I've found that explaining before the game the approach you'll take, goes a long way to helping keep things calm. In my pre-match briefing to the teams, I make it clear that if neither myself nor my assistant has a clear indication which way the ball in and out of play decision should go, I will always go defensive. As others have said, I'm not a fan of using players body language as they will outright try and con you. But I make it clear to both teams if we don't know, we'll go defensive. Players for the most part accept that, they'll just moan that you don't know, not that you've given it to the defensive team.
Some talking points from my game on Saturday
- Thread starter Mada
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santa sangria
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I don't get this at all.
I understand why, in extremis, a referee might "go defensive", if there is a ball in/out and none of the officials have any idea and can't get any clues and haven't already made a decision (...I say that because I'm probably not alone in having made a decision on direction only to then realise on playback in my brain that I actually have no idea
)... but to tell the teams before the game? What? That's like breaking the spell. It's confessing you are going to make a mistake and confessing you are going to abuse the laws. Surely there are other more useful things to talk about pre match. Admittedly pre-match with the teams is very brief here, in fact only with coaches and only then on the weather, the season and anything new or significant. Does raise the question of how much is it worth "briefing" players at all, let alone to such detail?
Pre game talks can be a double edged sword. I only really discuss with captains and CARs and it's brief at that. If I get a lot of whinging when I've awarded a defensive throw I may say 'I've gone with the defence and would do the same thing if it was in your final third' Play on next...
socal lurker
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I'm not a fan of referees telling players what they will do. IMO, just call the game. To the extent their listening, I think you're more likely to box yourself in a corner than help yourself. I used to talk more, but now the only "guidance" I give is to remind captains that the AR flags are for me not them.
Justylove
RefChat Addict
Yep same, the only things I tell the captains pre match are that if an CAR flags, then keep playing until I blow the whistle (I brief the CAR’s in front of captains) and tell them to control their players.
I once made the mistake on a wet and muddy pitch of making a short comment about players staying on their feet and not diving into tackles, and as soon as there was a sliding tackle, the teams were moaning about what I’d said.
Less is more
How is it abusing the laws?! You'll be surprised, how many times in a game the CAR just shrugs their shoulders and says I have no idea, in view of all players and spectators. Through experience, I have found it causes a lot less drama and issues, by being clear beforehand what I will do in those situations vs making a decision without any briefing. Maybe you can argue it's bad positioning on my part, which is probably fair. But when a CAR is 2 yards away and shrugs their shoulders, it's less controversial for game management to go with how you've explained you'll act in that situation, than make a decision from 20 yards and have one team contest it.
As an aside, you think any players / managers actually believe in this spell? I really disagree with this notion that refs are perfect and never make mistakes and we should act as such.
I don't know if anyone on here will argue with the principal of going defensive if genuinely unsure, I just don't see the benefit of admitting it unprompted. You might not have experienced players and spectators thinking "ooh, this ref looks like he knows what he's doing", but I have on occasion - and part of that might be the fact that I don't turn up and announce that I'm going to do a bad job and then guess!
santa sangria
RefChat Addict
No one believes that what happens in movies is real either, it's the idea of suspended disbelief
YMMV with this. It would be bizarre where I referee to brief the players before a game. I do understand that CARs create difficult circumstances.
I highlighted the point about tell players about "going defensive" because I don't think that's good advice for beginner referees. "Going defensive" once in a blue moon is valid advice, but not briefing that to players.
santa sangria
RefChat Addict
Justylove
RefChat Addict
It’s either something that’s going to happen infrequently, in which case manage it by exception rather than bringing it into the conversation with the captains, or if it’s happening more frequently, then it’s likely to be an issue with your positioning to make credible decisions.
In any case, giving a defensive throw in is not exactly a KMD, and everyone on the pitch will have forgotten about it after 2 minutes have passed.
Don’t make problems for yourself
In any case, giving a defensive throw in is not exactly a KMD, and everyone on the pitch will have forgotten about it after 2 minutes have passed.
Don’t make problems for yourself
It can be useful to get them on board in the event you're playing on with two teams in identical/similar socks IMO. I don't brief the players on that though, I brief the managers. I don't want to abandon a game over socks, so that's my approach.
Been there, done that. Realised pretty quickly how much of a hole I dug myself into when the first sliding tackle came in and was so good I'd look a complete muppet if I called it due to my pre-match briefing, and yet, not doing so makes me look an idiot for even bringing it up. Lesson learned.