Based on The Economist's Big Mac Index which utilises the economic fallacy of purchasing power parity to determine which global currencies are over/under-valued, Football is Fixed introduced the Bum Ref Index last season. This assesses the negative impact that Premiership referees have on the games in which they officiate together with our proprietary individual psychological profiling and the institutional and individual manipulations relating to bookmakers, clubs and other corrupt power loci. The early season ratings for season 2007/2008 are provided below. It should be noted that, as with the early season league tables, there may be some rogue positioning due to the small numbers of games officiated. Taking it from the bottom with the worst officials listed first.
17. Riley 4.70
16. Webb 4.52
15. Dean 4.50
14. Bennett 4.48
13. Foy 4.31
12. Stroud 4.20
11. Tanner 4.09
10. Styles 3.85
9. Atkinson 3.63
8. Clattenburg 3.39
7. Wiley 3.32
6. Halsey 3.30
5. Dowd 3.23
4. Walton 2.67
3. Marriner 2.53
2. Probert 2.20
1. Mason 1.87
Neither Knight nor Rennie have yet refereed a match and the ratings of Mason, Probert, Tanner, Stroud, Dowd and Marriner are statistically volatile as they have all officiated in three games or less.
There are several interesting features that we feel are worthy of note.
* Its déjà vu all over again, and again... When one removes the officials that have been scarcely utilised, the current season's top five officials are Walton, Halsey, Wiley, Clattenburg and Atkinson which is virtually identical to the top five officials in season 2006/2007, namely Clattenburg, Halsey, Gallagher (now retired), Atkinson and Walton (see: http://footballisfixed.blogspot.com/2007/05/bum-ref-update-20062007.html). Similarly, the worst officials show elements of constancy too with Webb and Bennett being persistently poor. This should not be a surprise. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and, once a referee forms inappropriate links with external malignant forces, a continuum of coercion is only to be expected.
* We have frequently bemoaned the corrupt infrastructure that enables a pool of currently just 17 officials to control the Premiership. This roster is merely 40% of the average when compared with other leading European nations and, by its restrictive policies, the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB) has created a template that is seemingly designed with corruption in mind. Taking a look at the highly liquid televised games is particularly revealing. Eight referees are yet to be given the chance to strut their stuff on the Sky/Setanta stage and, yet, following this weekend's games, 24 of the 34 live events have featured just 6, yes six, referees - Riley has controlled 6 games, Webb 5, Halsey 4, Styles, Dean and Clattenburg 3. Over 70% of the televised matches are under the influence of this core group of whistleblowers - Sky seem particularly keen on Mike Riley as tomorrow's Man Utd versus Wigan extravaganza is the fifth time that the Yorkshireman has officiated a live Sky event in the first nine rounds of matches. This obviously has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Skybet's offices are in Harrogate while Mr Riley hails from Leeds.
* With Uriah Rennie off the radar, there remains a selective apartheid underpinning the PGMOB group. For a sport that is totally dependent on the skills of Black players, it is an outrage that there isn't one Black referee or linesman for the Premiership - almost as outrageous, in fact, as the racist bias exhibited by more than one of the PGMOB officials on the pitch. Masonic forms of corruption are dependent on an enclosed group of insiders to limit leakage and maximise control and it would appear that a colour bias is a necessary part of this process. As an aside and taking Paul Ince out of the equation, the lack of Black faces in managerial posts, boardrooms and in the corridors of power in the game is equally unsettling.
* The changing of officials to cater for specific betting market patterns has continued into the new season. The PGMOB secretly names the referees for the weekend matches early in the week although finding this vitally important information takes Columbo-esque detective skills. If a market becomes too hot or other causes close to the PGMOB's hidden agenda are compromised, then the simple solution is to change the referee. Last season, this ploy was produced on sixteen occasions while this season has already yielded six occurrences, five of which were for high profile televised games on Sky/Setanta. As we have pointed out previously, this is a very English disease. I am able to count on the fingers of one hand the number of times such a machination has happened in the Champions League, Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga over the last decade - the PGMOB would already need a six-fingered conclusion to the human arm for the first one and a half months of this current season alone. These are not even related to illness or travel issues - they are just manipulations of the matches that cause major issues for market participants who are unaware of the scam. It is probably also well worthy of note that, of the 22 occasions where the PGMOB have changed their collective minds, Mike Riley has been involved in six of the events.
* At least UEFA are aware of the volatility and private agendas of the PGMOB mob. Out of the last 93 games in the Champions League since Platini came to office, only five have featured Premiership referees which is markedly less than all the other top and, even, second tier countries. The unfortunate aspect is that the two English officials who have been allowed to officiate in this season's group phase are none other than the worst two referees in our Bum Ref Index - Riley and Webb. Priceless. Proof of "the shit always rising to the top" adage, I guess.
* There remain rumours that the PGMOB wishes for an inner sanctum of just ten officials who would referee ALL Premiership matches. Last year the ten most frequently chosen refs covered 72% of the season's games while this season the figure has increased to 74%. When three-quarters of the Premiership games are covered by such a minute grouping of individuals, there is evidently something not quite right. All logic is suggestive of increasing the number on the roster to undermine corruption and, preferably, using two referees in each match on the pitch to improve key decision making. A little bit of video technology might also meritocratise the game too. But, instead, we will have to get used to the omnipresent Mike Riley, bullied at school, bullied by those nasty supporters, bullied by the bookmakers, and selling his soul to rip out the soul of the game. Heroic...
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