Ref was a joke .

[blueblood]

In all the years i have been reading match reports and reviews i have never read such scathing comment on a ref performance than that printed in this weeks thanet times. The game and comments cover 1/2 the back page and 3/4 of the inside two. The saddest part is the news that Greg oates has broken his arm,CK said he will possible need to have a plate. Leon Braithwaite is to have a scan for possible cruciate problems.There are tomany words and to many scathing comments from both Craig Tucker the reporter and CK for me to print. If someone else has the technology please do it for our out of town guys.

[Cookie]

Did seem a bit over the top BB didnt it. Well,for a reporter that is. It made it look like it was ONLY the refs fault for us losing the game which of course it wasnt.Enough of all this sniping at refs (and lino's..remember). They have a thankless task and without them where would football be? If people who blast them cant be bothered to officiate themselves to see what refs have to put up with then they shouldnt comment.

I am in no way saying that the ref was good as I wasnt there but all over the place they are getting slated.Errors of judgement are made all over the field by players but the ref dosent snipe back doses he? Get on with the game,play the football and let the ref do his job,in the best way that he can. No-ones perfect for goodness sake.

When I officiate games I tell the skippers at the onset that during the game I will make some mistakes & I freely admit to having said that at every game but I also tell them that I will not change my mind no matter what.Its a thankless task and though some refs are slated by me at times the feeling soon wears off and another game comes along.

Yes,I think the report was a bit over the top.

[Coffin Ender]

There is nothing we can do about the standard of refs in this league. Complaining won't achieve anything. No one expects players at this level to be faultless, so you have to expect that refs will make blunders.

[bomberbass]

i agree coffin ender, nearly every ref we have at cressing road are poor. its getting to the point of a complete joke now. i wish the league would do something about it.

[Wellsie]

Cookie, I've dome some refereeing at youth level, and you're quite right. It is a tough job. In fact, I've been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the officials in this league. For whatever reason, they do seem to me to be bettre (generally) than Conference South. Having said that, I do sometimes wonder about the quality of linesmen (I'm old fashioned) and communication between them and the referee. A ref relies heavily on the linesman, and often has to take their word. But your words Cookie, about "where would the game be without them?" are well made, and we'd all do well to remember that from time to time. Won't stop me cmoplaining from time to time though!

[blueblood]

I was'nt at the Braintree game but did attend the fisher one. After reflecting on that game and the ref/lino performance for over a week my opinions have not changed.I believe this season we have started to realy see the fallout of better quality players from higher leagues down into this level,with teams going full time and even those not paying better money. I do not think refereeing as kept up. The only way to describe the decisions at fisher is Disgraceful. In the league they would have ended the game with 8 on the field and deservedly so. If the game was the same at Braintree then no i do not think the comments in the press were over the top. Something needs to be done. The level of agression in the fisher game trancended football into common assault. if a on duty police officer had been in the ground i do not see how he could have let griffiths get away. what did it lead to,another assault against a folkstone player last week. It must be stopped.Then there was the Duku incident which was going on at the same time when Duku walked the width of the pitch and verbaly abused the lino for the length of tine it took the ref to deal with the griffiths incident. The language even made me blush. We had mud thrown into players faces going into tackles ,leon was sandwhiched and elbowed bothsides in the area leading to his going off. and another player was punched.We all give refs/lino's stick even you, believe me cookie (sorry to do this) but the incidents leading to your confrontation at Ashford pale into insignificance compared to the antics at Fisher. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE,and fast.How many more Greg Oates incidents can we afford. I remember a Dover supporter saying how brutal this league was last season,now i know what he meant.I believe this league needs to act and act fast before thugs like griffiths take it one step to far and we have a real tragidy.

[blueblood]

I agree Coffinender, we can't but the league can.

[Cookie]

WE shall just have to do as the players are supposed to do & just accept it I'm afraid BB. Nothings going to change as far as the officials are concerned. Give them full time training,give them plenty of lessons in the art of common sense,have them cover the laws and adhere to them,whatever, they will not change the way they officiate.On the day they will only do what they think is correct,what they deem as foul play & give there own decisions on what they see or hear.That will never change. Even class 1 referees get it wrong.Apart from doing away with officials altgether we have no choice but to accept them & their decisions. We can still moan & groan about them though. I know I am one of the worst for that.

Technology without a referee,now how about that? IT would never work & we would soon be pleading for the return of real life officials. I agree that some technology could & should be introduced, as an aid.