Clark calls for referees to be rated by managers after every match
LEE CLARK believes the standard of refereeing in Scotland would be considerably enhanced if the weekly performance-rating system by managers used in England was implemented by the SFA.
Referees are back under the spotlight after major blunders last weekend by Craig Thomson and Andrew Dallas.
Thomson wrongly awarded Celtic a penalty against St Johnstone when he thought Keith Watson had handled the ball while Dallas booked Hearts midfielder Malaury Martin when, in fact, Louis Moult had tripped his Motherwell team-mate Lionel Ainsworth.
The officials contacted Tommy Wright and Ian Cathro respectively to apologise for their errors.
Clark revealed that after every game down south, each manager fills out a form detailing how the match official has performed.
They then get feedback from the Professional Game Match Officials Board, run by Mike Riley, and Clark feels it has led to a more professional dialogue and better decision-making.
Clark said: “The main difference between Scotland and England is the type of feedback from managers.
“There is a marking system on a game-by-game basis and a relationship with the referees’ body.
“Down south we marked the ref for various different parts of his display.
“We also had a direct line to the boss of the referees whom we could get feedback from.
“What it did, for me, was reduce the risk of emotions taking over and managers getting carried away.
“You got it dealt with in a professional manner.
“If there was anything contentious or anything you were not happy with they would ask for footage.
“Then you had the feedback from the referee via his boss.
“He would either say he still felt he made the right decision and why or would admit maybe he got it wrong.
“I think it is the way forward. It is beneficial because you get a relationship and you also get that improvement.
“I have mentioned this before to the powers that be and hopefully it is something that could be brought in.
“We all want to have the best standard of officiating, just like we want the best standard of management and the best standard of football.”
Clark would also welcome the introduction of a video replay official to make decisions on penalties as well as goal-line technology. He also thinks it would calm matters if refs explained decisions immediately after matches.
He said: “I think it would help for penalty decisions. It would take a matter of seconds.
“Down south, the goal-line technology has been huge. If the ball crossed the line a signal is sent to the referee’s watch.
“I know it is hard just after a game but would it be wrong for referees to come out and explain a decision?
“We are all human beings and we all make mistakes — but that could solve a lot of problems.”