A&H

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dylan22

New Member
Level 7 Referee
Afternoon chaps,

I've got a couple of games coming this Sunday - the second will take me to that magical 5! - and my first game has been rearranged so I've got two brand new teams which isn't an issue at all.

Not knowing anything about the teams, I googled them, checked out their twitter pages to look at previous results etc. and for one of the teams I noticed a story from the local paper from last season -

It said that the home team (this Sunday's home team) were involved in a 'brawl' with another team in which the police had to attend - which they did, there are some nice photos of police dogs standing on the football pitch - according to the story the game had been bubbling under for a little bit then it all kicked off before the end and apparently a linesman ran onto to punch someone and it went from there.

After reading this I wasn't hugely enamoured by new fixture - of course the likelihood nothing will happen like this again - but I was wondering if anyone had any tips, I imagine it'll be in the back of mind on Sunday morn.

Thanks,

Dylan
 
The Referee Store
@dylan22 These things are very rare and the chances of the same team doing it again are pretty remote. Chances are that some players will be different, the lunatic linesman wont be about and you will have a good uneventful game (or at least i hope so). Whilst we are right to research teams before a game try not to pre-judge them.

It is difficult to offer advice. What i would say even if 8 or 9 of them a numpties you will always get one or two that aren't, try and find out quickly who these one or two are and get them to work with you.

Enjoy and good luck!! :)
 
i'd be surprised if your ref sec appointed you to a game like that if there had been continuous problems ever since...
i would say though, if you have any concerns still, phone him / her and see whether they had considered it
Good research though!
 
Good luck. Make sure that you assert your authority early and if you are worried about stuff escalating, crack down on it quickly and take no nonsense!
 
Think nothing. Go into every game treating it as if you know nothing i.e. referee the game in front of you.

Often, a game you think will be tasty, isn't. The game you think will be a walkover, is tasty.
 
That's a pretty extraordinary situation that occurred some time ago. AR running on to punch somebody.....that would cause a serious brawl in a lot of cases. Doesn't really indicate who was really at fault for the brawl, which spectators (assuming spectator involvement if police attended) or anything like that. Also, it was a long time ago - every chance responsible aren't around there any more.

I'm all for a little bit of research - I like to know ladder positions. But as for looking at match reports, results etc - in what way will that prepare you?

I'm just wondering if you're doing a bit too much research and letting it become counterproductive (given it's put you off this game, it seems that it may well have been counterproductive here).

I wouldn't expect a team to permit a repeat of such a serious incident.
 
Gentlemen, as ever, many thanks for the helpful replies, I'll certainly ensure to be firm (and fair) from the very beginning.

Just had a text from the team's secretary and apparently they play on the 'graveyard pitch', unsurprisingly next to a graveyard...

@CapnBloodbeard I can certainly see your point about it being counterproductive - and I suppose given this thread, it perhaps was - though I should say that I didn't actively go looking for any match reports, I just googled the team to see if I could find out where they played, it happened to be that this story re. the brawl was the third or fourth result on google. But certainly for the future I'll ensure not to go looking!
 
That's fair enough. Ultimately each to their own - if that sort of research helps you then so be it. Personal preference and all that. Just thought it was worth considering if nothing else :)

Just treat it like any other match. You'll be fine.
 
Last season I had a league cup final in which I had the one of the teams in a fixture the week prior. In the league game they were terrible. I was a bit worried that I was going to have to clamp down hard on them pretty fast in the cup final fixture. They were angels that game.

You can anticipate issues, soemtimes you're right, sometimes you're wrong. I find knowing problem players to be a better solution. Teams change, players tend not to.
 
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