OA crazy ending.

[Abeverley]

First open age men’s game today.

Overall well tempered and only one yellow in the match.

Made a few big decisions but I was well positioned to make the call (something I’ve been working hard on). Defo think my position helped sell decisions as although there was moaning, things didn’t get out of hand......until the 88th minute or so.



Ball in play on the flank, I’m just behind moving towards the touch line, ball played over the top and I blow off side- definite off side. Meanwhile, behind my back in the centre circle a fight breaks out and I don’t see what happens at all.

Two players have bloody lips and I’ve got 15 players telling me that their guy has been punched.

I’m talking to a player and it kicks off again, and now someone else gets punched and I didn’t see it.

I’m really pissed that I didn’t see anything, couldn’t do anything.

By the time it had calmed enough to restart with the offside freekick my watch said 46 so I blew full time.

Both managers were happy with my performance and said I handled it well but I’m really annoyed I didn’t see what happened.

Just had a call from a manager saying one guy’s lip is quite bad and the police might be getting involved.

 

[JH]

First open age men’s game today.

Overall well tempered and only one yellow in the match.

Made a few big decisions but I was well positioned to make the call (something I’ve been working hard on). Defo think my position helped sell decisions as although there was moaning, things didn’t get out of hand......until the 88th minute or so.



Ball in play on the flank, I’m just behind moving towards the touch line, ball played over the top and I blow off side- definite off side. Meanwhile, behind my back in the centre circle a fight breaks out and I don’t see what happens at all.

Two players have bloody lips and I’ve got 15 players telling me that their guy has been punched.

I’m talking to a player and it kicks off again, and now someone else gets punched and I didn’t see it.

I’m really pissed that I didn’t see anything, couldn’t do anything.

By the time it had calmed enough to restart with the offside freekick my watch said 46 so I blew full time.

Both managers were happy with my performance and said I handled it well but I’m really annoyed I didn’t see what happened.

Just had a call from a manager saying one guy’s lip is quite bad and the police might be getting involved.

If you don't see it you can't give it. All you can do is try to be more vigilant but you'll always miss something.

 

[alexgr]

Sometimes you're just going to miss things, you can't look everywhere. For 88 minutes your positioning had allowed you to see everything, so take that positive!

While you were talking to the players the first time, whereabouts were you on the pitch? I would highly recommend isolating offenders when speaking to them, but make sure your back is on the touchline and you're facing into the pitch - in other words, you can talk to the players AND see as much of the pitch as possible just in case something happens.

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

Most of us have probably had this sort of thing happen behind our backs. Without NAR's, you can't see everything.

My question from a coaching angle is - what happened before? Was there a hard clash, appeal for a foul, niggly late foul, anything at all that would give you an indication that a player would take offence to something?

While you were talking to the players the first time, whereabouts were you on the pitch? I would highly recommend isolating offenders when speaking to them, but make sure your back is on the touchline and you're facing into the pitch - in other words, you can talk to the players AND see as much of the pitch as possible just in case something happens.

This is really good advice. If possible you probably don't want to be standing right in front of the benches - but positioning yourself to be able to see as many players as possible when you're talking is a good habit to get into.

 

[Tino Best]

I had a behind my back incident. When the ball was being played up the left wing by blues and I was following play in the right back area of the attacking team a blue player went down. Nobody saw the incident and it was pointed out by an orange player who said look ref a players down.
The blue player was in obvious discomfort holding his family jewels and claimed he had been kicked. There was one orange player close to him. Now this was completely off the ball and behind my back the ball had not been in that area for 5 mins or so. The odd thing was if the orange had done something why hadn't he ran away instead of looking a bit confused. I think something did happen between the two of them but with put NARs I had no chance of seeing it. On the 88th min I abandoned due to a mass confrontation and a very aggresive spectator who wanted to fight the whole away team

 

[CapnBloodbeard]

Fair enough, absolutely nothing you could have done then, can't fault you.

I wonder if it was something silly like the orange player swinging his leg to work out a cramp or something and didn't realise his opponent was behind him? Or maybe the opponent stepped on his heel and he just sort of kicked back....oh well, nothing you can do!

 

[Abeverley]

Sometimes you're just going to miss things, you can't look everywhere. For 88 minutes your positioning had allowed you to see everything, so take that positive!

While you were talking to the players the first time, whereabouts were you on the pitch? I would highly recommend isolating offenders when speaking to them, but make sure your back is on the touchline and you're facing into the pitch - in other words, you can talk to the players AND see as much of the pitch as possible just in case something happens.

Thanks. I was feeling like I was doing well.
We were all around the centre circle then and I was chatting with a captain. Just glimst movement, looked over, too late.
It was my first confrontation and although there were lots of players there, most of them weren’t doing anything other than shouting trying to tell me what had happened.

 

[Abeverley]

Most of us have probably had this sort of thing happen behind our backs. Without NAR's, you can't see everything.

My question from a coaching angle is - what happened before? Was there a hard clash, appeal for a foul, niggly late foul, anything at all that would give you an indication that a player would take offence to something?



This is really good advice. If possible you probably don't want to be standing right in front of the benches - but positioning yourself to be able to see as many players as possible when you're talking is a good habit to get into.

There was a bit of a word between two players while waiting for the goal kick. There were quite far apart and I shouted ‘shush’ and they moved on and one of the guys involved in that was on the ball when it happened.
It happened in such a flash.

After the match, walking back to the changing room a spectator came and chatted to me. Turns out he’s a level 5 ref and he gave me some feedback (obv a nice guy as he didn’t shout at me in the match or make himself known etc). He saw what happened but told me I’d had a good game but obv I lost control at the end.

It’s all a learning curve.

When the ball is in play I just don’t see how I can keep an eye on the whole pitch. It’s frustrating me like mad that I didn’t see what happened.

 

[alexgr]

Thanks. I was feeling like I was doing well.
We were all around the centre circle then and I was chatting with a captain. Just glimst movement, looked over, too late.
It was my first confrontation and although there were lots of players there, most of them weren’t doing anything other than shouting trying to tell me what had happened.

Like you say, it’s a learning curve. My first mass con was horrendous but you learn from the lessons and change the way you do things to make sure it doesn’t happen again (or at least minimise the chances). Don’t beat yourself up about it - sounds like you were doing a great job!

 

[Ben448844]

Sounds like you had a good game, we all miss things. I always find it interesting when people say the referee lost control. I played with several players down the years who once someone had 'done' them or said something which broke their own self imposed moral code, they were going to take revenge. Usually they like to talk about how they intend on doing it at half time in the dressing room! I've even lost control myself and done it. The point being, regardless of anything the ref does to maintain control, that player is going to take his revenge and there's absolutely nothing a ref can do about it. Many times it's previous incidents that mean a player makes it clear to everyone on his team that he's going to do another player before the game has even started. Football reflects society and there are plenty of idiots even at a decent level and it's impossible for a ref to control them.

That's not to say that the referee doesn't control the game most of the time because they do, but I'm afraid there are times when players will cause as much trouble as they possibly can and they don't give a stuff about the ref I can assure you!

 

[Abeverley]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the replies very much.

I guess lost control means in this instance I couldn’t take action. If I’d have seen what happened I could have sent off whomever needed it and we could have just cracked on.

The score at the time was 3-2 and both sides were really going for it. There were strong tackles going in.
A few fouls starting occuring so I started blowing more and tried to slow them down a little so things didn’t get out of hand.

Do you have any advice on handling those last 10 mins where it’s end to end tackles are flying in please?
On the most part it was well tempered; only one yellow for a reckless challenge- no doubt in my mind about that one.
There were a few other slides that missed the ball but with not much force etc I considered them careless.

 

[RustyRef]

If it is behind your back you can't see it. All you can ask is after it kicked off the first time and you were talking to a player, what viewing angle did you give yourself. Best practice there would be to move to a wide position and then as you are talking to him try to have the majority of players in view.

 

[lincs22]

A few fouls starting occuring so I started blowing more and tried to slow them down a little so things didn’t get out of hand.

Do you have any advice on handling those last 10 mins where it’s end to end tackles are flying in please?

If you want to control the tempo of the game, start giving the fouls. Slow the taking of the free-kicks, by making them to the "actual blade of grass" accruate. Give the slightest free-kicks. You have the whistle to slow the game.

You control the tempo to the game, not the players. At grassroots, players may moan but they are worse if they get injured.

 

[QuaverRef]

One of the worst scenarios I had for missing something, was missing half an incident. Something broke out behind me to which I heard shouts. I turned to basically see the retaliation punch from a guy with a bloody lip. Easy red and even though he shouldn’t have retaliated, you do feel slightly sympathetic that you can’t get the guy who actually started the problem!

 

[Abeverley]

If you want to control the tempo of the game, start giving the fouls. Slow the taking of the free-kicks, by making them to the "actual blade of grass" accruate. Give the slightest free-kicks. You have the whistle to slow the game.

You control the tempo to the game, not the players. At grassroots, players may moan but they are worse if they get injured.

Thank you.

 

[Abeverley]

One of the worst scenarios I had for missing something, was missing half an incident. Something broke out behind me to which I heard shouts. I turned to basically see the retaliation punch from a guy with a bloody lip. Easy red and even though he shouldn’t have retaliated, you do feel slightly sympathetic that you can’t get the guy who actually started the problem!

It’s difficult isnt it. I keep replaying it in my mind. I feel bad.

 

[Abeverley]

If it is behind your back you can't see it. All you can ask is after it kicked off the first time and you were talking to a player, what viewing angle did you give yourself. Best practice there would be to move to a wide position and then as you are talking to him try to have the majority of players in view.

Thanks. I thought I was ok on position; but obviously not.
I’ll be moving much wider next time to make sure I get a better view and make sure I speak to the player as he’s stood next to me rather than in front