More of a rant here to be honest. I've been fortunate to cover 4-5 pre season fixtures currently, with a couple more scheduled in midweek and Saturday over the next week or so.
I had a internal Vets vs Reserve team on Sunday last week, and last night 2 Eastern counties U18 sides so that one was a reasonably high standard.
What is really starting to wind me up a bit is this deluded expectation from players and especially coaches that just because its "pre-season" and a "friendly" that means players can commit whatever fouls they like and/or commit blatant dissent because they're not expecting to be carded for the offence(s)?
The vets game I gave a stonewall penalty, attacker round the GK and as hes going the GK pulls his man down. No sanction for the keeper, but another player not even involved comes by and slates the decision, slates my performance. There's a difference between frustration and dissent and that for me was enough for a sin bin. Again, collective moans and groans about pre season.. last night - made it very clear at the coin toss about respect, and that you can make the foul, make comment but expect me to apply the LoTG..
Made it 70 minutes in after applying everything in my locker - quick chat, talk with captains, public rebuke. Player commits a SPA tackle which I book him for, another player behind calls me deluded so I sin bin. I then elect to ignore the shouts from the bench (due to pitch availability and time remaining to get the game done), but at the end get it from the away coach about again pre season and "friendly".
My counter argument is why pay for a qualified referee and not get a club assistant to ref your friendly if you don't want me to apply the laws? To which the comment is always "we want the game referee'd properly"
Just curious if anyone is in the same boat and maybe has some good quirps I can use back.
I had a internal Vets vs Reserve team on Sunday last week, and last night 2 Eastern counties U18 sides so that one was a reasonably high standard.
What is really starting to wind me up a bit is this deluded expectation from players and especially coaches that just because its "pre-season" and a "friendly" that means players can commit whatever fouls they like and/or commit blatant dissent because they're not expecting to be carded for the offence(s)?
The vets game I gave a stonewall penalty, attacker round the GK and as hes going the GK pulls his man down. No sanction for the keeper, but another player not even involved comes by and slates the decision, slates my performance. There's a difference between frustration and dissent and that for me was enough for a sin bin. Again, collective moans and groans about pre season.. last night - made it very clear at the coin toss about respect, and that you can make the foul, make comment but expect me to apply the LoTG..
Made it 70 minutes in after applying everything in my locker - quick chat, talk with captains, public rebuke. Player commits a SPA tackle which I book him for, another player behind calls me deluded so I sin bin. I then elect to ignore the shouts from the bench (due to pitch availability and time remaining to get the game done), but at the end get it from the away coach about again pre season and "friendly".
My counter argument is why pay for a qualified referee and not get a club assistant to ref your friendly if you don't want me to apply the laws? To which the comment is always "we want the game referee'd properly"
Just curious if anyone is in the same boat and maybe has some good quirps I can use back.
