Clough on quest to improve standard of refereeing

"The 59-year-old has used the League Managers Association (LMA) to ask its members what they think about the performance of match officials. Clough has often spoken out about refereeing decisions after matches, and was most recently critical of a fourth official at Mansfield Town's Carabao Cup defeat at Everton for being "sarcastic" towards him. But the Stags boss insists his desire to talk about calls made during matches and his efforts to now start a conversation about standards is not targeted at match officials themselves."

""Someone asked me 'can I talk to you about your campaign against referees?' But there is no campaign against referees," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham. "They are missing the point totally. "It's not about the referees, it's about how they are being coached and what they are being told that is the biggest problem. "I think they need more guidance and more help, and I don't think they are getting the right messages from above.""

""He is the liaison at the LMA with the PGMOL and he said they'd like to chat, but it's a little early," Clough said. "I just want to get a feeling first of all. Because every single manager we talk to after games has similar feelings to us, that unfortunately the divide is getting wider in terms of how the referees are being asked to officiate and what player and manager want.""

Nigel Clough is canvassing fellow English Football League managers through the League Managers Association to gather opinions on match officials' performances. He argues the core issue lies in how referees are coached and the guidance they receive rather than the officials themselves. Clough plans to share collected feedback with Professional Game Match Officials Limited and has discussed the approach with LMA technical advisor Brian Laws. He cited post-match criticisms and a recent episode where he described a fourth official as 'sarcastic' after Mansfield's Carabao Cup loss at Everton. Clough believes the divide between how referees are instructed and what players and managers expect is widening.

Read at www.bbc.com