Hello again. I know it has been a long time since my last post and for that I apologize. Part of it is that I just haven't had much to write about; there is no club soccer in the spring in South Carolina, save U-13 and U-14.
Recently, however, I have made some decisions on some reffing related trips. The first is Memorial Day Weekend. Last year my wife and I decided to travel North for the holiday to her parent's place. The main reason I suggested the trip was for me to referee a large tournament - The Dayton Warrior Classic. She would get to see her parents (and I didn't have too - just kidding honey!) and I would get to ref and get paid for the trip.
It was such a good experience we decided to do it again. It's about an 8 hour trip by car but I think it will be well worth it. The tournament is well run from a referee perspective. The games were on time, they worked in games off (I was on a 4-man rotating crew both days), there were plenty of cold beverages to re-hydrate, lots of food, marshals who actually help, and the money was brought to you in cash via envelope before every game in denominations easily divisible between the crew.
Last year I got to work with three state referees from Ohio North. I did 6 U-16 boys games on Saturday and 3 U-17 boys games on Sunday with them. Sunday night I had the middle on the U-18 final, originally scheduled as the semi-final but somehow turned into a final.
I'm very excited to be working this tournament again and will hopefully have a similar experience to last year. The second decision was much harder to make. Having recently had a child I was thinking that I probably would not go to regionals this year, in an effort to help out my wife. However, she gave me the 'ok' to sign up and now it looks like I'm off to Tennessee for my second regionals experience.
This is a huge honor for me, one for which I am very grateful. Last year was a great event in Baton Rouge, LA. It was a great learning experience and a chance to rub shoulders with some great referees. I am also excited for this year's trip. The games are going to be good, for sure, the instruction will be top class and the times spent with other referees will be memorable.
While preparing for both of these events I am focusing on my fitness and my knowledge of the Advice to Referees handbook. I have long loathed running; if there is not a ball involved I do not care to run. I'm glad my wife likes to run with me so that we can train together. We've been running lately and my goal is to be able to run 8 miles straight by mid-June, around regionals. We're running just about every day with longer runs on the weekend. Also, I just came across a workout in Muscle and Fitness magazine called the "Metabolic workout", also referred to as EPOC. The theory is to do different tasks in quick succession creating a lack of oxygen so that your body goes into your fat stores for the oxygen it needs. Hopefully I can shed few lbs by the time regionals rolls around: I am shooting for about 10 total.
I'm also reading through Advice to Referees currently, highliter in hand. My goal is to make it through that twice in the next month.
Here's to two good tournaments and that I can physically and mentally survive both!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Take a look around
Last weekend I had the opportunity to watching potential MLS referees in the flesh. The games were part of the Carolina Cup hosted by the Charleston Battery. My local referee chapter put together a bus trip from Greenville, SC to Charleston, bought the tickets, provided food and then had a cookout with referees from Charleston.
When the eating and socializing was over the games began. The referee in the first game was Mark Kadlecik, from what I heard he's somewhat of a newcomer to the MLS scene hoping to get a full slate of MLS games this year. He's right on the cusp of being a regular face.
What the crowd will probably take away from this game was that he sent the left back from Toronto off in about the 30th minute for two professional fouls that happened within about two minutes of each other. Both were great calls. However, what I took away from his performance and will try to implement into my game is his awareness of the play, and by that I mean turning his head during dynamic play to see where the play is going to go next.
Constantly I saw him scan the field in front of him for movement that would tell him where the next phase of play was likely to be. For example, if the ball was on his right, toward the sideline, he would look across the penalty area as it was likely that a cross or through ball would be coming into that area. Now, I want to caution that we should not be looking as a play on the ball is being made by a defender. We cannot look away from a challenge, that is when we must be looking at the play. But when an attacker clearly has possession and you have a second to scan the field, take a look.
There are two reasons (and probably more) that this technique is helpful. First, you get to see what is happening off the ball. Is an attacker being held while he is making a run? Are the players expecting a cross or a pass on the ground? Is there a large group of people in front of the keeper? Now you have a better idea of what is likely to happen and can be proactive rather than reactive. Second, in the spirit of being proactive you can position yourself according to what you see. If there is a run being made toward the AR you can cheat his way. If everyone is congregating on the back edge of the goal area you can be ready for a cross in the air. Maybe someone is checking back to the ball and has lots of space. Position yourself for where the action is most likely to happen and remember presence lends conviction.
When the eating and socializing was over the games began. The referee in the first game was Mark Kadlecik, from what I heard he's somewhat of a newcomer to the MLS scene hoping to get a full slate of MLS games this year. He's right on the cusp of being a regular face.
What the crowd will probably take away from this game was that he sent the left back from Toronto off in about the 30th minute for two professional fouls that happened within about two minutes of each other. Both were great calls. However, what I took away from his performance and will try to implement into my game is his awareness of the play, and by that I mean turning his head during dynamic play to see where the play is going to go next.
Constantly I saw him scan the field in front of him for movement that would tell him where the next phase of play was likely to be. For example, if the ball was on his right, toward the sideline, he would look across the penalty area as it was likely that a cross or through ball would be coming into that area. Now, I want to caution that we should not be looking as a play on the ball is being made by a defender. We cannot look away from a challenge, that is when we must be looking at the play. But when an attacker clearly has possession and you have a second to scan the field, take a look.
There are two reasons (and probably more) that this technique is helpful. First, you get to see what is happening off the ball. Is an attacker being held while he is making a run? Are the players expecting a cross or a pass on the ground? Is there a large group of people in front of the keeper? Now you have a better idea of what is likely to happen and can be proactive rather than reactive. Second, in the spirit of being proactive you can position yourself according to what you see. If there is a run being made toward the AR you can cheat his way. If everyone is congregating on the back edge of the goal area you can be ready for a cross in the air. Maybe someone is checking back to the ball and has lots of space. Position yourself for where the action is most likely to happen and remember presence lends conviction.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Safety First
My last blog post was about reffing for the next ref, in which I discussed that letting things go in your game may affect what the next referee has to deal with in his game. This week I want to remind referees the main reason they are on the field: player safety.
These two topics go hand in hand. If you let players get away with hard, dangerous challenges they will only do it more, whether later in your game or in the next game. At the youth level we not only referee but in a sense we are teaching the kids how the game is to be played. Our decisions have consequences, both in the game we're doing and in the game the kids play in the future.
The match that brought player safety to my attention was Manchester United vs. Liverpool. Liverpool are up 2-0 in the first half at home. Around the 40th minute, just a few before halftime, Jamie Carragher comes in high and hard, studs up, and violently clashes into Nani. No attempt was made for the ball even though the ball would have been easier to get than Nani. Phil Dowd, the referee, immediately called the foul and pulled the yellow card. Meanwhile, Nani gets up, sprints over to Dowd, and then collapses again. Whether or not this was a bit of theater I don't know, but I have seen the pictures of the injury and it does look quite nasty. A deep gouge, blood running down the leg and apparently Nani is out for 3-4 weeks.
A yellow has been given, Nani is stretchered off, everything should simmer down now, especially with halftime only a few minutes away, right? Wrong. Almost the very next play Maxi catches Rafael on the thigh with his studs (although clearly playing the ball unlike Carragher) and Rafael ends up two-footing Lucas high and late. Rafael and Skrtel end up with yellows for their efforts, although Rafael certainly deserved a sending off.
At this point you have to ask if there was anything Dowd could have done to at least prevent the second harsh challenge. In my opinion Dowd is a quality referee. There have been several instances in the last few weeks where he has gotten very tough decisions spot on. But the Carragher decision was not right. I'm not going to say it was "wrong", he was close to the play and immediately jumped in knowing what he was going to do, however, that kind of tackle is not needed in this game.
The only saving grace for Dowd was that halftime was right around the corner, everyone had 15 minutes to cool off. And, at this point both teams think they dodged a bullet in that each team should have had a man sent off. But let me ask you this, what happens if this all happens in the 60th minute? What does Dowd do when he has another half hour to play and tempers running high?
We cannot simply hope to get away with this in our games. Young players are impressionable and if we let them think this kind of football is ok then we do them, the players they will injure, and the game a disservice. We need to referee in a way that protects the talented footballers and punishes those who think the name of the game is to intimidate or injure the opponents. Player safety is our number one priority.
These two topics go hand in hand. If you let players get away with hard, dangerous challenges they will only do it more, whether later in your game or in the next game. At the youth level we not only referee but in a sense we are teaching the kids how the game is to be played. Our decisions have consequences, both in the game we're doing and in the game the kids play in the future.
The match that brought player safety to my attention was Manchester United vs. Liverpool. Liverpool are up 2-0 in the first half at home. Around the 40th minute, just a few before halftime, Jamie Carragher comes in high and hard, studs up, and violently clashes into Nani. No attempt was made for the ball even though the ball would have been easier to get than Nani. Phil Dowd, the referee, immediately called the foul and pulled the yellow card. Meanwhile, Nani gets up, sprints over to Dowd, and then collapses again. Whether or not this was a bit of theater I don't know, but I have seen the pictures of the injury and it does look quite nasty. A deep gouge, blood running down the leg and apparently Nani is out for 3-4 weeks.
A yellow has been given, Nani is stretchered off, everything should simmer down now, especially with halftime only a few minutes away, right? Wrong. Almost the very next play Maxi catches Rafael on the thigh with his studs (although clearly playing the ball unlike Carragher) and Rafael ends up two-footing Lucas high and late. Rafael and Skrtel end up with yellows for their efforts, although Rafael certainly deserved a sending off.
At this point you have to ask if there was anything Dowd could have done to at least prevent the second harsh challenge. In my opinion Dowd is a quality referee. There have been several instances in the last few weeks where he has gotten very tough decisions spot on. But the Carragher decision was not right. I'm not going to say it was "wrong", he was close to the play and immediately jumped in knowing what he was going to do, however, that kind of tackle is not needed in this game.
The only saving grace for Dowd was that halftime was right around the corner, everyone had 15 minutes to cool off. And, at this point both teams think they dodged a bullet in that each team should have had a man sent off. But let me ask you this, what happens if this all happens in the 60th minute? What does Dowd do when he has another half hour to play and tempers running high?
We cannot simply hope to get away with this in our games. Young players are impressionable and if we let them think this kind of football is ok then we do them, the players they will injure, and the game a disservice. We need to referee in a way that protects the talented footballers and punishes those who think the name of the game is to intimidate or injure the opponents. Player safety is our number one priority.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Reffing for the next Ref
If you watched last week's Champions League game between AC Milan and Tottenham you know two things:
1. AC Milan is about to be knocked out of the tournament
2. Gattuso is a thug
Yes, that second one really is no surprise. Gattuso has always been a bit of a fighter on the pitch, and not in a good way. His work rate is terrific, but now that he is older, a step slower, he is relying too much on his strength to get him by. He picked up a caution for his efforts which rendered him out of the return leg next week at White Hart Lane.
Two points about this, first, the referee must know these teams inside and out before the game, and second, the referee(s) must not let the players off the hook on serious plays for this will leave the referee of that team's next game in big trouble.
To the first point, with a game of this magnitude we would assume the referee had researched both teams inside and out prior to arriving in Milan. I read last week that an MLS ref put in 10 hours of pre-game work for a regular season MLS game. How much more important is a UEFA Champions League match (sorry MLS, you're not there)?
Knowing that Gattuso was one caution away from a mandatory one-game suspension is vital, for when Gattuso picks up that yellow he now has nothing to lose - and he showed that last week. He must have thought "I'm already suspended why not put a cherry on top"? After that yellow Gattuso acted like a crazy person, both on the pitch and off. He struck an assistant coach in the throat, had some very harsh challenges (none of which elicited another caution in the mind of the referee, definitely worth yellows in my mind), and then headbutted the asst. coach on the sidelines after the game.
Tighter control on Gattuso may not have prevented these things from happening, but then again, we never will know because the referee never tightened his reigns on him.
This first point rolls into the second, in that as referees we dictate to the players what is acceptable and what is not. If you never call offside even though there are clearly times when players are offside and involved, the players will react to that two ways: the defense will no longer play an offside trap and the offense will cherry pick the rest of the game. The players adapt to the referee's style.
In last week's game Gattuso played like a caged animal, angry, fed up with the way his team was being dismantled by Tottenham - at home no less, and frustrated with the lanky Peter Crouch. First of all, the referee needed to realize this and have a chat with Mr. Gattuso. Second, there is no excuse for the AR1 to not send off Gattuso for the strike at the face of Joe Jordan. You are standing right there and saw the entire thing - why are leaving Gattuso on the field!? Gattuso cataloged the cowardice of the AR knowing that neither he nor the Center referee would do anything about his style of play. He went on barging into tackles, pushing Peter Crouch and eventually headbutted Jordan.
My question is this: what if this happened in our youth-level games and we didn't deal with it? What do you think the player would think going into his next game, that he could run around the pitch making bad challenges and shoving other players? More than likely, yes. And since they travel over many states how would a referee in North Carolina or Georgia know that last week in South Carolina player A played like a lunatic but didn't get sent off for it? What will that referee now have to deal with because the referee crew in South Carolina screwed up?
We need to be working our games in a way that teaches young players how to the play the game, the beautiful game, not the physical rugby style game. We need to help our fellow referees by dealing with misconduct in our games so that it does not carry on into the future and become a pattern where someone has to get hurt before that player cools off.
After all, player safety is the A1 responsibility of the referee.
1. AC Milan is about to be knocked out of the tournament
2. Gattuso is a thug
Yes, that second one really is no surprise. Gattuso has always been a bit of a fighter on the pitch, and not in a good way. His work rate is terrific, but now that he is older, a step slower, he is relying too much on his strength to get him by. He picked up a caution for his efforts which rendered him out of the return leg next week at White Hart Lane.
Two points about this, first, the referee must know these teams inside and out before the game, and second, the referee(s) must not let the players off the hook on serious plays for this will leave the referee of that team's next game in big trouble.
To the first point, with a game of this magnitude we would assume the referee had researched both teams inside and out prior to arriving in Milan. I read last week that an MLS ref put in 10 hours of pre-game work for a regular season MLS game. How much more important is a UEFA Champions League match (sorry MLS, you're not there)?
Knowing that Gattuso was one caution away from a mandatory one-game suspension is vital, for when Gattuso picks up that yellow he now has nothing to lose - and he showed that last week. He must have thought "I'm already suspended why not put a cherry on top"? After that yellow Gattuso acted like a crazy person, both on the pitch and off. He struck an assistant coach in the throat, had some very harsh challenges (none of which elicited another caution in the mind of the referee, definitely worth yellows in my mind), and then headbutted the asst. coach on the sidelines after the game.
Tighter control on Gattuso may not have prevented these things from happening, but then again, we never will know because the referee never tightened his reigns on him.
This first point rolls into the second, in that as referees we dictate to the players what is acceptable and what is not. If you never call offside even though there are clearly times when players are offside and involved, the players will react to that two ways: the defense will no longer play an offside trap and the offense will cherry pick the rest of the game. The players adapt to the referee's style.
In last week's game Gattuso played like a caged animal, angry, fed up with the way his team was being dismantled by Tottenham - at home no less, and frustrated with the lanky Peter Crouch. First of all, the referee needed to realize this and have a chat with Mr. Gattuso. Second, there is no excuse for the AR1 to not send off Gattuso for the strike at the face of Joe Jordan. You are standing right there and saw the entire thing - why are leaving Gattuso on the field!? Gattuso cataloged the cowardice of the AR knowing that neither he nor the Center referee would do anything about his style of play. He went on barging into tackles, pushing Peter Crouch and eventually headbutted Jordan.
My question is this: what if this happened in our youth-level games and we didn't deal with it? What do you think the player would think going into his next game, that he could run around the pitch making bad challenges and shoving other players? More than likely, yes. And since they travel over many states how would a referee in North Carolina or Georgia know that last week in South Carolina player A played like a lunatic but didn't get sent off for it? What will that referee now have to deal with because the referee crew in South Carolina screwed up?
We need to be working our games in a way that teaches young players how to the play the game, the beautiful game, not the physical rugby style game. We need to help our fellow referees by dealing with misconduct in our games so that it does not carry on into the future and become a pattern where someone has to get hurt before that player cools off.
After all, player safety is the A1 responsibility of the referee.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Onside and Offside
One week ago Sian Massey was on top of the world. Well, she should have been. However, a great no-call in the Wolverhampton-Liverpool match was widely ignored as the story soon turned to the controversy surrounding the comments made by Richard Keys and Andy Gray, who work(ed) for Sky Sports.
This was Massey's second game at the EPL level, the first being back in December. I didn't watch the game last weekend, but when I did see the replay of the "incident", for lack of a better word, I was struck that there was a female running the line. Let me clarify before I go on: I was not shocked that a female could run the line, only shocked because out of the many EPL games I've watched this is the first where I've seen a female as a referee. The only other time I have seen a female this high in the ranks was when Amy Fearn took over for her male counterpart when he came down with an injury. She was only on 20 minutes, but was very good from the articles I've read.
Now, let me say this first, I enjoy watching the NBA over the WNBA, MLS over the WUSA (and EPL over both), basically men's sports over womens - when I'm watching. But this is not an issue of the athleticism and talent of the players, but an issue of the competency of the person, male or female. As a referee we are called on to make the proper calls. What is so upsetting about this whole debacle is that neither Keys nor Gray had enough common sense to think "she's obviously here for a reason, she must have plenty of experience and have been tested several times before to get to this level".
I had the opportunity to go to Regionals last year in Baton Rouge. In total, for all of the Southeastern Region (region 3), there were approximately 15-20 female officials, maybe slightly more. Sadly, none were from South Carolina. In the past 3.5 years of reffing I have worked with 3, maybe 4 female refs. So when I got to regionals I was amazed at how many solid female refs there are, all tested and proven. I got to work with one who was fantastic, Kathryn Heidke, and ended up sending of 2 guys in a U18 match. I'm 26 and would not have had the balls to do what she did, especially at Regionals.
Having had the experience at Regionals my view of last weekend's incident became much more clear. Sian Massey was not there to appease some feminist group - she was there because she was good, and in that high level game she was great. The offside call is one of, if not the, hardest calls in all of soccer, no matter what level. That call in particular was extremely difficult as the defender was moving up the field and the attacker towards the goal. When two players are traveling in opposite directions like that the gulf between them widens so quickly, but that did not phase Massey.
An Instructor relayed a story a couple weekends ago about a gentleman who wanted to become a ref. As they were talking on the phone the guy said he didn't want to do women's game, apparently not competitive enough for him. Almost immediately this instructor said, well, you can call these guys, but I'm not helping you anymore.
The game of soccer is a game for both men and women, especially in the US where women's soccer has done so much to grow the game. Being a referee and being a woman are not mutually exclusive. In the past we would see a woman's name on my line and think, "Oh boy, here we go", but now, after seeing how women have benefited this game and that they are beyond capable of refereeing a quality and fair game, we must reach out and encourage these women to stick with reffing. Watch Sian Massey's call again and put yourself in her shoes. Given that speed and the direction of the players, not to mention the English atmosphere at the park, I more than likely would have screwed that up. Not to mention she has to be in top shape just to make that call! The saddest part of all of this is that she has now been pulled off of two games for making the RIGHT CALL.
Next time you're on the pitch and you have a female referee make sure to go out of your way to help them, encourage them, learn the game from a woman's perspective. Cheers to Sian Massey for reaching the top of English football.
This was Massey's second game at the EPL level, the first being back in December. I didn't watch the game last weekend, but when I did see the replay of the "incident", for lack of a better word, I was struck that there was a female running the line. Let me clarify before I go on: I was not shocked that a female could run the line, only shocked because out of the many EPL games I've watched this is the first where I've seen a female as a referee. The only other time I have seen a female this high in the ranks was when Amy Fearn took over for her male counterpart when he came down with an injury. She was only on 20 minutes, but was very good from the articles I've read.
Now, let me say this first, I enjoy watching the NBA over the WNBA, MLS over the WUSA (and EPL over both), basically men's sports over womens - when I'm watching. But this is not an issue of the athleticism and talent of the players, but an issue of the competency of the person, male or female. As a referee we are called on to make the proper calls. What is so upsetting about this whole debacle is that neither Keys nor Gray had enough common sense to think "she's obviously here for a reason, she must have plenty of experience and have been tested several times before to get to this level".
I had the opportunity to go to Regionals last year in Baton Rouge. In total, for all of the Southeastern Region (region 3), there were approximately 15-20 female officials, maybe slightly more. Sadly, none were from South Carolina. In the past 3.5 years of reffing I have worked with 3, maybe 4 female refs. So when I got to regionals I was amazed at how many solid female refs there are, all tested and proven. I got to work with one who was fantastic, Kathryn Heidke, and ended up sending of 2 guys in a U18 match. I'm 26 and would not have had the balls to do what she did, especially at Regionals.
Having had the experience at Regionals my view of last weekend's incident became much more clear. Sian Massey was not there to appease some feminist group - she was there because she was good, and in that high level game she was great. The offside call is one of, if not the, hardest calls in all of soccer, no matter what level. That call in particular was extremely difficult as the defender was moving up the field and the attacker towards the goal. When two players are traveling in opposite directions like that the gulf between them widens so quickly, but that did not phase Massey.
An Instructor relayed a story a couple weekends ago about a gentleman who wanted to become a ref. As they were talking on the phone the guy said he didn't want to do women's game, apparently not competitive enough for him. Almost immediately this instructor said, well, you can call these guys, but I'm not helping you anymore.
The game of soccer is a game for both men and women, especially in the US where women's soccer has done so much to grow the game. Being a referee and being a woman are not mutually exclusive. In the past we would see a woman's name on my line and think, "Oh boy, here we go", but now, after seeing how women have benefited this game and that they are beyond capable of refereeing a quality and fair game, we must reach out and encourage these women to stick with reffing. Watch Sian Massey's call again and put yourself in her shoes. Given that speed and the direction of the players, not to mention the English atmosphere at the park, I more than likely would have screwed that up. Not to mention she has to be in top shape just to make that call! The saddest part of all of this is that she has now been pulled off of two games for making the RIGHT CALL.
Next time you're on the pitch and you have a female referee make sure to go out of your way to help them, encourage them, learn the game from a woman's perspective. Cheers to Sian Massey for reaching the top of English football.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Reffing a different game
Well, I've finally given in, I'm going to certify to be a college referee. I did High School a few years ago, but due to my main job had to cut back and ended up giving up HS entirely. But now I've been suckered in to the college game.
No doubt these will be much faster games than the youth games I've done, but along with that comes much more travel and time away from home. With a new baby at home that may be hard to do, but I also know that the money I get will help make up for that time away from home.
I certainly look forward to the challenge but at the same time I feel comfortable doing youth games, so this will take me out of my comfort zone. What also worries me is the rule differences between USSF and NISOA. That only became more clear during the college playoff season with a series of mishaps involving referees.
Also, I hate drama. Little drama, big drama, all drama. But it seems that college soccer is filled with it - just go back to the massive thread on Big Soccer's referee forum which discussed college soccer. Politics run rampant and it seems coaches have huge pull in the sport.
What I am glad about, though, is that the guys I will be reffing with I trust very much, from my assignor to my fellow refs. I've had several discussions with them about this move and they have been extremely helpful and really set my mind at ease.
What are your thoughts on the college game? Do you have any advice for a newbie to the college game?
No doubt these will be much faster games than the youth games I've done, but along with that comes much more travel and time away from home. With a new baby at home that may be hard to do, but I also know that the money I get will help make up for that time away from home.
I certainly look forward to the challenge but at the same time I feel comfortable doing youth games, so this will take me out of my comfort zone. What also worries me is the rule differences between USSF and NISOA. That only became more clear during the college playoff season with a series of mishaps involving referees.
Also, I hate drama. Little drama, big drama, all drama. But it seems that college soccer is filled with it - just go back to the massive thread on Big Soccer's referee forum which discussed college soccer. Politics run rampant and it seems coaches have huge pull in the sport.
What I am glad about, though, is that the guys I will be reffing with I trust very much, from my assignor to my fellow refs. I've had several discussions with them about this move and they have been extremely helpful and really set my mind at ease.
What are your thoughts on the college game? Do you have any advice for a newbie to the college game?
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Live blog of the Fulham-Wigan game
90:00 - And there is the final whistle. A draw for Fulham when they really could have easily dropped all three points versus a lesser team. Good game for Anthony Taylor; I thought he did very well through, maybe one or two less cautions, but it could have easily gotten out of hand too, with some of those tasty challenges. The AR also made a great call to take away Dempsey's goal - spot on!
89:00 - And finally a goal for my Cottagers! Andy Johnson is slightly lucky that the ball ended up in the net but it is deserved as Fulham have been the real aggressors in this game.
And on the other end Rodallega is called for a handball, just as he has an attempt on goal. In real time I wasn't sure what the referee was calling but upon replay it was an excellent call. He even got a yellow for it which is quite right as it was clearly an intentional handball. And another caution for Di Santo for dissent towards the AR. Things getting a bit out of hand here as the players would rather jaw at each other than play.
76:00 - Not much happening here, both in the game and with respect to refereeing. Wait, no a goal is called back as Dempsey puts the ball in the net but as he's running away notices the AR with the flag up. The referee immediately runs over to the AR as the AR is getting mobbed by Fulham players. Great call by the AR, especially since he had to be 35 yards away from the handball. Although I would have wanted Fulham to score Dempsey did use his arm to bring the ball down.
And now the referee decides to not call anything with Dempsey going down. Upon replay I have to agree with him - I think Dempsey realized he was in bad shape and decided to just go down since he had been touched a second earlier. Taylor has had a very good game today. Only 9 minutes plus stoppage to go for him.
57:00 - We have our first goal of the game as the Fulham defense completely falls apart. Rodallega produces a perfect touch over the goalkeeper, well weighted and well taken. Game on!
50:00 - And our first big call of the second half as Figeroa take a nasty lunge. Easily a yellow card and the referee is right on it.
45:00 - Our second caution of the day goes to Alcaraz of Wigan. Maybe deserved, but I think it looked worse than it really was. Halftime here at the DW as both teams play pretty squarely in the first half. Not much attacking football and hopefully we will see better come the second half.
36:00 - Oh, and one of a referee's top ten worst nightmare's just happened. Not only did the referee get hit with the ball but square in the noggin'. He was roughly 8-10 yards away and the kick happened fairly quickly. Luckily, it was in the midfield and really didn't affect the game, unlike when I got hit in the butt with the ball from a kick from team A, the ball bounced to team B who proceed to march right down the field and score within 20 seconds of the ball's contact with me. Yeah, probably my most embarrassing moment as a referee.
31:00 - A great chance for Fulham does begging as Duff passes the ball directly at the goalie. A great ball by Dempsey sprang Duff towards the goal all alone, only for Duff to squander the opportunity. A great no-call by the AR as Duff timed his run perfectly.
29:00 - A little bit of confusion here as the referee has whistled for a foul but strangely it was for Fulham, whereas I though Dempsey was the one who committed the foul. Dempsey certainly barged in on the challenge but it goes the other way. No harm done as the ball goes harmlessly out for a goal kick.
25:00 - Finally some controversy! A yellow card is produced for Pantsil. I'm not sure whether it was for the challenge, which was pretty light honestly, or for the reaction of Pantsil. Either way, it might be a harsh caution especially since there has been nothing really to this game in terms of physicality.
Oh! And now a header off the post for Wigan. So close. A very good buildup by Wigan, good passing and an excellent cross. Now it's all going wrong for Fulham as Stockdale, the keeper for Fulham, drops a cross and almost gives a goal right into the lap of Wigan. This game is finally heating up.
21:00 - Not much to this from a referee's perspective. Taylor has made five foul calls, so roughly one every four minutes. And now another on Fulham in the 23rd. Overall I think there is a pretty good flow to this game, though neither team is really taking the game by the scruff of the neck. A lot of play in the middle of the pitch. No hard tackles to speak of and so far, I think Taylor is doing really well in the middle.
9:15 - First real call (or no-call in this case) of the game at 9:15 in. It looked like Pantsil took a knock to the head after his bad touch. Referee doesn't flinch and play goes on leading to a shot off target by Rodellega. There was no close-up of the play but it looked like the referee made the right decision. Gotta better than a small knock in the EPL.
Kickoff - We are at the DW Stadium today and the referee is Anthony Taylor. To be honest I'm not too familiar with him. Wigan is sitting second from the bottom of the table and Fulham is 14th, but only a single point about the relegation zone.
Wigan are in the blue stripe and Fulham in a hideous green kit.
Today I'll be live-blogging the Fulham-Wigan game at 10am EST. Why this game? Well, Fulham are my team, so this is kinda like killing two birds with one stone. Remember, you can watch this game and any other on www.atdhe.net. I hope you'll follow along with me.
89:00 - And finally a goal for my Cottagers! Andy Johnson is slightly lucky that the ball ended up in the net but it is deserved as Fulham have been the real aggressors in this game.
And on the other end Rodallega is called for a handball, just as he has an attempt on goal. In real time I wasn't sure what the referee was calling but upon replay it was an excellent call. He even got a yellow for it which is quite right as it was clearly an intentional handball. And another caution for Di Santo for dissent towards the AR. Things getting a bit out of hand here as the players would rather jaw at each other than play.
76:00 - Not much happening here, both in the game and with respect to refereeing. Wait, no a goal is called back as Dempsey puts the ball in the net but as he's running away notices the AR with the flag up. The referee immediately runs over to the AR as the AR is getting mobbed by Fulham players. Great call by the AR, especially since he had to be 35 yards away from the handball. Although I would have wanted Fulham to score Dempsey did use his arm to bring the ball down.
And now the referee decides to not call anything with Dempsey going down. Upon replay I have to agree with him - I think Dempsey realized he was in bad shape and decided to just go down since he had been touched a second earlier. Taylor has had a very good game today. Only 9 minutes plus stoppage to go for him.
57:00 - We have our first goal of the game as the Fulham defense completely falls apart. Rodallega produces a perfect touch over the goalkeeper, well weighted and well taken. Game on!
50:00 - And our first big call of the second half as Figeroa take a nasty lunge. Easily a yellow card and the referee is right on it.
45:00 - Our second caution of the day goes to Alcaraz of Wigan. Maybe deserved, but I think it looked worse than it really was. Halftime here at the DW as both teams play pretty squarely in the first half. Not much attacking football and hopefully we will see better come the second half.
36:00 - Oh, and one of a referee's top ten worst nightmare's just happened. Not only did the referee get hit with the ball but square in the noggin'. He was roughly 8-10 yards away and the kick happened fairly quickly. Luckily, it was in the midfield and really didn't affect the game, unlike when I got hit in the butt with the ball from a kick from team A, the ball bounced to team B who proceed to march right down the field and score within 20 seconds of the ball's contact with me. Yeah, probably my most embarrassing moment as a referee.
31:00 - A great chance for Fulham does begging as Duff passes the ball directly at the goalie. A great ball by Dempsey sprang Duff towards the goal all alone, only for Duff to squander the opportunity. A great no-call by the AR as Duff timed his run perfectly.
29:00 - A little bit of confusion here as the referee has whistled for a foul but strangely it was for Fulham, whereas I though Dempsey was the one who committed the foul. Dempsey certainly barged in on the challenge but it goes the other way. No harm done as the ball goes harmlessly out for a goal kick.
25:00 - Finally some controversy! A yellow card is produced for Pantsil. I'm not sure whether it was for the challenge, which was pretty light honestly, or for the reaction of Pantsil. Either way, it might be a harsh caution especially since there has been nothing really to this game in terms of physicality.
Oh! And now a header off the post for Wigan. So close. A very good buildup by Wigan, good passing and an excellent cross. Now it's all going wrong for Fulham as Stockdale, the keeper for Fulham, drops a cross and almost gives a goal right into the lap of Wigan. This game is finally heating up.
21:00 - Not much to this from a referee's perspective. Taylor has made five foul calls, so roughly one every four minutes. And now another on Fulham in the 23rd. Overall I think there is a pretty good flow to this game, though neither team is really taking the game by the scruff of the neck. A lot of play in the middle of the pitch. No hard tackles to speak of and so far, I think Taylor is doing really well in the middle.
9:15 - First real call (or no-call in this case) of the game at 9:15 in. It looked like Pantsil took a knock to the head after his bad touch. Referee doesn't flinch and play goes on leading to a shot off target by Rodellega. There was no close-up of the play but it looked like the referee made the right decision. Gotta better than a small knock in the EPL.
Kickoff - We are at the DW Stadium today and the referee is Anthony Taylor. To be honest I'm not too familiar with him. Wigan is sitting second from the bottom of the table and Fulham is 14th, but only a single point about the relegation zone.
Wigan are in the blue stripe and Fulham in a hideous green kit.
Today I'll be live-blogging the Fulham-Wigan game at 10am EST. Why this game? Well, Fulham are my team, so this is kinda like killing two birds with one stone. Remember, you can watch this game and any other on www.atdhe.net. I hope you'll follow along with me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)