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Tuesday, 9th February 2010

Styles: I'd lost the buzz of being a ref

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Published Date:
02 July 2009
Rob Styles has revealed the fear of losing his job satisfaction has driven him to quit refereeing.
The 45-year-old Premier League official, from Cowplain, has announced his retirement from the game with immediate effect.

It brings the curtain down on a career in which he spent nine years refereeing in the top flight and took charge of the 2005 FA Cup final between Manchester United and Arsenal.

Now he will concentrate on his role as a director at Waterlooville-based Oakwood Groundworks, a company he helped found in the late 1980s.
He said: 'I have completely retired from refereeing and will never do it again.

'I have made the decision to call time on my footballing career.

'The time, effort, energy, the whole package involved in being a full-time domestic and international referee was not returning what I was giving.

'And I cannot carry on without that buzz, commitment and job satisfaction.

'It seems very callous but in a 280-day 40-week football season I spend 110 days of those away from home.

'That's down to travelling, refereeing, attending bi-weekly training camps, those kind of things.

'Given that kind of commitment, it has to give you back and it had stopped doing that for me.

'There is no way I wanted to carry on but lose motivation and commitment, that wouldn't have been fair.

'At 45 I can look back at my career with pride and am at the stage where I can go out with loads of happy memories, job satisfaction and fulfilment.

'I did not want to carry on refereeing and not feel committed or motivated.

'That wouldn't have been doing the general public any favours.'

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  • Last Updated: 02 July 2009 7:39 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Portsmouth
 
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Pompey_Nepal,

Laughing Loudly 02/07/2009 08:29:04
"Lost The Buzz" It wasn't the fact that he was consistently the worst referee in the PL over the last couple of years?
Years ago he refereed games I played in for Havant Town and Horndean, and he used to ruin them like he has done in PL.
In my opinion Styles had wandered down the I'm Bigger Than The Game route (like Graham Poll).
Approx 50k a year to wind up 22 players and a few thousand supporters every week.....not a bad job if you can get it. I would like a job that gives me 12 weeks off a year.
I'm sure there will be many a bottle of bubbly popping open in managers offices all over the country.
It's just a shame it's taken this long!!!!!
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Matgra,

Fareham 02/07/2009 08:50:22
Pompey-Nepal is the typical football fan...hasn't got a clue about the game..especially refereeing. Perhaps he has missed the point that without referees, and the dedication of people like Rob Styles, there is no football. In my opinion the referees are usually the only "professionals" on the pitch in the way they conduct themselves. Referees do have good and bad days (as do players) but they make far fewer mistakes than the players, managers or coaches.
I think it is a sad day for football that Rob Styles has retired.
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Pompey_Nepal,

02/07/2009 09:19:04
Matgra.....
If you were paid 50K a year and made a relatively big c*ck-up everytime you went to work, would you expect a minor slap on the wrist (go referee in the fizzy pop league for a week) and then go back to work normally, I don't think so.
Managers make mistakes sacked, Players make mistakes dropped/sold.
My comment was made specifically about him not all referees and as I was looking at this more from a players point of view as he has ruined many a game I have witnessed or played in.
I gaurantee that after watching him referee over the years there won't be too many players or managers begging him not to retire.
And I am guessing that you are or were a referee????
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Matgra,

Fareham 02/07/2009 09:34:19
Pompey_Nepal
What a fantasy world you live in..."Managers make mistakes sacked, Players make mistakes dropped/sold".
You must be joking...every week you see players make serious game losing mistakes...managers making poor selections/substitutions etc..what happens....NOTHING. Players mistakes have much more of an influence on promotion/relegation than any decision made by referees.
When referees make as many mistakes as players then there is a real problem...but that will never happen. I suggest you get out on the park a try refereeing a game yourself.
By the way I did pass my referees exams but didn't referee much because I played Saturday and Sundays..but I least I knew the Laws of the game, unlike most support/players/pundits.
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Pompey_Nepal,

02/07/2009 09:48:22
As I said "Bigger Than The Game" as you have just admitted that by doing your referees course you now know more about the game than supporters/players/pundits (normally ex pros).
How can I possibly argue with someone who knows so much??
I apologise for questioning referees and will just take every mistake as a matter of course.
PS..Hope that you and old stylsie live happy ever. after.
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One_Thomas_Thøgersen,

Berkhamsted 02/07/2009 10:00:29
Managers should be fined whenever they say that a referee "cost us the game". Teams lose games because the other teams score more. When a player dives to win a penalty, why does the referee usually catch the flak rather than the player? Referees are an easy target and a simple way to divert blame. Yes, there are good ones and bad ones (cough, cough - Uriah Rennie) but the game can't function without them. It would certainly take more £50K per year for me to do it.
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Matgra,

Fareham 02/07/2009 10:00:38

Pompey_Nepal
Clearly you didn't want your incorrect statement about players/managers questioned.
Doing my referees course only showed that I had a knowledge of the Laws of the game.I know of many people that know more about the game than me...and your not one of them.
As for the pundits...do you actually listen to the drivel they serve up on a Saturday and Sunday..if you think referees are over paid I suggest you look at players and pundits.
Again I suggest you try refereeing a game ...or haven't you got the bottle.
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PaigntonPompey,

02/07/2009 10:53:57
Rob, you never lose the Buzz. Ask Neil Armstrong.
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Scumstomper2,

Gosport 02/07/2009 11:29:41
To infinty & beyond....
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Pompey_Nepal,

02/07/2009 13:19:25
Matgra - A thought just dawned on me.....Why have you become so defensive about referees in general??????
The article and my initial comment had nothing what so ever to do with all referees (not that I think many of them are very good)!! My comment was directed well and truelly at the individual as in my opinion he has been a shocking referee for a very long time.
To be fair though you are right, as I've never done the course I have never referee'd a game!!!!
As to why I'd never do the course; I don't look good in black, I think my eye sight is too good and I'd feel bad ruining thousands of peoples week-ends!!
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