The Ref Stop

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The Ref Stop
Agreed, I thought that the main point of the 4th official was as a spare official? All the other duties (managing the benches, the subs board etc) are either optional, can be covered by the senior AR or can be done by a slightly injured ref.
 
Yes, would be interesting to know if, or how close the referee was, to abandoning game.
I can only think there might be some super strict league rule which trumped common sense.
 
While I know they need 4th official to manage the TA, wouldn't the injured official have been the best person to do unless he was going to hospital, for the injury time?

Would a referee from the crowd have the experience to deal with the benches and assist the referee?
 
Clearly the LOTG dont dictate a 4th is essential.
Maybe league rules say it is?

You would surely just officiate without the 4th and make do with what you have. Games were done for 100 years without a 4th man and am sure this one could have went the few mins that were left
 
Very odd. Plenty of times a referee comes off injured and is replaced by 4th... its only the same except 4th is becoming AR instead.
 
I think either myself, or some other folk, have the wrong end of the issue here
The game should surely have continued without a 4th, for the few mins that was left
Yes if official coming off the actual game can continue as 4th, great, if not, there is no need to hold up the game for 15mins? Just see out the game without a 4th, the same as plenty pro football games yesterday managed with 3 officials
 
Do we know if the competition rule requires a 4th official?

The guy was a qualified referee. I don't see any issue with what the referee did unless it broke any rules.
 
This is nothing new, calls for referees in the crowd to come forward have been going on for years. Years ago I nearly because 4th official at a FL game after one of the assistants went down injured, but by the time the steward got me to the tunnel area they had found someone else. Probably no bad thing given I'd had several pints before the game ... :)

The assistant at Norwich seemed to be fairly badly injured, and you can't expect him to stay on his feet holding a board, he needs to be in the treatment room being looked at by a physio. Whilst the game should be able to carry on without a 4th official, if there is someone available it makes sense to use them in my opinion.
 
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If I remember rightly Craig Grundy (Sheffield FA0 had to step forward at The Theatre of Rust a few years back as 4th official, He's something like a Level 4-5 if i remember right!!
 
I'm a qualified referee with ~5 years experience. I have no idea how to operate one of the digital boards, I've not used a comms kit and I have no real idea of what a 4th official actually does to be honest! I was also under the impression that all referees at that level are observed on every game - couldn't the observer come down and fill that role?
 
my point is, there was, less than 10 min remaining and by all accounts it took 15 mins to get restarted

I would have seen out the 10 mins with 3 officials

As ever though, each to own
 
Must be competition rules or something... We all know the premier league works on its own accord to the rest of the leagues in the country so why should this be any different? :D
 
Must be competition rules or something... We all know the premier league works on its own accord to the rest of the leagues in the country so why should this be any different? :D

This wasn't a PL match!

Have looked through EFL rules and can't see anything.
 
I'm a qualified referee with ~5 years experience. I have no idea how to operate one of the digital boards, I've not used a comms kit and I have no real idea of what a 4th official actually does to be honest! I was also under the impression that all referees at that level are observed on every game - couldn't the observer come down and fill that role?
might be worth finding out 4th official duties, you are bound to be apointed sometime
 
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