A&H

Coping with the dark arts - how to warn big?

santa sangria

RefChat Addict
I had a game with arguably the most notorious team in these parts last night. They have a deserved reputation for dissent, diving and have also had players involved in VC cases featuring bans.

ARs were tidy. Basic decision-making was good throughout. Movement good. But... a lot of low level commentary, quite a bit of feigning injury (x7, started at 0-0), a few unspectacular dives (x3, one into the box), kicking the ball away (x5).

I am the nice guy. I used the captain, which is rare. I didn't get into conversations about decisions but... my ceremonial warnings were poor. I also struggled with the clarity of warnings. 7 YCs total. 2 for dissent for kicking the ball away. After the first 3 that were all kinda borderline and not ridiculous I warned the captain and got him to communicate with his players. So, the next two occasions were easy YCs.

I didn't come on aggressive, or particularly upright with "last chance saloon" warnings. In fact I was stooping, which was poor. I think I was trying to avoid aggression/confrontation but I realise it doesn't play well to the crowd.

The injury feigning was tough. I think I made the right game decisions - 3 of them I waved play on and let the teams decide to kick the ball out, one was holding the head and had to be stopped, 3 more were just "off the telly" leg clutching writhing and rolling after tackles and had to be stopped with ceremony, medic etc. I got them all to leave by the nearest touchline and signalled I would add time. Problem was, with those when I waved play on, I could have made the "get up" gesture much much clearer. I felt the guys weren't blatant so no YCs for simulation for the feigning/diving and that went OK but...

Problem with a team like this is that it is impossible to stop them talking/complaining/commentating - to try get them to cease would involve untold cards - and conflict... but... somehow I need to come on much stronger at the first warnings and make fewer, much more pronounced warnings with big body language. It's also the biggest difference between me right now and the refs one or two levels above me that I run the line for.

(Ping @Big Cat 'cos the feline was saying something around this)
 
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I had a game with arguably the most notorious team in these parts last night. They have a deserved reputation for dissent, diving and have also had players involved in VC cases featuring bans.

ARs were tidy. Basic decision-making was good throughout. Movement good. But... a lot of low level commentary, quite a bit of feigning injury (x7, started at 0-0), a few unspectacular dives (x3, one into the box), kicking the ball away (x5).

I am the nice guy. I used the captain, which is rare. I didn't get into conversations about decisions but... my ceremonial warnings were poor. I also struggled with the clarity of warnings. 7 YCs total. 2 for dissent for kicking the ball away. After the first 3 that were all kinda borderline and not ridiculous I warned the captain and got him to communicate with his players. So, the next two occasions were easy YCs.

I didn't come on aggressive, or particularly upright with "last chance saloon" warnings. In fact I was stooping, which was poor. I think I was trying to avoid aggression/confrontation but I realise it doesn't play well to the crowd.

The injury feigning was tough. I think I made the right game decisions - 3 of them I waved play on and let the teams decide to kick the ball out, one was holding the head and had to be stopped, 3 more were just "off the telly" leg clutching writhing and rolling after tackles and had to be stopped with ceremony, medic etc. I got them all to leave by the nearest touchline and signalled I would add time. Problem was, with those when I waved play on, I could have made the "get up" gesture much much clearer. I felt the guys weren't blatant so no YCs for simulation for the feigning/diving and that went OK but...

Problem with a team like this is that it is impossible to stop them talking/complaining/commentating - to try get them to cease would involve untold cards - and conflict... but... somehow I need to come on much stronger at the first warnings and make fewer, much more pronounced warnings with big body language. It's also the biggest difference between me right now and the refs one or two levels above me that I run the line for.

(Ping @Big Cat 'cos the feline was saying something around this)
Early stages of my learning curve, but i'm quickly realizing that players only understand a primitive language involving two possible colours flashed in their direction. The stepped process is fair and seems to have some merit, but naively thinking the game can be managed with words and wit alone, has not rewarded me with many happy endings...
Recently, i've had better outcomes by combining the whole player empathy thing with fair, but abrupt discipline
 
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The cards do indeed work, the times they make things difficult for ourselves are when we try to be too clever, or in the heat of the moment we overlook something, and one team percieves they are being treated differently. Its a skill in itself that I doubt we can ever master, but an ongoing learning curve.
 
If you want the Ugly Sisters to come around and sort them out, one by one, you just have to ask Santa!! :hmmm:
 
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