A&H

Friendly Pest

Sheffields Finest

Maybe I'm foolish, maybe I'm blind!
Level 7 Referee
Did only my second friendly last night and met what I can only say was our worst type of player at any level, great standard played by all 22 players but away Centre Half could have seriously of had 3-4 yellows and 2 straight reds. In a normal league game I wouldn't of even hesitated in binning him but i was in Friendly mode and did my best to keep 22 on the pitch. Two extremely aggressive challenges all with a flare up in retribution, two bouts of dissent and at least two other occasions where a card wouldn't of took a lot of selling. He had very scary eyes, piercing, Mr Angry, typical Sunday League antagonist. Luckily it wasn't physical aggression against me but he was winding up everyone with over-zealous play. I asked their Sec after the game if he got a lot of cards to which he said he was banned half of last season. I ended up giving him a yellow for a pretty innocuous challenge and sold it as 'persistent infringement'. I know its easy to say I should have binned him, maybe I should of, but what can you do in a 'friendly'... If I ever see him again in a League game my patience won't be even tested!!
 
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It happens, it you don't want to bin him I'd be having a very quiet word with the manager saying you get him off the pitch or I will do it for you ..!

I did make a signal to their bench to swap him but they either didn't understand or didn't appreciate my potential help in keeping him unbanned going forward. and 11 players on the pitch.
 
Have you gone soft in the head SF? Take a year out and your refereeing brain has become addled!

Hope I fare better when I tread the sward for the first time in well over a year on the 17th September.......may have to upgrade the first significant yellow to a red just for the hell of it.........still think we should be on a bonus system........
 
I must be the only person who is even stricter in friendlies than leagues games :p
No you are not.... i tell both teams (inclusive of managers) that all laws of football apply and all bookings will be sent to the F.A. ( i say that because someone always asks at the end of the match if i will send them in)....
And it does work, yes.. i have cautioned players in friendlies, and sent two players off for fighting in the 25th minute.
Why should i treat a "friendly" any different than a league match?..rhetorical question that in my opinion.
 
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Ive a 100% record of yellow carding this season in giving one in both my games, in the first one it worked a treat and everyone calmed down, in the second unfortunately you can't polish a turd!!!
 
Have you gone soft in the head SF? Take a year out and your refereeing brain has become addled!

Hope I fare better when I tread the sward for the first time in well over a year on the 17th September.......may have to upgrade the first significant yellow to a red just for the hell of it.........still think we should be on a bonus system........
Good Luck Minty, make sure Yorkshire Ambulance Trust have a helicopter on standby...... It hurts after that long our quaffing Prosecco and living the high life... ;)
 
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You don't give the YC to keep people happy, then when he breaks a leg everyone says that he shouldn have ben on the pitch, someone sues you, you're fu8ed. You never know when "that" challenge is ever going to come, but if you've contributed by your actions or omissions they'll want your blood too.

Congratualtions!
 
You don't give the YC to keep people happy, then when he breaks a leg everyone says that he shouldn have ben on the pitch, someone sues you, you're fu8ed. You never know when "that" challenge is ever going to come, but if you've contributed by your actions or omissions they'll want your blood too.

Congratualtions!
top man sometimes I wonder if friendlies are worth doing due to the above facts but we still do but lets be careful and more forceful if needed and you do not want to send the player off etc.get him off via the manager
 
I used to have a reputation for being Mr B'stard (Mike Dean) but of late the ones that know me on my normal leagues have curtailed their silliness as they know my dark side and they rarely play up. Unfortunately said player wasn't known to me or the home team before the game and said player seems to of fell foul to other referee colleagues last season so, as they say, a leopard doesn't change his spots and once a D'ck, always a D'ck.......Lesson learned for next time!!!
 
top man sometimes I wonder if friendlies are worth doing due to the above facts but we still do but lets be careful and more forceful if needed and you do not want to send the player off etc.get him off via the manager
The same advice applies to lots of questions like this - the best way to do a "friendly" is to forget that word as soon as you accept the match. It's a pre-season match, with the purpose of getting the players (and you) ready for the season ahead. So treat it as you would any other match and make it clear before the game that this is what you intend to do. I've had far fewer "tough friendlies" since I started doing it this way.
 
did my best to keep 22 on the pitch. Two extremely aggressive challenges all with a flare up in retribution, two bouts of dissent and at least two other occasions where a card wouldn't of took a lot of selling.

Brave man coming on here admitting this.
You've let us down sir and let this player take the p*ss.
Some other ref will have to deal with the fallout next week when he bins hims and it's all "only a friendly ref"
 
Brave man coming on here admitting this.
You've let us down sir and let this player take the p*ss.
Some other ref will have to deal with the fallout next week when he bins hims and it's all "only a friendly ref"
spot on young man
 
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