Today's Officials

[Lord Football]

Some of you how know me will know I've reffed at Senior League Level, so when I am off my seat yelling at the officials, there is a problem. And I think this needs a thread of it's own.

Sitting in the Lower South, you don't see everything. Offsides are impossible to call and incidents at the North Bank are tricky to view properly.

So, I have no view at all on the Harrold sending off. What I do know is that the basic job of an assistant is to watch the "second rear most defender" and to bring to attention of the referee any foul play. He did this. Whether the decision to card Harrold was correct or not, is another matter and one I am sure those with a better view will comment on.

So, it stands to reason given that the assistant was doing the basics that he would have seen the stamp on McCormack. Even from my vantage point is was clear that the Yeovil player did it. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it was premeditated. It is not conceivable that the assistant didn't see it. He must have. The only other option was that he was not watching what he should have been.

And then we move onto the assault on Simon Francis. I use the word assault because that is exactly what it was. It was an attack from behind. Again, Francis was the last player, so the assistant must have seen it or he wasn't doing the basics. He simply shrugged, and that, I am afraid summed it up.

I am not going to blame the referee today. He could have used his cards better, he could have used advantage better but generally he was ok. He couldn't have seen any of the above three instances, but his assistants should have. Officials do not cheat, they make mistakes, but to make mistakes as basic and as blatant as the two assistants did today is simply not good enough.

 

[ashingdon shrimper]

disagree i think the standard of the referee was terrible, because the game if he had it under control would have not got to that situation. he allowed to many fouls and allowed yeovil to play their disgusting tactics. if he had been stronger then no one would have been sent off. mind you i am surprised mc cormack didnt try and get a piece of the action and get sent off

 

[shrimpled]

He was in control up until the Harrold sending off. He lost the game after that IMO. Was fine for 80 mins.

 

[ashingdon shrimper]

no he wasn't , you must have been watching a different game yeovil were playing extremely dirty and no cards were handed out

 

[OldBlueLady]

I blame the linesmen, in both the Harrold incident and the Francis incident it was their advice (or non-advice) that the ref was influenced by. Didn't see the Macca stamp but all these things were done behind the ref's back and it's up to the linesmen to pick them up. All in all, just more ammunition to the argument for having a 4th official with influence (and replay) off the pitch.

 

[ashingdon shrimper]

agree it was down to the linesmen, but in the end the decisions are down to the referee and he lost complete control of the game

 

[shrimpled]

By my comment i mean the game was flowing reasonably. He pulled the game up when there was no or little advantage in continuing and explained his decisions. He wasn't always right but the players go on with it. That is what i by being in control.

 

[rowhst101rhall]

I blame the linesmen, in both the Harrold incident and the Francis incident it was their advice (or non-advice) that the ref was influenced by. Didn't see the Macca stamp but all these things were done behind the ref's back and it's up to the linesmen to pick them up. All in all, just more ammunition to the argument for having a 4th official with influence (and replay) off the pitch.

I concur entirely. Especially on Stewart's stamp on Macca, which the ref had his back to and had no chance of seeing. Both linesmen (***. refs) today were the pits as far as I was concerned. I thought the officials were supposed to work as a team, however a below average ref imo, was made to appear far worse because the rerst of his team chose nnot to act on what they saw. As I say that's my opinion, others may differ.

 

[Beefy]

If the players respect the referee (like we saw with Mr Singh) the game tends to flow. Yesterday's game didn't flow, the players didn't respect the referee and I'm surprised it took so long to boil over.

That said, I was chatting to an Orient fan at work this week (for my sins) and I made the point to him that the biggest problem with officials in the lower leagues is the ineptitude of the linesmen who are invariably pathetic. To be honest, I missed the Harrold dismissal but I saw the attack on Francis clearly and it's staggering that the linesman could have missed it, as Adam Barrett took it upon himself to point out to him. What's the point of him even being there if he's not doing what he's supposed to be doing?! I'm one of many who usually give the West Stand lino a bit of stick anyway but the one yesterday definitely deserved it.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

all three officials yesterday were dis-graceful.

with regards with the francis issue. i had a perfect view of this and it was deffinately a straight red no doubt about it. flavs ran over to the lino and asked how did he not see it. i was amazed to see the lino's reaction. he SHRUGGED his shoulders asif to say i donno didn't see it. how he didn't see it i don't know. personally think he bottled it.

also the lino that saw the harrold sending off, he saw that but didn't manage see the stamp that everyone else in the ground saw on macca. even though it was near enough the same place on the pitch.

the officials in this league are un-believeable. the standard is so poor and crack under the smaller bit of pressure. we are unlucky that it was always goes against us but look back to the gills away game that ref was giving us everything. clearly we were complaining as it was brilliant to a different end of things for once. but i think everyone can agree that ref was giving us free-kicks in very dangerous positions where it was never a foul. just our luck we didn't take our chances and they cost us as it does on numerous occassions.

 

[Fiftyone]

Lord Football - what is the role of the 4th official supposed to be - surely not just to hoist that board in the air to signify the time remaining at the end of each half or when subsitutions are made?.:confused:

 

[mattytheshrimper]

Lord Football - what is the role of the 4th official supposed to be - surely not just to hoist that board in the air to signify the time remaining at the end of each half or when subsitutions are made?.:confused:

**** the managers off

 

[IloveShrimp]

If the ref had booked Nathen Jones for his blatent dive early in the game he would of maintained control and respect from the players and fans.

He was too inconsistent. 4 - 10

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Neither Harrold booking should have been a booking.

I didn't see McCormack being stamped on, but its rare to hear a spontaneous reaction like that from everyone in the vicinity.

What happened when Owusu(?) went down off the ball? I didn't see what happened there either, but I did see Peter Clarke disappear off to the other touchline - out of character for him when there is the chance of a bust up.

The linesmen let the ref down, but the ref had poor control over the game and poorly used the advantage rule.

 

[Beefy]

What happened when Owusu(?) went down off the ball? I didn't see what happened there either, but I did see Peter Clarke disappear off to the other touchline - out of character for him when there is the chance of a bust up.

Yeah I don't know what happened there. Their player just seemed to collapse and the lino, Barrett & Hammell seemed to be desperately motioning for him to get some attention from someone. I thought we might have been having another Clive Clarke on our hands for a minute.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

does anyone know what happened there. when i saw hammell etc calling people to come on quick i thought something serious may have happened.

 

[The Big Shrimp]

The Harrold sending off was a sick joke. He was stood still & with his back to the keeper. The keeper decided to run into Harrold & throw himself to the floor. He knew that he had a good chance of getting him another booking,

The "challenge" that did the damage to Harrold was worthy of a red card. No attempt to play the ball, just hit the player. Owusu led with the elbow all through the game. He won't be so lucky one day & will whinge like b1tch when he's sent off.

The ref was one of the worst at RH this season, & we should know, we've had some real dross down here, Messrs Rennie & Singh apart. Its about time the Leagues clamp down on weak, sh1te refs & lino's

 

[mattytheshrimper]

Its about time the Leagues clamp down on weak, sh1te refs & lino's

couldn't agree more. how they have so many terrible refs controlling so many games every weekend is beyond me. not just for us but for other teams aswell.

 

[OldBlueLady]

When you consider 3 of their players were just back from suspension it explains a lot about their method of play. Like I said elsewhere, I thought Orient were bad but these were a disgrace.

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

Its about time the Leagues clamp down on weak, sh1te refs & lino's

It just aint gonna happen though ... i saw the end of the Man Utd v Newcastle match, Alan Smith got sent off .. quite possibly because he called the ref a such and such, yet week in week out leg breaking tackles and off the ball elbows are going unpunished ... if these officials are the best available can you inagine what the standard is like at Conference level and below :eek: