The introduction of VAR into the Premier League was supposed to reduce the spotlight on referees. Instead, it now feels brighter than ever, with some fans dreading the prospect of a big game managed by certain refs.
Football FanCast thought it was time to take a look into the data, and view things from a more 'positive' light. Who are the 'best' refs for each Premier League side right now? From Arsenal to Wolves, here's who you should all feel lucky to have.
All statistics are correct as of 1st September 2023, via Transfermarkt.
Arsenal – Anthony Taylor
Only four referees have taken charge of an Arsenal game on more occasions than Anthony Taylor, and only one – Michael Oliver – remains active. But the Gunners undoubtedly boast their best record with Taylor at the helm.
They've won 22 of their 41 games with Taylor, losing only eight times. It's not 'by far' their best – Arsenal have won nine of the 16 games taken by Chris Kavanagh, for instance – but in terms of sheer quantity, the Gunners can feel relatively confident with Taylor.
Though, it's worth noting that despite the success, Taylor has given more penalties against Arsenal than for them (7 for, 10 against). Clearly, that doesn't hurt them much.
Aston Villa – Stuart Attwell
Stuart Attwell has only actually taken charge of 13 Aston Villa games. That's certainly way down on, say, Michael Oliver's 31.
Unlike with Oliver, though, Villa typically do well with Attwell running the game. Seven wins in 13 games is their best record with any active referee – and actually one of their best historically, too.
Villa have certainly had some 'mixed' periods in the Premier League era, of course, and that means records with certain referees are downright horrible.
With Attwell, though, things go alright – he's never sent a Villa player off, while he's given them twice as many penalties (4 to 2 against).
Bournemouth – Paul Tierney
Bournemouth haven't been a Premier League side for all that long, and they certainly haven't been competing at the top of the table. The result is that there are few refs with which they have a positive record.
They'll be gutted that Lee Probert is done, though – they only lost one of the nine games he took charge of. In fact, Probert gave three penalties the Cherries' way without ever giving one against them. Unfortunately, he has now stepped down.
And that leaves Paul Tierney as the standout. The record isn't spectacular, but at least it is positive – 13 games, six wins, two draws, five defeats. He's never actually given Bournemouth a penalty, however.
Brentford – Michael Oliver
No single referee has taken charge of Brentford on more than eight occasions in the Premier League. They haven't been in the top flight for very long, in other words.
But as with most clubs, Michael Oliver has been the ref on more of those occasions than most. We're only talking five games here, but that's third on the list.
And Brentford's record with Oliver is really, really good. They've never lost a game with him as the referee, and won four of those five clashes, drawing the other.
It doesn't really get better than that – he's even sent two opponents off without giving the Bees a red. What more can you want?
Brighton – Andrew Madley
Another one here where a club has never lost with a certain referee in charge. Andrew Madley has been a very lucky charm for Brighton, taking charge of nine of their games.
Six of those have gone the way of the Seagulls, including their recent success at Wolves. Any time you can have an nine-game unbeaten run, things are going well for you.
It's worth mentioning that there haven't been any red cards in those games, either. The penalty split is two for, one against – so it's not as though there's anything drastic swinging the record Brighton's way. They just do really well.
Burnley – Chris Kavanagh
Burnley are back in the Premier League after their promotion last season. Unfortunately, though, the referees who were typically good to them are now gone.
Their record with Martin Atkinson, for instance, was fantastic – 24 games, 11 wins, six draws. Even with Mike Dean, Burnley won and drew more often than they lost.
As for active refs, though, we'll go with Chris Kavanagh. Burnley have actually lost more than they've won – three wins, five defeats – but their overall record sees them avoid defeat more often than not.
That's helped by six draws, meaning nine of the 14 games have brought home at least a point.
No, it's not a phenomenal record, but it's a lot better than they have with others…
Chelsea – Chris Kavanagh
Chelsea have been in the Premier League for over 30 years now, so some referees have some quite incredible numbers with them. Yet, we're going to go with a ref who has just 10 matches in charge.
And that's because it's very difficult to get a better record than Chelsea have with Chris Kavanagh. Yes, it's only 10 games, but the Blues have won nine of them, losing the other. 27 out of 30 points is quite clearly phenomenal.
We will give a little shoutout to Anthony Taylor, though, given his reputation with Chelsea. Their record with him is actually very, very good – 37 played, 17 wins, 13 draws, and only seven defeats.
No other referee in PL history has dished out more than his four red cards to Chelsea opponents, either. It's one of the best active records of any ref with the club, just not quite on Kavanagh's level.
Crystal Palace – Paul Tierney
We couldn't quite believe how difficult this one was. Palace haven't been a terrible side by any means in recent years, but finding a decent record here was a struggle.
We were also surprised to see they never won a Premier League match refereed by Mark Clattenburg in 15 attempts.
We've gone for Paul Tierney here, though, as their record is unquestionably positive. It's only 13 games, but six were wins with another four draws.
Palace do very well with him in charge, especially as he's never given them a red card while dishing out three to opponents. It's a similar story with penalties – three for, one against.
Everton – David Coote
Maybe this shouldn't be a shock, but Everton's records with referees are all over the place. Or maybe it's more that they're not all over the place.
Basically, they're all incredibly even – if a referee has seen the Toffees win lots, they've also seen them lose lots. Or, in the case of Michael Oliver, they just draw all the time (19 in 46 games).
David Coote, though, is typically good to them. There have only been 13 matches with him in charge, but Everton have won over half (7) and lost just three.
Maybe it reflects even better on the club that his red card and penalty stats are identical both for the Toffees and their opponents, too. But as we say, Everton's wild inconsistency made this one a little tough.
Fulham – Stuart Attwell
The bulk of referees to manage Fulham games have now retired – the top 13 in terms of appearances, to be precise. It doesn't really leave too much to work with.
It's also the first time we've seen multiple referees with whom a club has never won – Craig Pawson (7 matches) and Paul Tierney (6 matches). We've gone for Stuart Attwell as their most favourable ref, though, as his record is actually quite balanced.
Perfectly, in fact – four wins, four draws, four defeats. That's as good as it gets for Fulham right now – and that's despite the fact that his yellow card rate swings wildly against them.
Attwell averages over two yellow cards to Fulham players per game, while averaging under one per game for their opponents.