A&H

When do you start your watch?

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I don't believe we have had this discussion before. Trivial question. When you start your watch at KO? When the ball is kicked or when you blow whistle to signal it? And if you have started watch after a false KO do you take time to reset it, let it continue running or something else?
 
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To be honest... I have never had a team delay kick off after I've blown the whistle. So, I usually blow the whistle, then start my RefSix, and then my back up watch, so technically will be running a few seconds behind if time is supposed to be based off when the ball is actually kicked.
 
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I start them both beforehand.

"Keeper? Line? Keeper? Line?"

Start watches. Peeeeep.

I then do a quick check of both watches at the first break in play to make sure they are working.

Both will obviously be a few seconds ahead, probably no more than 5 and works for me as I have almost never blown exactly as they time out. If I do it would normally because it's a dead game and 5 seconds is unlikely to make a difference.
 
Is it weird that I'm not actually certain as to when I start mine? I just do it in autopilot.

I definitely don't, however, reset my watch if kick off is delayed after I blow my whistle. (Obviously if something significant happened I would, but I'm referring to when, for example, a player leaves his half on the whistle before the ball is kicked and the player doesn't take it so you have to send him back.)
 
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I also start both watches just before the whistle. Only once I have reset them after false start. False start is usually due to clear encroachment of players to opponent half before ball in play (or in the old days, kicking bal forward).

The time I reset was a player encroaching clearly, event on the restarts as part of a pre-planned tactic. Quick warning on first one but no watch restart. Second time I had to caution him so it was it was significant enough to rest watch.
 
Start back up (GPS/HRM just in running mode) - visual check big green arrow
Start Spinsto (ref watch preset with half length) - hold down button buzz check

As soon as I feel the buzz I blow the whistle.

Then I typically paranoically check both in the next 30 seconds. Reality is back up watch is 4-5 secs early and main watch is 2-3 secs early. And I know that.
 
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I Check both keepers are ready (as well as Linos if I'm lucky enough to have them) then start Watch 1 and Watch 2, followed by blowing my whistle. Normally by the time we're 2/3 mins in i've checked multiple times that they are both running. On those occasion where you have a delay at kick off the time wasted is practically insignificant (I.E. Less than 5-10 seconds) so I see no point in restarting my watches. As mentioned above I feel like sorting your watches after the whistle can cause a lapse in concentration, potentially causing you to miss an important decision such as this one.
Kieran W said:
I gave a penalty after 23 seconds on Sunday so was not a time to be messing around with my watches
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Agree with most above. Starting the watch after the ball is kicked is a great way to be distracted, especially if there is an issue with the watch. All you need to do is know that there are a few seconds left when your watch hits time.
 
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Start Apple watch which has a 3 second count down.
Start other watch.
Blow whistle.

Don't really see much other option, you certainly don't want to be faffing around starting watches once play has already started. If there's a false start I'll just manually add on however many seconds it takes to start again.
 
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I have always started my RefSix before the whistle, and then start my other watch as I blow the whistle. Yet to fail me.
Kieran W said:
I gave a penalty after 23 seconds on Sunday so was not a time to be messing around with my watches
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Feels like you invited me to turn this into a competition. My earliest penalty was after 12 seconds.
 
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Gabe said:
I have always started my RefSix before the whistle, and then start my other watch as I blow the whistle. Yet to fail me.

Feels like you invited me to turn this into a competition. My earliest penalty was after 12 seconds.
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Pfft, I've had a red card faster than that 😂
 
I have actually dismissed a manager before KO but I feel that doesn't really count as it isn't a situation on pitch during the game.
 
Gabe said:
I have actually dismissed a manager before KO but I feel that doesn't really count as it isn't a situation on pitch during the game.
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Team that thought they were better at football then they were, straight from kick off passed back to centre half who got it stuck under his feet, attacker took if off him and he pulled him down. Under 10 seconds from kick off.

Had I been fiddling with my watch there's a chance I'd have missed it.
 
Viridis1886 said:
I start them both beforehand.

"Keeper? Line? Keeper? Line?"

Start watches. Peeeeep.

I then do a quick check of both watches at the first break in play to make sure they are working.

Both will obviously be a few seconds ahead, probably no more than 5 and works for me as I have almost never blown exactly as they time out. If I do it would normally because it's a dead game and 5 seconds is unlikely to make a difference.
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I do exactly that as well.
 
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I use a Fitbit watch which is set at x+5 seconds (x being half length)...
And normal watch which is at x as can't add seconds.
Start Fitbit. Start normal cheap watch. Blow. They're almost always on song with each other.
And it's only a second or two as I keep whistle in mouth to kick game off.
It's a whistle that "attaches" to my fingers rather than a lanyard, so once blown and happy it's easy to put on fingers.
 
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Josh the referee said:
What had he done?
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They had used offensive language towards me, when I was in earshot, so was basically asking for it. As I had already entered the pitch for the pre-match inspection, I was able to ,as per the LOTG, produce the physical card also which helped my case (otherwise it can get very complicated to explain etc). He watched from the car.
 
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