A&H

2nd match - offsides advice

JudgeDreadful

JudgeDreadful

New Member
Reffed my second match today, U11's, went OK. Very good standard of football IMO. One thing I need a bit of advice about is when to call the offsides. I've been waiting until the offending player touches the ball before calling offside but what I'm finding is there are plenty of shouts for offside while I'm letting the play run first. I know I should just ignore them but on one occasion today, player looked offside, I let it run, the player takes one touch and scores before I can blow the whistle. Queue celebration on the touchline then a bit of grumbling when I disallow it. Then I can't help thinking the other team think I've been influenced by the shouts as I haven't made the decision straight away.

Finally one of the coaches kept asking me during the game how long was left at certain times and also to tell him when we had played 10/20 minutes etc. I am obliged to give them this info ? I found it a bit distracting having to keep looking at the watch all the time. Felt like saying to him 'have you not got a watch!'
 
The Referee Store
Not a 100% foolproof method but I rely on the following rule of thumb:

- 1 attacker clearly offside, only attacker who can get the ball and ball is not blocked/cleared/intercepted -stop play straight away.

- 1 attacker clearly offside, only player who can get the ball but unclear if the ball will reach them (height, overhit), wait and see

- 1 attacker clearly offside, but other attackers running who could get the ball, wait and see.
 
JudgeDreadful said:
Finally one of the coaches kept asking me during the game how long was left at certain times and also to tell him when we had played 10/20 minutes
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Not your job to tell them. If they haven't got a watch that is their problem., but I wouldn't make it into an argument.

I'd tell them that if you are aware, then you will let both teams know, but your priority is managing the game, not checking your watch.
 
How long is left is a pretty common question, from both players and managers. Often in youth football, managers are asking so they can ensure each player gets enough playing time. Whilst it isn’t your responsibility to manage this, if you are asked, wait for a break in play and let whoever asked know. Specifically asking to be informed of certain points in the game however is a step too far for me and seems quite unusual - not every manager will ask for that. If a manager asked that of me I’d politely tell them that it wasn’t my responsibility but that I’d be more than happy to let them know how long was left if and when they asked.

Sometimes managers do time things themselves, but this can lead to other issues, such as managers thinking they know exactly when full-time is coming and making a big fuss if you play even a few seconds over. I had a manager last season complaining after full-time about their opposition’s last minute winner - which had been scored exactly 8 seconds after the end of 45 minutes. For some reason he couldn’t fathom the idea that the game doesn’t have to stop immediately when his timer tells him we’d played 45, and did not like being reminded of the fact that his team took two minutes, (and a caution) at 2-1 up to make a substitution with half an hour left to play.
 
SammyT5 said:
How long is left is a pretty common question, from both players and managers. Often in youth football, managers are asking so they can ensure each player gets enough playing time. Whilst it isn’t your responsibility to manage this, if you are asked, wait for a break in play and let whoever asked know. Specifically asking to be informed of certain points in the game however is a step too far for me and seems quite unusual - not every manager will ask for that. If a manager asked that of me I’d politely tell them that it wasn’t my responsibility but that I’d be more than happy to let them know how long was left if and when they asked.

Sometimes managers do time things themselves, but this can lead to other issues, such as managers thinking they know exactly when full-time is coming and making a big fuss if you play even a few seconds over. I had a manager last season complaining after full-time about their opposition’s last minute winner - which had been scored exactly 8 seconds after the end of 45 minutes. For some reason he couldn’t fathom the idea that the game doesn’t have to stop immediately when his timer tells him we’d played 45, and did not like being reminded of the fact that his team took two minutes, (and a caution) at 2-1 up to make a substitution with half an hour left to play.
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Yes I dont mind the how long left question as you say it's pretty common but I felt the same way about the specific times, it's too much. I wear two watches, one that counts down and buzzes when done and one that counts up as a back up. Thanks for the advice.
 
On the issue of calling offside 'early,' I would say look at the advice for this found in the "Guidelines for Match Officials" section of the laws document, as follows:

A player in an offside position may be penalised before playing or touching the ball, if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.
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The other scenario that is often mentioned in this regard (although not included in the laws) is the one where the offside-positioned player is running through and the referee judges that there is a possibility of a collision with an outrushing goalkeeper if play is allowed to continue. In this situation, the referee might again prefer to call the offside slightly early, through an abundance of caution.
 
Peter Grove said:
The other scenario that is often mentioned in this regard (although not included in the laws) is the one where the offside-positioned player is running through and the referee judges that there is a possibility of a collision with an outrushing goalkeeper if play is allowed to continue. In this situation, the referee might again prefer to call the offside slightly early, through an abundance of caution.
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Indeed.
Mentioning the above scenario should (hopefully) form part of any referee's pre-match brief to NARs. ;) :cool:
 
JudgeDreadful said:
Yes I dont mind the how long left question as you say it's pretty common but I felt the same way about the specific times, it's too much. I wear two watches, one that counts down and buzzes when done and one that counts up as a back up. Thanks for the advice.
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I have sympathy for the players, as the law specifically prohibits them from wearing anything that would let them know. But coaches should know better and run a stopwatch on their phones themselves if they want to know - I'll tell them once in case they forgot to start a timer, but no need to indulge any more than that.
 
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