he is the only referee where you could actually question his integrity.

I'm more concerned with the men in white with a red v on Friday than the man in green/purple/pink/pale blue. I'm sure Tony Smith is the same.

No he's not - that honour

is reserved foe Alibert!

Na it's debateable

This Game has the qualities to be a classic and promises to be fast flowing tempo. I hope he doesn't ruin it

If it's not Thaler or Allibert, i'm cool with

im bloody well not...keith senior had a point about this guy....some of this fellows decisions are quite baffling and most of them are not in our favour...

Since the start of the 2007 season we have played 87 regular SL games. Of these 87, 17 were refereed by Silverwood of which we have won only 4 and lost 13, a win ratio of 24%. The other 70 games were (obviously) refereed by other referees and we have won 40 and lost 30 of those games, a win ratio of 57%.

If a referee is simply incompetent, then it is reasonable to expect him to be incompetent both for and against a team over a period of time. In over 30 years of watching the Wire, and seeing a few diabolical displays, Silverwood is the only referee who I honestly would question his integrity.

Why do people think that we should have some sort of 50/50 win ration with refs. Can't you see that it totally depends on what games he ref's us for? Does anybody have the breakdown of which games he has actually reffed.

Applaud your stats but I don't think refs are bent anymore. Last one, allegedly, was Fred Lindop?

It maybe that we do not suit his style of referreeing (if there is anything in the stats at all)? In that case that is down to us to sort out and stop whinging.

I don't expect a 50/50, if we play well we should win more, not so well then lose more. But if all referees officiate a game to the same laws and similar interpretation of those laws, then it isn't unreasonable over a period of time to expect a similar win/loss ratio from one referee to the next.

If Silverwoods refereeing 'style' is so different to the rest, then surely it is upto SCummins, the RFL and Silverwood himself to bring his style into line with the rest.

Since 2007 he has refereed us against these teams (Other referees in brackets)

Bradford won 0 lost 2 [i(won 3 lost 2)[/i
Catalan won 0 lost 1 [i(won 3 lost 3)[/i
Harlequins won 1 lost 1 [i(won 3 lost 2)[/i
Huddersfield won 1 lost 1 [i(won 5 lost 3)[/i
Hull KR won 1 lost 2 [i(won 4 lost 1)[/i
Salford won 1 lost 0 [i(won 4 lost 1)[/i
Saints won 0 lost 4 [i(won 0 lost 4)[/i
wigan won 0 lost 2 [i(won 4 lost 1)[/i

I don't think he is 'bent'... I just think he is awful.... Maybe he doesn't like us because we abuse him everytime he refs us.

He may well be awful but that would favour no side.

Let's do him!

i think he is arrogant and Keith Senior was correct

remember these...whats the penalty count ash..leeds v wigan as a scrum was about to form...not hearing the hooter at wigan for h.t hullkr score...grix going off after a high shot from pryce..nowt given...matty blythe taking a high shot at murrayfield ,again nowt given..nuff said

i dunno whether it will suit us if he slows play down as we rather play fast rugby nowadays so i think that this may suit saints but ee what happens on friday. i f wire don't give him a reason to penalise us then he has no matter in the outcome of the game so keep our mistakes/penalties down it souldn't matter who the ref is

Is any other sport as obsessed with referees as rugby league? Discuss.

Football more so


Rugby Union no one criticises the ref because the refs just make it up as they go along

For obsession with referees just refer to Alex Ferguson. I just can't understand why the RFL rate Silverwood so highly. He absolutely ruined the WCC with his tolerance at the Play the Ball.

He'll be far less tolerant on Friday I think, as a reaction to the fallout from the WCC. If the game was televised, I reckon he'd be incredibly hot on it.

Him not playing on when there was 1 second left in a memorable play-off game...

Not many sports where the ref has such a big influence.

Nah, our specialty is attendance and whether it looks good in a small stadium

Ditto