Just Refereed The Nastiest Match I've Ever Had To...

[Kes]

Unbelievable. I came close to abandoning.

Open age. Match finished 2-2. One penalty, 6 yellows, 5 of them for dissent. Aggressive and petulant behaviour throughout.
Five minutes from the end, a defender decides to clear the ball near the touchline which cannons into the midriff of a 10-12 year old kid stood about 7 yards outside with the away team entourage. Cue the outrage and indignation from the away team's manager and subs because the home defender must have done it deliberately!! Whilst the ball is still out of play, said kid decides to run onto the pitch towards said defender, but is chased and steered off, presumably by it's parent. !!
The match was dominated (for me) by moaning and appealing from both teams with practically every decision I gave. From corners and throws to any free kick. The penalty decision resulted in me being swarmed around in a manner reminiscent of Man Utd in the 90's. I've never experienced a match quite like it.
The disdain and dissent from the touchline (particularly from the away contingent) was very intrusive.
I'm calm, and confident in my own ability to handle any situation a grass roots match can throw at me, but I shudder to think what a younger, more easily intimidated referee would have made of today.
For the first time in 4 years, I'm going to have to submit a misconduct report against the away team.

What a bunch of complete scrotes.

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

Why on earth did the kid run onto the pitch? that's weird...games like this are so unenjoyable, and giving out cards always just seems to make it worse!

 

[Monotone Whistle]

It's probably because they've managed to intimidate a young referee in the past that they've acted that way, so well done for standing up to it. Sometimes the only way to deal with it is to get one or two off if they just won't stop.

 

[RegalRef]

Unbelievable. I came close to abandoning.

Open age. Match finished 2-2. One penalty, 6 yellows, 5 of them for dissent. Aggressive and petulant behaviour throughout.
Five minutes from the end, a defender decides to clear the ball near the touchline which cannons into the midriff of a 10-12 year old kid stood about 7 yards outside with the away team entourage. Cue the outrage and indignation from the away team's manager and subs because the home defender must have done it deliberately!! Whilst the ball is still out of play, said kid decides to run onto the pitch towards said defender, but is chased and steered off, presumably by it's parent. !!
The match was dominated (for me) by moaning and appealing from both teams with practically every decision I gave. From corners and throws to any free kick. The penalty decision resulted in me being swarmed around in a manner reminiscent of Man Utd in the 90's. I've never experienced a match quite like it.
The disdain and dissent from the touchline (particularly from the away contingent) was very intrusive.
I'm calm, and confident in my own ability to handle any situation a grass roots match can throw at me, but I shudder to think what a younger, more easily intimidated referee would have made of today.
For the first time in 4 years, I'm going to have to submit a misconduct report against the away team.

What a bunch of complete scrotes.

Sounds a 90% mirror image on mine yesterday mate (see related thread).

I was in control throughout, (played just 1 advantage in the whole game too, which helped), and had it not been for the best captain I have ever had the pleasure to be on the pitch with (away team) who backed me 110% and was constantly on top of his players it would have been worse.

As I came off both teams told me within 30 seconds of each other that I had given nothing for them and everything to the opposing team that was enough to tell me I'd done a great job in challenging circumstances.

 

[Kes]

Why on earth did the kid run onto the pitch? that's weird...games like this are so unenjoyable, and giving out cards always just seems to make it worse!

I'll answer that one for you mate, as cynical as it may sound: because the kid was clearly an ill-disciplined little scrote - just like the rest of his Dad's team and entourage.
I shan't deny there was a part of me that smiled inside when the ball cannoned into the poor little mite's stomach, after having heard the criticism coming out of his precious little gob, for the 85 mins before that. No doubt he learned his respect and manners from his role-model father......

 

[Scotty Ref]

Unbelievable. I came close to abandoning.

Sounds like a difficult game, we all have them from time to time and sounds like you dealt with it well.

However can I ask under what criteria you were going to abandon the game... persistent dissent and players complaining are not valid reasons imo for an abandonment.

Abandonment must always be the very very last resort.

In the penalty incident where you were swarmed, how many cautions did you issue?

Best advice I've ever heard for matches like this is "if the game is too difficult with 22, then try 20...if that doesn't work keep going until you can manage it"

 

[Kes]

It's probably because they've managed to intimidate a young referee in the past that they've acted that way, so well done for standing up to it.

Sounds like a difficult game, we all have them from time to time and sounds like you dealt with it well.

Thanks for your support chaps. I must admit, the nasty wizened old hand of self-doubt did creep up and place itself on my shoulder once or twice, but now, looking back, the ruination of the match was down to the behaviour of the players - not anything which I did or didn't do.

 

[Brian Hamilton]

Thanks for your support chaps. I must admit, the nasty wizened old hand of self-doubt did creep up and place itself on my shoulder once or twice, but now, looking back, the ruination of the match was down to the behaviour of the players - not anything which I did or didn't do.

Some days are like that. Just keep charging headlong into fire, they run out of bullets soon enough. Well done for persevering.

 

[Kes]

However can I ask under what criteria you were going to abandon the game... persistent dissent and players complaining are not valid reasons imo for an abandonment.

Abandonment must always be the very very last resort.

In the penalty incident where you were swarmed, how many cautions did you issue?

The thought of abandonment only went through my mind at two points Scotty. The first, (rightly or wrongly) was at the penalty incident (on about 75 mins) when, after 75 mins of constant and unabated protest and dissent at almost every decision I made, I was surrounded by 4 or 5 members of the home defence who aggressively protested at my decision - not enough to warrant any individual caution, but collectively, and in the context of the match up until that point, enough to make me think "F*** this - I think I'll just go home" ( ).

The second point was where the obnoxious kid got a face full of ball, and then a few seconds later, aided and abetted by his "scrotey" companions (see post # 5) decided to run on to the pitch in a "show of aggression" amid a barrage of protest/indignation/abuse from his fellow touchline primates, (sorry, forgive my sarcasm ) after having the ball kicked at him. Were it not for the colourful language and underlying aggression and bad feeling - anybody watching it in silent movie form would have found the whole thing great comedy value!!
The bottom line is, I didn't abandon mate. Looking back now, perhaps I should have done at the latter point in the match, but I just went with it. I've only been refereeing 4 years (hoping to jump from 6 to 5 this season) and this is the first time I've encountered anything or felt like this. This was probably a good learning experience for me so in some ways I'm grateful for it.

 

[Kes]

Some days are like that. Just keep charging headlong into fire, they run out of bullets soon enough. Well done for persevering.

Thanks Brian.

 

[Ryan Owens]

Send some people off, if they don't shut up you'll at least have a plausible reason to abandon.