The Ref Stop

Biggest clanger you've dropped?

DaveMac

DaveMac

RefChat Addict
Level 7 Referee
We all make mistakes and some people get over them quicker than others. But what sticks out in your mind?

For me I made two that really spring to mind and both were amazing examples of terrible position to make a decision and a great position to make a decision. Both were great learning experiences from early games I took charge.

First was u16 game from a corner. I'm edge of the box, ball is cleared and someone whacks one from 18 yards and cleared off the line. Then for some unknown reason I'm whistling and shouting goal and pointing to the centre circle! Obviously the defending team are furious as there was no way I could have been sure it was over the line. The only thing that saved me from totally losing the match was I managed to be so convincing the ball was in not much fuss was kicked up. But was a real howler and although it might have crept over the line I never could have seen, so it made me realise I shouldn't be guessing on decisions like that.

Second was last minute of an open aged game. Attacking team are 3-0 down and their winger gets in the box, little jink totally skins the defender who sticks out a leg and brings him down. 100% penalty but for some reason I shook my head and said no. Have no clue why as soon as I said no I realised it was a pen. I was literally 5 yards away and couldn't have asked to be in a better position to see it. After the game the winger came over and said it didn't matter even if they'd scored the pen it wouldn't have changed the result. But all I can out that down to is having a bit of a brain freezer. But one of the only times I couldn't after a game come up with any excuse even in my own mind! It was just a terrible decision. Which is weird as normally I didn't shy away from giving penalties when needed.
 
The Ref Stop
We wall make mistakes don't we, we just need to learn from them. The ball over the line when your on your own is always a nightmare. I had one last season player hits one from what must have been about 40 yards out which smashes off the bar and bounces down... cue hysteria from the team who "somehow" know for certain that it crossed the line, even the goalkeeper at the opposite end saw it!!!! Give me a break, there is no way in a million years anyone can tell whether or not that crossed the line so there is only one decision I can give. Come to think of it due to the position he hit it from I don't think an assistant would have even been able to get in position. It was some hit though!!!!
 
I had one about a month ago, pre-season friendly U13. Blue player is running forward with the ball and cuts in from the left wing around the centre of the opposition half. So I decide to follow my diagonal to go onto the outside of play. As I do this an opposition Red player comes in to tackle, as well as another Blue player who runs in front of me, blocking my view for a split second and I'm left with no view of the incident because I haven't got an angle from my diagonal yet. The ball doesn't deviate it's path, so I blow for the foul. Cue uproar from the sideline: "Ref, it was his own player who tackled him!" :confused: Guess what happens next. Blue team score the free-kick. Didn't affect the result but lesson learned - positioning is key and I always try to get wider, quicker now.
 
Being a spurs fan even top level refs and assistants don't always spot these. Especially at old trafford. Pedro mendes will never be forgotten ;)

oliver byron said:
We wall make mistakes don't we, we just need to learn from them. The ball over the line when your on your own is always a nightmare. I had one last season player hits one from what must have been about 40 yards out which smashes off the bar and bounces down... cue hysteria from the team who "somehow" know for certain that it crossed the line, even the goalkeeper at the opposite end saw it!!!! Give me a break, there is no way in a million years anyone can tell whether or not that crossed the line so there is only one decision I can give. Come to think of it due to the position he hit it from I don't think an assistant would have even been able to get in position. It was some hit though!!!!
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Where do I start? I've dropped a fair few over the years :p Obviously, you have to move on but there's one that really sticks out.

U10 Cup Semi-Final 3-4 years ago. Teams level at 2-2 going into the last ten minutes when the away team get a corner; ball comes into the middle where the attacker gets the perfect contact on it, then it happened. It was on its way in when the defender on the line stuck his arm out and saved it, stonewall penalty and DOGSO. I didn't give it. To this day, I have absolutely no idea what I was thinking. Inevitably, the home team went straight up the other end and scored what turned out to be the winner. The manager, parents and players were furious, and rightly so. That decision still haunts me because it should have been so easy to give.

D'oh! :(
 
I'm another thats got frozen on a couple of occasions, the saying it happens so quickly is sometimes very true! the hardest thing for me is trying to not give an advatage somewhere else to make up for it etc
 
Went to caution a player last year and couldn't get my yellow card out my pocket, not too bad but still slightly embarrassing!!
 
First season - 3rd game for me. Green vs blue. Green pushes blue in the penalty area as the ball comes in, obvious penalty. Blow the whistle, point to the spot.

Looks of amazement.

This was the first play of the second half and my brain hasn't picked up the obvious switch of ends and that green is an attacker and blue is defending. :confused: Realise my mistake, apologise and give the free kick to the defending blue player as it should be.

Green shouts "you can't do that! You have the penalty! You can't change you mind!"

"You don't know the laws of the game pal! You fouled him, now let's get on with the game"

Got the right outcome in the end, but made a right dogs dinner of it on the way!
 
Hardly a clanger but twice during a game my pencil fell out my pocket and the same player picked it up to give it to me. Felt a bit of an idiot. He said if he had to do it a third time he'd have to add a couple of goals to my notebook before he'd give it back.
 
DaveMac said:
Being a spurs fan even top level refs and assistants don't always spot these. Especially at old trafford. Pedro mendes will never be forgotten ;)
Click to expand...

Being a United fan I believe the officials on that match were spot on, the ball never crossed the line the camera angle just made it look like it had!! :) :) :) ;)
 
Similar to previous

Attacker running into box with defender shadowing.him. defender barges attacker into outrushing keeper in box who takes him out and defender clears ball. Blatant penalty and for some unknown reason I waved on... Such an obvious one all spectators knew it was a pen as did opposite keeper but to this day I do not know what stopped me giving that penalty...
 
I once made a player retake a corner because the ball "never came into play", the manager quite rightly pointed out to me that the ball starts in play and should therefore have been a goal kick :rolleyes:
 
DaveMac said:
Hardly a clanger but twice during a game my pencil fell out my pocket and the same player picked it up to give it to me. Felt a bit of an idiot. He said if he had to do it a third time he'd have to add a couple of goals to my notebook before he'd give it back.
Click to expand...

Reminded me of Paul Gascoigne at his playful best after ref had dropped his yellow card on the pitch

 
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Kieran W said:
I had one about a month ago, pre-season friendly U13. Blue player is running forward with the ball and cuts in from the left wing around the centre of the opposition half. So I decide to follow my diagonal to go onto the outside of play. As I do this an opposition Red player comes in to tackle, as well as another Blue player who runs in front of me, blocking my view for a split second and I'm left with no view of the incident because I haven't got an angle from my diagonal yet. The ball doesn't deviate it's path, so I blow for the foul. Cue uproar from the sideline: "Ref, it was his own player who tackled him!" :confused: Guess what happens next. Blue team score the free-kick. Didn't affect the result but lesson learned - positioning is key and I always try to get wider, quicker now.
Click to expand...

surely the lesson learned was 'never guess'
 
Gave an offside that the lino said was offside. After play restarted I realised he ran from the edge of the box. HOW DID I MANAGE THAT?
 
What I have learned in my time is every time you drop a bollock it always comes back an bites you in the backside. E.g give a free kick that wasn't theybwill score off it. Don't give a free kick that is the other team will score off it

Was being assessed last week. In my mind I felt I was having an absolute stinker speccys was giving ME nothing but greif, benches and players team was losing 0-2 in the 1st half 2nd half score 1-2 to get back init. I the give a penalty which I after i give it felt no he dived 2-2 (assessor actually agreed with me so that's all that mattered). 80th minute defender try's to clear ball, attacked try's to head it (no contact). Here I am giving a penalty. 3-2 away bench was in uproar an the assessor was no less than 10 yards away. How
I scraped a 72 out of him that day il never know
 
I've made a few "errors" though I try to convince myself I was right afterwards so it doesn't haunt me.
The most embarrassing was doing the coin toss and then forgetting what I was supposed to offer the team that won the toss....needless to say I got it wrong, and when the captain queried it I still didn't change my mind...

I do notice that most occur when the referee is in their first year or so.
Also, for me, the one that haunts me the most I still say I made the right decision
 
I've posted this before elsewhere but possibly here too.

Not sending a player off for a deliberate headbutt on an opponent, just metres from me and then accepting it "as just a bit of afters".

Can I mitigate this? The previous season (unknown to me at the time) these two sides had met in the final of the cup, and then been drawn this time in the first round. In the final three players had been sent off. Bad blood.

Both teams went fro each other from the start. As a very inexperienced 7 looking back I should never have been given the game. It needed a very strong 5.

From the start everyone (including the CAR) was on my back. The CAR complained that I played 6 minutes of stoppage in the first half, bellowing "Will you f*****g hurry up, you're eating into my valuable drinking time"

Intimidated? Absolutely.
Is that why I didn't red for the headbutt? 100%
I was so glad to get home - extremely shaken by it all but that was 13 years ago now. That tells its own story.
 
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