They say it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks but I have to disagree as this old dog tried a new trick this weekend and it worked a treat.
I confess that I am a thief, a magpie if you like, of other people's valuable ideas and after considering them, I often drag them into my professional and refereeing life, getting good use out of them. I do not take credit for the advice of others who have taken the time to pass their advice to me and always acknowledge the source. Most of the time, I'm so busy storing up these other ideas that I forget who mentioned it originally, but I always mention it came to me from "a friend".
On Saturday I assessed a referee and one of the things I noticed was when he had a free kick outside the penalty area. He dutifully paced out the 9.15m (10 yards) and ensured the defensive wall was respecting the required distance. When doing this, they were standing on the line which marked the edge of the penalty area. Before this season started, "a friend" told me he had been advised that in this situation, always make sure the wall is either 1m inside or 1m outside the penalty area.
The reasoning was that if a defending player in the wall moved his hand to block the ball, the offence would clearly be a free kick (wall outside the penalty area) or a penalty kick (wall inside the penalty area). It also aided the management of the wall by making a point of showing them they were inside the penalty area and the risk they took if they moved their arm/hand into the path of the ball when it was kicked towards them. I imparted this advice to the referee who agreed it was a good piece of advice and he would consider using that in his next game.
On Sunday, I went through this process with the players, getting the defensive wall inside the area by 1m, telling them to keep their hands down. I said that if I saw their hands moving into the path of the ball and it struck their arms/hands, then I would adjudge their actions as deliberate and would award a penalty kick. The players from the home team acknowledged this instruction in the 1st half and then the away team did the same later in the same half. In the 2nd half, the away team won a free kick and the home team lined up just inside the penalty area.
I reminded the players of my instructions from the 1st half and then stepped away before signalling the restart. As the ball was about to be kicked an attacking player who had been in the wall ran towards the ball, leaving a gap in the wall. The ball was played towards this gap and the player on the end of the wall raised his arm and virtually caught the ball. I immediately blew my whistle and pointed to the penalty mark. The only protest came from the offending player who said he was protecting his face.
His team mates just shrugged their shoulders and made their way out of the penalty area. I then had a comment that the ball was going in the goal and that the offender should be sent off. I had to admit that I hadn't followed the flight of the ball, but in my opinion, the ball appeared to be heading over the crossbar and this was accepted.
So my advice to you (and this one is my own advice, not from a "friend") is always keep your eyes and ears open for little tips and tricks in someone else's game. You may be able to adopt the idea yourself or at least give it a try in one of your games and who knows, it might come off as mine did yesterday. Don't be surprised if some of them don't work for you, even magpies pick up stuff they find is useless to them from time to time but then again, even silver foil from chewing gum can be used to build a nest. On that note, I'm out of here ... too many shiny things attracting my eye!
Showing posts with label Penalty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Penalty. Show all posts
Monday, 30 September 2013
Sunday, 11 November 2012
X-ray Vision
In a game we used to play as kids, we'd say which superpower we wanted and there was always some little lad who had seen 1950'2 sci-fi classic, The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, who wanted to be able to see through people's clothes, etc. For me, a spectacle wearer from age 5 to 37 when laser treatment corrected my vision, just being able to see would have been good!
I felt I used a little x-ray vision twice in one day on the field, but on both occasions I still had to make a judgement call. In the first situation I had two players who had already been cautioned, challenging for the ball near the touchline. I saw the one without the ball, race towards his opponent but at the split second of contact I had two other players cross my line of sight and the next thing I could see was both of the players who had challenged for the ball careering over the touchline and colliding with the wall a few feet away but I couldn't be sure who had fouled who. I gambled and went in favour of the attacker, calling the "offender" to me.
His expression of remorse and profuse apologies told me I'd got my man and my decision right BUT I hadn't seen his offence so I couldn't judge if it was careless or reckless. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, made sure he understood what he was getting, that he was to stay off my radar for the next 10 minutes and we'd get along fine. He did just that and was one of the first to thank me for being part of his game. I couldn't second guess a challenge that would have seen a player dismissed.
In the second incident, which occurred in an U16 game, the ball was played into a crowded penalty area and as it dropped, I saw a defender move his arms as if to protect his face/neck/upper chest area. The problem was that he had his back to me but as the ball hit him, his shoulders sagged and I knew instantly that he had controlled the ball with one if not both hands.
I blew the whistle and immediately pointed to the penalty mark. As the player turned around it was written all over his face that he knew he'd been caught out and without a word he moved outside the penalty area with his team mates, ready for the restart. So on this occasion I trusted what I knew had happened (not what I had actually seen) and awarded the penalty.
So maybe I did have a superpower as a kid after all ...
I felt I used a little x-ray vision twice in one day on the field, but on both occasions I still had to make a judgement call. In the first situation I had two players who had already been cautioned, challenging for the ball near the touchline. I saw the one without the ball, race towards his opponent but at the split second of contact I had two other players cross my line of sight and the next thing I could see was both of the players who had challenged for the ball careering over the touchline and colliding with the wall a few feet away but I couldn't be sure who had fouled who. I gambled and went in favour of the attacker, calling the "offender" to me.
His expression of remorse and profuse apologies told me I'd got my man and my decision right BUT I hadn't seen his offence so I couldn't judge if it was careless or reckless. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, made sure he understood what he was getting, that he was to stay off my radar for the next 10 minutes and we'd get along fine. He did just that and was one of the first to thank me for being part of his game. I couldn't second guess a challenge that would have seen a player dismissed.
In the second incident, which occurred in an U16 game, the ball was played into a crowded penalty area and as it dropped, I saw a defender move his arms as if to protect his face/neck/upper chest area. The problem was that he had his back to me but as the ball hit him, his shoulders sagged and I knew instantly that he had controlled the ball with one if not both hands.
I blew the whistle and immediately pointed to the penalty mark. As the player turned around it was written all over his face that he knew he'd been caught out and without a word he moved outside the penalty area with his team mates, ready for the restart. So on this occasion I trusted what I knew had happened (not what I had actually seen) and awarded the penalty.
So maybe I did have a superpower as a kid after all ...
Sunday, 30 September 2012
Not a lot of people know that
After more than 12 years involvement in a refereeing, it's rare that something happens which makes me go hmmmm.
This morning I had a Cup game to referee between two open age teams who have "interesting" disciplinary records this season. Although I never try to pre-judge players or teams, I do have a strategy to deal with certain situations. This morning's strategy was to strangle the game in the first 10 minutes, then ease off if things quietened down.
Things almost went to plan but a 3 cautions and a penalty in the first half hour meant it would take something unusual to bring this one completely under control. And that's when it fell into my lap and had players questioning my action but in a good way. It was a simple course of events with a charge in the penalty area seeing the award of another penalty. It would, if scored, tie the scores as we headed into the last 5 minutes of the half.
I went through the procedure of letting the player set the ball - a little to the side of the centre of the mark as the centre was a few millimetres short of being a crater (just as we had for the earlier penalty at the other end of the field) - sweeping the edge of the penalty (and getting the usual grumbles) - talking to the goalkeeper about staying on his goal line until the ball was played and then signalling the restart.
The player ran up and hit the ball, it looked a good kick but hit the inside of the goal post and bounced out. I'm sure I heard a team mate shout that he couldn't play it again but that's exactly what he did. My brain went through a series of thoughts such as "Did he really do that?", "If he did, what am I supposed to do?" and finally, "I'm going to get grief here".
I blew the whistle and because I displayed the indirect free kick signal a number of players said, "Oh yeah, offside" and wandered back towards their own goal to defend. A couple asked me why I hadn't let his follow up shot, which went into the goal, stand. I explained quickly that you can't play the ball to yourself at any restart and eventually the message filtered through to those near me.
Before the half was finished I had to dismiss one of the players cautioned earlier. I left his team alone to re-organise at half time but when the game was over I was happy to explain the reason for my actions and for once, the players appeared to appreciate the finer points of the law. So maybe I had two unusual things happen today?
This morning I had a Cup game to referee between two open age teams who have "interesting" disciplinary records this season. Although I never try to pre-judge players or teams, I do have a strategy to deal with certain situations. This morning's strategy was to strangle the game in the first 10 minutes, then ease off if things quietened down.
Things almost went to plan but a 3 cautions and a penalty in the first half hour meant it would take something unusual to bring this one completely under control. And that's when it fell into my lap and had players questioning my action but in a good way. It was a simple course of events with a charge in the penalty area seeing the award of another penalty. It would, if scored, tie the scores as we headed into the last 5 minutes of the half.
I went through the procedure of letting the player set the ball - a little to the side of the centre of the mark as the centre was a few millimetres short of being a crater (just as we had for the earlier penalty at the other end of the field) - sweeping the edge of the penalty (and getting the usual grumbles) - talking to the goalkeeper about staying on his goal line until the ball was played and then signalling the restart.
The player ran up and hit the ball, it looked a good kick but hit the inside of the goal post and bounced out. I'm sure I heard a team mate shout that he couldn't play it again but that's exactly what he did. My brain went through a series of thoughts such as "Did he really do that?", "If he did, what am I supposed to do?" and finally, "I'm going to get grief here".
I blew the whistle and because I displayed the indirect free kick signal a number of players said, "Oh yeah, offside" and wandered back towards their own goal to defend. A couple asked me why I hadn't let his follow up shot, which went into the goal, stand. I explained quickly that you can't play the ball to yourself at any restart and eventually the message filtered through to those near me.
Before the half was finished I had to dismiss one of the players cautioned earlier. I left his team alone to re-organise at half time but when the game was over I was happy to explain the reason for my actions and for once, the players appeared to appreciate the finer points of the law. So maybe I had two unusual things happen today?
Sunday, 22 January 2012
A game with everything
From time to time, life provides you with a reminder of things you know or knew but had allowed to slip from the forefront of your mind. Sometimes the realisation that you had forgotten them comes as an pleasant surprise, other times the memory stings a little as you realise you had been in denial about those forgotten facts.
Here are some things that I "re-learned" this morning as I made my return to active refereeing in the local Sunday League ...
- Credibility sometimes matters more than the correct decision
- The ability to sell a decision is inexorably linked to your proximity to play
- My eyes are faster than my brain which is in turn faster than my legs
- Sunday League players are fantastic people as are the people who run their clubs
Having covered these points, I will proceed with the match report from my return and I hope you're got the time to spare as it might be a little longer than my usual blog posts.
I arrived earlier than planned to find the club secretary and the players putting up the nets. As far as they were concerned, the field was fit and we were playing. On inspection I agreed with them. It was soft and very damp in some places but good enough for a game. I went to my changing room, got out of my tracksuit and headed out for my warm up. I didn't enjoy it as the wind was strong and the rain was drizzly. It didn't stop me spotting two piles of dog feces and I asked a club official to get them removed.
The team sheets arrived, everyone's name was written up in my notebook and I headed out to play but we had to wait a little while for the dog "deposit" to be removed. We got underway and I didn't have to give a free kick for almost 12 minutes, which was just as well as I was struggling to get my second wind. The field had a substantial slope and the central area was heavy, so I tried to run around rather than through it, meaning I had to run a lot further than I really wanted.
The first big call came on half an hour, just after the home team's opening goal and involved a player I've refereed many times. He made a reckless challenge and became the first player I have cautioned in nearly two years. I was about 5 yards from the incident, he acknowledged I was right and we got underway without much fuss. His team scored their second goal soon afterwards with a lovely piece of play.
The ball was played up the right wing and was flicked nonchalantly overhead by the right back, then again by the right midfielder (wing back?) and the attacker ran towards goal as I shouted to the defender challenging him for the ball not to pull him back. The forward broke free before rounding the goalkeeper and passing the ball into the goal.
The away team struck back almost immediately with a counter attack and then 2 decisions in quick succession changed the complexion of the game as we entered added time at the end of the first half. From my angle I could tell the home player had committed an act of dangerous play with his foot up at shoulder height, but I couldn't see if he made contact with his opponent, so I awarded an indirect free kick. The offending player challenged the decision and I responded by making sure he moved back the required distance before moving into position to observe the drop zone.
As the ball flashed into the penalty area, a home central defender inexplicably stuck out his left arm as the ball was heading towards the goal line for a goal kick and instinctively I awarded a kick from the penalty mark. A goal was scored, we kicked off and I immediately ended the half.
The second half started off quietly but the first of my points above comes into play. The away team pushed up the hill, the attacker tried to go around the goalkeeper who dived to gather the ball and the attacker fell down. The manner in his fall suggested there was no contact and I stopped play before cautioning him for simulation. It was the right decision at the time and playing the incident back in my head, it still feels and looks like the right decision. The problem was that I made it from the halfway line, some 45 yards from the players and that made it the wrong decision and more difficult to sell.
The player took umbrage and upped his effort levels, scoring a good goal just a minute later. He then threw himself (fairly) into a challenge and got injured. According to a team mate after the game, he spent yesterday afternoon in the casualty department of the local hospital with an injury to the same knee, but this looked serious and he had to be carried off the field of play.
This only happened after I had been harangued by his girlfriend when I asked her to move off the field of play. She had wandered 10 yards infield as I adopted a position to allow me to observe his assessment and the remainder of the players. The team manager looked a little embarrassed as he had to usher her off the field. His team scored another goal 4 minutes later to double their lead and the game seemed to be settling into a pattern of long ball football as both teams tried to avoid the centre of the field which was now resembling a quagmire.
On the back of the lack of credibility of my decision to caution for simulation I worked harder at closing down my proximity to play. In the 72nd minute I spotted a reckless challenge near the corner flag when I was only 10 yards away. I also ran towards the players so that as the offender looked for me, I was standing almost on top of him and the player he had illegally challenged. The player was cautioned and then a few minutes later he committed another reckless challenge and was dismissed. His response was to use OFFINABUS language towards me before leaving the field. His team conceded another goal 10 minutes later and we were soon all done.
I did my warm down and felt my cramped muscles easing so much that I was able to run upstairs to my changing room to check I had all my kit. I noticed that the door to the changing room had sustained three holes, low down, as if it had been kicked, since I went out for kick off. I didn't see it happen so can only have my suspicions.
A quick drink in the bar after the game (blackcurrant and soda water) allowed me the time to have a chat with some of the players and club officials. One of the players suggested he was thinking of being a referee and I told him I thought he'd do a good job (no bs as he reads the game well and is very fair). We had a few laughs about playing FIFA12 before I headed home to write up my reports and have a warm bath.
Game done, reports sent and recovery jog planned for tomorrow night.
Here are some things that I "re-learned" this morning as I made my return to active refereeing in the local Sunday League ...
- Credibility sometimes matters more than the correct decision
- The ability to sell a decision is inexorably linked to your proximity to play
- My eyes are faster than my brain which is in turn faster than my legs
- Sunday League players are fantastic people as are the people who run their clubs
Having covered these points, I will proceed with the match report from my return and I hope you're got the time to spare as it might be a little longer than my usual blog posts.
I arrived earlier than planned to find the club secretary and the players putting up the nets. As far as they were concerned, the field was fit and we were playing. On inspection I agreed with them. It was soft and very damp in some places but good enough for a game. I went to my changing room, got out of my tracksuit and headed out for my warm up. I didn't enjoy it as the wind was strong and the rain was drizzly. It didn't stop me spotting two piles of dog feces and I asked a club official to get them removed.
The team sheets arrived, everyone's name was written up in my notebook and I headed out to play but we had to wait a little while for the dog "deposit" to be removed. We got underway and I didn't have to give a free kick for almost 12 minutes, which was just as well as I was struggling to get my second wind. The field had a substantial slope and the central area was heavy, so I tried to run around rather than through it, meaning I had to run a lot further than I really wanted.
The first big call came on half an hour, just after the home team's opening goal and involved a player I've refereed many times. He made a reckless challenge and became the first player I have cautioned in nearly two years. I was about 5 yards from the incident, he acknowledged I was right and we got underway without much fuss. His team scored their second goal soon afterwards with a lovely piece of play.
The ball was played up the right wing and was flicked nonchalantly overhead by the right back, then again by the right midfielder (wing back?) and the attacker ran towards goal as I shouted to the defender challenging him for the ball not to pull him back. The forward broke free before rounding the goalkeeper and passing the ball into the goal.
The away team struck back almost immediately with a counter attack and then 2 decisions in quick succession changed the complexion of the game as we entered added time at the end of the first half. From my angle I could tell the home player had committed an act of dangerous play with his foot up at shoulder height, but I couldn't see if he made contact with his opponent, so I awarded an indirect free kick. The offending player challenged the decision and I responded by making sure he moved back the required distance before moving into position to observe the drop zone.
As the ball flashed into the penalty area, a home central defender inexplicably stuck out his left arm as the ball was heading towards the goal line for a goal kick and instinctively I awarded a kick from the penalty mark. A goal was scored, we kicked off and I immediately ended the half.
The second half started off quietly but the first of my points above comes into play. The away team pushed up the hill, the attacker tried to go around the goalkeeper who dived to gather the ball and the attacker fell down. The manner in his fall suggested there was no contact and I stopped play before cautioning him for simulation. It was the right decision at the time and playing the incident back in my head, it still feels and looks like the right decision. The problem was that I made it from the halfway line, some 45 yards from the players and that made it the wrong decision and more difficult to sell.
The player took umbrage and upped his effort levels, scoring a good goal just a minute later. He then threw himself (fairly) into a challenge and got injured. According to a team mate after the game, he spent yesterday afternoon in the casualty department of the local hospital with an injury to the same knee, but this looked serious and he had to be carried off the field of play.
This only happened after I had been harangued by his girlfriend when I asked her to move off the field of play. She had wandered 10 yards infield as I adopted a position to allow me to observe his assessment and the remainder of the players. The team manager looked a little embarrassed as he had to usher her off the field. His team scored another goal 4 minutes later to double their lead and the game seemed to be settling into a pattern of long ball football as both teams tried to avoid the centre of the field which was now resembling a quagmire.
On the back of the lack of credibility of my decision to caution for simulation I worked harder at closing down my proximity to play. In the 72nd minute I spotted a reckless challenge near the corner flag when I was only 10 yards away. I also ran towards the players so that as the offender looked for me, I was standing almost on top of him and the player he had illegally challenged. The player was cautioned and then a few minutes later he committed another reckless challenge and was dismissed. His response was to use OFFINABUS language towards me before leaving the field. His team conceded another goal 10 minutes later and we were soon all done.
I did my warm down and felt my cramped muscles easing so much that I was able to run upstairs to my changing room to check I had all my kit. I noticed that the door to the changing room had sustained three holes, low down, as if it had been kicked, since I went out for kick off. I didn't see it happen so can only have my suspicions.
A quick drink in the bar after the game (blackcurrant and soda water) allowed me the time to have a chat with some of the players and club officials. One of the players suggested he was thinking of being a referee and I told him I thought he'd do a good job (no bs as he reads the game well and is very fair). We had a few laughs about playing FIFA12 before I headed home to write up my reports and have a warm bath.
Game done, reports sent and recovery jog planned for tomorrow night.
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