I agree whole heartedly with what you say.
I also disagree with the fallacy that, like judges in the law courts, they are infallible and not responsible to anyone else for their decisions. I would love to see a referee come on the TV and apologise to fans and say. " Sorry! I got it wrong", but i can't see that happening any time soon.

Was chatting to an ex-ref at the station on the way home - he said that Moore had "a shocker"

At least judges give a summary of the evidence before their judgement, which becomes the test case for that offence or adds to previous judgements to try to maintain consistency in the law...refs have nothing similar that's ever in the public domain, if they do have a shocker their disciplinary equivalent is behind closed doors and the reasons they are stood down for the next week(s) are never revealed...opportunity missed or what

Exactly!! You've captured much more succinctly what I was trying to say myself Steve. Referees seem to have the opinion of themselves that they are answerable to God and no one else.

They are doing a job.
Why would their review have anything to do with fans?

Club reps cant comment without getting fined.
We are purchasers of the product of which they are part of quality control.

Somebody has to make the decisions during game time it can't be outsourced to fans, or journo's.
The ref has to feel comfortable that he can make the calls on the spot without the pressure of frame by frame critique days after the fact outside his immediate peers, or else who the hell would do it.
Who in their right mind would accept a weekly quiz barrage of if buts and maybe's from a bunch of twitbook loons embittered by losing a game.
Ref's are human, they make mistakes, its impossible to get every call to everyone's liking especially when opinions are so partisan.
He had a bad game for us, it may be the other way round next week, accept > move on.

I understand what you`re saying about feeling comfortable about the ref using his own judgement, but if thats true ,why have a video ref, and while on about Video refs I cannot understand why they can`t have an input of incidents what the ref misses. I know it would be like var in football but if we have the technology why not use it to its fullest ability.

I have, and probably always will have, the opinion that referees have their favourites and been shouted down in the past for thinking this. Apart from PT, who seems to stand almost alone in most of his opinions, and thinks fairies live at the bottom of his garden, must sometimes have an idea that refs are biased. That's why I don't believe referees should be involved in games that include their home town club.