Arsenal v Newcastle

[Paul_10]

Watching the mic'd up show and the potential DOGSO from Pope was covered and what I found interesting is this seems a good example of where I feel assistant referees are acting more like referees and basically telling the referee what the sanction should be. For me, it should be let the referee make the decision and if the referee is not sure then ask his assistant through the comms for help but I just find the assistants are too quick to make a judgment before the referee even has a chance to make his decision.

I did like how Sam Barrott quickly took control of the situation and not let his assistant influence him to change his mind.

 

[RustyRef]

They work as a team and are constantly talking, that is just how comms works. Before comms then absolutely the assistant referee would probably wait there to see what the referee did before making a signal, but they don't need to do when they can give their view that no one else can hear. In his defence it was right in front of him, and even pre-comms that would be classed as his credible zone.

The problem was probably more that he thought the defender was further away than he actually was, whereas Sam Barrott had a much better angle to judge that. I agree he took control of the situation quickly and got to the right decision.

 

[socal lurker]

Agree with @RustyRef . My understanding is that there are clear standards set for what goes through comms at that level, and the idea is that the AR’s give their views, if they have them, to inform the ref’s decision. They aren’t making the decision for him, but telling him what it is from what they saw.