Hi everyone,
I have managed to find a health issue that isn't Covid! A recent cancer diagnosis means that I will shortly completely lose my vision (cue jokes about now being a good time to take up refereeing!)
This is naturally a bit of a shock but I am doing well all things considered.
It obviously means I won't be able to comment on any individual refereeing decisions or performances after this weekend as I won't witness them myself. Football has been such a big part of my life for so many years, whether it be playing it at school or with my mates (badly!) during those summer evenings of youth that felt like they'd never end, going home and sometimes away supporting Reading through the highs and the many lows, or just watching a game - any league, any time at some points! - on the TV. That I won't again see the green of the grass or the white of the goal is definitely a big thing to get used to.
I still certainly hope to continue contributing to the general discussion on this site though and will stay in touch with the latest appointments and developments in the refereeing world - coming to the site soon after 4pm on a Monday (or latterly midday on a Tuesday) to despair at the latest set of appointments has become a regular part of my weekly routine.
It's almost 15 years since I first joined this site's predecessor. It's amazing now to think Martin Atkinson and Andre Marriner were still in their second season as PL refs, Lee Probert has yet to be promoted to the SG, and Dermot Gallagher and Barry Knight were still officiating. There aren't many things that stay constant for so long but I've certainly been a regular reader and poster throughout the multiple different stages of my life since then. There have been some posters who've been regulars all along, some who have come and sadly gone, some who are newer or post less often but make excellent contributions all the same.
We have sometimes agreed and often disagreed, and there's probably times I'd now disagree with something I wrote in the heat of the moment, but it's nearly always been a friendly, lively and engaging discussion about a topic many people are clearly very interested in and give a lot of time to, whether it be active officiating and mentoring themselves, record-keeping and archival documentation of the past, or simply having considered views to offer on the latest refereeing talking points. I hope this site has many years of good health in it and, as I say, I'll join in where I can.
I hope you and your loved ones are all safe and well, and here's to many years of good health to anyone reading this too!