Thursday, April 03, 2008
Referees Part II
Once again I imagine the full glare of the media spotlight will fall upon the hapless man in the middle. The most essential, the most vilified person on the pitch. Everyone can kick a ball, some even manage it in the right direction but not so many fancy controlling that whistle.
And is it any wonder. Week after week we are subjected to the unedifying sight of managers, reluctant or scared to point the finger at his pampered players, blame the match officials for offside goals given, red cards that shouldn’t have been given and probably global warming.
Or we see players hounding match officials on the pitch. Ranting and raving, swearing. Yes kids, these are your role models. It’s ugly. It’s demeaning. It’s humiliating.
Watch the post match interviews and see players and managers alike blame the ref. it’s never their fault, or rarely, but let’s blame someone else. Far easier that way. Of course it makes for great sound bites and headlines. Post match interviews, when emotions are still running high and words can be said in the heat of the moment, are far more interesting than the bland pre match press conference.
A few weeks back Arsenal dropped two points at St Andrews when they conceded a penalty. Replays showed the decision to be harsh and in the circumstances you would expect people to turn round and say the decision cost them a victory. But that’s too easy. What cost Arsenal three points that day was the inability to score a crucial third. You wanna blame someone? Blame Adebayor for not passing to Bendtner when the Dane had an open goal.
Managers don’t want to blame players today. Upset some dressing room prima donna and he’ll take his ego, hangers on and SUV and move to another club. Good, Brian Clough would have said. The world may have moved on but there aren’t many industries where the employees can take the liberties players seem to.
Instead what we see is the manager blaming the ref for bad decisions that could cost him his job! Oh dear! The manager knows football. It’s a results based industry, don’t win and you’re gone. They know the risks going into the job, a flukey goal, a dodgy offside. It happens; don’t start insulting people with whining about how the job is at stake. It’s always at stake! The centre forward not scoring for half a dozen games will cost him his job, blame him! That cart horse at the back who couldn’t tackle an empty crisp packet will cost him his job.
Officials do make mistakes and they will be inconsistent. Always have done, always will do. Ask five people what they thought of such and such a movie and the chances are you won’t get the same answer. Watch Hleb always try the short pass through the middle. Would Scholes take the same option? They have the same genetic make up as players and show me a player who doesn’t err on the pitch.
How many times have we heard a pundit ask how a ref could give such and such a decision? The pundit, nice and warm in his gantry or studio has the benefit of numerous action replays and different angles. When was the last time the ref was given a second chance? The ref is at ground level, his view maybe blocked. He has a split second to make that call.
You know what I want, what I really really want? A friendly match between pundits and refs with pundits providing the match officials. I wanna see these guys taken from the studio, back on the pitch and turn the tables. How quick would they be then to criticize? Even better would be to throw one of them into the deep end and have someone like Jamie Redknapp officiate an Old Firm Derby. Or Liverpool v Manchester United. Or Persija v Persib!
This is not having a pop for the sake of it. When people see Rafa, Gerrard and Hansen lining up to attack the ref what message does that send lower down the leagues? To the parks where every weekend millions play the game for enjoyment? To kids in the school playground?
It says that there will always be a fall guy if things don’t go your way.
A story recently touched upon the large numbers of referees leaving the game lower down the ladder because of the abuse they receive. Refs always get abused and so they should. But these days it’s out of hand. With less people wanting to take up the whistle we can forsee problems further down the line as the quality at the top gets thinner and thinner. We have already seen this with English players.
This is not to suggest officials should be wrapped in cotton wool. There has to be some kind of dialogue and officials need to understand the game better. I don’t know this would be best achieved but something needs to be done to break down the mistrust that permeates too many interviews and talk shows. Perhaps the PFA need to work closely with officials at some level.
We need good young refs to come through the system.
And is it any wonder. Week after week we are subjected to the unedifying sight of managers, reluctant or scared to point the finger at his pampered players, blame the match officials for offside goals given, red cards that shouldn’t have been given and probably global warming.
Or we see players hounding match officials on the pitch. Ranting and raving, swearing. Yes kids, these are your role models. It’s ugly. It’s demeaning. It’s humiliating.
Watch the post match interviews and see players and managers alike blame the ref. it’s never their fault, or rarely, but let’s blame someone else. Far easier that way. Of course it makes for great sound bites and headlines. Post match interviews, when emotions are still running high and words can be said in the heat of the moment, are far more interesting than the bland pre match press conference.
A few weeks back Arsenal dropped two points at St Andrews when they conceded a penalty. Replays showed the decision to be harsh and in the circumstances you would expect people to turn round and say the decision cost them a victory. But that’s too easy. What cost Arsenal three points that day was the inability to score a crucial third. You wanna blame someone? Blame Adebayor for not passing to Bendtner when the Dane had an open goal.
Managers don’t want to blame players today. Upset some dressing room prima donna and he’ll take his ego, hangers on and SUV and move to another club. Good, Brian Clough would have said. The world may have moved on but there aren’t many industries where the employees can take the liberties players seem to.
Instead what we see is the manager blaming the ref for bad decisions that could cost him his job! Oh dear! The manager knows football. It’s a results based industry, don’t win and you’re gone. They know the risks going into the job, a flukey goal, a dodgy offside. It happens; don’t start insulting people with whining about how the job is at stake. It’s always at stake! The centre forward not scoring for half a dozen games will cost him his job, blame him! That cart horse at the back who couldn’t tackle an empty crisp packet will cost him his job.
Officials do make mistakes and they will be inconsistent. Always have done, always will do. Ask five people what they thought of such and such a movie and the chances are you won’t get the same answer. Watch Hleb always try the short pass through the middle. Would Scholes take the same option? They have the same genetic make up as players and show me a player who doesn’t err on the pitch.
How many times have we heard a pundit ask how a ref could give such and such a decision? The pundit, nice and warm in his gantry or studio has the benefit of numerous action replays and different angles. When was the last time the ref was given a second chance? The ref is at ground level, his view maybe blocked. He has a split second to make that call.
You know what I want, what I really really want? A friendly match between pundits and refs with pundits providing the match officials. I wanna see these guys taken from the studio, back on the pitch and turn the tables. How quick would they be then to criticize? Even better would be to throw one of them into the deep end and have someone like Jamie Redknapp officiate an Old Firm Derby. Or Liverpool v Manchester United. Or Persija v Persib!
This is not having a pop for the sake of it. When people see Rafa, Gerrard and Hansen lining up to attack the ref what message does that send lower down the leagues? To the parks where every weekend millions play the game for enjoyment? To kids in the school playground?
It says that there will always be a fall guy if things don’t go your way.
A story recently touched upon the large numbers of referees leaving the game lower down the ladder because of the abuse they receive. Refs always get abused and so they should. But these days it’s out of hand. With less people wanting to take up the whistle we can forsee problems further down the line as the quality at the top gets thinner and thinner. We have already seen this with English players.
This is not to suggest officials should be wrapped in cotton wool. There has to be some kind of dialogue and officials need to understand the game better. I don’t know this would be best achieved but something needs to be done to break down the mistrust that permeates too many interviews and talk shows. Perhaps the PFA need to work closely with officials at some level.
We need good young refs to come through the system.
# posted by Me @ 3:52 AM 
