TalkSPORT pundits Simon Jordan and Danny Murphy have both criticised Nigel Pearson's outburst on Sky over the standard of refereeing claiming he is sending the wrong message and is in "victim mode."
The Bristol City manager remarkably revealed he has been thinking about retiring from the game because the quality of officiating is compromising the integrity of the sport. His comments came in the wake of the Robins' 2-0 victory over Luton that saw Mark Sykes receive a red card and Rob Atkinson have a penalty appeal turned down.
City have been on the receiving end of a handful of controversial decisions already this season and Pearson admitted he had received a letter from the PGMOL informing him that Hull shouldn't have had a penalty on the opening day while his City should have had two spot-kicks awarded.
He told Sky Sports News: "I’ve got to be honest with you, I thought about it last year, and I’ve thought about it again this year and that is basically to pack up being involved in the sport.
"And that is not because how shallow the modern game is and how some of the aspects of the modern game irritate me but the standard of officiating, as far as I’m concerned, is at an all-time low.”
However, Murphy fired back at Pearson on talkSPORT, claiming he should put his money where his mouth is before questioning his loyalty to the Robins.
The former Liverpool midfielder said: "If you're thinking of quitting because of the referees, fine quit. Stop talking about it.
"Hand in your resignation and let someone else who is out of work and desperate to run a good club like Bristol City and work in the game and coach and do the right things. Let someone else have a go at it.
"If you're frustrated because of refereeing standards there's a way to go about it and it's not talking on camera after you've just won a game and berating referees to the world. You're not going to get any change or implement any progression by doing it that way.
"If he's telling the Bristol City supporters that he's thinking about quitting over the standard of refereeing, how much do you care about the club if the standard of refereeing is going to affect your choice to manage that club?
"It sends the wrong message and it doesn't help. I think it sends the wrong message and gives the players an excuse. You're looking at your manager thinking come on, we're not in this position because of the refs - we're not good enough.
"He's in victim mode. He's decided to do it after a win because he knows he's on solid ground. Every club could put together a video of bad decisions that go against them. If the argument is that we need VAR, if he's saying that fair enough but he's not."
Pearson has been vocal in his opinion on implementing technology in the Championship whether that's in the form of VAR or mic'ing referees so they can be more transparent with their decisions.
VAR has been used in the Premier League since the 2019/20 campaign but has been deemed too expensive to implement in the Championship. The EFL have been looking at a "VAR light" option that wouldn't feature offside technology and therefore would be fewer camera angles on show.
Murphy's comments were echoed by former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan who says mistakes made in football, whether that's from managers, players or officials, are just part and parcel of the game.
He said: "I find it difficult to enhance what Danny has said because it's pretty much where it needs to be. I have an admiration for Pearson and it might be an ill-founded one but I liked it when he pushed back against the journalist when he called him an ostrich, I liked the fact that ultimately, the fibre of Leicester City's Championship and Premier League-winning side was built by Nigel Pearson and he had that incredible run at the backend of that season that got them going.
"But I do think this is puerile. Like Danny says, if you're thinking you want to leave because the refereeing decisions you've got over the course of the season aren't to your liking, then off you go then.
"Go and do something else. You're the one that mentioned it, you're the one whose thinking about doing it for the last year.
"If you lose your job over refereeing decisions then I think over the balance of probability it's over the course of 46 games or 35 games or 120 games. He always wants to understand that mistakes are made in football and referees are not perfect and we have to look at the body of work that he's referring to."
Ex-Premier League referee Keith Hackett was in agreement with the City manager and called for action to be taken to improve the standard of officiating. Replying to a video of Pearson making his comments, he write on Twitter: "I have been staying for sometime that the standard of officiating is so low. Nothing appears to be done to rectify poor performances."
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