Torquay United Fans Forum

[quote=portugull post_id=288143 time=1731417338 user_id=131]
I agree the Ref on Saturday did a decent job and I fully understand it is very rare that the Ref over rules the lino although I have seen it happen very rarely though.

Is anyone able to answer my questions re the Assessor and the issue of the Refs report if and when a major error affects the result of the game.
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My mate, use to referee at National League South level and run the line in the National League, as well as Fourth Official duties up to the Championship and Football League. On his retirement, he assessed up to the National League, he tells me that there is an Observer ( name change, several years ago,) at most matches at our level (NLS).

Their job is to advise the ref (and assistants) of any incidents and offer advice. The Observer must offer two positive comments for every one negative comment. As you can imagine, that could (and does) cause a headache. He must NOT criticise! There are a number of headings, the most important is about applying "law". The ref is marked in each category and a total mark is awarded.

If a referee is below average for two seasons or two out of three, then he is removed from the list (not many, come back!)

The refs we see. .....and those higher up have been fast tracked because of the shortage of Officials, they ALL lack, something you can not teach... Experience!

My mate and I agree that the FA do not help by trying to be PC, in promoting all minority groups, it should be down to ability ONLY.......So the ref against Tonbridge Angels, should be reffing local leagues in Bristol, not Semi-Pro matches.

Against Truro in the FA Trophy, the ref was a top NLS guy but the others were selected by the FA from a list compiled from the County FAs. One came from Chippenham and the guy that "disallowed" our goal, came from Cornwall.

Thank goodness the ref was as a top man, had it been the Tonbridge ref, who wilted under pressure, the outcome would of been different.

The Fourth Official yesterday came from Newton Abbot and is a local parks referee, who has never been involved at a match at this level before. It beggars belief!

The standard has never been so low and will not get any better, that is why we need to get back to the Football League as soon as possible. It may not be in my lifetime.

The disallowed goal was from a free kick, so it wasn't as if the linesman was running the line, which would be more understandable if he gets it wrong, he would have been standing still.
Even worse Jeffers made his run from the linesman's side and not the far side.

Humans are prone to making errors, but he had everything in his favour to get the decision correct, and was incompetent.and so it's more points we've lost.

Yes, I saw him and the ref smiling and laughing at the mild booing they received as they walked off. I wonder if they do reflect on things, especially when they find they've made a mistake.

Thanks for your thoughts on this issue.

I listened to Paul Wottons Press Call to day and it appears in all 3 cases, Welling, Chelmsford and Tonbridge the Club has been told that a mistake was made and admitted by the Authorities.

At least the errors have been acknowledged which does not get us the lost points but goes a little way to show these decisions are reviewed.

I do agree with United62 it is a fine line as all humans are prone to errors and if we give the Officials too hard a time they may conclude " sod you" and give up and we do need them we just wish they would cut out the glaring mistakes.

[quote=United62 post_id=288199 time=1731587064 user_id=23835]
I might get shot down in flames for this, but at the end of they day they're only human, they f**k up like the rest of us - hands up anyone who's never made a mistake. And we have to be thankful that there are people out there who are willing to do this job. They get a shed load of abuse every game whether it be a decision for us or a decision against us, someone's going to moan about it. Yep, I swear and curse at a linesman like we all do when a decision goes against us (be it right or wrong) but we have to remember that without these officials (be they good or bad) there is no football.
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I do completely agree with that, however the glaring issue I had (especially after the Tonbridge match) was that the linesman was chuckling to himself after disallowing the goal and then laughing with the referee at full time as if to really rub it into the fans.

I might get shot down in flames for this, but at the end of they day they're only human, they f**k up like the rest of us - hands up anyone who's never made a mistake. And we have to be thankful that there are people out there who are willing to do this job. They get a shed load of abuse every game whether it be a decision for us or a decision against us, someone's going to moan about it. Yep, I swear and curse at a linesman like we all do when a decision goes against us (be it right or wrong) but we have to remember that without these officials (be they good or bad) there is no football.

I was hoping that all the decisions will go our way in the playoffs!

So we've got about 5 or 6 big decisions going our way over the next few months if you think that's likely to happen - unlikely !

It's not just us. You only have to watch Match of the day to see how many times the officials get it wrong and VAR intervenes. Sometimes the VAR get's it wrong too.
Bad as it is it usually evens out over the season. certainly the incompetence of a lino worked in our favour against Worthing.

I’ve said it before..... you know what comes next!

All games at the NLS level are filmed. Does the FA ever see the recordings, do they ever get passed on to the referee / assistants? Managers and players watch games back to pick out high or low lights for training purposes, surely this needs to happen to officials! Not trying to blame them but watching your performance back you might think that I did that well but may be not so well in other parts!

The above would be actual evidence rather than the hearsay of a post match ranting manager which the FA will always ignore!

Even withstanding the ridiculous ‘offside’ which to be fair was the lino, i thought the ref was really detrimental to the game.

Not for decisions made but the fact he seemed to stop the game all the time, talking to players all the time before a corner, after a corner, after any foul. Essentially making it all about him & fracturing any momentum the game could have had.

This isn't to say we would have won with a different ref as we were boring garbage first half but he certainly didnt ref the game in a manner to let it flow

My argurment is not with the officials at our level but the huge disparity in ability, it appears the FA think we will give this group a go in the NLS and some may make it for the next season, some may not. I thought the female ref at the salisbury game was superb, explained her decisions to any who wanted it and was largely anonymous, the female the previous saturday was hopeless but no worse than some of the men we have seen at plainmoor this season. there seems to be no quality control, additionally complaining about ref's by management is a hanging offence, they are more of a protected species than goal keepers.

I agree the Ref on Saturday did a decent job and I fully understand it is very rare that the Ref over rules the lino although I have seen it happen very rarely though.

Is anyone able to answer my questions re the Assessor and the issue of the Refs report if and when a major error affects the result of the game.

As a ref, and not one at NLS standard, it is extremely rare the lino will be overruled as the lino is in line and the ref has an obscure angle of the line.
Players will always ask why doesn't the ref overrule but he doesn't have the lateral view...............although neither does the lino it would appear.
Should I bring my kit to the next home game just in case?

Up to the disallowed the goal, I thought the ref was having a pretty good game. I thought he got most decisions right. He obviously couldn't call the offside, and, but for the linesman flagging, I guess he would have given the goal. It's not possible to tell from the highlights whether the scorer was standing offside. I thought he ran onto the ball from an onside position.

I believe that to get suspended you have to call a manager you don't like a c**t and call his team s**t as David Coote has just found out :)
He'll probably be reffing in this league next month :(