Saturday, 10 August 2013
Look at a football field ...
Look at a football field. It looks like a big movie screen. This is theatre. Football combines the strategy of chess. It's part ballet. It's part battleground, part playground. We clarify, amplify and glorify the game with our footage, the narration and that music, and in the end create an inspirational piece of footage.
Sunday, 7 July 2013
My eyes were tired, my legs were tired and my patience was tired
My eyes were tired, my legs were tired and my patience was
tired, but more of that later. After two afternoons of refereeing in a local
junior football tournament I feel I'm reasonably well placed to judge whether
The FA's Respect Programme is having any effect at the lowest level of the
game.
I need to go back a few years to when I started refereeing
to give the rest of this post some context. My son's age group were moving from
2 teams of 7 a side to 1 team of 11 a side. The league at the time required all
clubs to have a qualified referee, so me and another dad were packed off to a
working men's club in a nearby village for a few weeks, asked some questions
and completed an exam paper. We were then pushed out into the world of junior
football without any form of support. The other dad lasted a handful of seasons
while I progressed into open age football after a few years before broadening
my scope into assessing and tutoring. I'm still here after 13 years and knees
willing, I'll still be here in another 13 years.
In those early days, refereeing U11 football with a couple
of dozen whirling Dervishes on the touchline was an education. I learnt that
giving a free kick against the star striker for pushing, then disallowing his
goal usually resulted in a long stream of verbal abuse, sometimes containing
what we euphemistically call in refereeing "offensive" language.
Those are the words that begin with f and go on from there. I also learnt that
the concepts within Law 11 (Offside) were something very few people outside of
refereeing could get to grips with. Most of what I learnt was that to many on
the touchline, the games their children were involved in were the highlight of
an often dreary week and woe betide any referee who was going to spoil their
enjoyment, even if this did mean sending off their child for punching an
opponent.
The players themselves were generally well behaved. The
times when I had to sanction a player's actions with more than a free kick were
few and far between. I only wish the same could be said of the coaches and
parents. The Respect programme was introduced in 2008 and was intended to
tackle the types of issues referees faced when working alone at the bottom of
the game and also in the professional game. It was correctly recognised that
the influence exerted by the coaches and parents far outstripped the influence
the referee could exert in those 80 minute periods each Saturday or Sunday.
The programme introduced barriers to keep spectators away
from encroaching on to the field of play and to separate parents from coaches.
It introduced a series of viral videos and web pages which demonstrated the
impact of parents and coaches on the game but more importantly the younger
players. So how has it worked?
Well I spent last season easing myself back into junior
football with a local league and generally the behaviour was of a good
standard, with a small number of exceptions. Over the weekend I was refereeing
games back to back for an average of 4 1/2 hours on each day (Saturday and
Sunday). On the first day I only had to speak to one player about his behaviour
regarding decisions, spoke to two coaches, one about his own behaviour and
another seeking assistance managing a parent. After this last incident I had
three other parents thanking me for my actions in dealing with the individual.
As for the player, he apologised at the end of the game and when I saw him
later in the tournament, he was all smiles and happy to listen.
On the second day, working with older age groups, the
incidents involving player behaviour increased slightly, but the most
refreshing thing was the coach dealt with the player immediately. I had no
issues with the coaches who were extremely helpful with one in particular
dealing with three separate incidents across two games. As for the parents
themselves, they were in the main very good in terms of their support for their
players, however much of their advice was misplaced and often in contradiction
with the instructions of the coaches.
What was noticeable on both days of this tournament in every
game where I refereed a team for the first time, teams tested my tolerance
levels. This might have been on the strength of a tackle or the position from
which a throw in was taken, but little tests were thrown up in the first minute
of every game. It certainly kept me alert!
Taking into account the experience gained over the last 13
years, working in junior football, open age football and also working with some
excellent colleagues, I have to say that things have changed, but maybe I have
changed more. Maybe I have more tools with which to manage situations? So I
have to consider the impact on other referees. I observed a handful of games
while I was awaiting my new assignments in the latter stages of both days. I
saw some great interaction between referee, players and coaches which bodes
well for the future.
One thing that I did notice was the willingness of the
players to have a laugh and a joke with me, even when things weren't going well
for their team. Across teams as well, if something unusual happened in the game
such as a strange bounce leaving two opponents looking around for the ball
which was behind them, everyone found it funny, even those involved. They
weren't embarrassed or annoyed that people were laughing, they were laughing
along with them.
So has Respect made a difference? I believe it has had a
positive effect. It seems to have put the smile back on the face of football,
certainly at junior level. I just hope that continues as these players move
through the age groups.
Friday, 5 April 2013
Identifying Persistent Infringement - on and off the field
It’s the day after a public holiday and the office is just starting to switch into “second coffee of the day” level of productivity, you’re running through your to-do list and the phone rings. As you look up, you see that the desk near the door is empty and ...
Monday, 11 March 2013
7 days to go
I got a surprising and very nice email a few weeks ago.
It invited me to referee the U12 semi final of the County FA's Junior Shield competition. Of course I didn't hesitate for a second and accepted the honour appointment in a heartbeat.The game is taking place at the County HQ and is on the field that England used to train on, when they were playing games in the north of England, before St George's Park was built.
I've refereed on the field before, for a trials game between player hoping to make it to the County representative side. I was a lot lighter and fitter then BUT the pace took every ounce of strength out of me and I only did the last 60 minutes.
So this time next week, I will have showered and be enjoying a quiet drink with my assistants reflecting on a job well done after we have looked after a great game of football. Can't wait!
It invited me to referee the U12 semi final of the County FA's Junior Shield competition. Of course I didn't hesitate for a second and accepted the honour appointment in a heartbeat.The game is taking place at the County HQ and is on the field that England used to train on, when they were playing games in the north of England, before St George's Park was built.
I've refereed on the field before, for a trials game between player hoping to make it to the County representative side. I was a lot lighter and fitter then BUT the pace took every ounce of strength out of me and I only did the last 60 minutes.
So this time next week, I will have showered and be enjoying a quiet drink with my assistants reflecting on a job well done after we have looked after a great game of football. Can't wait!
That time of year again
Just a little something for those who don't normally work with neutral assistants. If you click here, you'll find an old blog post from 12 months ago which will help with your pre-match instructions to your assistants.
Monday, 28 January 2013
Go the full distance
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!).
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!).
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Fact of Life - only change is permanent
The inimitable UK weather and the holiday period has put paid to quite a few of my appointments over the last few weeks to the extent that I have only been out on three assessments since my last blog post over six weeks ago.
There has also been something else keeping me away from the keyboard and that has been the day job or to be more accurate, the secondment that was supposed to turn into the new day job. If working in medium to large companies over the last 31 years has taught me anything it is that change is the only thing that is permanent. In today's business world, the pace of change, often driven by technological advance, moves forward in hops, steps and jumps.
On previous occasions, I have been lucky enough to be riding along on the crest of a wave of change which has accompanied one of these hops, steps or jumps. On this occasion however I have been one of the those swept away by the wave and my department's work had been reduced so significantly in volume that it was no longer viable. Other events were in play as well, which meant that an opportunity arose where I could move roles before the wave broke.
Even as my old department entered the dreaded consultation phase of the redundancy process, I was working longer hours to support a new team, helping them prioritise their work, improve their processes and develop as individuals. I gave it a good shot (3 months), however me and the job weren't a good match, so that when I was actually interviewed formally for the role, another candidate's experience, skills and knowledge meant they performed at a better standard than me.
So on Thursday of this week, I was advised that I had been unsuccessful meaning my notice period would begin at the end of the month and I would leave the company in mid March. Now for some this would have meant blind panic, but I was in a similar position 13 years ago at this time of year and again 7 years ago, so I knew what I needed to do.
I had the choice of looking for something within the company (little opportunity without having to move a long distance away from where I live), looking for something in the same industry or same role (extremely limited and again, nothing within travelling distance, so a need would be needed) or go for something that would offer some new opportunities.
I've gone for option 3 and based on my 5 years experience of tutoring on behalf of The FA and my experience in training to deliver technical training for Barclays over 20 years ago, I am going to explore the opportunity for employment in the learning and development sector. Having asked for and been given some advice by a friend already working in that industry I'm going to put the redundancy payment and the spare time of my "gardening leave" to good use to obtain a formal qualification. So football might have to take a back seat for a little while longer. That said, I've seen enough incidents in the last 6 weeks to provide data for a few blog posts, so hopefully, I'll not be away as long again.
There has also been something else keeping me away from the keyboard and that has been the day job or to be more accurate, the secondment that was supposed to turn into the new day job. If working in medium to large companies over the last 31 years has taught me anything it is that change is the only thing that is permanent. In today's business world, the pace of change, often driven by technological advance, moves forward in hops, steps and jumps.
On previous occasions, I have been lucky enough to be riding along on the crest of a wave of change which has accompanied one of these hops, steps or jumps. On this occasion however I have been one of the those swept away by the wave and my department's work had been reduced so significantly in volume that it was no longer viable. Other events were in play as well, which meant that an opportunity arose where I could move roles before the wave broke.
Even as my old department entered the dreaded consultation phase of the redundancy process, I was working longer hours to support a new team, helping them prioritise their work, improve their processes and develop as individuals. I gave it a good shot (3 months), however me and the job weren't a good match, so that when I was actually interviewed formally for the role, another candidate's experience, skills and knowledge meant they performed at a better standard than me.
So on Thursday of this week, I was advised that I had been unsuccessful meaning my notice period would begin at the end of the month and I would leave the company in mid March. Now for some this would have meant blind panic, but I was in a similar position 13 years ago at this time of year and again 7 years ago, so I knew what I needed to do.
I had the choice of looking for something within the company (little opportunity without having to move a long distance away from where I live), looking for something in the same industry or same role (extremely limited and again, nothing within travelling distance, so a need would be needed) or go for something that would offer some new opportunities.
I've gone for option 3 and based on my 5 years experience of tutoring on behalf of The FA and my experience in training to deliver technical training for Barclays over 20 years ago, I am going to explore the opportunity for employment in the learning and development sector. Having asked for and been given some advice by a friend already working in that industry I'm going to put the redundancy payment and the spare time of my "gardening leave" to good use to obtain a formal qualification. So football might have to take a back seat for a little while longer. That said, I've seen enough incidents in the last 6 weeks to provide data for a few blog posts, so hopefully, I'll not be away as long again.
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Sometimes, just sometimes, you get this feeling
As the last two posts indicated it's been a long week and it was good to finish it off by completing the latest Basic Course for New Referees with 24 successful candidates.
We originally started with 27 but lost one before the first session and lost two between week one and two. Today's session included an exercise on misconduct offering candidates the chance to practice dealing with situations where players are cautioned, receive a second caution in the same game and also situations where they dismiss for a single offence.
To wrap this session up we simulate a mass confrontation to see how a candidate deals with it and we pull out the learning points. Today we set up the scenario with some "spectators", some "runners" and around 20 "players". Now normally we find that the candidates flounder a little, which is no surprise considering everything that is going on.
Today's volunteer (victim?) was without doubt one of the best I have seen in over 4 years of being involved in Basic Courses. He followed a simple procedure of adopting a good position to observe what was happening, blowing his whistle repeatedly to try establish control, isolating offenders (even enlisting the help of the team captains), sending off those guilty of the relevant offences and then "reading the riot act" to the captains.
And that's when I got that feeling that he might just be a special candidate. So hopefully, he'll take to refereeing, will enjoy it and also demonstrate those skills in his games over the next few years. With dedication, commitment, hard work and a little luck who's to say he won't be on the Football League Show or Match of the day within the next 10 years?
We originally started with 27 but lost one before the first session and lost two between week one and two. Today's session included an exercise on misconduct offering candidates the chance to practice dealing with situations where players are cautioned, receive a second caution in the same game and also situations where they dismiss for a single offence.
To wrap this session up we simulate a mass confrontation to see how a candidate deals with it and we pull out the learning points. Today we set up the scenario with some "spectators", some "runners" and around 20 "players". Now normally we find that the candidates flounder a little, which is no surprise considering everything that is going on.
Today's volunteer (victim?) was without doubt one of the best I have seen in over 4 years of being involved in Basic Courses. He followed a simple procedure of adopting a good position to observe what was happening, blowing his whistle repeatedly to try establish control, isolating offenders (even enlisting the help of the team captains), sending off those guilty of the relevant offences and then "reading the riot act" to the captains.
And that's when I got that feeling that he might just be a special candidate. So hopefully, he'll take to refereeing, will enjoy it and also demonstrate those skills in his games over the next few years. With dedication, commitment, hard work and a little luck who's to say he won't be on the Football League Show or Match of the day within the next 10 years?
Saturday, 8 December 2012
It's been the longest week (Part Two)
To follow up on the other post about the last week, there's been some other things happening which I wanted to mention.
One story as been unavoidable and that was the shocking news from The Netherlands where an Assistant Referee, Richard Nieuwenhuizen, was attacked by players after an U16 game. After the attack he collapsed and despite being treated in hospital, died the next day. What made this all the more tragic was that his son was playing in the game and may have witnessed the attack. All amateur football in The Netherlands has been suspended this week as a mark of respect and there is a campaign on Twitter to mark this weekend as #RespectforRichard weekend.
On a lighter note, one of the oldest questions was answered as scientists conducted experiments to see how tall they could build a Lego tower. My son is a big fan of Lego and our house is full of mini-figures, which are his chosen reward when he achieves something special at school. It seems that if the bricks could be perfectly aligned and the wind dropped to zero, the tower would go as high as 2.17 miles before the bottom brick would fail!
As regular readers may know I have two other passions in my life apart from football, one of which is Star Wars and the other is music. This week I found that an American man intends to build a full size (but unfortunately non-operational) Millennium Falcon. Sensibly he seems it a means to help local people develop their skills, as well as a fantasy made real. Great project!
From the world of music I bring news of a useful piece of spam mail. When buying tickets online for concerts I often find that I receive "promotional" items detailing forthcoming events and the majority of these don't interest me. The one that arrived on Wednesday advised of yet another pre-sale (oh great) at an event many months away (no surprise) in London (well there's nothing new) involving Bruce Springsteen (whoaaaa!). Yes The Boss is playing three dates in the UK and I've not seen him before so I took advantage of the pre-sale and with a booking made at a Travelodge in Central London, there's no need to rush home afterwards.
The last thing from this week was the arrival of a software instructor at work who was delivering training in a new programme. As the training was progressing I could see his eyes frequently drifting over my shoulder to the filing cabinet behind and I couldn't figure out why. When I turned around to see what he was looking at, he asked the question, "Are you a referee?" (he'd spotted my FA mug which I bought using my FAMOA points a few seasons ago).
It seems he was also a qualified official but for the USSF in Chicago back in 2009. He gave up as he wanted to go back to playing but was more than likely to renew his licence as he had suffered a knee injury which might need some surgery. His 23 year old daughter was also a referee and I believe she still officiates. What a small world ...
And in late news, my replacement game has just been called off so this is the time for some Christmas shopping!
One story as been unavoidable and that was the shocking news from The Netherlands where an Assistant Referee, Richard Nieuwenhuizen, was attacked by players after an U16 game. After the attack he collapsed and despite being treated in hospital, died the next day. What made this all the more tragic was that his son was playing in the game and may have witnessed the attack. All amateur football in The Netherlands has been suspended this week as a mark of respect and there is a campaign on Twitter to mark this weekend as #RespectforRichard weekend.
On a lighter note, one of the oldest questions was answered as scientists conducted experiments to see how tall they could build a Lego tower. My son is a big fan of Lego and our house is full of mini-figures, which are his chosen reward when he achieves something special at school. It seems that if the bricks could be perfectly aligned and the wind dropped to zero, the tower would go as high as 2.17 miles before the bottom brick would fail!
As regular readers may know I have two other passions in my life apart from football, one of which is Star Wars and the other is music. This week I found that an American man intends to build a full size (but unfortunately non-operational) Millennium Falcon. Sensibly he seems it a means to help local people develop their skills, as well as a fantasy made real. Great project!
From the world of music I bring news of a useful piece of spam mail. When buying tickets online for concerts I often find that I receive "promotional" items detailing forthcoming events and the majority of these don't interest me. The one that arrived on Wednesday advised of yet another pre-sale (oh great) at an event many months away (no surprise) in London (well there's nothing new) involving Bruce Springsteen (whoaaaa!). Yes The Boss is playing three dates in the UK and I've not seen him before so I took advantage of the pre-sale and with a booking made at a Travelodge in Central London, there's no need to rush home afterwards.
The last thing from this week was the arrival of a software instructor at work who was delivering training in a new programme. As the training was progressing I could see his eyes frequently drifting over my shoulder to the filing cabinet behind and I couldn't figure out why. When I turned around to see what he was looking at, he asked the question, "Are you a referee?" (he'd spotted my FA mug which I bought using my FAMOA points a few seasons ago).
It seems he was also a qualified official but for the USSF in Chicago back in 2009. He gave up as he wanted to go back to playing but was more than likely to renew his licence as he had suffered a knee injury which might need some surgery. His 23 year old daughter was also a referee and I believe she still officiates. What a small world ...
And in late news, my replacement game has just been called off so this is the time for some Christmas shopping!
It's been the longest week
If a week can be a long time in politics it can be even longer in football during the winter months. Teams at and around my level of football have games postponed and the old saying that the devil finds work for idle hands springs to mind. For some this can mean tinkering with their team, others it means tinkering with the management and even for referees, the lack of games can result in them getting involved in discussions they should leave well alone.
Fortunately for me it has been an extremely busy week with more in prospect. Last Saturday I travelled to Doncaster for a Supply League assessment and watched an exciting game between two teams at opposite ends of the league. The result went the way of the visitors who consolidated their position as 2nd in the League, while the home team were left to reflect on another afternoon's honest endeavour with little to show for it.
Sunday was the opening day of the latest Basic Course for New Referees at West Riding County FA. 26 new candidates aged 14-62 braved some bitterly cold temperatures to go through their paces in a range of practical exercises we have put together to help them prepare for their first games as qualified referees. Training for new referees has much improved since I did my course back in 2000 in a working men's club over a period of weeks. Now the candidates get a training pack before the course to help them study the laws and we develop their practical application of the laws. We usually have a lot more fun, but the temperatures last week took the edge off. Hopefully the second day (tomorrow) will be a little more hospitable!
When I got back from the course, my daughter who was expecting her first child, appeared to be in some discomfort so her mum took her to the hospital and a few hours later I became a grandad. I didn't expect to feel any different but my little grandson has made me a little more resolute to face the challenges the world throws my way and I certainly have had a few of those this week at work!
Monday/Tuesday evening found me hunched over the keyboard typing up the assessments from the game on Saturday. Referees often ask me what I am looking for when I come to assess them. The answer is always the same - get the big things right, get the little things right, apply the mandatory sanctions and the rest is just a matter of opinion. One of the worst things a referee can do is to think everything will be OK if he doesn't take the action necessary but everyone expects it. Last Saturday's referee didn't shirk his responsibilities but missed out on a few things which needed looking at.
Wednesday/Thursday meant time to get on with preparing the assessment papers for the new referees course. Although the practical running around and indoor sessions are fun, if the paperwork doesn't get done, then just as in their later career, their efforts will have been for nothing. So 26 assessment papers prepared and the marks earned from the practical exercises have been documented as well as those from our in-course tests. The marks are good, so we could have a good retention rate on these new referees as they seem keen.
Friday was time for feet up but not before I had to adjust my plans for today. The ground I was supposed to visit today for another Supply League assessment was vandalised a few weeks ago and the pipes which fed the showers were stolen. Despite the best efforts of the club the repairs haven't been completed in time.
With the weather being so cold, I already knew there was a possibility that the field would be unfit at my original game, so I had offered to go on standby for another game, but that has been frozen off now. So my trip along the A63 was cancelled last night in favour of one up the A61, but that has fallen victim to the weather as well. It would have been a very sad visit anyway as it came so soon after the death of the club's president. Bill was always very welcoming when I visited the club. Rest in peace Bill Ellis.
Fortunately for me it has been an extremely busy week with more in prospect. Last Saturday I travelled to Doncaster for a Supply League assessment and watched an exciting game between two teams at opposite ends of the league. The result went the way of the visitors who consolidated their position as 2nd in the League, while the home team were left to reflect on another afternoon's honest endeavour with little to show for it.
Sunday was the opening day of the latest Basic Course for New Referees at West Riding County FA. 26 new candidates aged 14-62 braved some bitterly cold temperatures to go through their paces in a range of practical exercises we have put together to help them prepare for their first games as qualified referees. Training for new referees has much improved since I did my course back in 2000 in a working men's club over a period of weeks. Now the candidates get a training pack before the course to help them study the laws and we develop their practical application of the laws. We usually have a lot more fun, but the temperatures last week took the edge off. Hopefully the second day (tomorrow) will be a little more hospitable!
When I got back from the course, my daughter who was expecting her first child, appeared to be in some discomfort so her mum took her to the hospital and a few hours later I became a grandad. I didn't expect to feel any different but my little grandson has made me a little more resolute to face the challenges the world throws my way and I certainly have had a few of those this week at work!
Monday/Tuesday evening found me hunched over the keyboard typing up the assessments from the game on Saturday. Referees often ask me what I am looking for when I come to assess them. The answer is always the same - get the big things right, get the little things right, apply the mandatory sanctions and the rest is just a matter of opinion. One of the worst things a referee can do is to think everything will be OK if he doesn't take the action necessary but everyone expects it. Last Saturday's referee didn't shirk his responsibilities but missed out on a few things which needed looking at.
Wednesday/Thursday meant time to get on with preparing the assessment papers for the new referees course. Although the practical running around and indoor sessions are fun, if the paperwork doesn't get done, then just as in their later career, their efforts will have been for nothing. So 26 assessment papers prepared and the marks earned from the practical exercises have been documented as well as those from our in-course tests. The marks are good, so we could have a good retention rate on these new referees as they seem keen.
Friday was time for feet up but not before I had to adjust my plans for today. The ground I was supposed to visit today for another Supply League assessment was vandalised a few weeks ago and the pipes which fed the showers were stolen. Despite the best efforts of the club the repairs haven't been completed in time.
With the weather being so cold, I already knew there was a possibility that the field would be unfit at my original game, so I had offered to go on standby for another game, but that has been frozen off now. So my trip along the A63 was cancelled last night in favour of one up the A61, but that has fallen victim to the weather as well. It would have been a very sad visit anyway as it came so soon after the death of the club's president. Bill was always very welcoming when I visited the club. Rest in peace Bill Ellis.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Sub ref please?
The blog took a few weeks off after a busy few weekends saw some games which came under the scrutiny of the County FA.
I was back in action with a Sunday League game after the original plan of assessing a promotion candidate fell by the wayside when he was rostered to work this weekend. The original referee for the game I did, had closed the weekend and the appointments secretary asked me to look after it. The only problem was that he had already made arrangements for another referee to cover it. I offered to go home but the other referee insisted I stay and within 15 minutes I needed a substitute as my calf gave way after yet another trudge through a muddy patch (14, 472nd this season).
I managed to keep going until the end of the game but not before having to deal with a few incidents, which again will be looked after by the County FA. As for me, my calf is sore and I'll be out until at least Christmas but I have two Sundays booked out for a new referee course in Leeds over December 2 and 9.
Hope everyone's season is shaping up nicely, challenging games are being received and effectively managed. If things aren't going well for you, why is that? Is it fitness, positioning, decision making or just plain old failure to apply law correctly (and as expected)?
I was back in action with a Sunday League game after the original plan of assessing a promotion candidate fell by the wayside when he was rostered to work this weekend. The original referee for the game I did, had closed the weekend and the appointments secretary asked me to look after it. The only problem was that he had already made arrangements for another referee to cover it. I offered to go home but the other referee insisted I stay and within 15 minutes I needed a substitute as my calf gave way after yet another trudge through a muddy patch (14, 472nd this season).
I managed to keep going until the end of the game but not before having to deal with a few incidents, which again will be looked after by the County FA. As for me, my calf is sore and I'll be out until at least Christmas but I have two Sundays booked out for a new referee course in Leeds over December 2 and 9.
Hope everyone's season is shaping up nicely, challenging games are being received and effectively managed. If things aren't going well for you, why is that? Is it fitness, positioning, decision making or just plain old failure to apply law correctly (and as expected)?
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 ...
Please correct your equipment!
In a game I had two incidents where player equipment caused an issue for me and for the players involved. I have, since my earliest assessments for promotion, always been pretty keen on checking player equipment. I still have the stud which had snapped off a players boot in the warm-up and he handed to me when I made him change his footwear. As I always say to the player involved who has a stud missing, I wouldn't let you drive a car with a wheel missing, so why should I let you play in a game, with a stud missing.
The equipment check also gives me time to break the ice with players, pick out those who might cause me a problem and have a joke at the expense of one player, usually a centre half or a goalkeeper. The law change regarding the colour of the tape on player socks has meant I need more time because there is always at least one player who thinks it doesn't apply to him.
At this morning's game I got the inspection completed early as we needed to mark Remembrance Sunday. I noted 4-5 players with non-matching tape and asked them to correct their equipment. I also picked up one player wearing a rubber bracelet which also came off. The game kicked off after the 2 minute silence and after 5 minutes, the home team took the lead. About 10 minutes later I spotted that one of the players hadn't removed his red tape from his purple socks so at the next opportunity I told him to go correct his equipment off the field and (IMPORTANTLY) I said don't come back on until I tell you.
I'm sure any readers who have refereed football for a little while will know what happened next. The game restarted, the ball went out for a goal kick, I turned around to signal the player back on to the field to see him running past me out of defence. So I stopped the game, called him and his captain over, explained the situation and cautioned the offender for re-entering the field of play without permission.
He complained loudly so I asked his captain to quieten him down but that was nothing compared to the loud comments originating from a spectator (turned out it was the player's dad who would probably end up paying the administration fee). As things turned out these protests were minimal in comparison to the outburst that followed the next equipment incident.
Shortly after the start of the second half I noted the player who I had asked remove his rubber band. It seems in hindsight that this might have been a diversion from the wedding ring he hadn't removed but covered with red tape. I asked him to remove it and he refused saying it didn't come off. I explained to him, to his captain and his manager that he had to remove it and none of them would accept I was correct. The next thing that happened was one of his team mates called me "A joke" so he was cautioned. Eventually, the player confirmed he couldn't/wouldn't remove the wedding ring, so I told him he couldn't continue to take part in the game.
His manager challenged my decision telling me that a wedding ring was different. I explained that the County FA (and The FA) have said (since October 2008) that wedding rings must not be taped but removed. Obviously someone (a lot of someones) in this player's local league has been turning a blind eye to his taped wedding ring and this "last week's (month's/year's?) referee" caused for me, a referee who has travelled 19 miles to look after this game, a problem. He was substituted and the game went on ...
The equipment check also gives me time to break the ice with players, pick out those who might cause me a problem and have a joke at the expense of one player, usually a centre half or a goalkeeper. The law change regarding the colour of the tape on player socks has meant I need more time because there is always at least one player who thinks it doesn't apply to him.
At this morning's game I got the inspection completed early as we needed to mark Remembrance Sunday. I noted 4-5 players with non-matching tape and asked them to correct their equipment. I also picked up one player wearing a rubber bracelet which also came off. The game kicked off after the 2 minute silence and after 5 minutes, the home team took the lead. About 10 minutes later I spotted that one of the players hadn't removed his red tape from his purple socks so at the next opportunity I told him to go correct his equipment off the field and (IMPORTANTLY) I said don't come back on until I tell you.
I'm sure any readers who have refereed football for a little while will know what happened next. The game restarted, the ball went out for a goal kick, I turned around to signal the player back on to the field to see him running past me out of defence. So I stopped the game, called him and his captain over, explained the situation and cautioned the offender for re-entering the field of play without permission.
He complained loudly so I asked his captain to quieten him down but that was nothing compared to the loud comments originating from a spectator (turned out it was the player's dad who would probably end up paying the administration fee). As things turned out these protests were minimal in comparison to the outburst that followed the next equipment incident.
Shortly after the start of the second half I noted the player who I had asked remove his rubber band. It seems in hindsight that this might have been a diversion from the wedding ring he hadn't removed but covered with red tape. I asked him to remove it and he refused saying it didn't come off. I explained to him, to his captain and his manager that he had to remove it and none of them would accept I was correct. The next thing that happened was one of his team mates called me "A joke" so he was cautioned. Eventually, the player confirmed he couldn't/wouldn't remove the wedding ring, so I told him he couldn't continue to take part in the game.
His manager challenged my decision telling me that a wedding ring was different. I explained that the County FA (and The FA) have said (since October 2008) that wedding rings must not be taped but removed. Obviously someone (a lot of someones) in this player's local league has been turning a blind eye to his taped wedding ring and this "last week's (month's/year's?) referee" caused for me, a referee who has travelled 19 miles to look after this game, a problem. He was substituted and the game went on ...
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Always learning, always moving forward
I completed my 12th Supply League Assessment of the current season yesterday and after the game, it was the referee seeking my confirmation of his action, rather than me seeking to clarify a situation.
In essence what happened was that a player showed dissent by word as the game was ongoing. So as not to disadvantage his opponents who were in the attacking third and in possession of the ball, the referee allowed play to continue and at the next break in play, he called the player towards him with the obvious intention of cautioning him. As he reached for his notebook, the player clapped him and said something to the effect of "Well done ref". He therefore issued a caution for the original dissent and then issued a second caution for the second incident of dissent. I had no issue with his action, told him I felt he adjudged the situation correctly and the dismissal was justified.
Contrast this with my own game this morning where I made an error which has, after another 45 minutes, affected the result of the game. I had seen the goalkeeper collect the ball and run to the edge of his penalty area, apparently with the intention of kicking it upfield. As he ran forward he bounced the ball once and as he went to bounce it again, he did not catch it, it dropped to the floor and he bent over to pick it up again. In one of my early assessments when I was going for promotion to level 5, the same thing happened and the assessor penalised me for not seeing it. Since then, I have always ensured I have the goalkeeper in view while he has possession of the ball.
So having seen this incident, I blew the whistle, awarded the indirect free kick and went to manage the set play. As I gave the signal for play to restart, a player in the defensive wall tried to charge down the kick. Unfortunately I was so intent on sanctioning his action I didn't wait to see where the ball went and blew my whistle. The ball flew into the goal, despite the efforts of the goalkeeper to stop it! If I had delayed my whistle, I could have allowed the goal and probably gotten away with giving the player a talking to.
Talking players has certainly become a bigger part of my game since I came out of retirement. I had to do a fair share of it in today's two games as a number of players stood out repeatedly committing offences in games with relatively low foul counts. In the first game, I spoke to one player twice, the second time with his captain in attendance. This didn't have the desired effect and he was cautioned a few minutes later.
In the second game I had two players in the same team clocking up the foul count and for each I brought the captain in for a last warning, letting the captain do my talking for me. In both cases, the players didn't heed my words or those of their captain and both were cautioned soon afterwards. I didn't have a word of complaint from their manager about the decisions but he complained at length about my management of his "rolling" substitutions, saying that I didn't add enough time at the end of the game. It seemed to escape his notice that I added 5 minutes despite there not being any injuries or lengthy delays in the restart.
His viewpoint was that I didn't need to check the names and equipment of all the players as they joined/re-joined the game as they had proved their identity to the opposing manager through the use of their league registration cards and they were unlikely to have changed their boots. He wouldn't accept my point that I as referee could only allow substitutes to play who had been named before the game. In the case of "rolling" substitutes, I needed the names of all the players who were substitutes or were likely to become substitutes as the game progressed. As for player equipment checks, I wasn't watching the players when they weren't on the field of play, so from a law point of view, they had to be checked.
After the game a club official from the home team asked if they could ask the league to reserve me for the reverse fixture in 4 weeks time. I asked why they would want that considering my relative lack of mobility. I should point out that in the game this morning, the top 2-3 inches of the playing surface churned up into a mud souffle and in the afternoon game, it was like a Victoria sponge sapping any remaining strength out of my calves resulting in some late cramps in thigh, hamstring and calves. They assured me that I moved around the field with ease in comparison to some of the referees allocated (which I thought was an unfair comment) but I also refused to accept what they regarded as a physical approach by their opponents.
So maybe I have found my level after all this time ...
In essence what happened was that a player showed dissent by word as the game was ongoing. So as not to disadvantage his opponents who were in the attacking third and in possession of the ball, the referee allowed play to continue and at the next break in play, he called the player towards him with the obvious intention of cautioning him. As he reached for his notebook, the player clapped him and said something to the effect of "Well done ref". He therefore issued a caution for the original dissent and then issued a second caution for the second incident of dissent. I had no issue with his action, told him I felt he adjudged the situation correctly and the dismissal was justified.
Contrast this with my own game this morning where I made an error which has, after another 45 minutes, affected the result of the game. I had seen the goalkeeper collect the ball and run to the edge of his penalty area, apparently with the intention of kicking it upfield. As he ran forward he bounced the ball once and as he went to bounce it again, he did not catch it, it dropped to the floor and he bent over to pick it up again. In one of my early assessments when I was going for promotion to level 5, the same thing happened and the assessor penalised me for not seeing it. Since then, I have always ensured I have the goalkeeper in view while he has possession of the ball.
So having seen this incident, I blew the whistle, awarded the indirect free kick and went to manage the set play. As I gave the signal for play to restart, a player in the defensive wall tried to charge down the kick. Unfortunately I was so intent on sanctioning his action I didn't wait to see where the ball went and blew my whistle. The ball flew into the goal, despite the efforts of the goalkeeper to stop it! If I had delayed my whistle, I could have allowed the goal and probably gotten away with giving the player a talking to.
Talking players has certainly become a bigger part of my game since I came out of retirement. I had to do a fair share of it in today's two games as a number of players stood out repeatedly committing offences in games with relatively low foul counts. In the first game, I spoke to one player twice, the second time with his captain in attendance. This didn't have the desired effect and he was cautioned a few minutes later.
In the second game I had two players in the same team clocking up the foul count and for each I brought the captain in for a last warning, letting the captain do my talking for me. In both cases, the players didn't heed my words or those of their captain and both were cautioned soon afterwards. I didn't have a word of complaint from their manager about the decisions but he complained at length about my management of his "rolling" substitutions, saying that I didn't add enough time at the end of the game. It seemed to escape his notice that I added 5 minutes despite there not being any injuries or lengthy delays in the restart.
His viewpoint was that I didn't need to check the names and equipment of all the players as they joined/re-joined the game as they had proved their identity to the opposing manager through the use of their league registration cards and they were unlikely to have changed their boots. He wouldn't accept my point that I as referee could only allow substitutes to play who had been named before the game. In the case of "rolling" substitutes, I needed the names of all the players who were substitutes or were likely to become substitutes as the game progressed. As for player equipment checks, I wasn't watching the players when they weren't on the field of play, so from a law point of view, they had to be checked.
After the game a club official from the home team asked if they could ask the league to reserve me for the reverse fixture in 4 weeks time. I asked why they would want that considering my relative lack of mobility. I should point out that in the game this morning, the top 2-3 inches of the playing surface churned up into a mud souffle and in the afternoon game, it was like a Victoria sponge sapping any remaining strength out of my calves resulting in some late cramps in thigh, hamstring and calves. They assured me that I moved around the field with ease in comparison to some of the referees allocated (which I thought was an unfair comment) but I also refused to accept what they regarded as a physical approach by their opponents.
So maybe I have found my level after all this time ...
Thursday, 25 October 2012
My name is Jonah
I'm a reasonably happy chappy bumbling through my late 40s rapidly advancing on becoming a grandad for the first time but occasionally I get knocked off my path and I find myself falling into a slight dip in my positive outlook.
Over the last few weeks I have attended two games to assess the referee for promotion and both have been abandoned. Last week I picked up a District Cup backword, turned up at the ground only for the away team not to show. On Sunday I picked up another backword, this time for a Sunday League Trophy game with a place in the Quarter Final at stake, but the home team haven't paid some fines and have been suspended for a minimum of 7 days meaning the game has been postponed.
So is it me or do I just have a convergence of unusual situations occurring?
The upside is that I was able to help out the local Junior Football League and they have offered me two games, 2 hours apart within 5 miles of each other, so at least I'm going to get some game time in ... well at least until tomorrow when the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse and snow showers sweep in from the Arctic ...
Over the last few weeks I have attended two games to assess the referee for promotion and both have been abandoned. Last week I picked up a District Cup backword, turned up at the ground only for the away team not to show. On Sunday I picked up another backword, this time for a Sunday League Trophy game with a place in the Quarter Final at stake, but the home team haven't paid some fines and have been suspended for a minimum of 7 days meaning the game has been postponed.
So is it me or do I just have a convergence of unusual situations occurring?
The upside is that I was able to help out the local Junior Football League and they have offered me two games, 2 hours apart within 5 miles of each other, so at least I'm going to get some game time in ... well at least until tomorrow when the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse and snow showers sweep in from the Arctic ...
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Roll or stick
The validity of the decision to leave the roof open at the stadium in Warsaw hosting the Poland vs. England World Cup Qualifier is one for discussion elsewhere. What couldn't be disputed was the action taken by the referee to help him decide whether the surface was playable after heavy rain left water standing in a number of places around the field.
He used the same method used by referees across the world; he went out, in his boots and took a football with him. He tried to replicate the action of the ball during the game by rolling it along the ground, by throwing it in the air to see if it bounced. He threw it with forward spin, back spin and without spin. In the final inspection, he tried to kick the ball without much success.
In each case the ball did not roll as it would do normally during a game, even on a wet surface. That meant that if the game had taken place, players would not be able to pass the ball with any degree of accuracy, nor would the ball be where they expected it to be when they were trying to tackle an opponent nor would it bounce correctly. All of which would have resulted in mistimed tackles which increases the potential for injury and possibly the need for disciplinary action.
So despite what the TV pundits say, the referee followed a sensible course of action to help him decide that the field was not fit. He was bound by competition rules and I believe the pundits showed a lack of respect for the game by behaving in the manner they did. Final point, well done to the Head of the Referee's Committee in Poland for facing up to some aggressive (and unjustified) questioning by the interviewer without losing his cool!
He used the same method used by referees across the world; he went out, in his boots and took a football with him. He tried to replicate the action of the ball during the game by rolling it along the ground, by throwing it in the air to see if it bounced. He threw it with forward spin, back spin and without spin. In the final inspection, he tried to kick the ball without much success.
In each case the ball did not roll as it would do normally during a game, even on a wet surface. That meant that if the game had taken place, players would not be able to pass the ball with any degree of accuracy, nor would the ball be where they expected it to be when they were trying to tackle an opponent nor would it bounce correctly. All of which would have resulted in mistimed tackles which increases the potential for injury and possibly the need for disciplinary action.
So despite what the TV pundits say, the referee followed a sensible course of action to help him decide that the field was not fit. He was bound by competition rules and I believe the pundits showed a lack of respect for the game by behaving in the manner they did. Final point, well done to the Head of the Referee's Committee in Poland for facing up to some aggressive (and unjustified) questioning by the interviewer without losing his cool!
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Blowing off the cobwebs
I spent last weekend assessing two promotion candidates for the County FA who were both aspiring to Level 4.
Saturday's game went reasonably well but Sunday's was abandoned after 61 minutes when the away team had their 5th player sent off. Not something I've seen before, which was the theme of my last post on this blog and hopefully I'll not see again!
Today's two games (both U15) threw up a few situations which made me take a breath before deciding what to do. The first was a goal kick that the home team goalkeeper decided to take across the face of his goal towards his left back. The ball wasn't rolling well so the full back and an attacker both ran inside the penalty area. They challenged for the ball and the left back trips the attacker before playing the ball. This all happened in a split second. Now normally, the alarm bells ring and its time to point at the mark but this time a little voice said to me, "Not this time". The ball hadn't left the penalty area, so it wasn't in play, so it was blast on whistle, tell the players what was happening and point back at the goal area. Imagine what would have happened if I'd pointed before telling the players ...
This incident came just after there had been a shot on goal parried by the goalkeeper and into the path of a player who had been in an offside position at the time of the shot. Offside by gaining an advantage? I think I've only had one of these before!
The third incident happened in my second game of the day which was played on a field with a surface that resembled a sponge cake, particularly in the upper left quadrant ... where a lot of the action took place, leaving me dragging my already tired feet out of the gloopy surface. The home team were pressing forward in search of a winning goal and the ball was played from right midfield towards the centre forward (standing in an offside position) but it missed him and ran towards the goal line between the edge of the goal area and the penalty area. The goalkeeper ran around behind the ball and was standing there doing nothing, before stepping up to kick it up the field, when the attacker moved towards him. Now he had taken more than 10 seconds to take this action and if I hadn't been concentrating I might have left it slip, but it was a quick peep and ball down for the indirect free kick restart.
So it's two weeks without a whistle now as I have a Supply assessment on Tuesday then two more promotion assessments to do next weekend. Here's some graphs to prove I am still working hard in my games ... look at the peak in the 2nd half of the 2nd game ... 101% of max!
Saturday's game went reasonably well but Sunday's was abandoned after 61 minutes when the away team had their 5th player sent off. Not something I've seen before, which was the theme of my last post on this blog and hopefully I'll not see again!
Today's two games (both U15) threw up a few situations which made me take a breath before deciding what to do. The first was a goal kick that the home team goalkeeper decided to take across the face of his goal towards his left back. The ball wasn't rolling well so the full back and an attacker both ran inside the penalty area. They challenged for the ball and the left back trips the attacker before playing the ball. This all happened in a split second. Now normally, the alarm bells ring and its time to point at the mark but this time a little voice said to me, "Not this time". The ball hadn't left the penalty area, so it wasn't in play, so it was blast on whistle, tell the players what was happening and point back at the goal area. Imagine what would have happened if I'd pointed before telling the players ...
This incident came just after there had been a shot on goal parried by the goalkeeper and into the path of a player who had been in an offside position at the time of the shot. Offside by gaining an advantage? I think I've only had one of these before!
The third incident happened in my second game of the day which was played on a field with a surface that resembled a sponge cake, particularly in the upper left quadrant ... where a lot of the action took place, leaving me dragging my already tired feet out of the gloopy surface. The home team were pressing forward in search of a winning goal and the ball was played from right midfield towards the centre forward (standing in an offside position) but it missed him and ran towards the goal line between the edge of the goal area and the penalty area. The goalkeeper ran around behind the ball and was standing there doing nothing, before stepping up to kick it up the field, when the attacker moved towards him. Now he had taken more than 10 seconds to take this action and if I hadn't been concentrating I might have left it slip, but it was a quick peep and ball down for the indirect free kick restart.
So it's two weeks without a whistle now as I have a Supply assessment on Tuesday then two more promotion assessments to do next weekend. Here's some graphs to prove I am still working hard in my games ... look at the peak in the 2nd half of the 2nd game ... 101% of max!
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, 9 September 2012
How many hats do you wear?
Having completed my reports for this afternoon's game and I sat back in the glow of my slightly reduced sunburn (thanks to you Nivea Factor 30) and considered just how much I'd gotten through in the last 7 days.
Sunday saw me open my 10th season on my local Sunday League. Monday I attended the Respect meeting for referees on a local Junior Football League. Also at the meeting was one of the County's RDOs and he not only talked about the progress made by the league in terms of Respect, but also dangled the tantalising carrot of a new Referee Academy based at one of the County's 3 professional clubs.
It's a similar programme/setup to the one which used to operate at another of the County's professional clubs but was discontinued a couple of years ago. The academy provides a safe environment for the development of players and referees and I wish them every success.
Tuesday I attended a Supply League Assessor's training game. The forms used to report Referee performance are changing for the next marking season and this was an opportunity to practice. There was plenty to note down and the report took a little time to put together.
Wednesday saw me pop on my Sunday League committee head as I needed to complete the registration of the 1,100 or so players who are available to play in our 44 team league. The next two nights saw me sitting up to the wee small hours recording all of the starting line-ups, substitutes (used and unused) and goal scorers for the 31 games which had taken place in the previous 4 days.
On Saturday, I completed the report from Tuesday before heading out to my game at the same venue, but with a different referee. Notes were taken, feedback provided and I headed home for an early night. The early night was necessary as my wife recently purchased her first horse (a life long ambition) and has been up and out at half five every day this week to muck it out and settle it down.
This brings us around to today when I managed to squeeze in a promotion assessment for a referee who is returning to Open Age football after a break managing a local junior football league. The game didn't go to plan, but he did quite well in the circumstances. I finished my week refereeing my first junior football game for a long, long time.
The game passed without major incident and as mentioned above, the sunburn isn't too bad. The only thing is that I've had two spasms of cramp in my left hamstring which hasn't been exactly pleasant ... and that's after a full warm down after today's game!
The week will consist of a few more match reports, the writing up of the assessments from yesterday and today, as well as a trip to South Yorkshire for another Supply League assessment. It WILL be quieter soon but still it will be another week of many hats.
Sunday saw me open my 10th season on my local Sunday League. Monday I attended the Respect meeting for referees on a local Junior Football League. Also at the meeting was one of the County's RDOs and he not only talked about the progress made by the league in terms of Respect, but also dangled the tantalising carrot of a new Referee Academy based at one of the County's 3 professional clubs.
It's a similar programme/setup to the one which used to operate at another of the County's professional clubs but was discontinued a couple of years ago. The academy provides a safe environment for the development of players and referees and I wish them every success.
Tuesday I attended a Supply League Assessor's training game. The forms used to report Referee performance are changing for the next marking season and this was an opportunity to practice. There was plenty to note down and the report took a little time to put together.
Wednesday saw me pop on my Sunday League committee head as I needed to complete the registration of the 1,100 or so players who are available to play in our 44 team league. The next two nights saw me sitting up to the wee small hours recording all of the starting line-ups, substitutes (used and unused) and goal scorers for the 31 games which had taken place in the previous 4 days.
On Saturday, I completed the report from Tuesday before heading out to my game at the same venue, but with a different referee. Notes were taken, feedback provided and I headed home for an early night. The early night was necessary as my wife recently purchased her first horse (a life long ambition) and has been up and out at half five every day this week to muck it out and settle it down.
This brings us around to today when I managed to squeeze in a promotion assessment for a referee who is returning to Open Age football after a break managing a local junior football league. The game didn't go to plan, but he did quite well in the circumstances. I finished my week refereeing my first junior football game for a long, long time.
The game passed without major incident and as mentioned above, the sunburn isn't too bad. The only thing is that I've had two spasms of cramp in my left hamstring which hasn't been exactly pleasant ... and that's after a full warm down after today's game!
The week will consist of a few more match reports, the writing up of the assessments from yesterday and today, as well as a trip to South Yorkshire for another Supply League assessment. It WILL be quieter soon but still it will be another week of many hats.
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Is it really that long?
A closed season consisting of a holiday on Kos, some sporadic training sessions, a little weight loss and a wedding came to an end with the opening game in my 10th season on the local Sunday League.
The game was being played on a field financed by the Football Foundation and it was used to host our local Sunday League Cup semi finals last season. It was flat, smooth and despite the recent wet weather, dry. I'd considered applying sun cream before heading out but couldn't find it. Probably just as well I was wearing my new Umbro Wembley kit with a white collar.
I had tried to get an Umbro Respect kit but A&H sold out (after I had placed my order) and offered me an Umbro Diamond kit in place of it. I specifically hadn't ordered a Diamond kit because being of a slightly larger frame (euphemism for fat) and having see the kit worn by others of similar dimensions, I decided it wasn't for me. So I reverted back to a Wembley kit and despite it being the same size as my other Wembley kit, it seemed to be less snug fitting.
Even my smaller size of undershirt wasn't constricting my chest so I was able to run and breathe at the same time (for a change). I managed my warm up with ease but then the sun came out and it was very hot. Before the game I had a chat with a player I've known for a few years. He told me that since he "retired" at the end of last season when his team folded, he's been diagnosed with a heart condition. It's similar to my own and he's hoping that with treatment, he'll be able to get back into football again. I didn't want to tell him but I think he'd make a good referee. Maybe that's a talk for another time.
The game went ok and despite a couple of errors on my part we got through to the final whistle with 22 players on the field and me still running. I did a full warm down which should mean I can walk on Tuesday and not be struggling until Wednesday!
I had a post match discussion with one of the coaches from the away team concerning my decision to suspend the game on 70 minutes for a drink break. I had consumed more than a litre and half of water in the run up to the game and at half time but was feeling dehydrated. I noted one or two of the players slowing down and one (typical of Sunday morning football) complaining about being hungover.
His view was that he and his team, because of their religious beliefs, didn't drink alcohol and he felt that as a referee I should stop players who were still under the influence of alcohol from the previous night, from playing in the games in which I officiated. I explained that it was outside the bounds of my authority to tell a team which players they could play during a game. The best I could do was to advise a coach that I believed his player was unwell and to consider whether he played.
He didn't accept my point, so I left the discussion where it was and went to get some some more fluids onboard (blackcurrant cordial and soda water) before heading home for a family barbecue. It's great to be back in football and I'm hoping to last another 10 years before finally hanging up my whistle.
The game was being played on a field financed by the Football Foundation and it was used to host our local Sunday League Cup semi finals last season. It was flat, smooth and despite the recent wet weather, dry. I'd considered applying sun cream before heading out but couldn't find it. Probably just as well I was wearing my new Umbro Wembley kit with a white collar.
I had tried to get an Umbro Respect kit but A&H sold out (after I had placed my order) and offered me an Umbro Diamond kit in place of it. I specifically hadn't ordered a Diamond kit because being of a slightly larger frame (euphemism for fat) and having see the kit worn by others of similar dimensions, I decided it wasn't for me. So I reverted back to a Wembley kit and despite it being the same size as my other Wembley kit, it seemed to be less snug fitting.
Even my smaller size of undershirt wasn't constricting my chest so I was able to run and breathe at the same time (for a change). I managed my warm up with ease but then the sun came out and it was very hot. Before the game I had a chat with a player I've known for a few years. He told me that since he "retired" at the end of last season when his team folded, he's been diagnosed with a heart condition. It's similar to my own and he's hoping that with treatment, he'll be able to get back into football again. I didn't want to tell him but I think he'd make a good referee. Maybe that's a talk for another time.
The game went ok and despite a couple of errors on my part we got through to the final whistle with 22 players on the field and me still running. I did a full warm down which should mean I can walk on Tuesday and not be struggling until Wednesday!
I had a post match discussion with one of the coaches from the away team concerning my decision to suspend the game on 70 minutes for a drink break. I had consumed more than a litre and half of water in the run up to the game and at half time but was feeling dehydrated. I noted one or two of the players slowing down and one (typical of Sunday morning football) complaining about being hungover.
His view was that he and his team, because of their religious beliefs, didn't drink alcohol and he felt that as a referee I should stop players who were still under the influence of alcohol from the previous night, from playing in the games in which I officiated. I explained that it was outside the bounds of my authority to tell a team which players they could play during a game. The best I could do was to advise a coach that I believed his player was unwell and to consider whether he played.
He didn't accept my point, so I left the discussion where it was and went to get some some more fluids onboard (blackcurrant cordial and soda water) before heading home for a family barbecue. It's great to be back in football and I'm hoping to last another 10 years before finally hanging up my whistle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)