Each week we take a close look at the referee assigned to the Swans game and look at their previous record when officiating our beloved Swansea City.
This week’s spotlight for our man in the middle falls on Robert ‘Bobby’ Madley, who was appointed the referee for the Swans v Plymouth Argyle Carabao EFL Cup 2nd Round game on Tuesday, 24 August 2021.
Referee Madley was assisted by Kevin Howick and Grant Taylor, with Daniel Lamport the 4th Official for the game.
Name: Robert Madley
DOB: 6 October 1985
Birthplace: Wakefield, Yorkshire.
Interesting Fact: Madley is probably one of the most disliked referees by Swansea City fans thanks to several bewildering decisions that have cost the Swans dearly over recent years.
Cast your mind back to November 2013 when he gave a highly contentious last-gasp penalty to Stoke City, which earned them an unlikely 3-3 draw, and earlier this season when he failed to send off Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland for a studs-up challenge on Andre Ayew. Yep he’s up there with Mike Dean in the popularity stakes alright!
Madley quit his role as a referee suddenly in August 2018, when he “decided to relocate due to a change in his personal circumstances”, according to a statement by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). He was later officially sacked by PGMOL in December 2018 after sending a video mocking a disabled person to a friend.
Madley subsequently moved to Norway, where he officiated in lower league matches.
Following discussions with PGMOL in February 2020, it was announced that Madley would return to refereeing in English football, initially at grassroots level, before joining the National List of referees, enabling him to officiate League One and League Two matches, for the 2020–21 season.
Here are the all important facts and figures for each game that he has been a referee for a Swansea City game:
|
Date
|
Competition
|
Home Team
|
Score
|
Away Team
|
| 24-Aug-2021 | Carabao EFL Cup 2nd Round | Swans | 4:1 | Plymouth Argyle |
|
31-Mar-18
|
Premier League
|
Manchester United
|
2:0
|
Swans
|
|
02-Jan-18
|
Premier League
|
Swans
|
0:2
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
|
24-Oct-17
| Carabao EFL Cup 4th Round |
Swans
|
0:2
|
Manchester United
|
|
02-Apr-17
|
Premier League
|
Swans
|
0:0
|
Middlesbrough
|
|
02-Mar-16
|
Premier League
|
Arsenal
|
1:2
|
Swans
|
|
12-Dec-15
|
Premier League
|
Manchester City
|
2:1
|
Swans
|
|
19-Oct-15
|
Premier League
|
Swans
|
0:1
|
Stoke City
|
|
12-Sep-15
|
Premier League
|
Watford
|
1:0
|
Swans
|
|
21-Mar-15
|
Premier League
|
Aston Villa
|
0:1
|
Swans
|
|
11-Feb-15
|
Premier League
|
West Bromwich Albion
|
2:0
|
Swans
|
|
14-Dec-14
|
Premier League
|
Swans
|
1:2
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
|
10-Nov-13
|
Premier League
|
Swans
|
3:3
|
Stoke City
|
|
25-Sep-12
|
League Cup 3rd Round
|
Crawley Town
|
2:3
|
Swans
|
|
12-Feb-11
|
Championship
|
Middlesbrough
|
3:4
|
Swans
|
In summary, Robert Madley’s record for Swansea City games is as follows:
Home Games
P7 W1 D2 L4
Away Games
P8 W4 D0 L4
Overall Record
P15 W5 D2 L8
This referee has a Swans Love Factor of 45%
Let us know what you think of this referee via the SCFC2 Forum.
