A&H

Recent content by Dr Ben Ives

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    Vignette 10: At the end of the day…

    The light of the crescent moon penetrates the bedroom curtains and bathes the walls and furniture in an eerie blue glow. The inconsiderate ticking of the old alarm clock reverberates around the room as its hands turn relentlessly toward the small hours. Gallin lays on his back, hands tucked...
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    Vignette 9: Handshakes

    Gallin takes a final look at his watch, puts his whistle to his pursed lips and calls the match to an end. He breathes a short and inconspicuous sigh of relief following a relatively incident-free game. ‘Cheers, ref,’ Blue Number Seven says with an outstretched arm. He clasps Gallin’s hand...
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    Vignette 8: The great decision

    Red Number Three slides across the halfway line, carving a rift through the icy layer atop the turf. The Blue centre midfielder topples spectacularly like a felled oak, crashing shoulder-first into the ground with a thud. Multiple, resonant cries of ‘Ref!’ flood Gallin’s ears, but as he winces...
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    Vignette 7: Crossing a different line

    Gallin blows on his whistle and straightens his arm out to the side to signal the direct free-kick. Red Number Six responds by throwing both arms in the air and spinning round to face the referee. ‘What the ****, ref?’ ‘What? I got that right, don’t you think?’ Gallin retorts with a pert smile...
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    Vignette 6: The insignificant mistake

    Blue Number Four scoops up the ball and wipes away the moisture in a makeshift pouch in front of his shirt whilst hastily scouting the pitch for an available and well-positioned teammate. Gallin blows again on his whistle. ‘Red throw. It’s red ball,’ he says with some conviction. The spectators...
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    Vignette 5: Crossing the white line

    Twenty-yards from the white line, Gallin snorts a shot of invigorating wintry-fresh air, reviving and stiffening his whole face and covering the walls of his lungs like a frost. He exhales rapidly through pursed lips. His stride becomes more deliberate, injected with a pronounced machismo; long...
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    Vignette 4: The manager’s test

    Meeting a team manager for the first time was always... interesting. Gallin, over the years, had created his own loose typology based on his encounters. Managers ranged from Perfect Professionals right through to Obstructive Pigs. Gallin’s most loathed manager, however, just had to be the...
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    Vignette 3: The fraternity

    Gallin gently forces open the heavy, ill-fitting door to the referees’ changing block to be immediately hit by the familiar pong of well-ripened muck, damp leather, ammonia, Ralgex and various indefinable but nonetheless appreciable scents of the body. It is a combination of smells you just...
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    Vignette 2: Butterflies

    A rectangular, brown road sign for Old Leaf Playing Fields looms large at the roadside. Gallin vigilantly pulls the car to the left, presses softly on the brake peddle and indicates to turn into the car park. The butterflies, which have occupied his stomach since the moment he woke, begin to...
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    Vignette 1: Fed, hydrated, suited ‘n’ booted

    Gallin holds a misted glass to his face, quaffing the last few mouthfuls of chilled water, all the while his eyes point upwards, fixed on the outsized, old-worldly clock hanging high above the kitchen door. Its large hand clunks gracelessly down to mark 12.27pm. Gallin places the glass down on...
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    Introductions and Instructions

    Dear members, We would like your help with a research project! We are researchers at Buckinghamshire New University (UK) and we have recently completed a series of interviews with male UK, non-league football referees about their experiences. We used the information from these interviews to...
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    Help needed for refereeing research

    Hi guys, Thank you so much for your feedback, it has been thought provoking and helpful, and we have made changes to some of the vignettes based on your responses. Here is the updated versions of the vignettes we have amended. Please have a read and let us know your thoughts, alongside any...
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    Help needed for refereeing research

    Here is another pre-game scenario that we could not fit onto the previous post. Please note that this will most likely come before the vignettes posted above. Happy reading. Porridge, mirrors, and looking-the-part Gallin glances at the large clock on the kitchen wall, the small hand points...
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    Help needed for refereeing research

    Hello refereeing community. We are seeking your help in relation to an ongoing research project which is aiming to present a typical experience of being a male football referee. We hope that this research will help both neophyte and experienced referees better appreciate and understand the...
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