The 'OLD BOYS SCHOOL' of officials in the CCL

[inmyday]

I am on record on here for praising officials but I am at the end of my tether! In our game today the referee completely ruined the game. I could write a book on what he got wrong today and if the powers that be who read this want me to know why then please PM me! ...Lets just say if the ref had a mirror on him he would have spent the whole game looking at himself....demoted from level 4 he advised us and he has no idea why....says it all. The two linesman were both in their 60's - who gives them these games where 3rd meets 4th i ask myself?....get a grip please!! One gave a penalty and was a refs assistant giving everything -the other gave nothing all game, a lottery on which side got which! It was a hard physical game with no intent to injure any player yet we had two sending offs for what the ref considered serious foul play and one for a handball on the line which was at best very contentious. So 3 sending offs and fines totaling £120 for three working lads! People who always defend officials have to appreciate the professional status of this league and clubs are getting ripped off paying £80/90 to what appears to be old men who should be retired!

....and please don't give me the...." there aren`t enough refs...blah...blah...our team has come from junior and intermediate football in the last few years and there are plenty of referees being stunted and kept down by what appears to be this 'OLD BOYS SCHOOL' at our level which are keeping very good, competent and ambitious officials from moving forward.

Kroons come back please!!

Edited November 12, 2011 by inmyday

[Green_Fingers]

Have to admit IMD I was surprised to see Roy Butler still involved - I thought he'd given up long ago

 

To be fair though (and I only saw the 1st half) the Ref wasn't the reason you lost - you lacked a bit of fire power (Baker going off after 10 mins was a cruel blow) but also Wars showed more passion / muscle in the areas that matter.

 

Bad day at the office? - but I'm sure you'll bounce back

[inmyday]

Have to admit IMD I was surprised to see Roy Butler still involved - I thought he'd given up long ago

 

To be fair though (and I only saw the 1st half) the Ref wasn't the reason you lost - you lacked a bit of fire power (Baker going off after 10 mins was a cruel blow) but also Wars showed more passion / muscle in the areas that matter.

 

Bad day at the office? - but I'm sure you'll bounce back

 

Nice to see you GF today - have to say that this post has nothing to do with my teams performance today or the fact that we were beaten by the better side....I would still had the same opinion had we won 10-0! - more about paying very good money for a very poor return. If the officials were doing it for no financial gain then I still wouldn`t be happy but I would swallow my tongue but the fact remains that we are paying for this!!! Why are there more competent officials being kept down by these dinosaurs (which there are undoubtedly are)...that is the question I am posing. I like to think that I am pretty level headed but look at the hand the officials had in sending 3 off and the goals today..one in our favour aswell and completely unfair to the opposition!! There were max 2 yellows in the whole game....I`m sure Gilesy would agree?? ...just not good enough for £25/30 an official and £120 fine dished out.... trade discriptions imo!!!!...

Edited November 12, 2011 by inmyday

[glads3]

Must agree with you worst offiials I've seen for a very long time couldn't see the handball but other two reds were disgraceful ours wasn't then he knew so evened it up with yours as it was similar challenge a little late but accidental

[Gilesy08]

Must agree with you both was terrible refereeing both was clear yellows but reds may aswell make football a non contact sport like glads didn't see handball from my angle

[Smudge]

You lads with no backbone name and shame these Officials,because the powers that be,never get out to watch the crap they appoint.You listening MR. Collins.dECENT oFFICIALS NEVER GET REGULAR GAMES.CRAP ONES DO.

[Observer 89]

'Decent officials never get regular games, crap ones do'

 

A load of b0llocks, as per usual.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Observer 89

[Krooner]

I hope both clubs will be writing to the league about all 3 officials.

 

I disagree with the comments re people being kept down though. If you are a level 5 referee then you will be allocated a league by the county and that league has to appoint you to matches.

 

I know referees that do not want to officiate on the CCL because they feel they get no respect and that the level of intolerance is unacceptable and they would rather do park football which they enjoy more. Not an excuse for the clear nonsesne from the game stated above but perhaps something to think about.

[DT10]

I hope both clubs will be writing to the league about all 3 officials.

 

I disagree with the comments re people being kept down though. If you are a level 5 referee then you will be allocated a league by the county and that league has to appoint you to matches.

 

I know referees that do not want to officiate on the CCL because they feel they get no respect and that the level of intolerance is unacceptable and they would rather do park football which they enjoy more. Not an excuse for the clear nonsesne from the game stated above but perhaps something to think about.

 

Respect works both ways or it should which isn't the case a lot of the time!

 

[duncs]

Have to say the 2 assistants at the Green yesterday were very good not sure about the Ref he seemed very meak and mild a bit like a childrens entertainer really.

[Wattsy]

We had some very strange decisions in our game yesterday and I tried to show the ref after the game the 13 inch or so gashes that I have up my leg and a knee the size of someone's head which forced me off yesterday, but he completely ignored me and snubbed any conversation. I politely mentioned it and said can I show you the damage after I was caught with a two footed lunge. Ah well I guess we can't have conversations these days?

 

Just a word of warning 'inmyday' be careful what you write on here about officials, I did something similar last season reporting at my disgrace of a referee swearing at players and I got nothing but being reported by Whitelaw on here and a club suspension. Officials are invincible in this day and age and you can't do a thing about it if they're right or wrong!

 

Shame as there have been some very good ones I've seen this season!

[Ace1]

I hope both clubs will be writing to the league about all 3 officials.

 

HA HA! What good will that do???

 

Before the come back Krooner, I have written quite a few reports this season and see the same officials performing the same way, which tells me nothing is done!

 

Remember - If you write a report on an official which is damming of their performance then the club receive a fine for not being contructive enough!!! That's when you ask yourself 'is it worth it?' (Yes that is from experiance!)

 

 

[JPH]

Have to say the 2 assistants at the Green yesterday were very good not sure about the Ref he seemed very meak and mild a bit like a childrens entertainer really.

 

Cheers duncs

 

Think its a difficult balance, with the league in the stage of the pyramid it is, the new referees on their way through tend to go straight into the premier as they are going from Level 6 to 4 fairly quickly. The assistants the next stage up are a minimum of Level 4 (CC Premier Division referees) whilst the assistants on the CC are anywhere between Level 7 (Newer referees) and Level 5 (Div One referees) So the variance in age, ability and experience is far greater. Difficult to get consistency I appreciate.

 

Respect is a two way thing is a comment i hear a lot and I agree with, but i think there is a gripe with players that referees earn first and players when they want to. I coach at Centre of Excellence level as well as be an assistant on this league with no intention of going any higher in refereeing and see both sides of the coin. In the Centre of Excellences there is an expectation of the parents, players and coaches that the respect should be there whoever the referee is and whether the performance was good or not. Will that happen in Senior football? Wont ever be perfect i dont think, but some clubs are far easier to be an official at than others!!!

 

War and peace over!!!

 

J

[Krooner]

I hope both clubs will be writing to the league about all 3 officials.

 

HA HA! What good will that do???

 

Before the come back Krooner, I have written quite a few reports this season and see the same officials performing the same way, which tells me nothing is done!

 

Remember - If you write a report on an official which is damming of their performance then the club receive a fine for not being contructive enough!!! That's when you ask yourself 'is it worth it?' (Yes that is from experiance!)

 

 

 

Dont moan about them then Ace unless you take the only route available to you.

 

I would always urge clubs to put in a sensible and factual based letter if they feel the referee is not up to the standard. And if that official is constanly reported things are done about it. Hence why poor Eversley and Wars had a refere that USED to be a Level 4. Why do you think he is not anymore ?

 

Lets not go down the respect route again DT. It is and it should be and most of the time it is.

[Chubby Brown]

In My Day, I haven't had an opportunity to post until now. Due to work commitments I only got over to your game at half time - so you were 2-0 down at the start of the second half.......but both teams still had 11 men!! The chap I spoke to said that Warlingham started much the brighter team and were quickly 2-0 up, and had also had a penalty saved in the first 5 minutes. I did post earlier in the week that I thought Warlingham would narrowly win this one as your home form this season has been poor and your record against some of the 'better' sides is also not great. Although I have tipped you to finish 3rd it is certainly surprising to see that you've only won twice at home all season - away from home you seem to be much stronger and are in fact unbeaten I believe.

 

Anyway, back to the game. I completely agree with you about the match officials......it was the worst performance of refereeing I have seen for many years......and I watch many games each week!! The referee, however, was not helped by either linesmen, who were both, as you say, very old, slow and generally just very poor. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase a programme (....I couldn't see any for sale??) so I don't know the referee's name, he didn't look familiar. Roy Butler was one of the linesman though.....and well.....we all know how regularly poor his performances are - I am amazed to see him continually put on Div 1 games. I would normally suggest that the said referee is named and shamed, but these days you (as a club Manager/Player) have to be so careful as any derogatory remarks could result in league intervention and even a club suspension; we saw this last season as Wattsy has mentioned......ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!

 

The first red card for Eversley was I feel somewhat harsh as the player who was alleged to of handled in the area was on the floor and the ball 'hit' his arm - it was a shot on target I suppose so I expect most referees would have given this, but it certainly didn't look like an intentional handball, but when things aren't going your way you don't get these decisions. Anyway, the resultant penalty was saved, but 2-0 and with 10 men you had a mountain to climb.

 

However, it wasn't long until Warlingham were on the end of a poor decision. The tackle wasn't the greatest but it was a yellow card at best, no way a red! The guy was rightly fuming as he left the field of play. For me, the linesman made this decision and I don't think the player would have seen red until the linesman beckoned the referee over, after their 'discussion' it was an inevitable red card unfortunately.

 

Next up Eversley went down to 9 mine (after both teams had 2 or 3 players booked each for very, very minor tackles, dissent, etc). This was by far the WORST decision of the match as the player clearly won the ball with a hard but fair tackle......it wasn't even a yellow card.......it wasn't even a foul. What was the referee thinking???!! This time it was a decision made on his own.....he must have been on a different planet.

 

Eversley were given a late penalty, which again was very soft and perhaps the referee was just 'looking' to give them something. Actually with 9 men, Eversley looked the better team and did have a couple of half decent chances before and after their penalty.

 

It really is a shame that we have to come on here and continuously moan about the poor standard of match officials. In my opinion the league HAVE to step in and do something soon otherwise we are in danger of letting these useless old n*mpty's ruin this leagues reputation. For me the standard gets worse and worse each season, but in this game they were truly awful and they do not deserve a match fee - perhaps if they read this forum they would like to donate their fees to charity!! In fact I would love to know the name of the referee as I WILL NOT watch another game which he is involved in - can someone please PM me with his name if you don't want to risk prosecution from the powers that be. How many more games will these officials ruin this season - do they not understand the implications of their poor/wrong decisions have on clubs in terms of fines and suspensions not to mention ruining what would have been a very good game between two excellent football teams.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Chubby Brown

[Green_Fingers]

Details of appointed Officials are officially listed on the "Officials" page of the official website There will always be late amendments that are missed here - looks like Roy Butler was a late amendment

 

http://www.combinedcountiesleague.co.uk/officials.htm

[Krooner]

In My Day, I haven't had an opportunity to post until now. Due to work commitments I only got over to your game at half time - so you were 2-0 down at the start of the second half.......but both teams still had 11 men!! The chap I spoke to said that Warlingham started much the brighter team and were quickly 2-0 up, and had also had a penalty saved in the first 5 minutes. I did post earlier in the week that I thought Warlingham would narrowly win this one as your home form this season has been poor and your record against some of the 'better' sides is also not great. Although I have tipped you to finish 3rd it is certainly surprising to see that you've only won twice at home all season - away from home you seem to be much stronger and are in fact unbeaten I believe.

 

Anyway, back to the game. I completely agree with you about the match officials......it was the worst performance of refereeing I have seen for many years......and I watch many games each week!! The referee, however, was not helped by either linesmen, who were both, as you say, very old, slow and generally just very poor. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase a programme (....I couldn't see any for sale??) so I don't know the referee's name, he didn't look familiar. Roy Butler was one of the linesman though.....and well.....we all know how regularly poor his performances are - I am amazed to see him continually put on Div 1 games. I would normally suggest that the said referee is named and shamed, but these days you (as a club Manager/Player) have to be so careful as any derogatory remarks could result in league intervention and even a club suspension; we saw this last season as Wattsy has mentioned......ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!

 

The first red card for Eversley was I feel somewhat harsh as the player who was alleged to of handled in the area was on the floor and the ball 'hit' his arm - it was a shot on target I suppose so I expect most referees would have given this, but it certainly didn't look like an intentional handball, but when things aren't going your way you don't get these decisions. Anyway, the resultant penalty was saved, but 2-0 and with 10 men you had a mountain to climb.

 

However, it wasn't long until Warlingham were on the end of a poor decision. The tackle wasn't the greatest but it was a yellow card at best, no way a red! The guy was rightly fuming as he left the field of play. For me, the linesman made this decision and I don't think the player would have seen red until the linesman beckoned the referee over, after their 'discussion' it was an inevitable red card unfortunately.

 

Next up Eversley went down to 9 mine (after both teams had 2 or 3 players booked each for very, very minor tackles, dissent, etc). This was by far the WORST decision of the match as the player clearly won the ball with a hard but fair tackle......it wasn't even a yellow card.......it wasn't even a foul. What was the referee thinking???!! This time it was a decision made on his own.....he must have been on a different planet.

 

Eversley were given a late penalty, which again was very soft and perhaps the referee was just 'looking' to give them something. Actually with 9 men, Eversley looked the better team and did have a couple of half decent chances before and after their penalty.

 

It really is a shame that we have to come on here and continuously moan about the poor standard of match officials. In my opinion the league HAVE to step in and do something soon otherwise we are in danger of letting these useless old n*mpty's ruin this leagues reputation. For me the standard gets worse and worse each season, but in this game they were truly awful and they do not deserve a match fee - perhaps if they read this forum they would like to donate their fees to charity!! In fact I would love to know the name of the referee as I WILL NOT watch another game which he is involved in - can someone please PM me with his name if you don't want to risk prosecution from the powers that be. How many more games will these officials ruin this season - do they not understand the implications of their poor/wrong decisions have on clubs in terms of fines and suspensions not to mention ruining what would have been a very good game between two excellent football teams.

 

So Chubby what should we do ? It is all very well moaning but how many people actually come up with a reasonable way around the problem. Happy to open myself up here to be shot at but how many thought i was a good/average/shocking ref. I gave up after 15 years because I was fed up with constant moaning and whining from players. It got to the point that every decision that I made was being moaned about by either a player or a bench official.

 

I personally havent seen one game ruined by the officials this season but as above i am sure there are some and in no way do I excuse what appears to have been a below standard performance from the gentleman at Eversely v Wars on Saturday. I am asking what the answer is because it appears from your statement that it is every game.

[newby marvel]

my father took the route of player to a referee an lets say he was animated towards refs an was sent off numerous times that said he decided to be a referee did the youth side of it the problem...........parents .........then started taking the reigns of mens games the problem ..........players attitudes he gave it up after literally understanding the frustration between player an ref to ref to player if that makes sense there is a lack of respect either way an either party always thinks that they are in the right

[Footy Mad]

my father took the route of player to a referee an lets say he was animated towards refs an was sent off numerous times that said he decided to be a referee did the youth side of it the problem...........parents .........then started taking the reigns of mens games the problem ..........players attitudes he gave it up after literally understanding the frustration between player an ref to ref to player if that makes sense there is a lack of respect either way an either party always thinks that they are in the right

 

I think it is wrong to generalise as some players have bad attitudes and are difficult to work with whilst many others are excellent. It is the same with referees .... some perhaps have better attitudes than others. Some games I go home from wondering why I bother but thankfully most of them are enjoyable.

 

Always right? Not me, I will tell captains at the beginning that I will make the odd mistake but that all of the moaning in the world will not change my decision. When I think I may have made a mistake I will hold my hands up and admit I may have got that one wrong. That is the way that I and many other officials are but I am aware that not all of us are like that. Doesn't make one set better referees than the other ... just means that some of us know we are human.

 

Respect is a 2 way thing but it should be something that everybody should be working on. Why don't all players and managers shake the hands of officials on the pitch at the end of the game and thank them for their work? Why do some people shake hands with 2 of the officials but refuse to shake hands with 1 of them? Why do some people come and shake hands but only so they can voice their displeasure?

I am not saying that managers/secretaries/captains shouldn't ask officials about incidents but the dressing room/bar is the place for that once everyone has calmed down and had time to think.

 

Clubs have a means of informing the league if they are unhappy with officials and I am sure that if the report is constructive (rather than just saying the referee was cr*p) then the league are happy to have feedback. If it wasn't just a bad day at the office (and we all have them) and the same official is constantly marked down then I am certain that the league will take action.

 

The vast majority of players and officials are in this for the love of the game. You can't play without referees and without you we have nothing to referee so my suggestion is that in your next game go out of your way to make the officials welcome and ensure that you shake their hands at the end whatever the result

[newby marvel]

i will always shake the hand of an official unless i think he has ruined a game by making numerous mistakes an i will praise when praise is due ask the bob hoskins lookalike even jessica was in the stand having a watch of him a superb refeereed game in my eyes an everyone else involved in the game vs cobham away. i understand there is no replays an a ref has to make an on the spot descision but common sense seems to be lacking in alot of those that are incorrect. which seems to be in most cases ie the eversley game were all day yellows not straight reds numerous people all thinking the same but one person thinking reds! jury?? we had a straight red in our guernsey game not one player appealed the player on recieving end just got striaghjt on with it but was sent of for being to aggresive thats crazy!! an they had a man sent off which was never a second yellow !! the intent was there is i think what a ref sees what could of happened well i may intend in robbing a bank tommorow but if i dont do it i aint fecking guilty am i?

its taken a long time for me to realise we cant play without you guys but the standard that we expect is the same as what we play in we'll say in our team talk get on the left back or rb as there poor but we cant say that to a ref can we!!!