Steve Jones, England

I've noticed the majority of Premier League referees do not use the traditional notepad - opting instead for write on cards. Is this mandatory in the Select Group or just down to personal preference?

It’s personal preference. Some referees record on the back of the yellow card, some use notebooks with the cards attached and some use note cards that fit in the same pocket as the cards.

Matthew Campbell, England

In a game Green vs Red, the reds have a throw-in. The taker of the throw throws the ball at the feet of the green goalkeeper and the ball goes in. Should a goal be awarded?

The laws of the game are quite clear that a goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in. In this case as the attacking player throws the ball directly into goal play is re-started with a goal kick. If a defending player had thrown the ball into goal the correct re-start is a corner kick. However, if the referee deems the throw to be an act of unsporting behaviour the thrower would be cautioned. If the throw is deemed a violent act the thrower would be dismissed. Obviously, in either of these cases a goal would not be awarded.

Josh Norton, England

How can young referees improve their man management and communication skills besides gaining experience?

There is a wealth of training material available to all referees through the local Referees Association. This gives you access to training by qualified referee instructors and the opportunity to discuss incidents that have happened in games with more senior colleagues. Most of us refereeing in the Premier League would not have made it without the support of the senior referees in our area. Many County FAs also run mentor schemes where more experienced referees guide their younger colleagues. This involves watching them and providing advice and guidance before and after games. The PGMOL will shortly be releasing a training DVD which will include guidance on improving man-management and communication skills which will be extremely useful in passing on advice to younger referees.

Chris Firman, England

How do you react when you watch Match of the Day and they complain about your decisions?

After each game the referee receives the match video without commentary. This is used to review performance and analyse key incidents. In addition, the games are analysed by Prozone to improve our performance. So we are used to examining how decisions are made on the pitch to help make better decisions in the next game. The TV analysis has benefited in the past from a referees perspective but this is not always possible.