A&H

Bass Ackwards

WilliamD

WilliamD

Well-Known Member
Level 4 Referee
Did a line last night. Great ref in the middle no issues there. Only odd thing is the ref had us assistants run the right back side of the pitch. First time i’ve had that and frankly found it very weird (held the flag in the wrong hand often). Players complained about it at the start of each half (he must get that every game!) I asked the ref why he does it and he said it’s just the way he runs his positioning - fair enough he’s the boss.

Anyone else do this when they are in the middle?
 
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Just out of general interest - is there any reason for the practice of ARs adopting the left back side? Is there any practical benefit?
 
Sounds like he is doing it just to be different with not much consideration for anyone else or consistency. Won't go down well if I was assessing.
The LOTG don't spell it out but all the diagrams have the AR on the left back side.

Having said that if I am give safety reason like the right back side having poddles and slippery then I have no issues.
 
how can you pull him up on something that, granted is general practice, but not in the laws?
 
Was he an older ref by chance. Bit of an old school thing normally.

If you look back at some old premier league games you'll see at one time outside lefts was the done thing.

The mind boggles.
 
es1 said:
how can you pull him up on something that, granted is general practice, but not in the laws?
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Poor positioning is not in the law but you can pull up a referee for it say if he makes a pen call from 70 yards out (even a correct call). Fitness, personality are other non-law criteria.

Making an AR do his/her trade in reverse angle to what they have done all the time is most likely going to effect his/her work negatively and a risk not worth taking. If you work as a team all the time and its your general practice then there is no issue either.

And As I said there are diagrams in law pointing to the practice that should be followed.
 
I have done it in closed door games, and on one occasion where the park was touch and go with the worst area being out on the assistants line
So prob 5 times in my life. Given its engrained to run the other diagonal, I found no real issues with my own performance, as by habit I am constantly looking both ways anyway, I dont really change too much with or without an AR
The players on the otherhand certainly get confused!
 
one said:
Poor positioning is not in the law but you can pull up a referee for it say if he makes a pen call from 70 yards out (even a correct call). Fitness, personality are other non-law criteria.

Making an AR do his/her trade in reverse angle to what they have done all the time is most likely going to effect his/her work negatively and a risk not worth taking. If you work as a team all the time and its your general practice then there is no issue either.

And As I said there are diagrams in law pointing to the practice that should be followed.
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fair point but the observation scheme doesn't mention anything about it. i think the referee would have a good case to have any assessment (or part of it) thrown out if he was docked marks solely because he ran left wings. you could argue a case to drop marks in team work but i think as an AR you have to be aware of this as a possibility and work around it.

i've done it three times, once was my first ever game on the line, 2nd a semi final and 3rd a final, you adapt and get over it!
 
It wont be soley because he ran left wings but because of its negative impact and any possible risks to a degraded performance by ARs. If there are no issues caused then no mark deduction but still something i would not be happy with. In the OP there were at least some minor issues.

We mark ARs in some games as well. So if an AR used the left hand to signal offside, would I deduct marks from the AR? Given that we have a circular for ARs to signal with left hand. Lets say matters were more complicated and the AR missed an off the ball incident because his line of sight was blocked by the flag.

Probably have to agree to disagree here.
 
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I didn’t argue - I was there to assist. Yes he was older a former 5 now down to 4 and not bothered by what people think. All good.

I found it harder/weird and I made a few mistakes - that combined with the players who did complain (and surely will every match) I just don’t get it the benefit and the risk is high.
 
I keep meaning to try this, as I've certainly been an assistant on lines that are boggy or otherwise borderline unsafe and would have appreciated switching to the other side. It seems like a skill that should be developed as a ref, as there can be legitimate reasons to run the opposite lines and I wouldn't want my first ever time I was forced to do that to be an assessed match.
 
WilliamD said:
I didn’t argue - I was there to assist. Yes he was older a former 5 now down to 4 and not bothered by what people think. All good.

I found it harder/weird and I made a few mistakes - that combined with the players who did complain (and surely will every match) I just don’t get it the benefit and the risk is high.
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the benefit is that the referee does what they are used to and doesn't make mistakes by being forced to run different patrol paths. any youngster starting out will be quickly encouraged to use but those that do and have done for years will continue to do so till they retire!
 
WilliamD said:
I didn’t argue - I was there to assist. Yes he was older a former 5 now down to 4 and not bothered by what people think. All good.

I found it harder/weird and I made a few mistakes - that combined with the players who did complain (and surely will every match) I just don’t get it the benefit and the risk is high.
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es1 said:
the benefit is that the referee does what they are used to and doesn't make mistakes by being forced to run different patrol paths. any youngster starting out will be quickly encouraged to use but those that do and have done for years will continue to do so till they retire!
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And as I alluded to earlier the referee is used to it as in the not so distant past it was the done thing at the top level of the game.
 
I don't really like running "right backs" but if that's what the referee wants then you have to adapt. I was lucky to be appointed to a contrib play off semi final a few years back and was gutted when the ref said we were running right backs. Never mind, just got on with it.
 
I’ve done it Russian style before (or at least that was the name the referee gave it) ...

Anyone heard of this - or can guess what it is ?!
 
I have made my assistants go on the other side, only reason being is on the original left backs position, from the edge of the penalty area to the corner flag was a huge hill with nettles..
 
WilliamD said:
I didn’t argue - I was there to assist. Yes he was older a former 5 now down to 4 and not bothered by what people think. All good.

I found it harder/weird and I made a few mistakes - that combined with the players who did complain (and surely will every match) I just don’t get it the benefit and the risk is high.
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I think you mean a 4 down to a 5 @WilliamD

Choice of AR patrol path used to be a choice for the referee however the LotG now provides a recommended position, so most referees feel obliged to follow it. As for comments that any deviation will have contributed to a degradation in performance and be attributed to the referee's choice are incorrect. It is up to the Assistant to adapt to and follow the referee's instructions.

As for players complaining, it's only because they perhaps got caught out doing some things that wouldn't be visible from a "standard" rather than inverted patrol path.

I know of one referee who used to run right backs first half and left backs second half on a regular basis at Supply and Contrib level.
 
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