Negative comments about the level of officiating in the Premier League are among the most popular football cliches used by supporters across the country.
However, some officials deserve credit for their ability to take charge and control proceedings on the football pitch. Here, we look at the five best referees currently officiating in England's top flight.
5) Paul Tierney
Liked and respected by the players, Tierney was considered the complete package when he first rose to prominence around 2015.
His sprinting and fitness was second to none. His decision-making was more times than not on point. He was widely tipped to reach the very top of his profession.
It could be argued that in recent seasons all of that promise has plateaued somewhat but still he remains a matchday official you’re happy to see emerge first out of the tunnel, and this is especially true if you’ve indulged in some football betting on the outcome.
There may be the occasional gaffe on his C.V. – which applies to every referee – but ultimately Tierney is straight down the line.
Players know what they're getting with Tierney. He's more lenient than most (he showed the second-fewest yellow cards in 2023/24), but he maintains the authority to keep matches under control.
4) Jarred Gillett
If you fear a dodgy call ultimately costing you in the sport betting, this is the man you want in charge because the highly-rated Aussie so rarely gets the big calls wrong.
Hailing from Down Under, Gillett agreed to be miked up during his final game in the A-League, the video subsequently going viral. It showed a man in full control of his environment. A man doing his job impeccably.
Rarely used in his first two years in the Premier League he is increasingly becoming a valuable resource for the PGMOL, deployed on 21 occasions in 2023/24. Only seven referees were given more assignments.
The 37-year-old’s biggest strength lies in brooking no nonsense but letting the petty stuff go.
While only a handful of referees gave fewer fouls, Gillett was in the top 10 in cautions per match, showing 96 in his 21 appearances.
3) Darren England
Consistently under-utilised by the PGMOL, England is admired by his colleagues for his work-rate, both on the pitch in mileage covered to remain close to the action, and off it in improving his skill-set.
Barnsley-born and imbued with a Yorkshireman’s intolerance of flippancy, England may not be one of those refs who allows a game to flow but balancing that, players know they can’t get away with time-wasting or feigning injury, both huge bug-bears in the modern game.
In 2023/24, England showed 4.83 yellow cards per match. That was the fourth-highest mark of referees to take charge of more than two matches.
One of the most popular football cliches has it that the man in the centre-circle doesn’t know what he’s doing. England does, and he’s comfortable enough to be the bad guy for the good of the game.
2) Anthony Taylor
No stranger to controversy, Taylor’s no-nonsense approach rubs up all fan-bases the wrong way in equal measure, as illustrated by the widespread rumpus when he was handed the Chelsea v Liverpool game earlier this season.
Liverpool fans pointed out Taylor’s Wythenshawe roots and alleged a Manchester bias. Chelsea supporters meanwhile are so sure of an ‘agenda’ against their club they once completed a 160,000-strong petition campaigning for him never to ref their games again.
There is also Taylor’s high card-count to consider. Once again this term he is a table-topper in this regard, and by some distance.
Yet speak to anyone in the know and they insist the headline-magnet is one of the very best whistle-blowers around, standing for no silliness but also a master at playing advantage. A glance at Taylor's list of major finals and tournament appearances shows how widely respected he is by the game's decision-makers.
1) Michael Oliver
Selected to represent the FA at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, and routinely entrusted to officiate the biggest, most combustible domestic fixtures, there is a clear reason why Oliver is in a league of his own. More than any other official, he has the utmost respect of the players.
It’s a broad respect that covers many bases, from being approachable and fair but not overly ‘matey’, to rarely shirking the big decisions. Crucially too, more times than not, he gets them right.
His fellow peers believe him to be the stand-out referee of his generation. Who are we to argue?
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*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
