RateTheRef

The MLSZ has now announced the suspension of all sport in Hungary, no more behind closed doors games & no training for teams etc.  This is for all sports, gymnastics, handball, water polo as well as football.

The MLSZ Board, in accordance with the decision of the authorities, shall immediately suspend all organized competition programs and training events of the Federation until a new decision is made. It is also advisable to pause personal sports activities (eg training).

We knew it would be coming. Hungary has also closed its borders now, only Hungarian citizens allowed to travel in. Hungarians limited as to where they are allowed to travel out to & certain sectors banned from travelling at all. I can't travel back even as a permanent full resident as I don't yet have citizenship - can't apply for another 6 months.  Guess myself & Mr bmb will be observing social distancing for the foreseeable future - about 1300 miles worth  Thank goodness for Skype, facetime & whatsapp!

Great idea TTFL - I shall start by sharing 3 referee related memories:

I think my most memorable in many ways was when I was 13 & not for what you would expect! Daddy bmb had let me go to watch AFCB on my own, well so I thought! Feeling all big and grown up I had joined in the "who's your father" song at the referee, as you do! Unbeknown to me, Daddy bmb had strategically placed me in amongst players families so they could keep an eye on me & by the time a smug teen Missy bmb got home, Daddy bmb was sat there with his face of quiet fury on... Daddy bmb is the most beautiful man that has ever & will ever walk the earth, he has never once raised his voice to me but would use that quiet, controlled anger that is so much worse than getting yelled at! While I'm thinking to myself what chore I had failed to do he said "tell me what happened in the 78th min", I just shrugged & then got a very long lecture on my lack of respect! I was grounded for a month and then sent on the referee course to teach me manners, respect & discipline! I passed 6 months before I turned 14 so had a very long wait for my 1st game but a love of refereeing was born. Daddy bmb had taught me from literally in nappies to always respect the referee and after every game he would always make me go over to them, thank them for refereeing the game & wish them a safe journey home. I have never once heard him say anything detrimental about a referee. As a manger he would fine any player who showed any dissent to the referee. He's a classy man - not sure where he went wrong with me

Daddy bmb tells a different favourite story - he has told many people that a very little Missy bmb, aged 3-5ish, went running over to him after a game and was literally bouncing with excitement. Daddy bmb was being interviewed at the time by press and I allegedly interrupted it asking him if we could take the lino home with us, when asked why I replied that I loved him and was going to marry him! Apparently at the time it caused much amusement! Dave Allison was the lino that day! I do not remember it at all but Daddy bmb has told the story many times over the years, including to Dave Allison! Still love him, both Daddy bmb and Dave Allison but I did grow out of wanting to marry him when someone else captured my heart!

After I had served my above mentioned grounding, I went to watch Arsenal play. My maths teacher was lino on the game, the economics teacher was an Arsenal fan so I was allowed to go under his supervision. We were sat in the dressing room & in walked Joe Worrall - a very awestruck Missy bmb sat there, mouth open just staring at the man who was her footballing idol at the time! He told me that I should go for it with the course and to let him know when I passed. I duly wrote to him several months later to tell him I had passed the course and enclosed a photo of me & him together to remind him who I was!! A couple of weeks later I had a beautiful letter back from him, along with the photo, now signed by him. Never expected to hear back from him. That photo and the handwritten letter sat in a frame on my bedside table throughout my teenage years. It's still in Daddy bmb's loft in a trunk full of football memorabilia!!

Nothing to do with memorable performances, good or bad, but 3 treasured memories anyway! I still don't believe the 2nd one but Daddy bmb has been telling it for many a year & in latter years Dave said he remembered the game & Daddy bmb laughing about my excitement at the time!

The one that always sticks out for me, was when I'd be about 16 or so and was introduced to Jack Walker in the room the Match Officials guests used to use at Rotherham's old Millmoor Ground.
 
"This is Jack Walker, he refereed the World Cup Final in 1974"

"Don't you worry about that son, that's all in the past. You can just call me Jack! Would you like a cup of tea?".

I still to this day think about what a truly gracious and humble man he was, and how much I thoroughly enjoyed that night at Millmoor in his company.

Was this before or after Jack and Annie had given up as licensees of The Rovers Return?

Fulham v Juventus from 18.03.10 being streamed 'live' on its 10th anniversary

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/march/18/fulham-v-juventus-watch-live

Best performance at Crystal Palace (1962 to present) - I've seen some very good performances at Selhurst Park over the years. I always enjoyed seeing Norman Burtenshaw in action and he reminded me a bit of Mike Dean - fit, demonstrative even theatrical and a 'get stuck in' approach to the game. Joe Worrall was another who I always liked seeing. I remember seeing him at a cup tie, Newcastle v Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, when the abuse from the terraces (accepted in those days) was awful, and he had a superb game despite the mayhem.

Worst performance - I will leave aside Eddie Hughes and his 'clock-stopped' incident at a Palace v Fulham game. Certainly the worst performance I saw was from Peter Bye who refereed at Selhurst Park twice in three days in 1968 - FA Youth Cup and Div 2 games - and was awful on both occasions. He did not survive beyond the end of the season. The great Jack Taylor ran him a close 2nd during a Palace v Rochdale League cup tie in Sept 1970 but he was back to his imperious best when he returned to Selhurst for Palace v Liverpool in Div 1 later in the season. Leo Callaghan - Millwall v Palace in 1968 - demonstrated a frightening leniency which led to a similarly frightening reaction on the terraces.

Most memorable performance - has to be Roger Kirkpatrick, Palace v Millwall, in March 1969. A local derby, midweek under the floodlights, both clubs going for promotion from Div 2, a huge raucous crowd, six goals, and Roger at his entertaining best. But then Roger was always entertaining even if he was not always amongst the best.

Crewe Alex (2000 to present) - best performance, again quite a few over the years, but three newbies come to mind - Bond, Backhouse and Finnie. Worst performance - like TTFL I have to go for Andy Woolmer a few years back. A simply awful performance from 'speedy gonzales'. I was always a little bit surprised that Andy later moved up to SG2, but I was also pleased for him as he certainly seemed to calm down a bit after being promoted which could only be a good thing. Worst performance this season - has to be newbie David Rock, Crewe Alex v Cambridge. He capped a poor performance with a joke penalty which won the game for Cambridge. Ditto - Neil Hair, Plymouth v Crewe Alex. Perhaps water under the bridge in the present circumstances but I hope that Rock and Hair don't come back to haunt the Alex at the end of the season, whenever that is.