One of the attributes of a good referee, according to spectators and players is "to let the game flow" a statement which ignores the referee's responsibility to enforce the laws but also gives the referee scope to employ the advantage clause.
There is rarely an opportunity for the referee to take pleasure from his decision making in a game, after all there's no joy in awarding a corner kick or indicating the direction of a throw-in or despite what some coaches think, taking disciplinary action. There is however a really satisfying feeling from seeing an offence, identifying that it has occurred, but recognising that there is an opportunity for the team offended against to continue their attack and if things go really well, scoring a goal while the shout of "Play on - advantage" is still ringing around the field/ground/stadium and the referee still has his arms stuck out in front of him.
In those situations where a goal is scored, little needs to be said to the offender as his own team will probably have words with him, the scoring team thinks you are the best thing since sliced bread and you will probably get at least one player who thanks you. Before we get excited about being the most popular referee in the world (until your next disputed throw-in on the halfway line), it is important that we break this situation down into a number of areas ... and it's not the usual ball, players, infringement, action considerations I've referred to in previous posts but they are close.
The first factor to consider is the seriousness of the offence. I would never ever consider playing advantage if I am considering sending the offender off UNLESS, the player in possession or his team mate has a very, very obvious goal scoring opportunity. Even if I am considering cautioning for the offence, the opportunity to progress has to be good.
The second factor I consider is the tempo of the game. Everyone loves a good old fashioned "blood and thunder" cup game where the tackles are hard but fair and the players are making genuine attempts to play the ball. In these games, the opportunity to play advantage may arise and will be welcomed by the players. In a game where the players are tetchy and it's already been necessary to issue a couple of cautions for reckless tackles, then the chances of my playing advantage are reduced.
These two factors are considered against the possible effect on my match control. If I play advantage on an offence where a caution may be issued or the tempo is high, then there's always a possibility that the player offended against may decide to mete out his own punishment and take revenge before I can go back and talk to the offender. Also, even though I can rattle the windows of nearby houses when I shout, "Play on - advantage", there will always be at least one player who will complain that I haven't given the free kick and again may decide to seek revenge on his team mate's behalf.
The third factor I will consider is the field position where the offence takes place. I work on the basis of a set of traffic lights. In the defensive third, the opportunities available to the player/team offended against are limited because they are so far from the goal they are attacking and they may have many more defending players to negotiate, so the light is red. At the red light, it's time to stop and award the free kick.
In the middle third of the field, although the team offended against are now a lot closer to goal, they still have some distance to travel and again probably a few defenders still to beat, so the light is amber. The problem with an amber light is that there is a temptation to try to beat the lights and as a result, play advantage when it's not really there. This can result in having to bring the game back, which can sometimes look untidy but by telling the players there was no advantage coming, their responses can be managed more effectively.
In the attacking third of the field, the proximity to goal and the reduced number of defenders means the light is green, well greener than it was if the offence had taken place in the defensive third. So we're almost on to the final factor ...
It's all very well, shouting and waving the arms in the approved manner but if the player in possession of the ball (and it might not necessarily be the player offended against) is being closed down by a player from the offending team, then the advantage isn't there. Another consideration is the skill level of the player and that can be influenced by their age and indicated by their previous demonstrations of skill in the game.
So a younger (junior) player might expect the free kick rather than having the referee shouting and waving his arms. If the player has already gone on a number of mazy runs, leaving opposing players trailing in his wake or has scored a hat trick, then he might appreciate the opportunity to use these skills rather than have to start again from a free kick.
The final factor I consider is the time elapsed in the game. I tend to keep the game tight for the first 10 minutes, so unless it is a really good opportunity, I am giving the free kick and not trying to win players over by displaying my ability to keep the game moving in that time. I need that time to assess how the players are behaving and whether I'm likely to need to keep a tight rein on things or let them ease off.
So to summarise, in a split second, I look at
- the seriousness of the offence
- the tempo of the game
- the field position
- the skill factor
- the time elapsed
and all this takes place while dealing with the usual things when an offence takes place such as screening out player appeals and trying to make sure I'm in a credible position. Who says referees are robotic in managing games of football???
My season on the green stuff was temporarily resurrected yesterday as I filled in for an injured colleague who had been appointed as a 4th official to the local Sunday League Cup semi final. The game passed off without any major events and the only downside was getting soaked as the heavens opened in the 2nd half.
The weather has also put paid to my Supply League assessment tonight as heavy rain meant the field was waterlogged. I still have Wenesday's Supply assessment to look forward to and a junior cup final to watch on Thursday. At this point, I have a rare Saturday off before starting a new Basic Course on Sunday with 20 or more new referees beginning their refereeing careers. Hope we have fun (and dry weather).
Last Sunday I very rashly said I'd start a series of articles about the set plays which occur in open play, if that makes sense. I made the point that although we look after a series of set plays such as corner kicks, goal kicks and free kicks, the other situations which occur can also be treated as set plays. By treating them in this way, we can break down what we, as referees, can do to ensure we can apply law correctly and in the context of the game. I also said that I consider these situations during the week using the technique of mental rehearsal by visualisation.
I break each scenario down so I can answer 4 questions
- Where is the ball?
- Where are the players?
- What infringements may occur or may have just occurred?
- If an infringement has occurred, what action should I take ... if any?
So let's look at the first situation and depending on how I feel this one has gone, I'll do another next week. So here comes the ball ... the most frequent occurrence in a game ... the ball is passed by one player to another.
The Ball
It can be on the ground or in the air but does it matter? I ask this question because often, even when at a Supply League game, I see referees following the ball through the air. I'm not sure why as it will never ever make a challenge, push an opponent, kick an opponent or head butt an opponent ... all of which might happen while you're watching the ball fly through the air. So watch the ball leave the player passing it and watch it arrive at the player receiving it, but in between times, concentrate on the players.
The Players
Once the ball has been played I need to gauge where the players are and what they are doing. It's unlikely that I can see that from where I am, so I need to move. I need to move so I can see the ball brought under control. I need to move so I can see any challenge which might be made. I need to move to maximise the effectiveness of my proximity to play and retain credibility.
Infringements
The first infringement I have to think about it how the ball was played by the player making the pass. If he played it with his head or anywhere from the knee down, I'm happy. If he has played it with anything between his knee and his neck, then I had to be aware of the possibility of a claim for handball from his opponents. So that goes back to where the players are when the pass is made. Often a claim comes from someone who has a bad or long distance view of the contact, so if it's loud enough and I disagree I need to sell the denial. Sometimes a loud shout of "No!" is enough but other times, I need to "cut the grass" with an outward sweep of both arms and depending on how loud the appeal was, I might need to hold that position for a second or two (always being aware that it could take me off balance).
So I'm happy the ball has been played legally, but as it moves away I need to be aware of a late challenge by an opponent. This is the time when the ball is in the air or travelling along the grass. I keep my eye on the player who has passed the ball for a second or two before switching to the new situation ... the ball arriving.
The ball arriving is similar to the ball departing in that I need to see how the ball is controlled by the player receiving it. I check on the point of contact before deciding whether I need to sell a decision not to give a free kick for handball. Just as I did with the ball leaving I need to be aware of the possibility of a challenge by an opponent. That challenge might be aerial or on the grass, either way I need to have an angled view of the contact between the players which means moving around play to look through the challenge from the side towards the touchline, rather than towards the goal line.
Action required
I've already mentioned the "cutting the grass" to deny any appeals for handball, but that's when there has been no offence. So what do I do if there has been an offence. The first infringement would have been handball, so delay a second to see if the ball falls to an opponent and I can play advantage. If it does then out go the arms and a loud shout of "Play on - advantage". In one game about 4 years ago, I did that twice in a game after a handball claim and on both occasions, the team taking the advantage scored a goal!
If there is no advantage to be played, then a short blast on the whistle and once I'm happy the ball is in the right position, signal the restart. My signal will depend on the placing of the ball. If there's a possibility of a shot on goal or a cross into the penalty area, then I'll signal with the whistle, otherwise it might just be a shout or a beckoning arm signal.
If the offence is a late challenge, then again I look for the advantage but and it's a very big but, if I'm going to sanction the challenge with a caution or a dismissal, then I'm not playing advantage 99 times out of 100. The whistle to stop play will be blown harder and for longer and I'm also going to be moving towards the scene of the incident to discourage any retribution from team mates of the player offended against.
With the arriving ball, again if it's handball, then I'm on a quick, sharp blast or looking for advantage. The adjudging of the challenge comes in a number of forms, holding by either player, a kick/trip when trying to play the ball, pushing and I'll try to cover those in later blogs.
The thing is that once the player has taken control of the ball, we're the first step in this sequence. It's probably taken you a few minutes to read this far and yet as a referee, we have to run through the sequence of adjudging the pass and receipt of the ball hundreds of times a game. It's no wonder we are mentally as well as physically tired at the end of a game.
So now you see why it's important to go through the process of mental rehearsal, because by exercising the mind, it's similar to exercising the muscles, they need that work-out to be ready for game day and on the day, mentally warm up by thinking through a few scenarios.
Next time, I'm going to look at the challenge on the grass. All those two footed, off the ground, ball played. got the ball ref challenges we see every game.
