RateTheRef

A couple of items of interest to RTR contributors on the Beeb last night.

Pointless - the jackpot round had a choice of three questions including 'which referees have issued at least 30 red cards on the PL?' THe idea of Pointless is to get the most obscure answer which no-one else has thought of, and the couple in the final round (completely without help) plumped for Neil Swarbrick. A knowledgeable answer I have to say but one which was wrong, Neil not meeting the minimum criteria. The answers which were pointless mostly comprised former PL refs such as Styles and D'Urso but a handful of current PL refs were noted including Lee Mason. Clatts and Dean came out with top scores which was perhaps not surprising.

Later in the evening, there was a repeat of the fabulous 'Marvellous' fact-based comedy drama about Neil Baldwin, a man with learning difficulties, who persuaded Stoke City manager Lou Macari to make him kit man at the club. Neil, played by Toby Jones, had a wide circle of 'good friends' and one of them, Uriah Rennie (playing himself) came along to referee a 'Neil Baldwin FC' game and ordered a penalty kick to be retaken (successfully) after Neil's first effort dribbled along the ground to the goalie. A marvellous 90 minutes of comedy drama and well worth catching up with if you've not already seen the programme.     

I got three pointless answers with Bennett, Styles and Mason! I also thought of Dowd and Halsey, who were also pointless.

They were pretty unlucky really. Blackpool, Reading and Neil Swarbrick were decent guesses.

'At least Reading got a point' 

I would think Bennett would have been nailed on for more than 30 reds. 

I wonder if Kettle had been in the list being open to all officials had been pointless hehe.