After a fairly uneventful weekend's action from a refereeing perspective, I've been to see two football matches in the past two evenings. One was a League Two fixture played in front of 4,000 odd people on a cold Tuesday night. The other was a Premier League game played in front of 75,000 people. Which left me feeling happier afterwards? You may be surprised.
The Nightingale Hall 'League Two Fan Club' of me (Dagenham fan), Andy (Bradford) and Luke (Gillingham) set out for Lincoln last night to see their encounter with Gillingham. The game wasn't massively exciting but I still enjoyed watching it. I'm used to lower league football and so don't mind if the standard isn't quite what you see at the top level. Lincoln beat a poor Gillingham side 2-0, and there was a good feeling round the ground and a good atmosphere, particularly from the away contingent. Andy and I both had a good evening, with our respective clubs winning elsewhere, while Luke perhaps didn't enjoy it quite so much.
Tonight's game was a total contrast in so many ways. My friend Nathan offered me a ticket for Manchester United vs West Ham United at Old Trafford, and I thought this would be a great (and rare) opportunity to visit the Theatre of Dreams and see the English Champions in action. They beat West Ham comfortably, with the sense that they were always capable of scoring more goals if they needed to. The game wasn't exciting. Referee Peter Walton didn't completely convince me, but made no major howlers.
Yet the whole experience left me feeling a bit empty inside. I was in the away section, and the West Ham fans to their credit sung their hearts out for the whole 90 minutes. But in the breaks between their singing a deathly hush descended on the stadium - a stadium with a full house of 75,000 people inside it. I've seen it compared to a library before, and I can see why. The Theatre of Dreams simply lacked any atmosphere whatsoever. Maybe its just that I'm used to the passion and hurly-burly of the lower leagues, but for a top level football match there was just something missing.
I've seen matches across each of the top five divisions in the past few years, and in every other game there has been some kind of passion and atmosphere evident. When I go to see Nottingham Forest play, I always enjoy a good afternoon or evening out - the football is of a decent standard and the atmosphere good. Down in League Two, everyone gets behind their teams and enjoys themselves. The West Ham fans did this - but they were the only ones at Old Trafford tonight as far as I could tell. One of the BBC correspondents wrote in his blog about finding the 'soul of football' after a game at Dagenham earlier this month, and I now see exactly what he means.
Don't get me wrong - I'm glad I went to experience a game at Old Trafford tonight, and I'm delighted I had the opportunity to do so. But as for whether I'd do it again - not for a while. I can see a good match with two committed teams, a good atmosphere and get that feeling that I'm involved in the action down in the lower leagues, and for a third of the price.
Premier League football is good - the standard is excellent, it is possibly the best League in the world and games like tonight's North London derby prove as much. But if you want a good time and a bit of a laugh, then don't neglect the lower leagues - you might just find that you enjoy it more!
Thursday 30 October 2008
Friday 24 October 2008
Styles to retire?
I don't normally write a note at this time of the week, but I feel compelled to discuss three significant developments in the world of refereeing. The second two are more international, but the first is very close to home.
Following the FA's decision to overturn the red card he gave Habib Beye in Monday night's Newcastle vs Man City game, Rob Styles is reported to be considering retirement. He clearly feels that he has received a lack of support from the FA. He is in 'emotional turmoil' apparently. I have seen no more than a brief replay of Monday night's incident. From what I gather, its not a clearcut decision either way, and perhaps there was sufficient doubt so as not to overturn the decision. But of course this comes on the back of numerous other controversies involving Styles, most recently the penalty he gave at Old Trafford. I think its an accumulation of these incidents that has made him think its time to go. He has received a lot of stick for all these decisions and it must be getting to him. His decisions have filled these notes for some time, and it has to be said that these numerous mistakes do suggest that he is not cut out for refereeing at the top level. That said, I still have misgivings about someone retiring, but if his heart is not in it, then he should step aside and let someone more motivated take his place. I'm not sure he'll be missed, perceived to be arrogant, card-happy and unreliable, but we'll see what happens and whether he actually does retire, as there has been no official confirmation yet, but I expect that now its been announced publicly he will go.
His is not the only retirement reported either. The list of referee candidates for the 2010 World Cup was scaled down to 38 this week, and one notable name is missing from the UEFA section. That name is Lubos Michel, the Slovakian who is arguably the World's best referee. Correction - he arguably was the World's best referee, as he has called it a day. He has been suffering with an achilles tendon injury, and it seems to have got too bad for him, so he has decided to bow out for 'personal and health reasons'. His performances have gone noticeably downhill in the past couple of years (perhaps in part due to the injury), with the highpoint of his career being the 2006 World Cup, when he was in his prime. He finally got the Champions League final he deserved earlier this year, but he still had six or seven years left on the International list, and I still think he could have gone far at the 2010 tournament. Anyway, he is a big loss to the world of refereeing.
Those left on the list includes England's Howard Webb, who I expect will make it to South Africa without any problems. The list contains a mixture of familiar and not so familiar names, and will be whittled down to around 20-25 for the tournament itself. I'm sure the major countries will be represented, and I will report on the list when its confirmed in due course.
Moving on, a busy weekend lies ahead of us, so lets enjoy the action again!
Following the FA's decision to overturn the red card he gave Habib Beye in Monday night's Newcastle vs Man City game, Rob Styles is reported to be considering retirement. He clearly feels that he has received a lack of support from the FA. He is in 'emotional turmoil' apparently. I have seen no more than a brief replay of Monday night's incident. From what I gather, its not a clearcut decision either way, and perhaps there was sufficient doubt so as not to overturn the decision. But of course this comes on the back of numerous other controversies involving Styles, most recently the penalty he gave at Old Trafford. I think its an accumulation of these incidents that has made him think its time to go. He has received a lot of stick for all these decisions and it must be getting to him. His decisions have filled these notes for some time, and it has to be said that these numerous mistakes do suggest that he is not cut out for refereeing at the top level. That said, I still have misgivings about someone retiring, but if his heart is not in it, then he should step aside and let someone more motivated take his place. I'm not sure he'll be missed, perceived to be arrogant, card-happy and unreliable, but we'll see what happens and whether he actually does retire, as there has been no official confirmation yet, but I expect that now its been announced publicly he will go.
His is not the only retirement reported either. The list of referee candidates for the 2010 World Cup was scaled down to 38 this week, and one notable name is missing from the UEFA section. That name is Lubos Michel, the Slovakian who is arguably the World's best referee. Correction - he arguably was the World's best referee, as he has called it a day. He has been suffering with an achilles tendon injury, and it seems to have got too bad for him, so he has decided to bow out for 'personal and health reasons'. His performances have gone noticeably downhill in the past couple of years (perhaps in part due to the injury), with the highpoint of his career being the 2006 World Cup, when he was in his prime. He finally got the Champions League final he deserved earlier this year, but he still had six or seven years left on the International list, and I still think he could have gone far at the 2010 tournament. Anyway, he is a big loss to the world of refereeing.
Those left on the list includes England's Howard Webb, who I expect will make it to South Africa without any problems. The list contains a mixture of familiar and not so familiar names, and will be whittled down to around 20-25 for the tournament itself. I'm sure the major countries will be represented, and I will report on the list when its confirmed in due course.
Moving on, a busy weekend lies ahead of us, so lets enjoy the action again!
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Match 2 - Ancaster vs Willoughby
After a break from refereeing last week, I returned to Grove Farm this week (as did Luke). After a bit of teasing him about watching and assessing him, I was given the Ancaster vs Willoughby game to take charge of.
The most noticeable feature of the game as a whole (as I saw it at least) was the contrasting styles of the two sides. Willoughby tried to play the ball on the ground as much as possible, while Ancaster had a more physical and more direct style. The clash of these two approaches made it quite a tense encounter.
It was Willoughby who had much the better of the first half. They took the lead in the 12th minute, and proceeded to have several other excellent opportunities to extend that lead. They were on top of the Ancaster side who just couldn't handle their football. From my point of view, the opening period was trouble-free, although the players were not shying out of any tackles so I sensed I might need to be on my guard in case there was a flare-up. There was one late challenge, and I tried to keep the game flowing by playing advantage as ever.
Things changed in the 40th minute when Ancaster equalised. Willoughby had two complaints about the goal. The first was that there had been a foul when Ancaster had won the ball back from them in their own half of the pitch. This claim might have been legitimate, although I can't say there was any massive fuss at the time - only once the goal had been scored were there any real complaints. The second complaint was that an Ancaster forward was offside. He was in an offside position, but was coming back and was not "interfering with play" (that is interfering with play as far as the laws are concerned, whether in reality he was is another matter). The ball ran onto another forward and it was soon in the back of the net. I waved away offside complaints, and made no comment on the possible foul - maybe it had been, maybe it hadn't. Half-time followed with the scores still level, and Ancaster in the ascendency following their equaliser.
I thought Ancaster had the better of the second half too, although Willoughby had their chances. As before, the players didn't shirk the tackles, but they were largely fair as far as I could tell. I tried to make my interventions as infrequent as possible, without compromising my control. One Willoughby player made a late challenge, but he was going for the ball and a word of warning sufficed.
There were a series of claims throughout that second half for handball, including one in each penalty area. I turned nearly all of them down, as I was looking only for cases where the handball had definitely been deliberate. The players weren't clear on the rules, claiming "it doesn't matter if it was accidental, it was in the area...". I made it clear that it was down to my interpretation of what was deliberate. Some of them I perhaps should have given. In terms of the two penalty appeals, Ancaster's appeal came as a defender was turning and the ball struck his elbow. As far as I could tell his elbow was in a perfectly natural position. Willoughby's appeal came later on, as the ball was struck at a defender from no more than 3 yards away, and although it did strike his arm, his arm was in front of his chest. Given the proximity of the defender, and that it didn't look intentional, I waved the appeal away. Whatever you say about these decisions, you can say I was consistent in my interpretation, as an Ancaster player was heard pointing out after that second appeal.
Neither side could break the deadlock, despite chances at both ends, and the game finished 1-1. It hadn't been my best performance by any stretch of the imagination, and I doubt either team were particularly impressed. They probably felt I didn't give them enough decisions, and I probably did miss some fouls. However, I'm not there to please the teams, and the game was certainly not out of control - there were no major flashpoints and everyone got on with things for the most part. I wasn't massively helped by the linesmen today, and both sides kept changing their linesman, with some of them being particularly lazy. At the times where I did have to guess a bit, I got most of the things right. Overall, I'm fairly happy with my performance, even if it wasn't my best.
Luke had another entertaining game, with Nightingale losing 5-2 against Rutland in another keenly contested game. Both of us felt pretty tired afterwards - I can't be that unfit! I still enjoyed it though, which is the main thing. On to tonight's Champions League action!
The most noticeable feature of the game as a whole (as I saw it at least) was the contrasting styles of the two sides. Willoughby tried to play the ball on the ground as much as possible, while Ancaster had a more physical and more direct style. The clash of these two approaches made it quite a tense encounter.
It was Willoughby who had much the better of the first half. They took the lead in the 12th minute, and proceeded to have several other excellent opportunities to extend that lead. They were on top of the Ancaster side who just couldn't handle their football. From my point of view, the opening period was trouble-free, although the players were not shying out of any tackles so I sensed I might need to be on my guard in case there was a flare-up. There was one late challenge, and I tried to keep the game flowing by playing advantage as ever.
Things changed in the 40th minute when Ancaster equalised. Willoughby had two complaints about the goal. The first was that there had been a foul when Ancaster had won the ball back from them in their own half of the pitch. This claim might have been legitimate, although I can't say there was any massive fuss at the time - only once the goal had been scored were there any real complaints. The second complaint was that an Ancaster forward was offside. He was in an offside position, but was coming back and was not "interfering with play" (that is interfering with play as far as the laws are concerned, whether in reality he was is another matter). The ball ran onto another forward and it was soon in the back of the net. I waved away offside complaints, and made no comment on the possible foul - maybe it had been, maybe it hadn't. Half-time followed with the scores still level, and Ancaster in the ascendency following their equaliser.
I thought Ancaster had the better of the second half too, although Willoughby had their chances. As before, the players didn't shirk the tackles, but they were largely fair as far as I could tell. I tried to make my interventions as infrequent as possible, without compromising my control. One Willoughby player made a late challenge, but he was going for the ball and a word of warning sufficed.
There were a series of claims throughout that second half for handball, including one in each penalty area. I turned nearly all of them down, as I was looking only for cases where the handball had definitely been deliberate. The players weren't clear on the rules, claiming "it doesn't matter if it was accidental, it was in the area...". I made it clear that it was down to my interpretation of what was deliberate. Some of them I perhaps should have given. In terms of the two penalty appeals, Ancaster's appeal came as a defender was turning and the ball struck his elbow. As far as I could tell his elbow was in a perfectly natural position. Willoughby's appeal came later on, as the ball was struck at a defender from no more than 3 yards away, and although it did strike his arm, his arm was in front of his chest. Given the proximity of the defender, and that it didn't look intentional, I waved the appeal away. Whatever you say about these decisions, you can say I was consistent in my interpretation, as an Ancaster player was heard pointing out after that second appeal.
Neither side could break the deadlock, despite chances at both ends, and the game finished 1-1. It hadn't been my best performance by any stretch of the imagination, and I doubt either team were particularly impressed. They probably felt I didn't give them enough decisions, and I probably did miss some fouls. However, I'm not there to please the teams, and the game was certainly not out of control - there were no major flashpoints and everyone got on with things for the most part. I wasn't massively helped by the linesmen today, and both sides kept changing their linesman, with some of them being particularly lazy. At the times where I did have to guess a bit, I got most of the things right. Overall, I'm fairly happy with my performance, even if it wasn't my best.
Luke had another entertaining game, with Nightingale losing 5-2 against Rutland in another keenly contested game. Both of us felt pretty tired afterwards - I can't be that unfit! I still enjoyed it though, which is the main thing. On to tonight's Champions League action!
Monday 20 October 2008
An Eventful weekend!
We've had everything this weekend I think! Controversies, sendings off, crowd trouble, its all been there, and some. I'll try to keep my discussion of each incident brief, so I can get through everything I want to say.
Starting on Saturday then. Two sendings off in the Premier League - for Valencia of Wigan and Davis of Portsmouth. Davis I don't think can have any complaints really. Valencia probably feels a little hard done by on his first booking but he had been warned. On the subject of the Villa game, the unsavoury incident at the end will hopefully be dealt with strongly, and the individual who threw the coin (be it at Harry Redknapp or Phil Sharp) will hopefully be banned. Villa have spoken out strongly against it so hopefully they will deal with it as appropriate.
Disallowed goals at Old Trafford and Craven Cottage. Mark Halsey disallowed Wayne Rooney's first half effort for Manchester United. While the foul may have seemed soft, Rooney's hands do go up and from Mark Halsey's less than ideal view he sees this, the defender going down, and draws the logical conclusion. A perfectly understandable decision for me. Keith Stroud hit the headlines for ruling out Kieran Richardson's free kick for pushing in the wall. Its the sort of things which probably happens week in week out but goes unpunished all the time. Stroud was probably right, but its not consistent with the general approach.
But my main focus of discussion will be Sunday's games. One incident at Hull - that being Ilunga's "goal" for West Ham being chalked off. While nicking the ball off the keeper while he drop kicks it is clever, it is not sporting. There was a similar incident last season involving Solskjaer of Manchester United, and the situation hasn't changed - indirect free kick and yellow card is the correct outcome. Chris Foy got this spot on, as the keeper is deemed to be "in possession" of the ball while he drop kicks it.
An extraordinary game at the Britannia, with Lee Mason in the middle for Stoke against Tottenham. Mason has yet to prove himself at Premier League level after two full seasons, but this performance should do him no harm. He had four key decisions to make and got all four spot on. Bale's foul and subsequent sending off were both correct, the foul being just inside the area and denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The second penalty was a clear cut trip by Woodgate. Dawson's challenge in the 11 minutes of stoppage time was a poor one, and even if he got a little of the ball, contact like that, with studs into ankle, is very dangerous and a definite red card. Mason was on the spot. The only downside for the refereeing team is that Tottenham's goal was scored by Bent from an offside position, something not picked up by the assistant. But Mason should see himself pick up another appointment next week following a good showing here on a day when everything went wrong for Tottenham.
Finally, I don't usually comment on games from outside the Premier League, but I will do on this occasion. At lunchtime, I watched a fantastic Steel City derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. A hugely entertaining game, full of incident and controversy. Premier League referee Mike Dean was at the helm. In the first half, he sent off United's Kilgallon for a challenge where he went in with a high boot. It was a mistimed challenge, although the contact of studs on shoulder persuaded Dean to show a red card. It wasn't malicious, but lets not dismiss it as clearly not a red card. Theres a clear argument for endangering safety, although perhaps less so for excessive force, but depending on interpretation you could quite easily see it as a sending off, meeting both these criteria. This incident changed the game, and Wednesday took the lead shortly afterwards.
Into the second half, and Wednesday get a clear cut penalty for a trip by Gary Speed. United keeper Paddy Kenny saves it, but moves forward off his line in doing so. Dean didn't order a retake, but frankly I don't blame him. This rule is applied with so much inconsistency that to let it go (unless a ridiculous movement) is fair enough. Its also a little unfair on the keeper - how they will save a penalty without some forward movement I don't know. Anyway, next, Wednesday's Jermaine Johnson catches a United player late with a flailing arm and picks up a booking. Arguments for a red card here, but I'd go yellow. He is then substituted and, in frustration, kicks a water bottle which goes flying into the crowd. After a pause and a bit of faffing around, Dean (in consultation with fourth official Stuart Attwell) gives Johnson a second yellow card. He is quite entitled to do this - players can be given cards while on the bench. It is the correct decision (arguably again it could be a straight red) - the bottle could have injured someone in the crowd - a stupid thing for Johnson to do. Finally, at the end, we have Wednesday keeper Grant holding onto the ball for too long, and so Dean correctly gives United an indirect free kick in the area. Pushing and shoving abounds in the wall, and theres some handbags which Dean deals with.
Wednesday won 1-0, but my description doesn't begin to go through the many chances both teams had. I actually thought Mike Dean handled the match well, letting play flow as much as he dared in a tense atmosphere. I know these views are at odds with those of the teams involved (and especially United fans) but that is how I saw it. The one decision I'd perhaps take issue with would be the first sending off - but even thats not black and white and, if it happened in Spain (for example), Kilgallon would have walked, and there would have been no argument. It just goes to show how incidents are viewed differently in this country. But a hugely enjoyable, incident-packed game, and I think neither team deserved to lose.
Pause for breath here! We've seen the best and worst of football this weekend. Chelsea and Manchester United turned on the style and played some great stuff in their comfortable wins. Sunday's two lives games saw all manner of extraordinary incidents, and were both very entertaining. But then we have coin-throwing fans, poor tackles and, inevitably, some wrong decisions. The weekend certainly hasn't been boring, and with European football again this week it seems that it won't be a boring week either!
Starting on Saturday then. Two sendings off in the Premier League - for Valencia of Wigan and Davis of Portsmouth. Davis I don't think can have any complaints really. Valencia probably feels a little hard done by on his first booking but he had been warned. On the subject of the Villa game, the unsavoury incident at the end will hopefully be dealt with strongly, and the individual who threw the coin (be it at Harry Redknapp or Phil Sharp) will hopefully be banned. Villa have spoken out strongly against it so hopefully they will deal with it as appropriate.
Disallowed goals at Old Trafford and Craven Cottage. Mark Halsey disallowed Wayne Rooney's first half effort for Manchester United. While the foul may have seemed soft, Rooney's hands do go up and from Mark Halsey's less than ideal view he sees this, the defender going down, and draws the logical conclusion. A perfectly understandable decision for me. Keith Stroud hit the headlines for ruling out Kieran Richardson's free kick for pushing in the wall. Its the sort of things which probably happens week in week out but goes unpunished all the time. Stroud was probably right, but its not consistent with the general approach.
But my main focus of discussion will be Sunday's games. One incident at Hull - that being Ilunga's "goal" for West Ham being chalked off. While nicking the ball off the keeper while he drop kicks it is clever, it is not sporting. There was a similar incident last season involving Solskjaer of Manchester United, and the situation hasn't changed - indirect free kick and yellow card is the correct outcome. Chris Foy got this spot on, as the keeper is deemed to be "in possession" of the ball while he drop kicks it.
An extraordinary game at the Britannia, with Lee Mason in the middle for Stoke against Tottenham. Mason has yet to prove himself at Premier League level after two full seasons, but this performance should do him no harm. He had four key decisions to make and got all four spot on. Bale's foul and subsequent sending off were both correct, the foul being just inside the area and denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The second penalty was a clear cut trip by Woodgate. Dawson's challenge in the 11 minutes of stoppage time was a poor one, and even if he got a little of the ball, contact like that, with studs into ankle, is very dangerous and a definite red card. Mason was on the spot. The only downside for the refereeing team is that Tottenham's goal was scored by Bent from an offside position, something not picked up by the assistant. But Mason should see himself pick up another appointment next week following a good showing here on a day when everything went wrong for Tottenham.
Finally, I don't usually comment on games from outside the Premier League, but I will do on this occasion. At lunchtime, I watched a fantastic Steel City derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. A hugely entertaining game, full of incident and controversy. Premier League referee Mike Dean was at the helm. In the first half, he sent off United's Kilgallon for a challenge where he went in with a high boot. It was a mistimed challenge, although the contact of studs on shoulder persuaded Dean to show a red card. It wasn't malicious, but lets not dismiss it as clearly not a red card. Theres a clear argument for endangering safety, although perhaps less so for excessive force, but depending on interpretation you could quite easily see it as a sending off, meeting both these criteria. This incident changed the game, and Wednesday took the lead shortly afterwards.
Into the second half, and Wednesday get a clear cut penalty for a trip by Gary Speed. United keeper Paddy Kenny saves it, but moves forward off his line in doing so. Dean didn't order a retake, but frankly I don't blame him. This rule is applied with so much inconsistency that to let it go (unless a ridiculous movement) is fair enough. Its also a little unfair on the keeper - how they will save a penalty without some forward movement I don't know. Anyway, next, Wednesday's Jermaine Johnson catches a United player late with a flailing arm and picks up a booking. Arguments for a red card here, but I'd go yellow. He is then substituted and, in frustration, kicks a water bottle which goes flying into the crowd. After a pause and a bit of faffing around, Dean (in consultation with fourth official Stuart Attwell) gives Johnson a second yellow card. He is quite entitled to do this - players can be given cards while on the bench. It is the correct decision (arguably again it could be a straight red) - the bottle could have injured someone in the crowd - a stupid thing for Johnson to do. Finally, at the end, we have Wednesday keeper Grant holding onto the ball for too long, and so Dean correctly gives United an indirect free kick in the area. Pushing and shoving abounds in the wall, and theres some handbags which Dean deals with.
Wednesday won 1-0, but my description doesn't begin to go through the many chances both teams had. I actually thought Mike Dean handled the match well, letting play flow as much as he dared in a tense atmosphere. I know these views are at odds with those of the teams involved (and especially United fans) but that is how I saw it. The one decision I'd perhaps take issue with would be the first sending off - but even thats not black and white and, if it happened in Spain (for example), Kilgallon would have walked, and there would have been no argument. It just goes to show how incidents are viewed differently in this country. But a hugely enjoyable, incident-packed game, and I think neither team deserved to lose.
Pause for breath here! We've seen the best and worst of football this weekend. Chelsea and Manchester United turned on the style and played some great stuff in their comfortable wins. Sunday's two lives games saw all manner of extraordinary incidents, and were both very entertaining. But then we have coin-throwing fans, poor tackles and, inevitably, some wrong decisions. The weekend certainly hasn't been boring, and with European football again this week it seems that it won't be a boring week either!
Wednesday 8 October 2008
Match 1 - Derby vs Broadgate Park
I turned up at Grove Farm Playing Fields today with not a clue who I would be refereeing! In the end, while Luke went off to do Nightingale's game against Cavendish (more on that later) I strolled around and, after chatting with the guys running the Derby Hall team, was given their match against Broadgate Park.
As games go, it was a good one to start with. After a couple of early handballs (one signalled by a linesman), play settled down and I wasn't called upon to even give a foul in the first 25 minutes or so, although I played a couple of advantages. Broadgate seemed to think Derby were pushing, climbing and being overly physical, although I didn't see anything wrong. I let the minor bumps and pushes go, aiming to clamp down on the more major ones. Derby opened the scoring in the 13th minute, adding a second six minutes later. They had a penalty appeal as defender and attacker went in for the ball together, but I wasn't convinced so waved it away. They added to their tally again in the 37th minute. Broadgate's goalkeeper didn't seem totally confident, and while Broadgate had been playing some nice stuff going forward, they weren't well organised in defence. Then came my favourite moment - one of those advantages which paid off and led to a goal! One of the Derby players was pulled back but they carried on forward and added a fourth goal a minute before the break.
I thought to myself at half-time that a comeback would be pretty unlikely. Broadgate came out all guns blazing for the second half, and to their credit they had much the better of proceedings. However, a solitary 57th minute consolation was all they to show for it. A couple of other minor penalty appeals were waved away, I refused to give handball unless I felt it was deliberate, and I tried to keep the game flowing at every opportunity. There were a couple of pretty long waits before I brought play back, which bemused the players slightly, but I made it clear that I was trying to let the game flow, and wasn't simply responding to the opposition's appeals. The only time I thought about showing a card was to a Derby player whose handball broke up a promising Broadgate attack. I called him over to me, but reckoned it was more instinct than any malicious attempt to stop the attack, so I let him off with a word that the next such offence would definitely lead to a yellow card. With the score settled, I didn't need to play any added time and brought to a close a convincing 4-1 win for Derby.
Overall, as I said, a good game to get my season going. There were no particularly challenging moments, no yellow cards, and there was no animosity between the teams. I sat back, let it flow, and interfered only when I needed to - an enjoyable game and I was happy with my performance. The linesman were also helpful today - not being flag-happy and generally providing me with the decisions I needed at the right moments.
As the game finished in good time, I wandered over to see the closing moments of Nightingale's encounter with Cavendish. With five minutes to go, Nightingale were leading 5-4, having come back from 3-0 down. Luke had given Nightingale a clear penalty, and turned down a Cavendish appeal. There were two yellows cards, one late on after Luke had played an advantage (so bonus points for him there!). Nightingale held on, and Pat was pleased to see them pick up their first points. Cavendish seemed to be using it as a trial, so had a huge squad and were making constant substitutions, which probably didn't help their cause. I gather Luke did well, and he enjoyed it which is the main thing. One thing though - I will be giving him a proper whistle, as the one he was using was barely audible from the opposite side of the pitch! Timekeeping on his mobile phone doesn't look particularly professional either! But for his first outing, I think he'll be quite happy with a good performance in a competitive derby match between the neighbouring halls.
So, we're off and running then - another intra-mural season gets going. I'm looking forward to everything it has to offer, and lets hope everyone enjoys themselves!
As games go, it was a good one to start with. After a couple of early handballs (one signalled by a linesman), play settled down and I wasn't called upon to even give a foul in the first 25 minutes or so, although I played a couple of advantages. Broadgate seemed to think Derby were pushing, climbing and being overly physical, although I didn't see anything wrong. I let the minor bumps and pushes go, aiming to clamp down on the more major ones. Derby opened the scoring in the 13th minute, adding a second six minutes later. They had a penalty appeal as defender and attacker went in for the ball together, but I wasn't convinced so waved it away. They added to their tally again in the 37th minute. Broadgate's goalkeeper didn't seem totally confident, and while Broadgate had been playing some nice stuff going forward, they weren't well organised in defence. Then came my favourite moment - one of those advantages which paid off and led to a goal! One of the Derby players was pulled back but they carried on forward and added a fourth goal a minute before the break.
I thought to myself at half-time that a comeback would be pretty unlikely. Broadgate came out all guns blazing for the second half, and to their credit they had much the better of proceedings. However, a solitary 57th minute consolation was all they to show for it. A couple of other minor penalty appeals were waved away, I refused to give handball unless I felt it was deliberate, and I tried to keep the game flowing at every opportunity. There were a couple of pretty long waits before I brought play back, which bemused the players slightly, but I made it clear that I was trying to let the game flow, and wasn't simply responding to the opposition's appeals. The only time I thought about showing a card was to a Derby player whose handball broke up a promising Broadgate attack. I called him over to me, but reckoned it was more instinct than any malicious attempt to stop the attack, so I let him off with a word that the next such offence would definitely lead to a yellow card. With the score settled, I didn't need to play any added time and brought to a close a convincing 4-1 win for Derby.
Overall, as I said, a good game to get my season going. There were no particularly challenging moments, no yellow cards, and there was no animosity between the teams. I sat back, let it flow, and interfered only when I needed to - an enjoyable game and I was happy with my performance. The linesman were also helpful today - not being flag-happy and generally providing me with the decisions I needed at the right moments.
As the game finished in good time, I wandered over to see the closing moments of Nightingale's encounter with Cavendish. With five minutes to go, Nightingale were leading 5-4, having come back from 3-0 down. Luke had given Nightingale a clear penalty, and turned down a Cavendish appeal. There were two yellows cards, one late on after Luke had played an advantage (so bonus points for him there!). Nightingale held on, and Pat was pleased to see them pick up their first points. Cavendish seemed to be using it as a trial, so had a huge squad and were making constant substitutions, which probably didn't help their cause. I gather Luke did well, and he enjoyed it which is the main thing. One thing though - I will be giving him a proper whistle, as the one he was using was barely audible from the opposite side of the pitch! Timekeeping on his mobile phone doesn't look particularly professional either! But for his first outing, I think he'll be quite happy with a good performance in a competitive derby match between the neighbouring halls.
So, we're off and running then - another intra-mural season gets going. I'm looking forward to everything it has to offer, and lets hope everyone enjoys themselves!
Tuesday 7 October 2008
My season begins
Well, before I look forward to my own refereeing season beginning tomorrow, I'll make some brief (but belated) comments on the weekend's Premier League action. It was a much better weekend this weekend, with only three controversial incidents. Arsenal should have had a goal when the assistant flagged the ball out of play incorrectly in their match at Sunderland. Steve Bennett should have disallowed Manchester United's first goal at Blackburn for a foul by Nemanja Vidic on Jason Brown. Peter Walton correctly sent off Zabaleta at Manchester City vs Liverpool, but missed a bad challenge by Skrtel on Jo. Otherwise, a good weekend.
Tomorrow, the intra-mural football season here at Nottingham starts once again. The halls teams will all look forward to taking part in the largest such competition in the country, with the League, Cup and Plate once again up for grabs. I'm looking forward to it, unlike last year when I didn't really find much enthusiasm for the job. I guess its a matter of confidence as much as anything else, and confidence is something you certainly need as a referee. No doubt there will be controversy this year (as in the past two years), but I will simply do my best. I will, as always, try to keep a low profile, let the game flow, and clamp down only when things get dirty. I don't want to make myself the centre of attention - it is about the players and not me. I think this attitude is the only one you can adopt at this level - players get frustrated by an interfering referee. It is one which has, for the most part, been pretty successful during the past two years, and I think I am improving in my refereeing, so lets hope that this year I can continue to do so. In 15 hours, it'll all be underway once again - lets hope everyone enjoys the new season!
Tomorrow, the intra-mural football season here at Nottingham starts once again. The halls teams will all look forward to taking part in the largest such competition in the country, with the League, Cup and Plate once again up for grabs. I'm looking forward to it, unlike last year when I didn't really find much enthusiasm for the job. I guess its a matter of confidence as much as anything else, and confidence is something you certainly need as a referee. No doubt there will be controversy this year (as in the past two years), but I will simply do my best. I will, as always, try to keep a low profile, let the game flow, and clamp down only when things get dirty. I don't want to make myself the centre of attention - it is about the players and not me. I think this attitude is the only one you can adopt at this level - players get frustrated by an interfering referee. It is one which has, for the most part, been pretty successful during the past two years, and I think I am improving in my refereeing, so lets hope that this year I can continue to do so. In 15 hours, it'll all be underway once again - lets hope everyone enjoys the new season!
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