The Ref Stop

First assessment

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QuaverRef

I used to be indecisive but now i'm not so sure
Level 4 Referee
First assessment today which went well. Was told fitness, positioning, communication and decision making were excellent however I got marked down on a few things I wasnt expecting

- I was told to not answer players in the last 10 minutes when asked how longs left as it gives an unfair advantage to the other team if they don’t hear
- I also hold the whistle in the air when setting up the wall for a free kick after announcing ‘on the whistle’. I was told this looks too much like a long indirect free kick signal
- I didn’t know the names of the CAR’s which makes any dialogue with me and them impersonal

Made 2 mistakes in a ‘spirit of the game’ approach rather than application of the law. I didn’t tell a player to go off after receiving treatment, and one of the subs entered the field before the other left.

All in all though it went well!
 
The Ref Stop
QuaverRef said:
First assessment today which went well. Was told fitness, positioning, communication and decision making were excellent however I got marked down on a few things I wasnt expecting

- I was told to not answer players in the last 10 minutes when asked how longs left as it gives an unfair advantage to the other team if they don’t hear
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Hogwash
QuaverRef said:
- I also hold the whistle in the air when setting up the wall for a free kick after announcing ‘on the whistle’. I was told this looks too much like a long indirect free kick signal
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But then I'm guessing you tell everyone that it is a DFK?
QuaverRef said:
- I didn’t know the names of the CAR’s which makes any dialogue with me and them impersonal
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Oh FFS
QuaverRef said:
Made 2 mistakes in a ‘spirit of the game’ approach rather than application of the law. I didn’t tell a player to go off after receiving treatment, and one of the subs entered the field before the other left.
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Ah proper things to work on
QuaverRef said:
All in all though it went well!
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Good

On and on, and on to the next one...
 
Yeah, although there was lots of positives to take I felt frustrated by the above, especially the comment about not telling people about how long is left.

And yeah, with every free kick I always say the same thing. ‘Keeper, it’s (in)direct and on the whistle.’ Then say the same to the kick taker.
 
QuaverRef said:
Yeah, although there was lots of positives to take I felt frustrated by the above, especially the comment about not telling people about how long is left.

And yeah, with every free kick I always say the same thing. ‘Keeper, it’s (in)direct and on the whistle.’ Then say the same to the kick taker.
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Many of the assessors (observers) who work below Supply League aren't as well trained or supported as those who regularly observe/report on L4 and above. You sometimes need to take what they say with a pinch of salt.
 
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If someone asks how long is left tell them loud enough so everyone can hear, and then repeat it. Common sense.

The free kick management thing. The ”on the whistle” with holding the whistle at head height is for the kicker. So, identify and address the kicker clearer and slow enough that everyone else can hear/understand. One thing at a time.

Then pace the wall (from the outside so you can view all players still), then tell the wall instructions (about hands on front of the face), then get in position, the blow.

One thing at a time. It’s easier and clearer if you don’t signal the whistle while doing the wall, if you don’t blow while getting into position... after 5 years still learning this;)
 
@QuaverRef when you say marked down, where these in your observation report or mentioned in the de-brief as things to think about?

As others have said, ignore the "dont tell players how longs left", absolute rubbish. If you dont tell them then you will be the ref that no one can talk to.

Sort of agree on the whistle in the air thing (although i wouldn't mention it in any observation report).But thats just a personal thing, i just tell the kicker, they are the only one that needs to know. As you place the ball just tell them on my whistle. If anyone else asks then tell them, otherwise it doesn't matter.

CAR's what are they???? ha ha ha
 
I'm going to echo the thoughts of most others here I expect:
Time - utter rubbish. If the other team ask and you ignore them then he might have a point, but you should be approachable without overdoing it and feeling the need to tell everyone. If it's in the last 5 minutes then it might be worth accompanying your answer with a hand gesture to help others know, but that's still only advice rather than something actually assessable!
Whistle - again, possibly a fair point if it was actually confusing, but I'd be very surprised if that was actually the case.
CAR's - utter rubbish again. It's entirely your call how you want to treat your CAR's (within reason) - you can communicate in a respectful manner without using their names, and it's possible to be dismissive, rude or sarcastic while using their names. As long you worked well with them, why should anyone expect you to worry about their names?
 
Cheshire Ref said:
@QuaverRef when you say marked down, where these in your observation report or mentioned in the de-brief as things to think about?
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Marked down was the term the assessor kept using in the brief after the match, I’m yet to actually receive the official report.
 
You'll find as you go along some observers are really good and give valuable advice, some, not so much.

You'll also find that you get conflicting advice from observers.

I friend of mine once got marked down for not standing on the goal line/post for a corner. His next assessment (as they were then) he got marked down for standing on the goal line/post at a corner.

The best thing to do is just smile and agree and take it on the chin.
 
Best thing with assessments/observations is not to view them in isolation or as a whole.

Looking at the observation as a whole - were there any things that the observer picked up on that you think is relevant? If so, then work on it.
When you look at multiple observations over time, if there are recurring themes coming up in multiple reports, then chances are you might want to work on it.

On the whole don't tell the players the time left, seriously, i'd nod, smile and completely disregard it :)
 
With regards to the CARs, when getting observed (and often when I'm not) I get the names of the CARs and say 'thank you *name*' when they've given me an offside flag - it gives the observer an easy tick in the box for 'working as a team' or whatever the criteria says. I've had four observations throughout and it has always been a positive point on my reports. It's a bit more hard work when they change CAR often!
 
Good luck with that in some places though. Usually CARs are just whoever is the sub on the day and sometimes it gets rotated by whoever can be arsed to stand on the halfway line.

Very rare you'd ever get a CAR moving about in my area.
 
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