A&H

Cutting the Grass

Don't meant to hijack this thread but very much related. Thing of other commonly accepted non lotg signals. I have mentioned a few already.

Upside down wiper: offside
Rainbow back and forth: coming from offside position to get involved inside

With the whistle
There long peeps: full time
Two long peeps: half time
Two or three short peeps: to attract attention usually ball not in play

Anything else?
Calling a captain over like you're backing a lorry in to a tight space.
No longer used but flag across the chest to indicate penalty.
Round circular motion indicating player won the ball
 
The Referee Store
Figured out why I didn't know about the penalty kick lotg signal. The quietly snuck it in just last year without me noticing :)
 
This Ref goes for a huge pair of squatting scissors (which we all found a bit comical),

It looks even more comical because of the delay IMO.

I disagree with the suggestion that you do 'nothing', especially when you're in a situation where there's a crowd, because you cannot just rely on verbal's to get the message across.

Signals can help communicate the decision, so a 'cut the grass' or the usual 'wave it away' signal will help. It also can defuse situations quite promptly, appeal goes up, you're signalling and shouting 'no', and they're immediately back into the game, whereas if you do nothing, they're not just going to ask the question, they're going to beg the question and then get right at you the moment it's out of play.

Of course, signals help more (IMO) if you're using them throughout the game and not just for penalty situations, and even more if you're using them appropriately (don't use the 'get up' signal if there's any chance the player has indeed been tripped etc).

So, I guess, in the end I see it as another management and communication tool, but you won't see me doing squats or cartwheels when using them.
 
Whatever you do you need to make sure that you don't cut your assistant out, especially if it is in their credible area. I think that is why big cutting the grass signals are less used now, if you do that you are risking pretty much precluding your assistant from coming in even if you've made an obvious error.
 
Whatever you do you need to make sure that you don't cut your assistant out, especially if it is in their credible area. I think that is why big cutting the grass signals are less used now, if you do that you are risking pretty much precluding your assistant from coming in even if you've made an obvious error.
Level dependent.
Having made an awful pen decision last season , I decided to open the door a little more in my prematch for when I wanted help in pens. And an observer said to close it again, all due respect to the assistants.
 
Level dependent.
Having made an awful pen decision last season , I decided to open the door a little more in my prematch for when I wanted help in pens. And an observer said to close it again, all due respect to the assistants.

True, assistants at supply league can be anything from excellent to woeful so it would be a risk. At L3 and above though the standard will be a lot more consistent.
 
I was never a fan when refereeing of the "cutting grass" signal.

As an observer, I actually hate it more. It is "showy" and unnecessy - who is looking at the referee normally. I prefer a big vocal NO, and get on with the next phase.
 
I was never a fan when refereeing of the "cutting grass" signal.

As an observer, I actually hate it more. It is "showy" and unnecessy - who is looking at the referee normally. I prefer a big vocal NO, and get on with the next phase.

I tend you agree at our level but the higher you go you need a positive signal that people can see as they won't be able to hear you
 
I tend you agree at our level but the higher you go you need a positive signal that people can see as they won't be able to hear you
Yeah I think it's another example of the differences as you go higher up the pyramid, much like the thread on advantage where it was discussed at 4 and below you signal at the time and then bring back if it doesn't accrue, but at L3 the expectation is to wait until it accrues to signal it.

Comes back to 'managing the event' rather than just refereeing to the LOTG.
 
Nice try! :rofl:
Not just a try. It's fact.

Must also add, even though the signal was only added to lotg in 19/20 edition, it was being used by referees from long before that. Who knows. Maybe one day they add cutting the grass signal too ☺️. Though I doubt it as it's a signal for literally nothing.
 
Didn’t Collina say something along the lines of how important body language is, especially in international environments where language may be a problem?

For me, Trevor, cutting the grass is a very useful tool for communicating with colleagues, benches, players and spectators. To be used with extreme caution.
 
TBF, I have seen quite a few people on the Forum poo poo the cutting grass idea, I think that's why I raised the topic again... cos I ain't sure about the best solution. I generally fall into the category of using voice only and/or 'fairly passive Queen Mother waving'. This doesn't work that well for me

It's been used as a means of communicating your decision by countless refs for countless years so it's a no-brainer for me.
If you do as Anubis suggests and do nowt, there's a danger that the players might think you haven't even seen it or that you've bottled it. Its always best to demonstrably indicate that you have.

It's no different to "walking the dog" when you're running the line. The ball is played through/over, the shout goes up from the defence for offside and everybody, including the referee is looking at you. Why would you not make it clear and obvious to all that you've seen it, but are not flagging it? 🙂
 
It's been used as a means of communicating your decision by countless refs for countless years so it's a no-brainer for me.
If you do as Anubis suggests and do nowt, there's a danger that the players might think you haven't even seen it or that you've bottled it. Its always best to demonstrably indicate that you have.

It's no different to "walking the dog" when you're running the line. The ball is played through/over, the shout goes up from the defence for offside and everybody, including the referee is looking at you. Why would you not make it clear and obvious to all that you've seen it, but are not flagging it? 🙂

by not flagging?
 
It's been used as a means of communicating your decision by countless refs for countless years so it's a no-brainer for me.
If you do as Anubis suggests and do nowt, there's a danger that the players might think you haven't even seen it or that you've bottled it. Its always best to demonstrably indicate that you have.

It's no different to "walking the dog" when you're running the line. The ball is played through/over, the shout goes up from the defence for offside and everybody, including the referee is looking at you. Why would you not make it clear and obvious to all that you've seen it, but are not flagging it? 🙂

heres one, on line, with comms, ball rattles bar drops on line, not in

what should the AR do, given the ref and players and crowd are now putting AR in spotlight?
 
Back
Top