A&H

Football eh, bl**dy hell

santa sangria

RefChat Addict
I think I have to tell you about tonight's two games:
The first, ladies, slightly muddy, 4-3, down to the wire, one YC. I ran a lot as alone with no ARs. All good. Good game. And then...

The fog rolled in... a swampy fog from the fields... as I moved from the real grass over to the fake grass to run the line on a higher level men's game.

Dark blue vs dark green. Both in white shorts. Floodlights on. But a bulb out in my corner. And the fog. And an assessor. I like my ref a lot but he had a tough time. A veritable litany. He did good in the end... but lord the journey... it was a feisty, heated game and he found it tough. What can we learn from this little lot:

- Missed first two offside flags behind his back for a few seconds too long. AR1 didn't shout
- After 5 mins I had to ask the ref to get one player to change his shirt. It was a darker green than the rest, sweaty and impossible to tell from the blues, especially in the fog. The player came back on in the same kit. I had to point this out again. They subbed him rather than give him a spare shirt, which would have been acceptable.
- No YCs for first two arguable SPA offences on the edge of the box
- Missed late challenge on sideline at half way, had to be flagged by AR2 from 20 yards away, yours truly
- Lost the clock at end of first half, go-ahead blue 2-1 goal scored in the 48th minute, when 2 mins added time planned, though not announced (discussed at half time)
- AR2, that's me, on the FOP 4 times in the second half to help alleviate potential mass confrontations
- Ref drops his yellow card, I'm expecting him to stop play at a throw in while he gets it. But a blue player gives it to him, and meanwhile there's a quick throw, green score 2 seconds later, screamer into the top corner
- Centre circle slider gets 2nd yellow for green, who then start to play. With a man down they go from 2-1 down to 4-2 up. And the fog. In the second half I could only tell the right back and left winger apart by the defender's orange shoes at some points
- At 4-2 up the greens start milking it. One stays down, ref pauses in case of head injury, ends up behind the play. Blue racing clear, heading into the D, ref is in the centre circle, shirt pull, I signal for DFK, DOGSO, RC. Easy one really. But he didn't see it. Ref runs to me. I'm confused. They were the only two players within 20 even 30 yards, surely it's clear from my signal, shirt pull, quick shout. But he's coming to me... and I lose the defender in the fog. Can't get a number!
- There's a ref on the blues. What is it about playing football that turns people into storytellers? ..."even if you don't know the player, you still have to give the card"... I laughed. 3 minutes later he, the ref, was sent off for second bookable!
- Then another green sent off for snatching the ball away at a DFK for second yellow. Then the blues found the net, twice to make it 4-4.
- Ref planned 7 minutes of added time. Blue got the winner from a headed corner in the 98th minute.
- 5-4. 9 yellows. 3 reds. One DOGSO red not given. We await the assessor's grades!

Amazing game! A busy night's work.
This week's theme is IDENTIFY THE PLAYER! And I did my ref no favours by not doing that at the DOGSO :( That aside I think I had a blinder but the proof pf the pudding will be in the PDF.
 
The Referee Store
I hate that when you cannot make out number of the player then you cannot find the quilty party
 
I hate that when you cannot make out number of the player then you cannot find the quilty party
Well, as Brian eloquently stated (though I can't find it now):

Foul - Player - Location - Context - Sanction

When you have identified the foul and blown your whistle, the next priority is to identify the player. No ceremonials, no cards, no posturing, no chit chat... not until you have identified the player.

I am trying to drill this in to myself as a ref... just wasn't prepared for the same as an AR!
 
We had a really feisty one tonight and it seemed like the heavens opened their gates for an infinite amount of rain! Loved the game and the energy of it but by god was it draining!!! And I was only the AR, can't imagine how the ref feels.
 
Out of interest, if the ref missed AR1's offside flag, do you not mirror the flag in the hope he will see yours instead?
 
Out of interest, if the ref missed AR1's offside flag, do you not mirror the flag in the hope he will see yours instead?
I haven't come across that. My solution is I shout.
Though strangely up here in the top 3 leagues it used to be customary for AR2 to mirror substitution signals.
 
Sounds like a game and a half

For the way it reads, I doubt I would have contiuned the game due to the fog though, certainly not wanting to miss a VC then blame fog for it.
 
Sounds like a game and a half

For the way it reads, I doubt I would have contiuned the game due to the fog though, certainly not wanting to miss a VC then blame fog for it.
I did wonder in the second half... but we are maybe used to some more weather extremes up here. I've played in a cup first round game in a minus 4 blizzard - on a hard ground pitch. If it had been a youth game, or if there had been some off the ball action, then it might have been an issue. But, even though officiating was difficult in 2H there were no calls to abandon. Our season finishes at the start of October and no one wants postponements.
 
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