A&H

Frustrating conversation

S

Steve Wiggins

New Member
Level 5 Referee
Last night went to watch a team in their final match of the Womens Northen Prem as I work with their manager and they needed to win to stay in that league, another teams secretary/manager who was not playing that night and also came down to watch was next to me.

He started ranting to a guy next to him about the standard of referees in this league, having refereed in this league I started to listen and see what he had to say and the guy next to him started looking at me and laughing, turns out he recognised me from refereeing a few games in this league and said to me what do you think?

I politely explained to this guy that I was a referee and rather than argue with him I just asked him what do you think we need to do to improve expecting a serious answer and he just starts ranting on about how we are all awful and I have to pay you £30-£50 for the privilege and 9/10 of you are all **** and don't know what you doing. I tried to have a serious conversation and keep it polite but in the end I turned round and said its people like you that persuade refs to give up and if you think we're **** do it yourself and walked off.
 
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People like that just get wrapped up in their own little world.

Consolation is that his failure to spot faults in his own team and take the easy option of blaming the officials for every match not won, is probably the reason he is coaching at that level and not higher.
 
This game is plagued by too many people who are way, way too stupid to realise that they're a much bigger part of the problem than those they're slandering.
 
I wonder what professional quality referees he is hoping to get for his money?
 
SM said:
I wonder what professional quality referees he is hoping to get for his money?
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I heard Howard Webb was on £30 a game including expenses at his peak.

His ref sec appointed him to the Champions League Final when he should have been in the Leicestershire Womens Northen Premier League, but being a man of his word and as he had the Champions League appointment first, he had to do that one.
 
Steve Wiggins said:
Last night went to watch a team in their final match of the Womens Northen Prem as I work with their manager and they needed to win to stay in that league, another teams secretary/manager who was not playing that night and also came down to watch was next to me.

He started ranting to a guy next to him about the standard of referees in this league, having refereed in this league I started to listen and see what he had to say and the guy next to him started looking at me and laughing, turns out he recognised me from refereeing a few games in this league and said to me what do you think?

I politely explained to this guy that I was a referee and rather than argue with him I just asked him what do you think we need to do to improve expecting a serious answer and he just starts ranting on about how we are all awful and I have to pay you £30-£50 for the privilege and 9/10 of you are all **** and don't know what you doing. I tried to have a serious conversation and keep it polite but in the end I turned round and said its people like you that persuade refs to give up and if you think we're **** do it yourself and walked off.
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**** him
 
As a RefsSec I've long given up getting annoyed about the complaints I get about referees. Some of these clowns who run clubs expect FIFA standard referees for their local league division 4 teams and £35 match fee.

One club I have complain about everything. I sent them an elderly referee and they complained about his age and fitness, the next week they had a 19 year old and they complained he had no experience of football and was too young. They had a referee who I knew was very lenient and rarely uses cards and they complained he let too much go, the next week they had the league's enforcer and they complained he ruined the game with too many cards. I just find myself laughing about it now when teams like this send bizarre complaints in ..!
 
RustyRef said:
As a RefsSec I've long given up getting annoyed about the complaints I get about referees. Some of these clowns who run clubs expect FIFA standard referees for their local league division 4 teams and £35 match fee.

One club I have complain about everything. I sent them an elderly referee and they complained about his age and fitness, the next week they had a 19 year old and they complained he had no experience of football and was too young. They had a referee who I knew was very lenient and rarely uses cards and they complained he let too much go, the next week they had the league's enforcer and they complained he ruined the game with too many cards. I just find myself laughing about it now when teams like this send bizarre complaints in ..!
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Towards the end of the season I had a similar experience. Did a league game between the bottom two teams and issued 9 cautions, 8 for dissent.

Monday morning I get a phone call from the refs sec.

"I've had one of the teams on from yesterday moaning you were too card happy, issued 9 cautions, all for dissent. What do you think?"

'I think you should send me back this weekend' (by luck they were playing each other again in the cup the following week)

"Really?" 'Sure'

So I go back the next week. Look on the home coaches face was priceless.

"Alright ref. We groaned when we saw your name for us again this week"
'So did I mate, still, after last weeks' learning curve we all know what we're up against don't we?'

No problems whatsoever. No cautions at all, not one word of backchat, nothing. 22 handshakes at the end and a massive sense of a win on my part.
 
A similar type of story to Ruffel.

A few years ago, I referee'd an FL u18 team (shall remain nameless). Their attitude was simply disgusting from the moment I arrived (for the rearranged 10am Sat Morn KO, from 11 originally scheduled!) until the moment I left.
I reported them post-match for each and every misdemeanour (no changing rooms available upon arrival, team-sheet exchange outside in the car park due to earlier point and a whole host of other stuff). They in turn, as my report was received before they'd sent theirs, reported me for a world of stuff. Mr Allison of FL Ref appointments called me to ask about it. I told him, he said not to worry, their report (and mark of 1/100) had been effectively wiped off and was sent back for "readjusting" by the club.
Next month's appts come out and...yep, you guessed, I was back there again on a Saturday morning. Attitude stunk again, arguably worse than previous time, in addition to the 4 cautions (1 for simulation), 1 red and a coach (asst manager I think) being binned. Once again, I reported the lot, they reported me, Dave phoned me and laughed...and I went back as late replacement 2 weeks later!
Red carpet, couldn't have been more helpful etc, and a confused ref! Game went fine, no report this time (either direction) and a call from Dave, where he told me the enormity of the fine and punishment this team had! It's no wonder I was treated like a king when I went back for the final time!!
 
RustyRef said:
As a RefsSec I've long given up getting annoyed about the complaints I get about referees. Some of these clowns who run clubs expect FIFA standard referees for their local league division 4 teams and £35 match fee.

One club I have complain about everything. I sent them an elderly referee and they complained about his age and fitness, the next week they had a 19 year old and they complained he had no experience of football and was too young. They had a referee who I knew was very lenient and rarely uses cards and they complained he let too much go, the next week they had the league's enforcer and they complained he ruined the game with too many cards. I just find myself laughing about it now when teams like this send bizarre complaints in ..!
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Would love to see some of them, but I suspect the novelty soon wears off when you get them every week!

I was on a Ryman U18 (midweek, evening) match a few seasons ago that had to be called off an hour before KO because of a frozen pitch.

Mrs Pinner was in the club bar and heard someone grumbling that the officials should really have been there at leaat 2 hours earlier so "everyone" - it wasn't a huge crowd, trust me, wouldn't have had to turn up.

Apart from the fact that pitch wasn't frozen 3 hours before kick off, amazing that they thought we had half a day spare to arrive so early.

Mrs Pinner politely pointed out that myself and the other 3 officials DID have other jobs as well as the part time refereeing one!:rolleyes:
 
RustyRef said:
As a RefsSec I've long given up getting annoyed about the complaints I get about referees. Some of these clowns who run clubs expect FIFA standard referees for their local league division 4 teams and £35 match fee.

One club I have complain about everything. I sent them an elderly referee and they complained about his age and fitness, the next week they had a 19 year old and they complained he had no experience of football and was too young. They had a referee who I knew was very lenient and rarely uses cards and they complained he let too much go, the next week they had the league's enforcer and they complained he ruined the game with too many cards. I just find myself laughing about it now when teams like this send bizarre complaints in ..!
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You should have gone out yourself - I don't know what they could complain about your near perfect performances :D
 
lincs22 said:
You should have gone out yourself - I don't know what they could complain about your near perfect performances :D
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Or gone out as a different person completely and waited for the complaint.

"We'd like to complain about the ref you sent us last week, he was sh!te"

'Actually that was me'

"Oh, errrr, ummmm....bye..."
 
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