What is it with Phil Dowd?

[DB]

Exactly.  The standard of refereeing in rugby (and cricket) is much higher because the people involved have a bigger connection to the game and have experienced it to a high standard.

Rugby? The rugby matches I've been to the ref misses just as much - off the ball fouls etc. The ref cannot see everything. Even the obvious ones they can get wrong.

There is a myth that because a rugby player stamps on a head then get up and calls the referee 'Sir' it's fine and the refs are better. No, rugby players a cheating just as much as the footballers but in a different way. The refs are just as poor.
Sorry, rant over!

[Nev]

Question: How does he continue to get away with this?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/dec/27/alex-ferguson-avoids-punishment-mike-dean

Answer: Because the ref didn't mention it in his report.

Must have forgotten I suppose.

I wouldn't complain if I were a ref. There is no point because no action will be taken, in fact it would be counter productive. Regardless of the evidence, Ferguson is unimpeachable and it will be the official who ends up humiliated and left to hang.

[paul_e]

Exactly.  The standard of refereeing in rugby (and cricket) is much higher because the people involved have a bigger connection to the game and have experienced it to a high standard.

Rugby? The rugby matches I've been to the ref misses just as much - off the ball fouls etc. The ref cannot see everything. Even the obvious ones they can get wrong.

There is a myth that because a rugby player stamps on a head then get up and calls the referee 'Sir' it's fine and the refs are better. No, rugby players a cheating just as much as the footballers but in a different way. The refs are just as poor.
Sorry, rant over!

And if they get caught out like that the player is cited and given a ban after the fact, this happens regularly if players over step the mark.

Aside from that, stamping on someone is nothing to do with the issues I'm pointing out.  The issues I'm pointing out are the niggly fouls that are allowed to go for no good reason.  There are a few technical offenses like this that are allowed to go in rugby (the 2 majors both around the scrum regarding feeding and unbound back rows) but the niggly shit like lying in the way pretending to be stuck during a ruck is picked up very well in most cases, as is coming in from the side or holding on to the player.  These are all on a par with shirt pulling at corners, which happens in almost every match without any punishment.

Throwing yourself to the floor like you've been snipered is rare as well, mainly because in most cases, if you are caught, it's best to try to get the ball away because it will come back for the penalty anyway.

playing on through injuries with the trainers on the pitch is a good idea as well and should happen a lot more in football, kicking the ball out all the time encourages people to feign injuries to stop being caught out, that's a culture thing rather than the refs problem though.

[rutski]

one of the members of our lions club works in the steel industry, phil dowd also still works part time for a major steel company. well my mate met him a couple of weeks ago and was encouraged by dowds boss to have a word. he took full advantage and gave him some stick about vidic and then about herd being sent off, the only reply he gave was well i didnt send hutton off for the foul on long. they had a bit more of a chat and then he left. dowds boss said that he knows scholes and giggs on a social level and is regulary at the man utd restaurant.
well i digress slightly, if you get to see his performance tonight at man utd v west ham. he blatantly did that swishing of his arms to say no pen for a raphael incident, gave man utd one for nearly exactley the same offence and then a vicious tackle by scholes that would have seen everyone else off just gave him a yellow.
we have got this tosser next tuesday aint we? he really is a fat twat!

[Clampy]

I'm dead sure that when he was booking Scholes, he was calling him over by shouting 'Scholesy'.

[MONCABA]

I'm dead sure that when he was booking Scholes, he was calling him over by shouting 'Scholesy'.

Yeah, I also noticed that. The fat C**T is United through & through.

[PaulTheVillan]

Did you see him in the tunnel before the game last night having a laugh and a joke with the Man United players in the tunnel? He's a disgrace. I hope his sat nav malfunctions and directs him off a cliff. 

[Nev]

Did you see him in the tunnel before the game last night having a laugh and a joke with the Man United players in the tunnel? He's a disgrace. I hope his sat nav malfunctions and directs him off a cliff. 

It suits the modern game though doesn't it? Ref's favouring the larger clubs keeps them at the top, and keeps the cash flowing in. What makes a sports fan baulk has the likes of Sky rubbing their hands with glee.

[nigel]

Exactly.  The standard of refereeing in rugby (and cricket) is much higher because the people involved have a bigger connection to the game and have experienced it to a high standard.

Rugby? The rugby matches I've been to the ref misses just as much - off the ball fouls etc. The ref cannot see everything. Even the obvious ones they can get wrong.

There is a myth that because a rugby player stamps on a head then get up and calls the referee 'Sir' it's fine and the refs are better. No, rugby players a cheating just as much as the footballers but in a different way. The refs are just as poor.
Sorry, rant over!

And if they get caught out like that the player is cited and given a ban after the fact, this happens regularly if players over step the mark.

Aside from that, stamping on someone is nothing to do with the issues I'm pointing out.  The issues I'm pointing out are the niggly fouls that are allowed to go for no good reason.  There are a few technical offenses like this that are allowed to go in rugby (the 2 majors both around the scrum regarding feeding and unbound back rows) but the niggly shit like lying in the way pretending to be stuck during a ruck is picked up very well in most cases, as is coming in from the side or holding on to the player.  These are all on a par with shirt pulling at corners, which happens in almost every match without any punishment.

Throwing yourself to the floor like you've been snipered is rare as well, mainly because in most cases, if you are caught, it's best to try to get the ball away because it will come back for the penalty anyway.

playing on through injuries with the trainers on the pitch is a good idea as well and should happen a lot more in football, kicking the ball out all the time encourages people to feign injuries to stop being caught out, that's a culture thing rather than the refs problem though.

Agree with most of what you're saying. I think unless you've been involved in rugby it's a hard concept to grab.
I've been involved in rugby for 25+ years, playing and coaching. There are good and poor refs at junior level, but at the top level , in my experience, they're all pretty good.
I do feel that trainers on the pitch would be interesting, but think it might be difficult to implement. I do agree that this kicking the ball out is a bit of a cop out.
The one thing I would like to see is the refs getting a help in hand on penalty decisions. TV replays are as good as instant these days, so there can't be any excuse.
A referee as poor as Dowd, or Halsey, wouldn't last a season in the rugby.

[JB1811]

Do you think that when we play Bradford, as we are the 'Big Club', he will favour us for a change?

[ktvillan]

The problem then though is that there are far too few referees who have the required knowledge of the game to implement the rules properly.  Rugby fast tracking ex players to referee at the highest level helps it massively.

I dread to think what an awful hash most ex-footballers would make of being a ref.   With a few exceptions, such as Neville and Dixon, the ones that have entered punditry merely confirm the theory that most British footballers are as thick as shit.  I can't see many of them having the intelligence, maturity and impartiality required to do the job, and since most top level players retire as multi millionaires they will hardly have the incentive to be the target of mass abuse every week for peanuts. 

[Clampy]

Did you see him in the tunnel before the game last night having a laugh and a joke with the Man United players in the tunnel? He's a disgrace.

Yep, he stood chatting in the tunnel to the Utd captain or 'Giggsy' as he probably calls him. He seemed to totally ignore the West Ham captain. He was even having a laugh with one Utd player on the pitch before kick off.

[danlanza]

Is he definately reffing our game against Bradford ?

[Brend'Watkins]

I'm still incensed at him taking Rooney's shirt at the end of the game while on the pitch in our League cup final.  I didn't see it myself but was told that was what happened. 

Referees should be impartial or at least appear impartial.  Dowd behaves like he's best mates with this lot.

[The Laughing Policeman]

I'm dead sure that when he was booking Scholes, he was calling him over by shouting 'Scholesy'.

I wonder what Christian Benteke would do if Dowd called him Chrissie.