Ref Watch ....... Stevenage (H)

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

One of the first things that you are taught as a youngster is to stop the taking of a quick free kick to allow your side to re-group and get back in position. Not managers orders, just football, and anyone who had played the sport would know that.

Its not cheating, and happens 10 times every game. 99 times out of 100 the person taking the free kick would not deliberately kick it at the player. It was not a pass that Shaq got in the way off, he was targeted by the Stevenage player taking the kick.

 

[Fish]

He had his back to the ball and was retreating when he was hit. If he was at fault, it was earlier when he ran over to the ball and should have been dealt with earlier so as to allow Stevenage to take the free kick quickly.

Far better to talk to the players. Tell them what they are doing and book them if the ignore your warnings. Or get the captains together and tell them you won't stand for any more and next one who does it is in the book. That's what good referee is about, not about waiting for the situation to occur.

Exactly right, Couthirst ran about 10 yards from the touchline to stand in front of the kicker and then was retreating when the ball struck him. Presumably the referee was going to let it go, but as soon as the ball struck him his hands were tied.

Any intervention by the referee is going to cause an interruption to the game - if he'd blown to prevent Coulthirst stepping in front of the ball to begin with, he'd have delayed the game and done Coulthirst's job for him by preventing Stevenage from taking a quick one. Ref did exactly the right thing in hoping that Coulthirst didn't cause a problem, and it was Coulthirst's fault that the ref had to intervene, not the ref's.

These guys are professional footballers. They know what they're doing. If it's true,as Yorkshire Blue alleges, that Phil Brown actually tells the players to do this, that's even worse (I wouldn't be surprised, loads of footballers do this). Why should players get off any lighter than a formal caution if they've just done something that is deliberate and only designed to prevent the opposition from exercising their right to a quick free kick? What scope is there for a "second chance"? As soon as you give someone a second chance on that, you're effectively allowing potentially another 43 instances of that same offence before anyone gets sent off for it (22 players on the pitch, everyone else can do it twice before they get a yellow, which they must get before a red for accumulated yellows).

I don't give a rats arse if Coulthirst "had his back to the ball" or not, he was deliberately in the way, end of. Book him, and he won't do it again. Which he didn't - and nor did anyone else for the rest of the game (proof they know what they're doing). Job done. Good refereeing.

Like Norwichshrimper I wish the authorities would grow some to encourage fast, skillful football, rather than protecting those who try to illegally slow the game down.

 

[Mick]

Its not cheating, and happens 10 times every game. 99 times out of 100 the person taking the free kick would not deliberately kick it at the player. It was not a pass that Shaq got in the way off, he was targeted by the Stevenage player taking the kick.

It's not cheating, it's gamesmanship and the punishment for it is prescribed in the Laws which were, on Saturday, correctly applied in that respect. Shame about the rest of his game.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Any intervention by the referee is going to cause an interruption to the game - if he'd blown to prevent Coulthirst stepping in front of the ball to begin with, he'd have delayed the game and done Coulthirst's job for him by preventing Stevenage from taking a quick one. Ref did exactly the right thing in hoping that Coulthirst didn't cause a problem, and it was Coulthirst's fault that the ref had to intervene, not the ref's.

No it doesn't.

The ref can intervene verbally or just gesture to the player if he's looking the right way. His whistle isn't the only way to communicate.

 

[Norwichshrimper]

One of the first things that you are taught as a youngster is to stop the taking of a quick free kick to allow your side to re-group and get back in position. Not managers orders, just football, and anyone who had played the sport would know that.

Its not cheating, and happens 10 times every game. 99 times out of 100 the person taking the free kick would not deliberately kick it at the player. It was not a pass that Shaq got in the way off, he was targeted by the Stevenage player taking the kick.

That doesn't make it right though does it? Continuous back passes, defenders being able to haul attackers down rugby style without being sent off and defenders being able to clatter through forwards at least twice before the referee would even think about issuing a yellow card used to be the norm and used to be taught to youngsters....but that's been addressed and the game has improved because of it.

You're on pretty shaky debating ground if your only argument is "well it's always been like that".

 

[Fish]

No it doesn't.

The ref can intervene verbally or just gesture to the player if he's looking the right way. His whistle isn't the only way to communicate.

Yes, it does. From personal experience, speaking to players nearby whilst others are just about to get on with a quick free causes a stoppage, because everyone stops to listen to what you're saying in case you're addressing them. That's why we're coached not to do it unless there's imminent danger (which in football would be virtually never).

One of the first things that you are taught as a youngster is to stop the taking of a quick free kick to allow your side to re-group and get back in position. Not managers orders, just football, and anyone who had played the sport would know that.

Its not cheating, and happens 10 times every game. 99 times out of 100 the person taking the free kick would not deliberately kick it at the player. It was not a pass that Shaq got in the way off, he was targeted by the Stevenage player taking the kick.

It absolutely is cheating because you're illegitimately affecting the flow of the game outside of the rules, on purpose. How much more cheating can you get???!!! It shouldn't happen at all in any game, which is entirely my point. I pay good money to watch an open, fair, preferably fast paced, flowing and skillful game of football. Players stepping over the ball to prevent a quick free kick is the antithesis of all of that. And if the ref doesn't deal with it, he's allowing the players whose wages I help pay to rip me off.

If Shaq hadn't placed himself in the way, the Stevenage player couldn't have kicked it at him. Entirely Shaq's fault. Phil Brown should be training our players to kick the ball at players who do what Shaq did - having an opponent on a yellow card for the rest of the game is likely to be a much bigger advantage than making sure everyone's back for one free kick.

 

[Fish]

You're on pretty shaky debating ground if your only argument is "well it's always been like that".

Totally agree. If we all had that attitude, we'd all still be sitting in caves around flint fires.

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

Think about this for a second. If Stevenage had taken that free kick quickly, and gone straight up the pitch to score, everyone would be screaming that somebody wasn't doing their job properly by stopping the free kick being taken.

Is that what you would prefer?

 

[Mick]

It absolutely is cheating because you're illegitimately affecting the flow of the game outside of the rules, on purpose. How much more cheating can you get???!!!

It's wrong; it's against the rules, but it isn't cheating any more than being offside is cheating or fouling is cheating.

Even handball on the goal line isn't cheating. It's simply infringing the rules for which there is a prescribed penalty.

Cheating is simulation, diving when there is no contact, trying to con the referee or feigning injury.

If you were caught speeding you wouldn't say you'd been cheating. But if however you tried to make out someone else had been driving (not that anyone would of course!), I guess that could be viewed as cheating.