Thought Jamie's notes were interesting last night. He was talking about how opposition players, and sometimes the bench, get in the ref's face and how he doesn't think we should go down that route despite differing opinions.
He's right. In an ideal world.
Sadly the refs and linos (and the authorities) operate in a world where they just accept it and create a situation where certain teams gain an unfair advantage. Should we stand by our principles of fair play or just do what many other teams do? I'm sure a lot of other teams have similar thoughts to Jamie's but have got fed up with it.
I think we should be more vocal towards the officials without overstepping the mark. But how do you judge that? I've seen players chirping in the ref's ear for almost the whole 90 minutes, obviously to try and influence decisions. The best thing to happen would be for the ref's to card anyone who approaches him unless he is ordered to do so. The amount of times we see a ref faced with 4 or 5 players walking towards him and what does he do - he starts walking backwards!!! He should stand his ground and if they go into him - reds all the way, too much talk - yellow, benches getting on the pitch - into the stands. I don't want to see players not able to shout and question decisions but at this level the refs are setting themselves up a sitting ducks.
Referees cannot do anything without the backing of the FA / EUFA / FIFA. Players and management want consistency and would complain if some referees went Maverick. Looking at the last two home games, last night's referee, Ian Cooper, let a Dover player scream a torrent of abuse at a linesman when in the game against Concord Nigel Lugg booked Kiernan Hughes-Mason (rightly) for abusing a linesman but to a much lesser degree.
Back in the 70's, I seem to recall a referee booking an entire Everton defensive rule for not retreating for a free kick and he was dropped immediately from the first division's list.
I may be in the minority, but I agree with Jamie's ideals. I know that this does work against us on too may occasions but if I want to see ugly football and cynical behaviour, I'll go to Premiership games.
I know this sounds a little strange but the problem is if you do it you have to keep on doing it, and i don't want to watch welling stoop to that level. What i mean is when you see a team do it from the kick-off its as if the referee takes it as "that's just the way they are" and nothing happens! But if one of our players do it after being calm the rest of the game its seen as aggressive behaviour and get booked! Im happy for our players to stay calm, i think it shows a mental toughness over the opposition and that they feel its the only way for them to get a result.
Thought Jamie's notes were interesting last night. He was talking about how opposition players, and sometimes the bench, get in the ref's face and how he doesn't think we should go down that route despite differing opinions.
He's right. In an ideal world.
Sadly the refs and linos (and the authorities) operate in a world where they just accept it and create a situation where certain teams gain an unfair advantage. Should we stand by our principles of fair play or just do what many other teams do? I'm sure a lot of other teams have similar thoughts to Jamie's but have got fed up with it.
I think we should be more vocal towards the officials without overstepping the mark. But how do you judge that? I've seen players chirping in the ref's ear for almost the whole 90 minutes, obviously to try and influence decisions. The best thing to happen would be for the ref's to card anyone who approaches him unless he is ordered to do so. The amount of times we see a ref faced with 4 or 5 players walking towards him and what does he do - he starts walking backwards!!! He should stand his ground and if they go into him - reds all the way, too much talk - yellow, benches getting on the pitch - into the stands. I don't want to see players not able to shout and question decisions but at this level the refs are setting themselves up a sitting ducks.
Of course Daisy is right in an ideal world but we don't live in one of those.
It needs a directive from somewhere to stop the players approaching the officials (apart from maybe the captain) Ever since Roy Keane & Co chased Andy D'Urso round Old Trafford (and because he let them) for having the temerity to award a penalty against them, the situation at all levelss of the game has gone steadily downhill. Dover were not the worst but Forster and Co (and the Concord management team before them) were encroaching on the pitch and appealing for every decision and, sadly, that does influence officials in the end. I couldn't see clearly if Dover's penalty decision was correct but they had appealed for three or four similar fouls before that - perhaps it was the volume and frequency of the appeals that eventually made the referee cave in??
At the Dorchester game on Saturday their skipper went and "chatted" to the referee at virtually each and every stoppage (even if it was a decision in their favour) and also on the way off at half time. As Danson Mark has said there is no consistency - some players scream at officials and get nothing (hello Dover number 2) and yet yellow cards are often issued for trivial offences.
I don't like it but I am firmly in the "if you can't beat 'em then join 'em camp" on this issue.
