The Ref Stop

Has anyone got any pre-match superstitions? The more ridiculous the better!

K

K7890

New Member
Over recent weeks, footballers' superstitious/rituals keep popping up wherever I set my eyes; Lineker refusing to 'waste' his goals by not taking shots in the warm up, Tommy Elphick's shake the goal posts ritual, and a more recent one; Gustavo Hamer (Coventry city) giving his (likely, very expensive) watch to the kitman to look after while he plays... and it got me thinking

Does anyone from the refereeing side of football have one? (or heard off/seen another referee do pre match?)

Unfortunately, I can't kick the thread off too well as I'm not the most superstitious of characters; though I hope it can bring some light humor serving as a non-formal discussion.

Let's hear 'em!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: one
The Ref Stop
Not so much a pre match superstition, but I did have a “cursed” Adidas kit.

Every time I wore it, things went very badly wrong.

Determined to break this psychological habit I worked it for several successive games.

Final straw was an open-age game with three reds for the away side, a bad injury to a home player, another home player player in tears (approx 17 years old) having been smashed in a challenge and left unable to continue (suddenly recovered his machismo after the game and then decided he wanted to fight me!?!). Ended up abandoning said match after being threatened by away manager.

I burned the damned thing.
 
Don't have any. But worked with an AR who refused to use any other flag other than the one he has used every game for 30 years.
 
Not a superstition as such, but I do need to do the exact same process to start a half or it all goes wrong! This is all post coin toss/pre-match chat with captains and again when we're restarting after half time.

Wave to kicking team's keeper ("Ready Keeper?") and wait for a wave back.
Check in with AR at that end (Verbally if CAR, just with a glance/thumbs up if NAR).
Repeat for non-kicking team/other AR
Start both watches
"OK, ready?" to player(s) standing over the kick-off
Blow

I was told once by an NAR that that process looked patronising to the keepers at higher levels so I skipped it for the next few games. Forgot to start one watch in one of them and had a keeper run into the goalpost because he was surprised by a shot from KO in another, plus just generally taking a while to "feel" like a referee when I hadn't gone through my routine. So back to it shortly after!
 
GraemeS said:
Not a superstition as such, but I do need to do the exact same process to start a half or it all goes wrong! This is all post coin toss/pre-match chat with captains and again when we're restarting after half time.

Wave to kicking team's keeper ("Ready Keeper?") and wait for a wave back.
Check in with AR at that end (Verbally if CAR, just with a glance/thumbs up if NAR).
Repeat for non-kicking team/other AR
Start both watches
"OK, ready?" to player(s) standing over the kick-off
Blow

I was told once by an NAR that that process looked patronising to the keepers at higher levels so I skipped it for the next few games. Forgot to start one watch in one of them and had a keeper run into the goalpost because he was surprised by a shot from KO in another, plus just generally taking a while to "feel" like a referee when I hadn't gone through my routine. So back to it shortly after!
Click to expand...
Does anyone not check the GKs are ready? Can't think of anyone I've worked with at any level who doesn't!
 
Alex Rush-Fear said:
Does anyone not check the GKs are ready? Can't think of anyone I've worked with at any level who doesn't!
Click to expand...
I would say that I have lined for people who just assume they are, who ask the NAR up that end to check for them or who judge it with a look rather than communicating with them. But yeah, definitely filing that one in the "bad advice" column!
 
Alex Rush-Fear said:
Does anyone not check the GKs are ready? Can't think of anyone I've worked with at any level who doesn't!
Click to expand...
There's checking and there's calling to them, which are different things. My ARs are expected to ensure their end is ready, including the GK, and I always look at them to double check, but I stopped calling to them a long time ago. It's been discouraged here as unnecessary.
 
I think I've got 'a lucky pair of socks', but I can't remember which ones they are since it's so long since I donned them
As a rule, if I have a superstitious thought, I tend to make a point of doing the complete opposite in a bid to dispel such nonsense
 
  • Haha
Reactions: ARF
socal lurker said:
There's checking and there's calling to them, which are different things. My ARs are expected to ensure their end is ready, including the GK, and I always look at them to double check, but I stopped calling to them a long time ago. It's been discouraged here as unnecessary.
Click to expand...
I thought someone had said something similar on here before, about not doing this.
Our elite refs do it or at least they do at FL level. I remember watching a game after reading a similar comment and checking specifically if it happened.
 
JamesL said:
I thought someone had said something similar on here before, about not doing this.
Our elite refs do it or at least they do at FL level. I remember watching a game after reading a similar comment and checking specifically if it happened.
Click to expand...
This feels like a "when in Rome" type thing to me. It's really not hard to tell if the GK is ready without asking and it really doesn't hurt to ask. (The biggest argument I've heard against is "what if the GK is a knucklehead and says no," which I've never found compelling, nor do I think it is hard to handle if it does.)
 
socal lurker said:
This feels like a "when in Rome" type thing to me. It's really not hard to tell if the GK is ready without asking and it really doesn't hurt to ask. (The biggest argument I've heard against is "what if the GK is a knucklehead and says no," which I've never found compelling, nor do I think it is hard to handle if it does.)
Click to expand...

I can't say I really check or ask the GKs if they're "ready". I simply shout "Okay Keeper!" It's more of a cursory warning/signal that we're going. I'm not expecting a response. If they're not "ready" e.g perhaps doing up laces/gloves then like you say, I can see that for myself.

I do it every game though. 🙂
 
  • Like
Reactions: one
For me it's just a glance, and it goes the same for my AR's, they should either be looking at me about to blow or the player who is about to kick off. If they are not, I wait a second or two for them to notice.

One ritual I don't like to see because it does not look professional is the referee visibly counting the players on the field.
 
one said:
For me it's just a glance, and it goes the same for my AR's, they should either be looking at me about to blow or the player who is about to kick off. If they are not, I wait a second or two for them to notice.

One ritual I don't like to see because it does not look professional is the referee visibly counting the players on the field.
Click to expand...
Why doesn't counting to ensure that the correct number of players are on the pitch look professional? To use grassroots as an example, I'm generally on my own with club assistants, no dressing rooms etc, so I don't see how a quick double check pre-KO does any harm. There have been countless instances of teams being a player short or over, so I'd rather check.

On the superstition point, I have a rubber help for heroes wristband that I bought at a charity game (which was actually the first game I did post passing my course) - I've worn it under my watch for every game since with the exception of 2. One was abandoned after I was assaulted and the other ended with 4 reds after a mass confrontation, so I always double and triple check that I have it on now :oops:
 
Matthew said:
Why doesn't counting to ensure that the correct number of players are on the pitch look professional? To use grassroots as an example, I'm generally on my own with club assistants, no dressing rooms etc, so I don't see how a quick double check pre-KO does any harm. There have been countless instances of teams being a player short or over, so I'd rather check.
Click to expand...
Put the emphasis on 'visibly' in my original post. The answer to your question why it doesn't look 'professtional' is because I have never seen a 'professional' referee do it. Hope that makes sense. I don't expect everyone else to feel the same.

And absolutly... no harm in double checking. I have counted players numerous times. At kick off or after messy wholesome substitution I couldn't control (different story). But it has been a quick 4,4,2 or 4,3,3 eye scan.
 
Counting the number of players at the start of the second half when there's been a red card in the first - that looks good.
(sorry, OT)

My socks stay up fine but my superstition is the same pair of velcro stocking ties I have used for every match of my refereeing career!
Strangely I have not thought much of it... but probably 700 or something by now:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top