after he'd made an error that "the officials are ruining rugby league!" He wasn't abusive, he wasn't foul mouthed merely stated a fact!!! Ganson's response? Turned round, winked at my dad, scratched his and laughed at him while making some comment to one of the other officials.

Remember he is supposed to be a professional. If a player responds to the crowd he would get hauled over the coals for it. These men are bomb proof! They are not accountable and they don't have to answer to fans or the press like coaches have to after a game. If they have a bad game it can cost a coach his job!!!

And he's a Saints fan! Enough said!!!!

Don't suppose your Dad has ever been a full time, professional, international RL referee has he?
Still, he's obviously best placed to conduct Ganson's performance evaluation.
Personally I think miserable old farts who constantly moan about referees are ruining the game far more than the officials.


Seems perfectly reasonable.


That's just utter bolloc[size=1.[/sizeks.

Thanks for that FBL. So my dad is a miserable old fart is he? That's not at all insulting or disrespectful!

Secondly, just because he hasn't referee'd at international level doesn't mean he doesn't know anything about the game and isn't entitled to his opinion! Just the same as being elevated to a position of responsiblity automatically means you can do the job! George W. Bush was president of America, doesn't mean he was any good at it!!!!

Finally, your post loses any possible credibilty when you describe Gansons reaction as perfectly acceptable. My dad was not threatening him or subjecting him to any personal abuse like others may have done. He pointed out that he thought he was persistently getting it wrong and the effect it was having on the game. If he can't deal with this sort of criticism then he shouldn't have the whistle in the first place.

Thank you for your post! I suggest you think again though!

"Finally, your post loses any possible credibilty when you describe Gansons reaction as perfectly acceptable2

What reaction? Are you sure it was meant at your father?

There's a national sghortage of refs: take a course and see what it involves.

Before you ask, I did many years ago.

And in one sentence you sum up the whole problem - referees aren't there to take flak off frustrated fans, they're there to officiate and without them we wouldn't have a sport to watch. There's no reason why a ref should have to "deal with this sort of criticism" to officiate in our game.

I'm no defender of refs and will happily slag them along with most fans when they've had a stinker (which Ganson didn't by the way). However, having vented my spleen, I don't then go running to my keyboard to complain about how naughty a ref is for scratching his ar[size=1.[/sizese?!

Back to the original point - your Dad is wrong, ref are not ruining our game and, whilst I never explicitly said that your Dad is a miserable old fart, he does sound like a bit of a tool to be honest.

Anyone who doesn't agree with "fatboys limb" is a tool in his world.

Nope, not at all. There are plenty of people on here (and in "my World") who disagree with me that I have a lot of respect for.

If I wanted to make a generalisation then perhaps I would say anyone who shouts "the officials are ruining rugby league" at Steve Ganson is a tool ... in my World.

So my dad is not entitled to his opinion then? In your opinion refs are not ruining the game in my dad's they are. So because he doesn't agree with you he's a tool. Never heard anything so idiotic in my life!!!

On one point I agree with you. Refs are there to referee the game and to apply the rules!!

All too often refs fail apply the rules consistently (which btw was the context in which my dad made his comments to Mr Ganson!) and therefore ruin the game by there constantly being a disparity between what players can and can't do on the field of play. If one team can get quick play the balls and the other is prevented in doing so we end up with a slow disjointed game/ performance as we did on saturday aginst Crusaders. After the first 15mins Mr Ganson failed to deal with or ignored the spoiling from the visitors hence ruining the game!!

I also find it abhorent that you should disrespect somebody who you appear not to know by calling them a tool!!! I would thank you to keep those thoughts to yourself in future!

wow!!!!! here we go again,you cant sing that,say that,we started that one,im not joining in that song!!! the shed is like it is cos of several numptys attitudes on here!!