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Occasionally as you are saying something you regret it immediately or shortly afterwards it comes back to bite you. For example how many times as justification have I said "I can only give what I see player" which leaves you wide open for a comeback that brings into question your eyesight which...

Sorry I was in a rush and that was very poorly explained. He was offside then pulled it back so I thought he was going to tell me the scorer was offside but the CAR explained that other attacker who crossed the ball was.

Ditto - CAR flag keep it up and if they score I will come over and discuss after because I can disallow a goal but I can't magically give one. This incident was virtually on the goal line with the ball pulled back to an oncoming attacker who knocked it home from 1 yard out so the CAR did well...

You don't tell me how to referee and I wont tell you how to play football, deal?

Hi there. I played for 20 years without ever knowing or caring about the Laws. If only I had leant just a few how different a player I might have been. I often tell teams post match that I am happy to attend one of their training sessions to expel some of the myths so they waste less time and...

On Sunday I went with the CAR after the potential equalizer at 4 goals all. Made me very unpopular and the CAR, who I protected. It was tight and he absolutely convinced me he knew what the offside law was and he described precisely what he has seen. Up until that point all his decisions had...

The last few weeks have been worse than ever with arguments and protests. I am reluctant to compare my experiences to what I saw during the Rugby World Cup but I am at the end of my tether so either I man up and start dishing out the cards or I retire. The players and managers will never be my...

Easy to get caught between a rock (CFA) and a hard place (teams/players/managers).

Anyway, what you doing reading Esquire, isn't that a titty mag? I use it to cover up my copy of Referees Monthly as I am too embarrassed to be seen with it.

Very interesting article in Esquire magazine of all places. Criticised, reviled, mocked, second-guessed, even attacked: football referees unite players, fans, managers and pundits in bafflement. Alex Moshakis talks to officials at all levels of the sport and asks them the only question that...

"Just because they appealed for it" "Come on ref, they didn't even appeal for it" "What's the point in having a lino if you aint gonna use him" "You don't have to use the lino, you can make your own decisions" "You got to appeal ref aven't you" "Ignore them ref, they appeal for everything"...

I was seriously considering refereeing Youth football in the hope of escaping the deteriorating respect and constant dissent week in week out I receive from adult players and managers blaming me for anything they see fit or don't understand. After reading your post maybe it is simply time to...

Great shout. Just checked and neither does at least not since 2007.

I am sure there is a downside to this suggestion but I thought I would ask anyway. Sometimes as referees we have what we perceive as a poor game often because the teams (players) giving us a hard time. Often this leaves the referee in a poor mental state as they reflect on decisions that may...

I usually try and give a few words of explanation but tie it in with a rebuke/warning for the offending player. "Blue player, don't pull his shirt". The more information you give them the more reasons to argue/contest it with you so I will rarely be drawn into a protracted explanation. If I...

If you say loudly enough is enough that the next similar incident may end up as a caution then you are being fair to yourself and the offending team. If you get the chance repeat the message to the Captain and then no one can complain they were not warned no matter what you had let go before...

I hear this occasionally but I simply move a little as it is not worth making a fuss over. The only time it grates is when they look up and still pass the ball towards me and then blame me for getting in the way! In the way of what I want to ask, you saw me and still passed the ball? I have...

I will always have a few words with managers and players for that matter pre KO. I don't think it does any harm nor do I believe it does any good as once the game commences they return to type and you are seen as the enemy as soon as you give a decision they disagree with. If you are really...

My Sunday league has introduced roll on/off substitutes from this season. As the CAR is invariably one of the players I have now had to include the briefing I would have given to the substitute only to the whole team now as any one of them might be running the line. I roll it into my pre match...

You might want to change your email address if you are intending to send a serious email about a very serious subject to some very serious people otherwise they may not take you ...........seriously.