RateTheRef

Anyone know how Bobby got on at Lincoln?

Does this mean he could be back in the Championship in the next few weeks?

Given the pace of his progress over the past 2 years it may be worth putting ten bob on Tom Kirk at least getting a trial in a Championship fixture

Quote from: Mackem ref on Tue 02 Mar 2021 13:23

A couple of really good appointments for John Busby here, especially his Tuesday night one. Here’s hoping his recent injury is fully recovered - possibly a contender for SG2??

Quite surprised to see David Rock with our trip to Portsmouth on Tuesday night live in front of the Sky cameras - not an official I’ve seen before so here’s hoping it is successful for him!

And congratulations to Simon Mather - an EFL debut at Harrogate. It’s been a few seasons IIRC since FL trial games were used so this could be a sign of their return or just under current circumstances with less opportunities in the NL. Either way, good luck to him. Here’s hoping it goes well!

I saw David Rock at Crewe v Cambridge last season in L2, one of his earliest games on the FL. A slightly older looking chap than some newbies, I was not impressed. The Crewe red card was contentious after 20 mins, but the penalty award which ultimately gave Cambridge a 2-3 win was one of the worst I've ever seen, Ng clearly playing the ball and not touching the opponent. I imagine David has improved since then.

Under the heading, 'Crewe Alex boss David Artell says referee Tom Nield 'lied' after loss at Plymouth Argyle' (Cheshire Live), Artell apparently spoke to match officials' chief Mike Jones and submitted a report after accusing referee Tom Nield of lying to him after Crewe Alex's 2-1 defeat at Plymouth Argyle last Saturday.

'Manager Artell was furious after Crewe were denied penalties for what looked like fouls on James Jones and Stephen Walker in the first half of the League Two encounter at Home Park. And he was even more enraged when Nield awarded Argyle a penalty for an alleged foul by Perry Ng on Danny Mayor, in the second half as the home side went onto win 2-1. Explanations after the game led to Artell accusing Nield of lying about whether or not he could see the incident leading up to the Plymouth penalty.

"And he lied. Twice. Because he said he saw it (Plymouth's penalty incident) directly and having by then seen it eight times at that point, and in slow motion, I knew he couldn't see their penalty because of where Antoni Sarcevic and Michael Nottingham were". Artell went on to accuse Nield of further lies about whether he saw one of Crewe's penalty incidents in the first half as a dive or merely a slip and what Nield said about the incident to his 4O.'

Strong words indeed. Artell is well known for expressing forthright views which have led him to touchline suspensions in the past. I cannot of course comment on the issue of 'lies'. However I have to say that on this occasion, he has my sympathy on the penalty incidents. One of the incidents in the first half was as clear a Crewe penalty as you're likely to see and the Plymouth penalty in the second half was dubious to say the least and would have been difficult for anyone to see clearly in a crowded penalty area. As a Crewe supporter, I'm clearly biased but it's interesting to note that there has been no comment so far from our regular Plymouth fans. As I've said elsewhere, I'm hoping for better from Ross Joyce this Saturday at Gresty Road.