Junior/Youth Behind my Back

[Jacob Walukiewicz]

I did two games today, one at my local academy for U10's which went without issue as you'd expect.
Next a local Junior league game, U16's.
This game certainly did not go without issue. Started pretty innocuously, quite game back and forth, a couple of goals to the home side. One rough challenge which didn't warrant a caution but got some gasps from the parents and shouts from the players. The player accepted it and the game carried on. I could feel the temperature rising and I wasn't particularly losing control but players seemed unhappy with my decisions particularly the away side who were 2-0 down at half time and it didn't get better in the second period for them.

Now to the main flash point, home player fouls away player simple free kick decision. Then the home player gets up and moves the ball 4-5 yards towards the half way line and marks the ground suggesting the free kick was there. It wasn't and I told him to leave it and go back, the away player went towards the ball and the player and as the away player turned around he pushed him with both hands in the middle of his chest. Call him over yellow card no arguments from the player. I then go towards the ball to mark the ten yards and I hear something along the lines of me being 'F'ing bias'. My back was to the box and I had no way of knowing who said it, much to my annoyance, if I had known who it was he would have got his marching orders in a heartbeat.

After that not much happened apart from a comment from the away team manager which seemed to suggest I was favouring the home side, I believe it was after I gave a free kick for his team and he said 'I guess he has to give them both ways' or something like that. I wasn't happy but stayed quite, which I admit I shouldn't of.

Terrible game despite in my opinion what I saw as a good refereeing performance.

 

[DB]

If you feel that the temperature is rising and that it may soon become quite hard to control... bring it down to your pace. I have a Fox 40 and a Sonik Blast whistle. When I want things to cool down, I swap to the Blast and start making their ears ring, whilst at the same time, I am blowing for anything and everything that I am entitled to blow for. The Niggley challenges that we may let slide or that we are 50/50 about are blown for. Get the game back to a tempo in which you are happy with. Use your time and get yourself back into your comfort zone, slow the pace down. Talk to the players, talk to the captains etc.

With the comments, you will get those. If you can't identify the culprit, you can't sanction for it. What you can do is make the players in the vicinity of where the comment came from aware (and warn them) that you have heard the comment and that if another is made like it, You will deal with it. Look at all of the possible offenders in the eye so it looks as though you are aware of who has said it, but you know that you are warning the whole team.

 

[Paul March]

Some will never believe that a bad result is down to them being inferior to their opposition, they will always look for a scapegoat rather than face up to reality. And that's where we come into it- we are biased, blind, rubbish, out of position, slow , inconsistent, ignorant, unapproachable, too friendly with opposition - I could go on. How many times have you heard the phrase ' there's two teams out there ref'. We are not out there to make friends, we are there to uphold the laws. Some managers and teams will work with you some won't.

As DB suggests, if it feels like it is getting really heated- get fussy over everything. Subs, throws, free kicks, injuries etc etc you can always relax it a bit once you feel you are back in your control zone. Make your presence felt with both your whistle tone and voice. And always look to be in the vicinity of where the flash points will be, it adds credibility to your decisions and is also a key part of the promotion standards. Good referees are the ones that appear to be in the right place at the right time.

Good luck

 

[Jacob Walukiewicz]

Thanks for your advice guys, it is certainly something I need to work on, I've never really had to do match control and although I am a good ref, it is quite possibly my weakest point. I will take into account what you have said and try to use it next time I find myself in a difficult position. I almost wanted to just look into the box and shout 'player come here' into the box without being direct and see if the player would come. I was really disappointed that I hadn't spotted someone questioning my credibility so ardently.

 

[Sheffields Finest]

Had a team a few weeks ago that were generally a bullying sort of team, I slowed the game down and gave everything, every push, pull, everything, worked a treat. They hated it, it upset their normal routine of getting away with things... A friend who's the home goalkeeper asked me why I was so fussy first half, when I explained the penny dropped and he understood why I'd done it.. Takes a bit of experience to read a game and a troublesome team but it will come with time. As for not seeing where a comment came from, unfortunately that can happen. You will generally suspect one person but you have to be 100% to act...Best of luck going forward!

 

[lincs22]

Had a team a few weeks ago that were generally a bullying sort of team, I slowed the game down and gave everything, every push, pull, everything, worked a treat.

The description I use is "strangle the life out of the game". It sums up have to deal with game which are getting feisty - as other have said, award every free-kick, absolutely no advantage, stamp on any words said. Players hate it but you regain control.