We've all had players who could have their own highlights package made up of events during a game, whether it's the number of times they have made a telling pass, scored a hat trick or found themselves coming to the attention of the referee more than once.
I saw one such player a few weeks ago and in the main, the referee dealt with him well, but when it came to a crucial decision he went for the easy option. So let's have a look at the player first of all ...
He was a centre forward and a skillful one at that. He moved with pace and purpose but he also had that annoying trait that such players often have in that he had a streak of arrogance which led him to taunt his opponents. Now for those who have been involved in football for a while, we will all have encountered what the exponents refer to as "banter" or "bantz" as it's sometimes called on other websites.
This is the ability to make a stinging one line comment that undermines the efforts or achievements of an opponent (or even a referee), usually accompanied by a smile but often annoys the recipient so they retaliate, either physically or verbally and it is often the retaliation that gets more attention. Sometimes it's a fairly low level jibe, such as "Have a shot next time" to a player who has just missed the goal by more than 10 yards or "I'll get that" when a misplaced pass goes out for a throw-in or goal kick. Nevertheless, it rankles and gets under the skin of the person to whom it is directed.
This player came to the referee's attention early in the game when he used his long legs to kick the ball off an opponent's forehead, narrowly avoiding making contact with his eyes and nose. The referee correctly identified and penalised dangerous play. His next incident was a long crossfield ball of the type I used to marvel at when I first went to watch Billy Bremner and the Leeds United team of the 1970s.
His contributions began to come more frequently, holding, a trip, being fouled and then his first telling contribution to his team's win, a well taken goal from long range with a shot that fizzed past the hapless goalkeeper (why are goalkeepers always hapless? Most of them are very good at what they do!).
The game became a little ragged, as did his performance, as the heavy ground took its toll on his pace and that of his opponents. Challenges became less well timed and the free kick count mounted up. The player scored a second goal from a header but then he was on the end of a couple of rough challenges from the player trying to mark him and eventually the opponent was cautioned.
Now for some players a caution is taken as it is meant, it's a warning to change their behaviour or they might suffer the indignity of a dismissal and all that comes from that. So it was with this player, he began to jockey our star rather than commit the sliding tackles he had made previously and was more careful when making aerial challenges. Cue our star's mouth beginning to be used as to taunt the opponent. Now the referee identified this and spoke to the player, issuing him with a stern warning.
Having had the riot act read to him, you might think the player would have taken the hint, but he didn't. Even though the game was entering the last 10 minutes, he still was letting his mouth get the better of him. However, when he was dispossessed, close to where his opponents manger and subsitutes were standing on the touchline and they made some comments about him being a superstar, he launched into a challenge that many referees would recognise as being an "orange" card.
In hindsight, it looked like the challenge for which Vincent Kompany was dismissed a couple of weeks ago, but from the side rather than head on to the opponent. The referee reacted calmly and cautioned the player, which I felt was a little generous but I didn't have his angle on the challenge and was considerably further away than he was. The player's reaction was to begin a verbal spat with an opponent after he was fouled a minute or two later. The referee used the captain to help him explain to the player that he needed to change his behaviour.
So this player has committed an act of dangerous play, scored a couple of goals, had at least two verbal exchanges with opponents and /or their manager, been cautioned and had a couple of chats with the referee with his captain involved. In other words a really busy day and it would probably fill his week at work, as he retold the tale of the game. He wasn't finished there however and this is where the referee just didn't take the final step.
In added time, with his team coasting to an easy victory, in a game which had been virtually one way traffic for all of the first half and much of the second, the player did something stupid and childish. As the ball was in the air, he ran alongside an opponent and as the ball dropped towards their position, he made a noise like a fire engine siren, a sort of a "woo-woo-ooo-wooo" noise.
Now the referee quite correctly identified this as an attempt to distract an opponent and by the letter of the law, he should have stopped the game, cautioned the offender and restarted with an indirect free kick to the non-offending team. This would have seen the player receive a second caution in the same game, which would have meant his being dismissed.
Unfortunately this referee didn't do all of those things. He stopped the game and gave the free kick, but he omitted to issue the caution, choosing instead to issue a strong word of warning to the player. As I said to him afterwards, the ball was probably going to go out for a throw-in, so he could have waited until that happened and then issued his warning, but having stopped the game, he was obliged to caution.
He told me he knew what he should have done but just didn't do it. The good news was that he had done so many other positive things in the game, that they negated much of the impact on his mark and overall it was a good performance. It could however have been a great performance but hopefully if you/he encounter a superstar in the future and he does something similar, you/he will go the full distance and take the necessary action OR manage the situation by waiting to the next break in play to issue a strong admonishment.
Keep smiling (it unnerves the players!).
Showing posts with label Assessments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Assessments. Show all posts
Monday, 28 January 2013
Sunday, 26 February 2012
All around the world ...
I'm blogging while quietly recovering from the local RA Annual Presentation Dinner last night before setting off for my Sunday League Trophy Quarter Final just up the road. It was an excellent night with some brilliant food and great company. The night was, as is always the case with gatherings of referees, full of stories and reminiscing as we reminded those who have progressed to the professional game (and those of us who still work at Grass Roots) of some of the highlights, low lights and downright hilarious incidents we've experienced together.
Tribal rivalries surfaced from time to time as fans of professional teams exchanged views (politely and with much leg pulling) on various games over the years. I talked about my following Leeds United around England and my decision to chance a trip to the Champions league Final when Leeds got to the semi finals in 2001. As things turned out, Leeds were knocked out by an efficient Valencia team who in turn lost to Bayern Munich in the final (which I still went to and thoroughly enjoyed).
That was the extent of my globe trotting in support of Leeds United but now looking back I have to question the rationale of buying a ticket, booking a hotel and flight to Italy, for a game we weren't even guaranteed to be playing in. A similar thought about the lengths people will travel to watch football had crossed my mind earlier in the day at my Supply League Assessment game. It was at the oldest football ground in the world, Sandygate, home of Hallam FC. The reception from the club was, just as in my previous visit, very welcoming. The strong coffee before kick off and at half time was just the thing needed on a chilly day.
The club had hoped for a decent crowd because of the impending Steel City Derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United being played on the following day (today). I don't know how the figures measured up to their usual attendance but the main stand was fairly full with the make up of the crowd varied and it was fairly evident that some of them were making their first visit to Sandygate. They had come from far and wide as a number of visitors were given a brief tour and licence to roam the ground before kick off. I think they were probably part of that dedicated group of spectators known as "ground-hoppers" who visit as many grounds as possible each season.
One of a pair sitting just in front of me was introduced to the crowd before the game, having travelled from Aberdeen! The two sitting behind me spent the whole of the first half commenting on the game in a language I didn't recognise but it was definitely Scandinavian in origin. Then there was me, from 30 miles up the M1 ... what a merry band we were. Despite the cold weather we were treated to a competitive game, with 6 goals (but a 4-2 defeat for Hallam) and perhaps some of those slightly more local first timers might be tempted to make a return if that is the usual fare on offer. Right, where are my flags ...
Tribal rivalries surfaced from time to time as fans of professional teams exchanged views (politely and with much leg pulling) on various games over the years. I talked about my following Leeds United around England and my decision to chance a trip to the Champions league Final when Leeds got to the semi finals in 2001. As things turned out, Leeds were knocked out by an efficient Valencia team who in turn lost to Bayern Munich in the final (which I still went to and thoroughly enjoyed).
That was the extent of my globe trotting in support of Leeds United but now looking back I have to question the rationale of buying a ticket, booking a hotel and flight to Italy, for a game we weren't even guaranteed to be playing in. A similar thought about the lengths people will travel to watch football had crossed my mind earlier in the day at my Supply League Assessment game. It was at the oldest football ground in the world, Sandygate, home of Hallam FC. The reception from the club was, just as in my previous visit, very welcoming. The strong coffee before kick off and at half time was just the thing needed on a chilly day.
The club had hoped for a decent crowd because of the impending Steel City Derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United being played on the following day (today). I don't know how the figures measured up to their usual attendance but the main stand was fairly full with the make up of the crowd varied and it was fairly evident that some of them were making their first visit to Sandygate. They had come from far and wide as a number of visitors were given a brief tour and licence to roam the ground before kick off. I think they were probably part of that dedicated group of spectators known as "ground-hoppers" who visit as many grounds as possible each season.
One of a pair sitting just in front of me was introduced to the crowd before the game, having travelled from Aberdeen! The two sitting behind me spent the whole of the first half commenting on the game in a language I didn't recognise but it was definitely Scandinavian in origin. Then there was me, from 30 miles up the M1 ... what a merry band we were. Despite the cold weather we were treated to a competitive game, with 6 goals (but a 4-2 defeat for Hallam) and perhaps some of those slightly more local first timers might be tempted to make a return if that is the usual fare on offer. Right, where are my flags ...
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Late appointment
The weather put paid to last Saturday's assessment when a severe frost forced the postponement of every game in the league.
The weather forecast for this week suggested that the snow would start falling on Thursday and would continue until Sunday, meaning the chances of any football being played were remote. My pre-match call to the referee and e-mail reply from the home club did little to allay my fears as both were less than optimistic. As a precaution I contacted both of my assessment co-ordinators for Saturday games and got a similar glum response from them.
My usual league ended up with another complete wipeout, while my other league had one game not covered. The co-ordinator was sure it would be off and asked me to contact a referee in the next town to advise I would be at his game. I phoned him on Friday and he wasn't hopeful. Saturday morning arrived and so did the expected text advising that the game was off, so it was an afternoon in front of the tv but the evening that didn't go to plan.
I managed to catch the second half of Manchester United vs Liverpool on Sky, followed by the 6 Nations game between Italy and England on the BBC. My original plan had been to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United on Sky but I remembered I still had a few weeks left on my ESPN subscription, so caught most of the Blackpool vs Portsmouth game where the referee was one of our RDOs. That game finished 1-1 but I missed a stellar performance by Spurs as they hammered Newcastle 5-0.
This is where plans went a little astray. As my wife and I settled down with a couple of ice cold pints of Guinness to watch France vs Ireland in the 6 Nations, it was obvious from the demeanour of the match and club officials that not everything was well. The stadium at which the game was taking place did not have undersoil heating and with the game taking place at 9pm local time, temperatures which hadn't been much above zero centigrade all week were again plummeting.
A similar situation arose earlier in the day at Ipswich vs Middlesbrough where the club had worked hard to get the playing surface defrosted so the game could kick off, but as they reached 37 minutes, it was evident that it had frozen again. The referee abandoned the game on the grounds that player safety was paramount.
Back to Paris though and some very serious looking officials made the decision to call the game off. Cue 80,000 fans inside the stadium being very, very unhappy! That wasn't a problem I faced this morning!
The referee of the game I was supposed to assess had phoned me on Saturday afternoon to say that the ground was unfit with little prospect of the game going ahead. In hindsight, he might have been better off delaying that decision. I set off this morning to check which of our Sunday League teams had managed to play their games. At the first venue I had two home teams and three away teams. At the second venue I had three home teams and two away teams ... there was obviously a misunderstanding.
A few phone calls later and the spare home team went to the first venue and their game was played. Meanwhile I had made my way to a third venue, this time to watch a game - a County Cup Quarter Final. As I parked, my phone rang and it was the manager of one of the teams at the first venue I had visited - their referee hadn't turned up!
I started the car up, headed over there and refereed the game. As usual I had been carrying my kit in the back of the car and despite having not cleaned my boots and no match record cards in my wallet, I managed to get through. Next weekend is closed as I am taking a family trip away for my son's 7th birthday. My elder son was 22 on Friday (where does the time go?), so happy birthday Kieron for Friday (last) and happy birthday to Liam for Friday (next).
The weather forecast for this week suggested that the snow would start falling on Thursday and would continue until Sunday, meaning the chances of any football being played were remote. My pre-match call to the referee and e-mail reply from the home club did little to allay my fears as both were less than optimistic. As a precaution I contacted both of my assessment co-ordinators for Saturday games and got a similar glum response from them.
My usual league ended up with another complete wipeout, while my other league had one game not covered. The co-ordinator was sure it would be off and asked me to contact a referee in the next town to advise I would be at his game. I phoned him on Friday and he wasn't hopeful. Saturday morning arrived and so did the expected text advising that the game was off, so it was an afternoon in front of the tv but the evening that didn't go to plan.
I managed to catch the second half of Manchester United vs Liverpool on Sky, followed by the 6 Nations game between Italy and England on the BBC. My original plan had been to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United on Sky but I remembered I still had a few weeks left on my ESPN subscription, so caught most of the Blackpool vs Portsmouth game where the referee was one of our RDOs. That game finished 1-1 but I missed a stellar performance by Spurs as they hammered Newcastle 5-0.
This is where plans went a little astray. As my wife and I settled down with a couple of ice cold pints of Guinness to watch France vs Ireland in the 6 Nations, it was obvious from the demeanour of the match and club officials that not everything was well. The stadium at which the game was taking place did not have undersoil heating and with the game taking place at 9pm local time, temperatures which hadn't been much above zero centigrade all week were again plummeting.
A similar situation arose earlier in the day at Ipswich vs Middlesbrough where the club had worked hard to get the playing surface defrosted so the game could kick off, but as they reached 37 minutes, it was evident that it had frozen again. The referee abandoned the game on the grounds that player safety was paramount.
Back to Paris though and some very serious looking officials made the decision to call the game off. Cue 80,000 fans inside the stadium being very, very unhappy! That wasn't a problem I faced this morning!
The referee of the game I was supposed to assess had phoned me on Saturday afternoon to say that the ground was unfit with little prospect of the game going ahead. In hindsight, he might have been better off delaying that decision. I set off this morning to check which of our Sunday League teams had managed to play their games. At the first venue I had two home teams and three away teams. At the second venue I had three home teams and two away teams ... there was obviously a misunderstanding.
A few phone calls later and the spare home team went to the first venue and their game was played. Meanwhile I had made my way to a third venue, this time to watch a game - a County Cup Quarter Final. As I parked, my phone rang and it was the manager of one of the teams at the first venue I had visited - their referee hadn't turned up!
I started the car up, headed over there and refereed the game. As usual I had been carrying my kit in the back of the car and despite having not cleaned my boots and no match record cards in my wallet, I managed to get through. Next weekend is closed as I am taking a family trip away for my son's 7th birthday. My elder son was 22 on Friday (where does the time go?), so happy birthday Kieron for Friday (last) and happy birthday to Liam for Friday (next).
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Two sides
An interesting game today as the home team from last week were the away team.
Pleasantries were exchanged before the game and off the field but after 2 cautions and a dismissal for the away team, the referee was accused of playing up to the assessor (me). Nothing could be farther from the truth. While in last week's game, they had been on the receiving end of a fairly physical appoach by their opponents, this week, they snapped and harried at most early challenges.
The home side reacted in kind and the result was a game littered with poor challenges and appropriate disciplinary action. In the end the team in black won, with 6 cautions and 1 dismissal and for the first time this season it took me until 7:30 to get the heat back into my toes.
Movember Day 19 by the way. If you want to give, go to http://mobro.co/BrianHamilton
Pleasantries were exchanged before the game and off the field but after 2 cautions and a dismissal for the away team, the referee was accused of playing up to the assessor (me). Nothing could be farther from the truth. While in last week's game, they had been on the receiving end of a fairly physical appoach by their opponents, this week, they snapped and harried at most early challenges.
The home side reacted in kind and the result was a game littered with poor challenges and appropriate disciplinary action. In the end the team in black won, with 6 cautions and 1 dismissal and for the first time this season it took me until 7:30 to get the heat back into my toes.
Movember Day 19 by the way. If you want to give, go to http://mobro.co/BrianHamilton
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Quiet weekend
I made the longish trip (100 miles round trip) through 3 Counties to yesterday's game and got a warm welcome from the home club. It was a new venue for me, although I'd seen the home team away a couple of times. The game was scrappy and the team in black did ok.
This morning I averaged up the mileage by travelling just over a mile to watch a County Trophy game. he home team scored after less than 33 seconds but took 33 minutes to add to their tally. The score was 7-1 by the time I got bored, wet and cold so decided to head off home.
Tonight I put together the next 4 weeks fixtures for my local Sunday League and sent out some correspondence on behalf of the District FA, as I'm collating the results for Round 3 of their competitions this weekend.
Movember is still going well ...
This morning I averaged up the mileage by travelling just over a mile to watch a County Trophy game. he home team scored after less than 33 seconds but took 33 minutes to add to their tally. The score was 7-1 by the time I got bored, wet and cold so decided to head off home.
Tonight I put together the next 4 weeks fixtures for my local Sunday League and sent out some correspondence on behalf of the District FA, as I'm collating the results for Round 3 of their competitions this weekend.
Movember is still going well ...
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Wouldn't have it any other way
It's been another crazy fortnight in the world of football.
Last week I squeezed in an assessment for a referee aspiring to move up to Supply football, Week 4 of the new referee's course a Supply League assessment and a Supply League Assessors meeting.
The game on Tuesday was interesting as the referee decided to delay the kick off to allow a huge thunderstorm to pass by before getting the game under way. The rain had been coming down hard for an hour before kick off and just as the referee led the two teams out, it stopped. The game opened at a frantic pace with the home side going 3-0 down in the first 13 minutes. They fought back but finished up losing 4-3.
Tuesday's reports have been finished and e-mailed. I've prepared a report on the referee marks for March to September and sent that to the County FA. I've also answered a couple of football related telephone queries as well. I haven't managed to get my son to the barbers for his return to school haircut, so I might be in bother for that.
Off to my Supply League game in an hour and then it's out for tea with my mum to celebrate her birthday. She's nearly reached her three score years and ten but has a couple to go yet!
Last week I squeezed in an assessment for a referee aspiring to move up to Supply football, Week 4 of the new referee's course a Supply League assessment and a Supply League Assessors meeting.
The game on Tuesday was interesting as the referee decided to delay the kick off to allow a huge thunderstorm to pass by before getting the game under way. The rain had been coming down hard for an hour before kick off and just as the referee led the two teams out, it stopped. The game opened at a frantic pace with the home side going 3-0 down in the first 13 minutes. They fought back but finished up losing 4-3.
Tuesday's reports have been finished and e-mailed. I've prepared a report on the referee marks for March to September and sent that to the County FA. I've also answered a couple of football related telephone queries as well. I haven't managed to get my son to the barbers for his return to school haircut, so I might be in bother for that.
Off to my Supply League game in an hour and then it's out for tea with my mum to celebrate her birthday. She's nearly reached her three score years and ten but has a couple to go yet!
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Juniors
I've been out to two games today, the first was a promotion assessment before I headed off to watch a new referee who I am mentoring through his first six games.
At the first game, I had to work hard at suppressing a giggle as a player's girlfriend explained the reason she had missed kick off was that she had gone to the wrong ground. Apparently on following her boyfriend's directions she had spotted a ground where a game was taking place, thinking it was his game, she stopped following the directions and headed for the ground she could see. The players had seemed small from a long way away, but she was convinced she was going to the right place. It was only on pulling up at the field that she realised the reason they looked small because they were small ... it was a junior football game, not the bruising open age cup game her boyfriend was playing in!
At this afternoon's game, it was good to see that Respect barriers were in place and that the home club ensured that all spectators were behind them. It helped create the supportive atmosphere that the players needed and despite the one sided scoreline, both teams seemed to enjoy most of the game.
The perennial fund raiser was also in evidence as the raffle for a bottle of wine took place raising much needed funds for the home team. Even I was asked if I wanted to buy a ticket, but I'd used my last 50p on inflating the slow puncture on my car, so I had to decline. The winner seemed happy with his prize even though he looked like he might have preferred a couple of pints of Tetley's Bitter.
As the game finished and both teams moved to congratulate each other on a well contested game, I noticed one parent berating the losing team's assistant manager. I couldn't hear what was being said but hung about to ask the assistant manager what was said. It turns out that the parent had complained about the manager's attitude towards the player. The player had been one of the team of rolling substitutes. At some point in the game he was asked to go on a play at left back but refused as he wanted to play in attack. Even though the manager had agreed to allow the player to play in attack later in the game, he had cried and it was because of this that the parent had challenged the assistant manager. If evidence of the influence of the professional game on junior football was needed, there it is!
That's it for assessing until the 25th. I have a support role for tomorrow's session at the new referees course and a couple of meetings to attend but then I have my second consecutive Saturday off. I might just try and find a referee to assess on Sunday, wouldn't want to get rusty!
At the first game, I had to work hard at suppressing a giggle as a player's girlfriend explained the reason she had missed kick off was that she had gone to the wrong ground. Apparently on following her boyfriend's directions she had spotted a ground where a game was taking place, thinking it was his game, she stopped following the directions and headed for the ground she could see. The players had seemed small from a long way away, but she was convinced she was going to the right place. It was only on pulling up at the field that she realised the reason they looked small because they were small ... it was a junior football game, not the bruising open age cup game her boyfriend was playing in!
At this afternoon's game, it was good to see that Respect barriers were in place and that the home club ensured that all spectators were behind them. It helped create the supportive atmosphere that the players needed and despite the one sided scoreline, both teams seemed to enjoy most of the game.
The perennial fund raiser was also in evidence as the raffle for a bottle of wine took place raising much needed funds for the home team. Even I was asked if I wanted to buy a ticket, but I'd used my last 50p on inflating the slow puncture on my car, so I had to decline. The winner seemed happy with his prize even though he looked like he might have preferred a couple of pints of Tetley's Bitter.
As the game finished and both teams moved to congratulate each other on a well contested game, I noticed one parent berating the losing team's assistant manager. I couldn't hear what was being said but hung about to ask the assistant manager what was said. It turns out that the parent had complained about the manager's attitude towards the player. The player had been one of the team of rolling substitutes. At some point in the game he was asked to go on a play at left back but refused as he wanted to play in attack. Even though the manager had agreed to allow the player to play in attack later in the game, he had cried and it was because of this that the parent had challenged the assistant manager. If evidence of the influence of the professional game on junior football was needed, there it is!
That's it for assessing until the 25th. I have a support role for tomorrow's session at the new referees course and a couple of meetings to attend but then I have my second consecutive Saturday off. I might just try and find a referee to assess on Sunday, wouldn't want to get rusty!
Saturday, 15 October 2011
A bit chaotic
Things haven't quietened down since the start of the month with another handful of Supply League assessments, along with a FAWPL assessment and a mentoring trip, as well as launching a course for new referees keeping me out of mischief. I've witnessed my first mass confrontation of the season as well as a spectator assaulting a player with a pole marking the halfway line and attending a Safeguarding Children Workshop to renew my Child Protection certification for another 3 years.
Today is a rest day before heading out tomorrow for a promotion assessment and then heading on to another mentoring trip. Next week is quietish as I turn out in a support capacity on the third session of the new referees course and then a District FA meeting on Wednesday.
No rest for the wicked...
Today is a rest day before heading out tomorrow for a promotion assessment and then heading on to another mentoring trip. Next week is quietish as I turn out in a support capacity on the third session of the new referees course and then a District FA meeting on Wednesday.
No rest for the wicked...
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Time off required
It's only 6 days since my last post but I've packed a fair amount into them.
I had a night off last Thursday from everything and it was needed before a busy weekend. On Friday I travelled with work to our office in Runcorn before heading to Wakefield to carry out my 18th assessment of the season. The game was challenging and the referee was suffering from a lack of match practice having recently come back from his honeymoon.
On Saturday a trip to Bradford to watch a female Supply League referee. I found a few pointers to help her develop and she acknowledged them with grace, commenting that she had identified one herself and was working on it.
Sunday was full of stress as I led the first day of a course for 23 new referees. There should have been 26, but three didn't turn up despite our best efforts to get them in. It was hard enough with my fellow tutors as Umar had had a very late night and Dave arrived an hour later than planned.
Things went quite well, despite a few hiccups. Day two is next Sunday.
I had a night off last Thursday from everything and it was needed before a busy weekend. On Friday I travelled with work to our office in Runcorn before heading to Wakefield to carry out my 18th assessment of the season. The game was challenging and the referee was suffering from a lack of match practice having recently come back from his honeymoon.
On Saturday a trip to Bradford to watch a female Supply League referee. I found a few pointers to help her develop and she acknowledged them with grace, commenting that she had identified one herself and was working on it.
Sunday was full of stress as I led the first day of a course for 23 new referees. There should have been 26, but three didn't turn up despite our best efforts to get them in. It was hard enough with my fellow tutors as Umar had had a very late night and Dave arrived an hour later than planned.
Things went quite well, despite a few hiccups. Day two is next Sunday.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Splish splash
It never rains but it pours as just as things begin getting busy in football, work also gets busy too.
Last week saw me at the Referee's Association meeting on Monday where we heard that two County referees have been suspended for not sending in their disciplinary reports. I also had to pass on the news about the breaches of Respect Code of Conduct. It wasn't a jolly meeting.
Tuesday's meeting of the Sunday League Committee became even more sombre as we dealt with clubs who have fielded ineligible players. They were all fined and some were warned they faced point deductions for their actions. Then it was time to discuss the Respect infringements and the committee seemed happy with the course of action suggested.
On Wednesday I had to travel to Leicester for a National team meeting and I also found out I had to visit our office in Newcastle the following Monday to chair a disciplinary hearing. I had a rest of sorts on Thursday and Friday before travelling to Doncaster to undertake another Supply League assessment.
On Sunday tickets went on sale for Glastonbury 2011. I persevered through online difficulties and eventually paid my 2 x £50 deposits and by 10 a.m. I had next summer's festival all planned out. Next I booked my daughter Naomi's tickets for her and then my brother in law Neil's tickets.
In the afternoon, I had booked tickets to the World Curry Festival which was being held in Leeds. Unfortunately as we were walking across the city, the heavens opened and I found out why so many of the league and cup games scheduled for Sunday were called off. There was a river running under the marquee in which the festival was being held. I sampled many things at the festival but the chili jam had to be the hottest and the Bang bang chicken (Japanese curry) was the least tasty (tasted like earth then pepper).
This brought me around to Monday. A stressful day on two fronts. Firstly my new Supervisor was starting to work for me and had to be inducted before being set to work. Secondly, there was the trip to Newcastle which didn't go well for the person involved in the proceedings. Then as I was setting off home, the hammer blow - the main server at work which provided all of my team's work had failed.
I spent all of Tuesday trying to get it repaired as well as repairing my line manager's laptop and then dragging myself to the Respect Code Breaches meeting. These went quite well and I believe all parties left with a better understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable.
So to today where the drama at work continued but things started getting better. I also confirmed my assessment with the referee for Friday's game at Wakefield as well as receiving a wedding invitation. By coincidence, the last wedding I was invited to was the marriage of Friday's referee ... strange world, isn't it?
Last week saw me at the Referee's Association meeting on Monday where we heard that two County referees have been suspended for not sending in their disciplinary reports. I also had to pass on the news about the breaches of Respect Code of Conduct. It wasn't a jolly meeting.
Tuesday's meeting of the Sunday League Committee became even more sombre as we dealt with clubs who have fielded ineligible players. They were all fined and some were warned they faced point deductions for their actions. Then it was time to discuss the Respect infringements and the committee seemed happy with the course of action suggested.
On Wednesday I had to travel to Leicester for a National team meeting and I also found out I had to visit our office in Newcastle the following Monday to chair a disciplinary hearing. I had a rest of sorts on Thursday and Friday before travelling to Doncaster to undertake another Supply League assessment.
On Sunday tickets went on sale for Glastonbury 2011. I persevered through online difficulties and eventually paid my 2 x £50 deposits and by 10 a.m. I had next summer's festival all planned out. Next I booked my daughter Naomi's tickets for her and then my brother in law Neil's tickets.
In the afternoon, I had booked tickets to the World Curry Festival which was being held in Leeds. Unfortunately as we were walking across the city, the heavens opened and I found out why so many of the league and cup games scheduled for Sunday were called off. There was a river running under the marquee in which the festival was being held. I sampled many things at the festival but the chili jam had to be the hottest and the Bang bang chicken (Japanese curry) was the least tasty (tasted like earth then pepper).
This brought me around to Monday. A stressful day on two fronts. Firstly my new Supervisor was starting to work for me and had to be inducted before being set to work. Secondly, there was the trip to Newcastle which didn't go well for the person involved in the proceedings. Then as I was setting off home, the hammer blow - the main server at work which provided all of my team's work had failed.
I spent all of Tuesday trying to get it repaired as well as repairing my line manager's laptop and then dragging myself to the Respect Code Breaches meeting. These went quite well and I believe all parties left with a better understanding of what is acceptable and unacceptable.
So to today where the drama at work continued but things started getting better. I also confirmed my assessment with the referee for Friday's game at Wakefield as well as receiving a wedding invitation. By coincidence, the last wedding I was invited to was the marriage of Friday's referee ... strange world, isn't it?
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Brrrr!!!
The winter's chill is beginning to set in and this weekend's assessments were both conducted wearing my big padded jacket.
It wasn't too bad out at Otley as the sunshine came out at half time but it was a bitter wind blowing around Throstle Nest as I assessed the referee on the FA Women's Premier League game taking place there today.
The game was settled by a hat trick from the away team's centre forward who displayed some fantastic speed to outpace the home defence. Although the home team had equalised after her first goal, her second came within a few seconds of the equaliser and it was a long and busy afternoon for both defences.
The trainers of both teams were also kept busy particularly after a nasty clash of heads late in the game. One player was unable to staunch the bleeding and had to be replaced. The other lay motionless for a few seconds before being able to continue after receiving brief treatment.
With the reports written up, that's it until Saturday ... well apart from attending the Referee's Association meeting tomorrow and the Sunday League meeting on Tuesday. Tuesday will be interesting as the committee considers the first infringements of the Respect Code of Conduct by players in our league, since the code was adopted at the start of this season. As Respect Officer, focus will fall on my guidance to the committee ... pressure!!!
It wasn't too bad out at Otley as the sunshine came out at half time but it was a bitter wind blowing around Throstle Nest as I assessed the referee on the FA Women's Premier League game taking place there today.
The game was settled by a hat trick from the away team's centre forward who displayed some fantastic speed to outpace the home defence. Although the home team had equalised after her first goal, her second came within a few seconds of the equaliser and it was a long and busy afternoon for both defences.
The trainers of both teams were also kept busy particularly after a nasty clash of heads late in the game. One player was unable to staunch the bleeding and had to be replaced. The other lay motionless for a few seconds before being able to continue after receiving brief treatment.
With the reports written up, that's it until Saturday ... well apart from attending the Referee's Association meeting tomorrow and the Sunday League meeting on Tuesday. Tuesday will be interesting as the committee considers the first infringements of the Respect Code of Conduct by players in our league, since the code was adopted at the start of this season. As Respect Officer, focus will fall on my guidance to the committee ... pressure!!!
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Double Time
A midweek post because it's another busy week and a lot has happened over the last two days.
I headed to Hemsworth on Tuesday to watch a recently promoted referee and enjoyed his participation in a tense local derby. I did well to get to the ground as early as 70 minutes before kick off. I punched in the wrong club on the satnav and in the deepening gloom of an early dusk, I realised in the last mile that I was heading to the wrong ground. A few deft turns later and I was back on my way, but this time to the wrong side of the ground! I re-negotiated the side streets and found, to my relief that I was right outside the club house.
Wednesday's trip to Sheffield saw me visit the home of the team I watched get battered just a couple of weeks ago in Leeds at the home of the Ammers. They were a different prospect last night and took the game to Leeds, who narrowly missed out of promotion last season. It was a close game until the final quarter when two goals settled it for the home team.
The highlight of my night was meeting Ted Ring, who kindly accompanied me on my first Supply League assessment 8 months ago at Emley. It was good to see him and he was good company. It was also good to meet Tom Brammall again, who was also at the game.
Tom was my assistant a few years ago when I refereed an inter county U16 girls game at Worsborough Bridge. He was promoted to level 4 a couple of seasons ago. At half time, I phoned Brian, our assessor's co-ordinator after he e-mailed me asking me to get in touch and we agreed my appointments for October, which include Mr Brammall!
I headed to Hemsworth on Tuesday to watch a recently promoted referee and enjoyed his participation in a tense local derby. I did well to get to the ground as early as 70 minutes before kick off. I punched in the wrong club on the satnav and in the deepening gloom of an early dusk, I realised in the last mile that I was heading to the wrong ground. A few deft turns later and I was back on my way, but this time to the wrong side of the ground! I re-negotiated the side streets and found, to my relief that I was right outside the club house.
Wednesday's trip to Sheffield saw me visit the home of the team I watched get battered just a couple of weeks ago in Leeds at the home of the Ammers. They were a different prospect last night and took the game to Leeds, who narrowly missed out of promotion last season. It was a close game until the final quarter when two goals settled it for the home team.
The highlight of my night was meeting Ted Ring, who kindly accompanied me on my first Supply League assessment 8 months ago at Emley. It was good to see him and he was good company. It was also good to meet Tom Brammall again, who was also at the game.
Tom was my assistant a few years ago when I refereed an inter county U16 girls game at Worsborough Bridge. He was promoted to level 4 a couple of seasons ago. At half time, I phoned Brian, our assessor's co-ordinator after he e-mailed me asking me to get in touch and we agreed my appointments for October, which include Mr Brammall!
Monday, 20 September 2010
Easy ...
So much for taking a rest as things kicked off on the unofficial forum used by players, managers, etc. involved in the local Sunday League.
It was just what I needed in the week that saw me take a trip to Birmingham with work (horrible journey back along the M42) and advised that I need to make a trip to Newcastle to chair an "important" meeting. Much of my time now seems to be spent in meetings at work.
Out of work I managed to finalise the assessments from Monday's game and the coaching report from Sunday's, just in time to go out and assess a local promotion candidate on Saturday. It was a good old fashioned cup tie and there was plenty for the man in the middle to deal with.
It was a similar story on Sunday as the game went to Extra Time and then kicks from the penalty mark to decide the outcome. The home team ran out the winners after their goalkeeper saved two badly taken penalties.
Tonight, it's some quiet match stats updating after a hard day interviewing candidates for the role of Supervisor in my unit. Hopefully I have a winner and I can make an offer that can't be refused.
Tomorrow and Wednesday I'm back on the road assessing two Supply League referees, then another couple of rest days before the weekend assessments. They will take my total to 16 for the season, plus the 2 coaching reports, so it's been a busy time. i may close some more dates for a rest :-)
It was just what I needed in the week that saw me take a trip to Birmingham with work (horrible journey back along the M42) and advised that I need to make a trip to Newcastle to chair an "important" meeting. Much of my time now seems to be spent in meetings at work.
Out of work I managed to finalise the assessments from Monday's game and the coaching report from Sunday's, just in time to go out and assess a local promotion candidate on Saturday. It was a good old fashioned cup tie and there was plenty for the man in the middle to deal with.
It was a similar story on Sunday as the game went to Extra Time and then kicks from the penalty mark to decide the outcome. The home team ran out the winners after their goalkeeper saved two badly taken penalties.
Tonight, it's some quiet match stats updating after a hard day interviewing candidates for the role of Supervisor in my unit. Hopefully I have a winner and I can make an offer that can't be refused.
Tomorrow and Wednesday I'm back on the road assessing two Supply League referees, then another couple of rest days before the weekend assessments. They will take my total to 16 for the season, plus the 2 coaching reports, so it's been a busy time. i may close some more dates for a rest :-)
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Is it over yet?
Another crazy week in football has passed and I still have a mountain of reports to complete before taking the rest of the week off.
Last Monday Jamie, David and I planned out the next Basic Course for New Referees being held at County HQ in October. This one is slightly different in that both of the RDOs and David are not available on the first week, so as Course Leader, I'll have more work to do.
Tuesday saw me take a trip to Savile Park in Halifax to watch a new referee in his first open age 11 v 11 game. Michael was on the course in May and this was his first opportunity to put into practice the things he learned. He put in a good stint and writing his coaching feedback report was easy to fill with compliments.
On Wednesday I travelled to our office in Livingston (Scotland) to support the manager there with some staffing issues. The staff involved work on the night shift and my last meeting finished just after half past midnight. I got back to my hotel and crashed into bed around 2 a.m. On my journey back from Scotland I think I triggered a speed trap, so I'm waiting for a call from the hire company to advise they have received a ticket!
Thursday night and I turned in at the County HQ for a meeting about Full Time, the free software and website package provided by the FA to help leagues keep on top of their administration. Our Sunday League is in our third season of using Full Time and I still picked up some tips and tricks that I will put into practice over the next few weeks.
On Friday I went along to the local athletics track to support friends and colleagues as they tried to pass the County Fitness Test of running for 12 minutes (completing a minimum of 2500m in the process) and then completing 2 50m sprints each one in 7.5 seconds or less. Most got through but there were a few casualties, but I'm sure they'll be back next year.
Saturday came and went with a trip to my latest Supply League game. It was a good performance by all three teams and a really enjoyable game. This was closely followed by another coaching trip to watch a relatively new referee on Sunday morning, followed by my first assessment in the FA Women's Premier League. In rushing about between games I may have triggered another speed trap ... two in four days!!!
The FAWPL games are still assessed on Supply league standards, but without the provision of a written report for the assistants. The report is finished but needs proof reading before I send it off.
Finally last night I completed another Supply League assessment and that will be typed up tonight (Tuesday) before I take a rest for the remainder of the week. At the weekend I have two promotion candidates to assess then two more Supply League assessments on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. No rest for the wicked!
Last Monday Jamie, David and I planned out the next Basic Course for New Referees being held at County HQ in October. This one is slightly different in that both of the RDOs and David are not available on the first week, so as Course Leader, I'll have more work to do.
Tuesday saw me take a trip to Savile Park in Halifax to watch a new referee in his first open age 11 v 11 game. Michael was on the course in May and this was his first opportunity to put into practice the things he learned. He put in a good stint and writing his coaching feedback report was easy to fill with compliments.
On Wednesday I travelled to our office in Livingston (Scotland) to support the manager there with some staffing issues. The staff involved work on the night shift and my last meeting finished just after half past midnight. I got back to my hotel and crashed into bed around 2 a.m. On my journey back from Scotland I think I triggered a speed trap, so I'm waiting for a call from the hire company to advise they have received a ticket!
Thursday night and I turned in at the County HQ for a meeting about Full Time, the free software and website package provided by the FA to help leagues keep on top of their administration. Our Sunday League is in our third season of using Full Time and I still picked up some tips and tricks that I will put into practice over the next few weeks.
On Friday I went along to the local athletics track to support friends and colleagues as they tried to pass the County Fitness Test of running for 12 minutes (completing a minimum of 2500m in the process) and then completing 2 50m sprints each one in 7.5 seconds or less. Most got through but there were a few casualties, but I'm sure they'll be back next year.
Saturday came and went with a trip to my latest Supply League game. It was a good performance by all three teams and a really enjoyable game. This was closely followed by another coaching trip to watch a relatively new referee on Sunday morning, followed by my first assessment in the FA Women's Premier League. In rushing about between games I may have triggered another speed trap ... two in four days!!!
The FAWPL games are still assessed on Supply league standards, but without the provision of a written report for the assistants. The report is finished but needs proof reading before I send it off.
Finally last night I completed another Supply League assessment and that will be typed up tonight (Tuesday) before I take a rest for the remainder of the week. At the weekend I have two promotion candidates to assess then two more Supply League assessments on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. No rest for the wicked!
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Well that went well ...
As the Sunday League season opened this morning I thought I'd take a trip out to ensure that all the games had taken place.
With something like 23-24 games scheduled, I would have thought it unusual if something hadn't gone wrong. Fortunately it was restricted to one team who hadn't checked their fixture list and turned up at their new ground, instead of the ground I assigned to their game. The situation was resolved quickly and the game took place.
Meanwhile I made my way to James' game where I ran the line for him for about 10 minutes which was good fun apart from the trip that saw me sprawling along the touchline and getting grass stains on the knees of my jeans.
On arriving back home, the first of the online match reports were coming in and I updated the stats provided to show appearances, substitutes and goal scorers. I then fielded a few calls about how to complete the form before completing my assessments from yesterday.
It was a competent display from all three officials in a quietish game and I hope they find my reports useful. The last piece of football related work for the weekend was to confirm my availability for assessing during October. I already have another 8 lined up for September. I'm as busy as I was when I was actually refereeing!
With something like 23-24 games scheduled, I would have thought it unusual if something hadn't gone wrong. Fortunately it was restricted to one team who hadn't checked their fixture list and turned up at their new ground, instead of the ground I assigned to their game. The situation was resolved quickly and the game took place.
Meanwhile I made my way to James' game where I ran the line for him for about 10 minutes which was good fun apart from the trip that saw me sprawling along the touchline and getting grass stains on the knees of my jeans.
On arriving back home, the first of the online match reports were coming in and I updated the stats provided to show appearances, substitutes and goal scorers. I then fielded a few calls about how to complete the form before completing my assessments from yesterday.
It was a competent display from all three officials in a quietish game and I hope they find my reports useful. The last piece of football related work for the weekend was to confirm my availability for assessing during October. I already have another 8 lined up for September. I'm as busy as I was when I was actually refereeing!
Friday, 3 September 2010
Short Notice
On my way back from a National Meeting in Leicester I decided to check my e-mails on my phone while Craig did all the driving.
I found that I had my appointments for the two other Supply Leagues on which I assess. I scrolled down noting that I had games on the two free Saturdays I had available and these were both in the West Yorkshire League. I scrolled further and to my horror I found I had been allocated a game that evening in Bradford on the Lancashire League.
A quick cry of "Home Craig ... and don't spare the horse power!" saw him drive a little faster than 65mph and I got home in time for a quick tidy up, change into my suit, grab my notebook and off I went. I followed my satnav's guidance taking the M62 only to find I was stuck in a massive traffic jam caused by a whole swathe of broken down vehicles as cars had overheated in the road works. I phoned the referee to introduce myself and let him know that I was delayed.
The traffic cleared and I got to the ground 40 minutes before kick off. I met the officials, grabbed a coffee and then bumped into a local senior referee. It turned out that his son was the late replacement assistant and was borrowing his dad's kit for the night. Well he did a good job with some good strengths and development areas. I also had some for the referee and senior assistant as well, following the game which saw a couple of the away team sent off.
A late night trip back home and I collapsed into bed after making a few minor adjustments to the forthcoming fixtures for the Sunday League where I now have the role of Fixture Secretary. We kick off on Sunday!!!
I found that I had my appointments for the two other Supply Leagues on which I assess. I scrolled down noting that I had games on the two free Saturdays I had available and these were both in the West Yorkshire League. I scrolled further and to my horror I found I had been allocated a game that evening in Bradford on the Lancashire League.
A quick cry of "Home Craig ... and don't spare the horse power!" saw him drive a little faster than 65mph and I got home in time for a quick tidy up, change into my suit, grab my notebook and off I went. I followed my satnav's guidance taking the M62 only to find I was stuck in a massive traffic jam caused by a whole swathe of broken down vehicles as cars had overheated in the road works. I phoned the referee to introduce myself and let him know that I was delayed.
The traffic cleared and I got to the ground 40 minutes before kick off. I met the officials, grabbed a coffee and then bumped into a local senior referee. It turned out that his son was the late replacement assistant and was borrowing his dad's kit for the night. Well he did a good job with some good strengths and development areas. I also had some for the referee and senior assistant as well, following the game which saw a couple of the away team sent off.
A late night trip back home and I collapsed into bed after making a few minor adjustments to the forthcoming fixtures for the Sunday League where I now have the role of Fixture Secretary. We kick off on Sunday!!!
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Saturday, 21 August 2010
(Another) Busy Week
The second day of the Basic Course for Referees passed relatively quietly and we had 26 new trainees (level 9) at the end of the course. I made my way home and was then swamped with presents and cards for my birthday, with a couple of my older children calling in to see me.
Monday night saw me working away on my reports from Saturday's game as well as celebrating my 6th wedding anniversary. The reports were relatively easy to write and it was a reasonably early night.
Tuesday was d-day for the committee of my local Sunday League. We've been using The FA's Full Time service to record fixtures, results and suspensions for 2 seasons now and we wanted to make more use of the other services. This includes recording match facts such as appearances and goals scored as well as the comprehensive fixtures scheduling service.
With all the known constraints, such as fields being used for cricket, loaded in, I ran the fixtures and showed them to the committee. They liked the system and decided to run with it on a permanent basis. So my role as Match Day Administrator has been expanded to include the management of fixtures. It's not too daunting and I've made some good progress already.
Wednesday saw me travel to the Horsfall Stadium to watch a fellow member of my local RA in action. It was an interesting game and the report took me some time to complete on Thursday as I sought out some strengths and development areas.
That brought me through to Friday where I decided to put my feet up, have a long cool drink and prepare myself for my assessing on Saturday. The whole crew are from my local RA and the referee is the person for whom I carried out my first Supply League assessment back in January. I'm looking forward to seeing how much progress he has made. It will be good to catch up with James P and Chris H as well.
I'm closing by wishing Andy Madley well. He's doing his first Premier League game today at The Emirates for the game between Arsenal and Blackpool. It's funny to think I was running the line for him just 16 months ago at the District FA Sunday Cup Final. Good luck matey!
Monday night saw me working away on my reports from Saturday's game as well as celebrating my 6th wedding anniversary. The reports were relatively easy to write and it was a reasonably early night.
Tuesday was d-day for the committee of my local Sunday League. We've been using The FA's Full Time service to record fixtures, results and suspensions for 2 seasons now and we wanted to make more use of the other services. This includes recording match facts such as appearances and goals scored as well as the comprehensive fixtures scheduling service.
With all the known constraints, such as fields being used for cricket, loaded in, I ran the fixtures and showed them to the committee. They liked the system and decided to run with it on a permanent basis. So my role as Match Day Administrator has been expanded to include the management of fixtures. It's not too daunting and I've made some good progress already.
Wednesday saw me travel to the Horsfall Stadium to watch a fellow member of my local RA in action. It was an interesting game and the report took me some time to complete on Thursday as I sought out some strengths and development areas.
That brought me through to Friday where I decided to put my feet up, have a long cool drink and prepare myself for my assessing on Saturday. The whole crew are from my local RA and the referee is the person for whom I carried out my first Supply League assessment back in January. I'm looking forward to seeing how much progress he has made. It will be good to catch up with James P and Chris H as well.
I'm closing by wishing Andy Madley well. He's doing his first Premier League game today at The Emirates for the game between Arsenal and Blackpool. It's funny to think I was running the line for him just 16 months ago at the District FA Sunday Cup Final. Good luck matey!
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Busy week
Sunday - instructing on a Basic Course for New Referees. Gavin and Umar on their first courses and me as Course Leader could have been a recipe for disaster but we worked through all of our sessions and finished within 30 seconds of our planned end of day - good job by all!
Monday - back to the County FA HQ for the inaugural RA/FA Development Evening. We had 4 good sessions ranging from James Doyle on Disability in Football, to Andy Madley on Offsides, Ken Haycock on Recognising Challenges and finishing with Bobby Madley talking about his career from refereeing on the Wakefield League to his current level refereeing on the Football League. He did his first Football League middle last Saturday at Bury vs Port Vale. All were very good and it was a late one by the time the post talk chatter had died away.
Tuesday - back out with my notepad and pen assessing another referee in the Northern Counties East League. This time it was a game in the President's Cup. The home team lost 3-1 despite going ahead in the 13th minute and the referee only issued one caution. I had a few points for all three officials and again it was another late night getting home.
One of the worst aspects of being an assessor is the mental gymnastics you go through after a game when you have delivered the de-brief but not yet written the report. You try to unwind but until the report is written and sent, you can't let the game go. It didn't help that I was feeling run down, a fact borne out by the appearance of not one, but three cold sores on my lip.
This left me unable/unwilling to go out training on Thursday having typed up the referee and assistant reports on Wednesday night. This came on top of the final (hopefully) resolution of a work issue, with a virus/worm disrupting the work at one of the sites I support for the last 4 months. In addition, my young son has not been well and exhibiting signs of anxiety, probably from being out of his usual routine and also my father in law suffering a detached retina last weekend. THIS HAS BEEN A TOUGH WEEK!!!
So it was a pleasure to go watch an experienced official today together with young Henry Naylor making his debut on the North East Counties. I took Fat Lad along as my guest. It was a challenging game with the home team running out 2-1 winners. To the amusement of all the players, a wayward shot managed to find me standing at the perimeter fence. I couldn't get out of the way without looking undignified, so I stuck out an elbow and watched the fierce shot ricochet off. The referee was in stitches and even went as far as congratulating the player who took the shot.
Fat Lad and I were helpless with laughter and it typified the day as we really enjoyed the game and the performance of the referee. Tomorrow sees me celebrate my 47th birthday and lead the 2nd half of the new referees course mentioned at the top of this post. I'm looking forward to it!
Monday - back to the County FA HQ for the inaugural RA/FA Development Evening. We had 4 good sessions ranging from James Doyle on Disability in Football, to Andy Madley on Offsides, Ken Haycock on Recognising Challenges and finishing with Bobby Madley talking about his career from refereeing on the Wakefield League to his current level refereeing on the Football League. He did his first Football League middle last Saturday at Bury vs Port Vale. All were very good and it was a late one by the time the post talk chatter had died away.
Tuesday - back out with my notepad and pen assessing another referee in the Northern Counties East League. This time it was a game in the President's Cup. The home team lost 3-1 despite going ahead in the 13th minute and the referee only issued one caution. I had a few points for all three officials and again it was another late night getting home.
One of the worst aspects of being an assessor is the mental gymnastics you go through after a game when you have delivered the de-brief but not yet written the report. You try to unwind but until the report is written and sent, you can't let the game go. It didn't help that I was feeling run down, a fact borne out by the appearance of not one, but three cold sores on my lip.
This left me unable/unwilling to go out training on Thursday having typed up the referee and assistant reports on Wednesday night. This came on top of the final (hopefully) resolution of a work issue, with a virus/worm disrupting the work at one of the sites I support for the last 4 months. In addition, my young son has not been well and exhibiting signs of anxiety, probably from being out of his usual routine and also my father in law suffering a detached retina last weekend. THIS HAS BEEN A TOUGH WEEK!!!
So it was a pleasure to go watch an experienced official today together with young Henry Naylor making his debut on the North East Counties. I took Fat Lad along as my guest. It was a challenging game with the home team running out 2-1 winners. To the amusement of all the players, a wayward shot managed to find me standing at the perimeter fence. I couldn't get out of the way without looking undignified, so I stuck out an elbow and watched the fierce shot ricochet off. The referee was in stitches and even went as far as congratulating the player who took the shot.
Fat Lad and I were helpless with laughter and it typified the day as we really enjoyed the game and the performance of the referee. Tomorrow sees me celebrate my 47th birthday and lead the 2nd half of the new referees course mentioned at the top of this post. I'm looking forward to it!
Saturday, 7 August 2010
1st one
I enjoyed my trip out today carrying out my first Supply League assessment of the season.
It was closely contested game settled by a single goal and the referee was kept quite busy. Meanwhile my beloved Leeds United went down 2-1 on their return to the Championship (old Division 2).
The last time we lost on the opening day of the season, we went on to win promotion. I can't see lightning striking twice unfortunately. Now it's time for a reasonably early night as I'm leading a Basic Course for New Referees at the County HQ tomorrow.
I've had one of the instructors on the phone twice late at night this week as he checks his understanding of what's required. I am impressed by his preparation and hope we have a smooth passage over the next two Sundays ...
It was closely contested game settled by a single goal and the referee was kept quite busy. Meanwhile my beloved Leeds United went down 2-1 on their return to the Championship (old Division 2).
The last time we lost on the opening day of the season, we went on to win promotion. I can't see lightning striking twice unfortunately. Now it's time for a reasonably early night as I'm leading a Basic Course for New Referees at the County HQ tomorrow.
I've had one of the instructors on the phone twice late at night this week as he checks his understanding of what's required. I am impressed by his preparation and hope we have a smooth passage over the next two Sundays ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)