A&H

Quick Free Kick

NickWilliamsLDSL

New Member
Level 9 Referee
Allowed play to go on from a quick free kick in the last few minutes of my game today.
It was to the home team who were 2-0 up and nothing came of it. The captain of the away team took exception to this because apparently a spectator had been giving grief to his player (the perp of the foul). I simply stated that I didn't hear nor see it and there was nothing wrong with the quick free kick.
A couple of minutes later home score 3rd and go wild. I think their player was perhaps still P##ed from the night before as he had sat on the bench for 85 minutes wearing sunglasses so they took great pleasure in him scoring a goal.
The captain of away grabbed the ball, ran to the centre spot, took the kick off and went ape when I didn't let him play on. He really needed me to explain that you can't take a quick centre kick...
The first time in my short ref career that I've realised how unbelievably stupid some of these players can be haha.
 
The Referee Store
Nope. And you won't like me for this! But because it was the last minute of the game and all had been well behaved I let him off with a warning and pretty much blew the final whistle.
 
Lol you don't know what you've started! He'll flip!

For what it's worth I entirely agree with your logic I'd advise going against it - and I did the same exact thing this morning!

Reason being that you will referee these players again, and they'll know you gave him a warning this time. My learning point from this weekend has been that I have to be quicker to stamp out dissent.

Good luck with padfoot
 
Lol you don't know what you've started! He'll flip!

For what it's worth I entirely agree with your logic I'd advise going against it - and I did the same exact thing this morning!

Reason being that you will referee these players again, and they'll know you gave him a warning this time. My learning point from this weekend has been that I have to be quicker to stamp out dissent.

Good luck with padfoot

Not unexpected given the indications given already concerning his approach to dissent.

I feel sorry for the players.....because when they get a ref who does the job properly they will feel hard done by.

If it's a card...it's a card, whether it's the first minute or the last.
 
Feel sorry for the players all you like! Both sets of players said to me after the game they appreciated me refereeing and that they were tired of, in their words, "coffin dodgers" who couldn't keep up with play and distributed yellow cards from the centre circle every time anyone dare suggest the ref got it wrong.
I'm not refereeing professional football and nor will I ever. After a very well behaved game I didn't see the need to book him for something so stupid.
I understand that you are clearly one for the law book through and through. Just to annoy you more, I ignored lots of foul throws and didn't book a player for taking his shirt off whilst celebrating.
God save their next referee!!!
 
Not unexpected given the indications given already concerning his approach to dissent.

I feel sorry for the players.....because when they get a ref who does the job properly they will feel hard done by.

If it's a card...it's a card, whether it's the first minute or the last.

I suppose the alternative reality is the reverse of this, which is that most referees let a bit of mouthing off go and you let nothing go so they are hard done by you. Maybe you also talk to them in a similar way to how you've communicated with me on here. In which case they should feel hard done by.
I guess that's just a slightly different way of looking at it.
 
Lol you don't know what you've started! He'll flip!

For what it's worth I entirely agree with your logic I'd advise going against it - and I did the same exact thing this morning!

Reason being that you will referee these players again, and they'll know you gave him a warning this time. My learning point from this weekend has been that I have to be quicker to stamp out dissent.

Good luck with padfoot
Yea I know I need to clamp down on dissent as well.
It's taken a couple of well behaved teams today to make me realise that it's not just normal Sunday league behaviour! I'll be giving yellow cards next weekend for sure. I'm reffing a team I've done before who gave quite a lot of dissent last time.
 
Feel sorry for the players all you like! Both sets of players said to me after the game they appreciated me refereeing and that they were tired of, in their words, "coffin dodgers" who couldn't keep up with play and distributed yellow cards from the centre circle every time anyone dare suggest the ref got it wrong.
I'm not refereeing professional football and nor will I ever. After a very well behaved game I didn't see the need to book him for something so stupid.
I understand that you are clearly one for the law book through and through. Just to annoy you more, I ignored lots of foul throws and didn't book a player for taking his shirt off whilst celebrating.
God save their next referee!!!

You know the shirt off is a mandatory caution....not something that you have a choice over?

It's about doing the job you are being paid to do...not selectively applying the LOTG so that you are popular.
 
I think you're being a bit harsh around the dissent - 'going ape' can mean many things, and if he's behaved well all match that's certainly worth taking into consideration. But, if he crosses the line, doesn't matter when he does it.

As for the shirt removal, NickWilliams - this is a mandatory caution, and every single player knows it. No excuse for not applying that one, and you'll just lose respect from both teams as well.

You're paid to do a job.
 
Maybe we can have a little empathy with a new referee, doing by the sounds of it basic Sunday morning football with low expectations from the players.

Of course, applying the LOTG is a fundamental, but common sense refereeing is also a great skill to have and none of us can understand the context of the particular fixture @NickWilliamsLDSL was officiating. For what it's worth, this is a new ref who clearly has a bit of common sense and intelligence.

I think the thing to remember here is that there are habits you don't want to get into if you move on to Saturday football or decide to go for promotion, but as someone who knows exactly what Sunday morning football is really about, sometimes a fussy ref can be more of a hindrance to player behaviour than one who does things properly. It's not right, but it is the way it is.

Right, I have to remove these splinters from all this sitting on the fence.
 
There's a difference between 'showing common sense' and 'ignoring the laws'. Dissent is subjective and we all have very different standards on here. I don't read 'he went ape' as definitely, clearly needing a yellow card. 'Going ape' is hardly an objective term'.
But the shirt removal? No ifs or buts about that one. Don't ever let yourself be 'last weeks' referee'.
 
As a level 9 id cut you some slack but would say as you advance you need to be cautioning to the laws - especially if you want to climb the ladder.

Going 'ape' does sound like quite a strong action and does suggest dissent.
 
I'm sure @NickWilliamsLDSL has plenty of common sense and intelligence, possibly more than me and his approach to the game may develop better than me. I wish he well and there's no criticism of what he did in the OP.
I know I may have developed a worrying trend of agreeing with @Padfoot but I merely agreed with his sentiment about applying the LOTG and not being selective to suit the occasion or a desire to be popular.
I give every game my all, be it boys, girls, OA on Saturday or OA on Sunday. My commitment to their game, matches the players involved and probably exceeds in many instances. I like to be consistent in my approach and therefore, I apply the LOTG to each and every game (to the best of my ability). I am going for promotion and this approach gives me confidence and I've found that the players have responded to my handling of a match.
Not too long ago, I sent off a player in the 88th minute for an OFFINABUS rant which only he, me and the fouled opponent heard. He was "a good guy", "not working at the moment", "got kids to feed", "can't afford the fine", "will miss the cup final" but if I fail to sanction accordingly (a caution instead), I'm letting down the players in his next game or the other teams in the league who lose out from me not doing my job.
I'm not a fussy ref, I don't go out to brandish cards but I can use fussiness to calm a game down. I'm a learner with game management still but I try my best and some useful tips and techniques (from here and other sources) really help. Within my own framework, these are better deployed from a solid foundation and that's where the consistency on the LOTG help me. I don't want to popular, I want to be respected.
 
If he 'can't afford the fine' because he's 'got kids to feed', then surely that makes it his responsibility to not earn the fine?
That response sums up so much of what's wrong with this game.......
 
If he 'can't afford the fine' because he's 'got kids to feed', then surely that makes it his responsibility to not earn the fine?
That response sums up so much of what's wrong with this game.......
Those are the excuses I hear all the time. A player who takes responsibility for his own actions is a rarity. Always someone else's fault or some excuse or other.
 
If he 'can't afford the fine' because he's 'got kids to feed', then surely that makes it his responsibility to not earn the fine?
That response sums up so much of what's wrong with this game.......

That excuse is laughable - if he can afford a pair of boots, he can afford the YC fine!
 
I cannot afford the fine = you cannot afford to be an idiot on the field of play.

:D
 
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