Advice desperately needed for new ref.

[ManinMiddle]

I have started to referee this season. Here in Australia we tend to get thrown into matches with no mentoring observer help (at least at the low, Sunday league level I work at). I have used this and other websites for huge help in understanding the Laws and their application, but I have a real problem I need advice on.

Just about every game I have worked on I have had players telling me about pushes in the back or major fouls I have missed. Very often a player takes me aside at half time and informs me of "dangerous" tackles I have let go, and reminding me that I have to watch the players' safety. Often the incidents they refer to are ones that I saw as an accidental coming together, or even a fair play on the ball. And the huge number of pushes in the back I appear to miss is very disheartening. This leads me to one of two conclusions:

1 I am doing a pretty dismal job of foul recognition, and should perhaps consider giving up refereeing.

2 Players do this kind of thing to all referees and it is not something special to me.

Not having been a player myself I am really unsure which is the correct option. I have watched football all my life on TV, and can usually see fouls there very clearly. Once on the pitch however, I am constantly bombarded with "how did you miss that ref!" cries. I truly care about player safety, and don't want my shortcomings in foul recognition to put anyone in danger.

So, all you experienced refs out there: do you still get this kind of feedback, is this just how players always are? Or would I be advised to look long and hard at my own refereeing ability?

 

[alexgr]

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a referee who doesn't get these claims. May be time, however, to decrease your tolerance someone. Pushes in the backs are easy ones to sell, if you start giving them early on, players know they can't get away with things like that. Perhaps you're too liberal on using cards as well? At the end of the day, players do cheat and call for things that aren't, but they're also concerned with their own safety for the most part - if they see you're taking active steps to protect them, they'll let a few slide. Of course, it could always be that you are missing fouls - how do you feel your positioning is? Do you, hand on heart, always feel you're in the best position to see fouls? Are you right up close or 40 yards away? A big part of players accepting decisions is not how right they are, but how credible they are. The closer you are to play, the better. Hope this is a good starting point for you!

 

[RobOda]

1 I am doing a pretty dismal job of foul recognition, and should perhaps consider giving up refereeing.

No, don't give up. You get better with experience, and your potential is unlimited if you're happy to apply yourself towards it, and you certainly seem like you want to do so.

Better question to ask, if you think foul detection is the issue, is why?

With pushing, it is in my experience a positioning issue. It's often easier to see pushes from side-on than it is from the front/back. And here's the thing, when you do nail your positioning side-on for pushing, you'll find that some players will be adamant that they've been pushed/cajoled, even though there is nothing in it at all, and they're just reacting the contact being made.

Secondly; With accidental coming together and fair challenges, that's entirely on you, it is your opinion that matters here. But this is also something that will develop with experience and game management. You'll get a feel for what players will tolerate, and what you should tolerate. If you're up for assessment, then those matches are great opportunities to talk with an assessor about these challenges and get a second opinion. For example, I was told that I let a lot of rough challenges go, which was good to see for the assessor but may be a cause for concern for the players in the future. But I think all new referees are unsure where the line lies early on in their career. (It also doesn't help, in my personal opinion, that the lower leagues can be slower and less talented, which can make foul detection harder than it is if you go up the ladder.)

2 Players do this kind of thing to all referees and it is not something special to me.

I still get this even today. I had a good match last month where a player accosted me for giving a freekick against him, as he felt it should have gone the other way. Again, you'll learn with experience what is genuine advice/issues and what is just noise. I got good tips from players that helped me to identify late challenges, and how good players are able to disguise fouls such as shirt pulling/pushing on the blind-side of the referee. That will come with experience.

So, all you experienced refs out there: do you still get this kind of feedback, is this just how players always are? Or would I be advised to look long and hard at my own refereeing ability?

So to conclude; Both! I know some referees are intolerant of players giving some of this feedback - I tend to permit it so long as it doesn't verge into dissent. It is just a case of identifying whether there is an issue there or whether it is just general complaining. The fact that you are willing to be looking back at and examining what you think may be issues in your refereeing is a good thing, it will aid your development. Keep these questions in mind for when you get assessed, as obviously, the assessor will be there in person and will be better positioned to identify issues than we are on the forums.

And don't let the criticism/negative feedback bring you down. Filter some of it, take onboard some of it and use it to improve.

(I just realised you don't get observation mentoring - Do you get assessments at all? Are you able to ask an development officer to help, or can you apply for promotion so you can get some assessments? I'm not sure of the rules in Australia, but I had promotion assessments in my first season and they were vital for my early improvement - though they don't do this anymore in Wales now. )

 

[one]

I have started to referee this season. Here in Australia we tend to get thrown into matches with no mentoring observer help (at least at the low, Sunday league level I work at).

Be interested to know where in Aus. It differs from area to area. I am from Sydney mid west. No new referee starts in the middle unless they do at least two lines with an experienced referee. They get mentored at least twice in their first five middles. It wasn't always like this though. Its a recent initiative we have taken up. I know a lot of areas which are similar but also a lot which coverage is their absolute priority. There is always a shortage of mentors and assessors which doesn't help.

On what you get from players, I agree with what is said above.

On foul recognition, its hard to say how good you are. You need o be observed by someone who is neutral and qualified to tell you. Contact your RA secretary and ask for help. Sometimes you have to ask to be given it. Even the referees with a lot of experience don't have perfect foul recognition. It takes years to move up the scale of foul recognition to get to 'exceptional'. In your first year getting a 'competent' rating (6/10) is reasonable. If you can't get a mentor or an observer, ask a friend to come and video the game. You can then look at it the same way you look at a game on TV. As I said, don't expect too much from yourself early on.

 

[msportstars]

Very often so-called-pushes are players trying to see how easy you are to win over, a large majority of them are players not actually jumping for the ball on purpose to look like they're getting pushed. I am very sure you would see a push and as the others say the better in positioning the more you will see.

 

[cwyeary]

The key sign that a player was legitimately pushed is their neck snapping back. If you see that, then call the foul. The more subtle ones are harder to catch and require more experience.

 

[Deleted member 3014]

I have started to referee this season. Here in Australia we tend to get thrown into matches with no mentoring observer help (at least at the low, Sunday league level I work at). I have used this and other websites for huge help in understanding the Laws and their application, but I have a real problem I need advice on.

Just about every game I have worked on I have had players telling me about pushes in the back or major fouls I have missed. Very often a player takes me aside at half time and informs me of "dangerous" tackles I have let go, and reminding me that I have to watch the players' safety. Often the incidents they refer to are ones that I saw as an accidental coming together, or even a fair play on the ball. And the huge number of pushes in the back I appear to miss is very disheartening. This leads me to one of two conclusions:

1 I am doing a pretty dismal job of foul recognition, and should perhaps consider giving up refereeing.

2 Players do this kind of thing to all referees and it is not something special to me.

Not having been a player myself I am really unsure which is the correct option. I have watched football all my life on TV, and can usually see fouls there very clearly. Once on the pitch however, I am constantly bombarded with "how did you miss that ref!" cries. I truly care about player safety, and don't want my shortcomings in foul recognition to put anyone in danger.

So, all you experienced refs out there: do you still get this kind of feedback, is this just how players always are? Or would I be advised to look long and hard at my own refereeing ability?

I get it every game without fail, it’s part of the game I’m afraid, players feel the slightest of contact and they think they deserve a free kick, a player gets tackled strongly but fairly they think they deserve a free kick, they will appeal for everything & also try to persuade you one on one with there little chats.

Biggest thing you need to do is let a lot of what players say go over your head, you don’t have time to go into every single claim & discuss it with the player, if you didn’t give a free kick in the first place then it’s not worth discussing you have a game to focus on not individual grievances from players.

With experience and confidence you will harden yourself to what is said to you it won’t affect you & you won’t dwell on it, eventually it’ll go over your head, I’ve only refereed 10-15 games and 99% of what players approach me about goes in one ear and out the other, if it’s input from a player regarding a controversial incident or a talking point in the game then I’ll entertain it apart from that I’ll just smile and move on.

Stick with it, trust your instinct in the game & don’t dwell or over think what individuals say to you during or after the match, your not on that pitch to please anyone or make friends your there to referee the game.