The Dark Arts…

[NewRefBrendan]

AR1 this morning for an Academy fixture between 2 EFL clubs… one-sided…

1st half… 0-2… home manager moans to his assistants that “nobody knows what they are doing!” Then proceeds to shout to his GK… “go down, pretend to be injured”!

First half of a 16s fixture. Dark arts at its finest.. the physio rolled his eyes at me as he trundled back to the bench after “treating” the GK…

Glad I wasn’t the only one to hear it!

 

[NoFoulsAllowed]

Sadly done and accepted at the much higher levels every week.

You aren't a medical expert. Just keep the heck out of it, as you don't want to be on the end of a report for refusal of medical treatment.

Appreciate the rest if anything and record the time.

 

[NewRefBrendan]

100% didn’t want anything to do with it! Told him next time to wait til I’m at the corner flag to do it rather than the halfway line!

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

If I were observing a referee and they heard the "Pretend . . . " shout, and warned or cautioned the manager, I would support that.
If you let it go, it's likely to escalate with the other manager becoming involved.

 

[NewRefBrendan]

Yeah I agree, and if it wasn’t an under 16 non-competitive academy game with lots of trialists etc I think I would’ve said something to the referee. Club officials don’t want busy MO’s in these games IMO…

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

Yeah I agree, and if it wasn’t an under 16 non-competitive academy game with lots of trialists etc I think I would’ve said something to the referee. Club officials don’t want busy MO’s in these games IMO…

A warning at a minimum, even in an Academy environment.

 

[dylanbailey4444]

I think this is a useful time to have a laugh whilst also ‘warning’ them. Maybe something along the lines of ‘probably not best to say that when I’m within ear’s distance of you’ with a smile and a laugh. Could work

 

[socal lurker]

I think this is a useful time to have a laugh whilst also ‘warning’ them. Maybe something along the lines of ‘probably not best to say that when I’m writhing ear’s distance of you’ with a smile and a laugh. Could work

For me, I’m absolutel cautioning the coach who yells that. It is balatantlynunsporting, and if he is yelling it loud enough for the GK to hear, it’s loud enough for a lot of people to hear.

 

[Kes]

balatantlynunsporting

I've checked and can't find the FA input code for this offence.
Does it come under "other".

Anyway, I think it's a terrific word and I'm going to make using it a habit.

 

[NewRefBrendan]

I think this is a useful time to have a laugh whilst also ‘warning’ them. Maybe something along the lines of ‘probably not best to say that when I’m within ear’s distance of you’ with a smile and a laugh. Could work

Literally word for word what I said to him.

The other bench weren’t bothered in the slightest, and made use of the “time out” .

The game didn’t need a caution for the manager.

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

"The game didn’t need a caution"
If only I had a tenner for every time I've heard that in a post-match review . . .

 

[socal lurker]

"The game didn’t need a caution"
If only I had a tenner for every time I've heard that in a post-match review . . .

A useful phrase I heard is that a caution is can be because the game needs it, because the player needs it, or because The Game needs it. Refs who forget the latter two do The Game a disservice.

 

[RefereeX]

"The game didn’t need a caution"
If only I had a tenner for every time I've heard that in a post-match review . . .

Are you saying you don't think a referee should adapt his tolerance level depending on the specific circumstances of the match?

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

Are you saying you don't think a referee should adapt his tolerance level depending on the specific circumstances of the match?

Not at all, but when a caution was the most appropriate outcome from an incident, the next words I will hear tend to feature "not that kind of game", "I thought I would manage it" (usually after not issuing a second caution) or "I spoke to him and warned him"
If an incident requires a caution, e. g. a coach shouting to his goalkeeper to cheat, the general tenor of the game should make no difference. After all, if a player in a generally well behaved match punches an opponent, we would expect a dismissal. If a defender in a generally well behaved match comooits a SPA offence, we expect a caution.

 

[Archer]

The easy-life quite quickly becomes LWR