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#Post#: 104760--------------------------------------------------
Underrated Officials
DIR By: HChip
Date: April 26, 2026, 4:25 pm
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I was just sat here thinking of some officials in the EFL and
Premier League that possibly are overlooked, go under the radar
or don’t get the praises that they deserve. Who do you think are
some underrated (or possibly overrated/overhyped officials)?
The standout for me would be Tom Nield. I think Tom is quite
underrated for me, others may beg to differ, but I think he is
one of the officials that maybe slips under the rug and isn’t
noticed as much.
#Post#: 104761--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: Lionator27
Date: April 26, 2026, 4:32 pm
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Long retired but Scott Mathieson always comes to mind.
#Post#: 104762--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: Charlieboy
Date: April 26, 2026, 4:57 pm
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Sg1 underrated pawson , overrated gillett
Sg2 underrated gavin ward overrated by a mile Anthony Backhouse
Efl underrated Lee Swabey (very safe pair of hands) overrated by
a mile Finnie .(the poorest official I’ve seen in league one
this season and the bar isn’t high)
#Post#: 104763--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: elbee94
Date: April 26, 2026, 5:02 pm
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In terms of SG1, I still think Tom Bramall is undervalued, but
i’m glad he’s building up the PGMO’s confidence to reward him
with better matches.
In SG2, perhaps unpopular but I always thought Jeremy Simpson
was perfectly fine, I know he got some bad reviews on here. I
also think James Bell is a strong on field official but he’s
proving to be one of the best in the country behind the screen.
Lewis Smith I wouldn’t call underrated, but I think he’s been
unlucky to fall behind Farai Hallam, Tom Kirk and possibly
Andrew Kitchen in the SG1 queue.
National List is a lot harder as I often only see them once or
twice a year each. Carl Brook has had multiple games per season
in Colchester for a number of years and very rarely makes an
error but never seems to have had a sniff of SG2. I’d say the
same for Ollie Yates and James Oldham, although the latter had a
poor game in Colchester this season.
Less so underrated but officials i’m keen to keep an eye on for
progress having impressed me in the early stages of their EFL
careers:
Aaron Bannister
Oliver Mackey
Greg Rollason
Isaac Searle
Harry Wager
#Post#: 104765--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: Peter Wren
Date: April 26, 2026, 6:12 pm
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Gavin ward is over rated , how he gets so many key clashes is
baffling, under rated josh smith but that could br dir to his
injuries
#Post#: 104767--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: olliebcafc
Date: April 26, 2026, 7:16 pm
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Gillett is still underrated. Can count on one hand the number of
bad games he’s had since joining SG1. Lower down Josh Smith is
the obvious one but I would also argue for Duckworth and Zac
Kettle who get some indifferent reviews on here.
For overrated the retired Andy Davies is a candidate. Absolutely
diabolical last season in a League 2 game, fell for every trick
in the book like it was his first time with a whistle! I also
don’t think Jacob Miles and Ben Toner are as good as their
appointments suggest.
#Post#: 104768--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: RCG
Date: April 26, 2026, 9:00 pm
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For those of a slightly older vintage: Brian Curson and Phil
Crossley - 2 FL refs who I always thought were excellent
Alan Wiley, despite cup final appointments, never quite got the
recognition
More recently - Neil Hair (injuries have not helped)
#Post#: 104769--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: TA_Ref
Date: April 27, 2026, 3:01 am
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SG1 : Prior to this season, Tom Bramall and Tony Harrington
would’ve been my top underrated officials in the Prem but I’m
happy to see Tom have a good season with regular appointments.
Stuart Attwell is quite overrated in my books. I don’t
particularly rate him at all and don’t think he’s very
consistent in performance level. Josh Smith has certainly been
overlooked for SG1 status in my opinion too.
SG2 : If I’m going off of this season, then David Webb and
Andrew Kitchen haven’t performed as well as they have done in
recent seasons. If that’s enough to say they’re overrated I’m
not certain. Sam Allison is also quite overrated too judging by
some of his appointments at times. No one at SG2 level jumps out
at me being underrated. Maybe Dean Whitestone who’s always been
a real safe operator at this level.
National List : An official I’ve admittedly only had one view of
but Sam Mulhall impressed me when I saw him at Gillingham once.
I don’t feel he gets a lot of L1/L2 games. Apart from him, it’s
quite difficult for me to judge the National List. From memory,
I’ve never had any issues with David Rock; I think he’s a really
good experienced official. I think it’s quite clear who the
appointing officers rate when it comes to championship
appearances. Reeves, Duckworth, Finnie, Speedie and Parsons all
seem well rated.
#Post#: 104771--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: ajb95
Date: April 27, 2026, 3:10 am
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Underrated. The likes of Pawson Harrington and bramall for
definite. Madley and Tierney overrated for sure
#Post#: 104775--------------------------------------------------
Re: Underrated Officials
DIR By: Whistleblower
Date: April 27, 2026, 3:29 am
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--- Quote from: RCG link ---
>
> For those of a slightly older vintage: Brian Curson and Phil
Crossley - 2 FL refs who I always thought were excellent
> Alan Wiley, despite cup final appointments, never quite got
the recognition
> More recently - Neil Hair (injuries have not helped)
>
--- End Quote ---
I entirely agree about Neil Hair. I have seen him three times
and on each occasion he was outstandingly good. Looks the part
too. I thought he would be a shoe in for SG2 but injuries
probably haven't helped and perhaps, due to professional
commitments, he has not wanted to go full time.
Phil Crossley was the epitome of " a safe pair of hands " Such
referees don't achieve stardom but their contribution to the
game is immense.
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