It is widely recognised within the game that referees are, and always will be, an easy target for fans, players and managers alike. No other position on the field of play requires such a demand for accuracy for such little recognition other than the inevitable bad press that comes with making a 'wrong' decision.
With what is at stake these days, the pressure to perform at the highest level has never been so great. To that end, a good official must play the game like a good poker player: he should keep his cards close to his chest and remain unruffled under fierce adversity.
And if former official Keith Hackett is to be believed, referees have never held as many aces. After referees turned professional in 2001, Hackett was appointed general manager of Professional Game Match Official Limited (PGMOL), who provide match officials for all professional matches played in England.
Hackett's role encompasses the training, development and management of all match officials in the country so he is best qualified to witness the mammoth strides that have been made over the last few years.
"We've got a superb crop of referees who have worked very hard to get where they are and I'd like to see the future being a bright one," he said. "Referees becoming professional was the right move and in the next few months, we will get to see the real benefits."
It may be early days, but two recurrent factors have resurfaced with alarming regularity this season to make officials' jobs that much tougher - the act of simulation and the new interpretation of the offside rule.
Hackett admits players throwing themselves to the deck under the minimum of contact is a major problem, but the likeable Yorkshireman feels diving has been part and parcel of the game for decades.
He said: "It's always gone on, but the thing that makes it more difficult now is the speed that the game is played - and it is this that can catch the referee out.
"Firstly, the correct viewing angle is often difficult to achieve. If there's a quick break in a game then this can become a problem. Secondly, players often go down to avoid the weight of a challenge. In those sort scenarios, a player is not attempting to take a dive."
Despite the media's insistence that these so-called cheats are a disease in the game, Hackett is adamant that sportsmanship in the Premiership and the Football League is a level above their European counterparts.
He added: "We have a culture of honesty in our game in this country. As an example, the average number of cautions in a Premiership game last season was two bookings. But if you look across the continent - the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga - the average is about twice as many."
Players and managers are also acclimatising to FIFA's re-interpretation of the offside law that has called on linesmen to make split-second decisions as to whether the attacker is in an active or passive area of play. This is still a grey area and undoubtedly one that will cause further friction as the season unfolds.
"Players and the public must be tolerant because the only way officials can judge accurately is by waiting and waiting before making the right decision," insisted Hackett.
The use of television replays has been called for by many high-profile names in the game who see technology as the antidote to controversial decisions. If there was a tight call, a referee would simply call to a fourth official in the stand who would watch a repeat of the incident, before making a balanced judgement. Simple, yes? Afraid not.
Technology may have moved forward apace since Hackett first became a referee in 1960, but TV replays have a tendency to blur the issue, leading to further confusion and debate (as anyone who has ever watched a game of football in a pub would surely testify).
"I'm not being insular, but I don't think we are anywhere near to using technology as an improving aid to help referees," said Hackett. "However, when technology is proven to be 100 per cent accurate I'm sure it will be introduced and welcomed."
Thankfully, the 2004-05 campaign has brought with it only two relatively minor changes to the laws of the game. The removal of a football shirt while celebrating a goal is a mandatory caution while a player must now change their shirt, shorts or socks if any blood is spilled on their kit.
"Correct names and numbers on replaced shirts are not necessary but there is a need for clubs to keep spare kit on the sidelines because play will not stop," Hackett added.
Father Time never stops either, and Graham Barber, Jeff Winter and Paul Durkin's retirements at the end last season has left a big void within the referees' tightly-knit union.
By the end of their careers, the three officials had gained the respect and admiration of the whole of the football community and they can look back on what they have done for the game with a great deal of pride.
Hackett acknowledged they will be badly missed, but as a case in point to underline the great work being done by the PGMOL, he is confident there are plenty of successors waiting in the wings. "We've prepared ourselves so there are lots of good referees now," he concluded.
"Mike Riley and Graham Poll have set the targets which others must aim for but Peter Walton and Howard Webb came on board last season and established themselves very quickly. Mark Clattenburg has done really well at Football League level as well and will now be given his chance in the top flight.
"I'm very proud of the way things are progressing this season - I see our referees as very much the 21st team in the Premiership."
* Article reproduced by kind permission of 'Players' Club' - the official magazine of the PFA.
