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Messages - Acme Thunderer
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 ... 184
1
« on: Sun 18 Jan 2026 11:57 »
Odds on Glasner and Frank swopping?
2
« on: Sun 18 Jan 2026 11:55 »
Talking of retired referees, did Dermott Gallagher not abandon a game behind closed doors because of the behavious of one of the sides?
3
« on: Sat 17 Jan 2026 20:23 »
Barry Knight from Orpington (Kent) was a strong referee, who made it to the premier league, he did use to make me laugh in the early 2000’s because he was so unpredictable. Met him numerous times and did a line for him too. Just AI him and this is what they said
His refereeing style was often described by commentators and some managers as strict and card-heavy. Certain high-profile matches drew criticism from teams and pundits alike due to the number of bookings.
Premier League stats - 74 games 255 yellows 19 Reds
Roger Funindez as a terrible referee, same as Bill Baker, one that I really rated but never made it to the PL was Tony Leake from Darwin…. but I did like Terry Heilbron, the only non premier league referee to ever referee the League Cup Final - Tottenham v Leicester.
It could be a typo or it could be not knowing the place, however, Tony Leake was from Darwen which is near Blackburn in Lancashire and not Darwin which is a long, long way away.
I'm not sure who 'Bill Baker' is or was. If you're referring to Ken W Baker of Rugby (lately Revd Ken Baker), I thought he was a good solid referee who never made it to the top table but gave good service on the FL over 15 years.
4
« on: Sat 17 Jan 2026 20:14 »
Crewe Alexandra FC (First Team) v Barrow AFC (First Team)
Football League 2
Referee: Stockbridge, Sebastian
Assistant Referee: Allen, Ashley
Assistant Referee: Felton, Niall
Fourth Official: Pratt, Neil
A very mixed bag from Seb this afternoon. Two early fouls from Barrow players saw no yellow cards produced but a similar challenge from a Crewe player did see yellow, mainly (in my view) because Seb failed to allow a fairly obvious advantage to Barrow as they moved the ball out of defence. So, in my view, a cop-out for not playing the advantage and it left the Crewe player with most of the game trying to avoid a second yellow. Seb seemed to settle down after this shaky start but I noted two incidents in the second half which had me baffled, one where he allowed play to recommence early when he had clearly indicated 'wait for my whistle' at a free kick, and then towards the end, he appeared to bring out a yellow card for a Crewe player (correctly), but then hurriedly put it away as Barrow decided to get on with the game which they were chasing at that point. I'm not sure where that leaves the Crewe player and whether he was carded or not. All-in-all, a good result for the Alex but not so good from Seb.
5
« on: Sat 17 Jan 2026 13:56 »
Being a Southerner, I don't think I ever saw Alan Saunders in action. Former Surrey colleague John Martin of Alton was another who covered a lot of ground during a game, and his fitness was undoubtedly a factor in his being invited to stay on the list well beyond the then normal retirement age of 48. A good ref and good friend and colleague was John.
6
« on: Sat 17 Jan 2026 10:34 »
Re the 1970 Eric Jennings final: I think he also refereed the replay on a very muddy pitch at OT. I stand to be corrected but I recall he must have sharpened his pencil to write a few more names in his note book on that evening.
It's been mentioned before on RtR but subsequently David Elleray was asked to rewatch that final based on the updated policies for discipline. I forget how many red and yellow cards he came up with but it was a lot!
I saw Eric referee a number of times at Old Trafford for league games. My memory is that he sauntered or lumbered round the pitch - even more so than a certain unpopular referee on here some 15-20 years later.
I believe Eric Jennings was told by the hierarchy to get more of a grip on proceedings in the Replay.
Whenever I see broadcast matches from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, many of the referees were saunterers or lumberers. It was quite a rarity to see referees sprinting about the pitch. What a contrast to today where our officials are rushing about like demented whippets much of the time.
In that, the hierarchy must have failed, since it was the replay at OT rather than or in addition to the game at Plough Lane, sorry Wembley, which galvanised the hierarchy into cleaning the game up. Both games were in my view X-rated horrow shows. Norman Burtenshaw was one who sprinted all over the pitch, hence (in his words) he fell to his knees completely exhausted at the end of 120 minutes of the FA Cup Final on a very warm afternoon in 1971. Roger Kirkpatrick and Maurice Fussey were known for their sprints, but they tended to be short, exaggerated and sometimes completely unnecessary. Yes, the present day referees are quicker but then so is the game, and the psychologists have obviously been at work coaching top refs to sprint only when necessary, which is fine in my view although it does seem a bit robotic at times and means we will never see the likes of Kirkpatrick or Fussey again.
7
« on: Fri 16 Jan 2026 17:01 »
As a Palace fan of 60+ years standing (often literally), I am sorry to hear of Glasner's departure at the end of the season; also Guehi to Man City. However, both were expected and, as rustyref has said, Palace have money in the bank from the sale of Guehi which they would not have got at the end of the season when he was out of contract. That is the nature of the game in the PL, and we will always remember Oliver Glasner as the man who finally brought silverware to Selhurst Park last May, and the Community Shield in August, both against much fancied opposition, and we must hope that he can bring one more trophy - for the European Conference League before he leaves.
8
« on: Fri 16 Jan 2026 09:48 »
With Roger Milford, I'm sure it was a combination of keeping 22 players on the pitch if at all possible, particularly stars like 'Gazza', and keeping up his own image of being a players' referee (I believe he was a semi-pro at one time). As for feeling sorry for Gazza, perhaps Roger could see that having wound himself up on the big stage, Gazza had effectively dug himself into a hole, the final tackle marking the start of the end of his career at the top level.
I agree on Eric Jennings in the FA Cup Final replay in 1970. I loved the quote afterwards, 'whenever Eric seemed to be reaching into his pocket for his book, he took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his nose'. The very recent obituary for Eddie McCreadie talked of him launching a kung-fu tackle on an opponent and going unpunished for it. It must have been a nightmare way for a long and distinguished refereeing career to come to an end and I was reminded of Eric during the World Cup Final in 2010 when Howard Webb encountered similar issues with behaviour during his biggest game on the public stage.
9
« on: Wed 14 Jan 2026 13:32 »
Other than in respect of non-used substitutes (which is fair enough) why were these changes made?
What was interesting with the scheduling of the PL fixtures (with one team not played against until the round of matches on 4th January) it was possible that a player (including players returning from loans) could potentially play 4 times against the same opposition in the PL this year.
I suspect it is to do with trying to enhance the reputation of the FA Cup, that is allowing key players to be included in teams rather than 'resting' them because of big money transfer speculation. Guehi last Saturday comes to mind, and presumably his value has not been decreased, as it might have been in previous seasons, because Palace are no longer in the FA Cup. I was a bit surprised therefore that Josh Sargent apparently asked not to play for Norwich last weekend because of transfer speculation. Presumably too, players will be able to play in the FA Cup whilst on loan, knowing that they could play for their parent club if recalled. The change of rule seems to suggest that a player could end up playing against his former club in a later round if transferred in the January window, but not if on loan. A sensible change in my view.
Agree with your comments, i think the Sargent not wanting to play was more about trying to force a move away from Norwich and not get injured as the offer he has is to Canada i believe.
Interesting, is it too late for Palace to put in an offer? 
10
« on: Wed 14 Jan 2026 09:27 »
Other than in respect of non-used substitutes (which is fair enough) why were these changes made?
What was interesting with the scheduling of the PL fixtures (with one team not played against until the round of matches on 4th January) it was possible that a player (including players returning from loans) could potentially play 4 times against the same opposition in the PL this year.
I suspect it is to do with trying to enhance the reputation of the FA Cup, that is allowing key players to be included in teams rather than 'resting' them because of big money transfer speculation. Guehi last Saturday comes to mind, and presumably his value has not been decreased, as it might have been in previous seasons, because Palace are no longer in the FA Cup. I was a bit surprised therefore that Josh Sargent apparently asked not to play for Norwich last weekend because of transfer speculation. Presumably too, players will be able to play in the FA Cup whilst on loan, knowing that they could play for their parent club if recalled. The change of rule seems to suggest that a player could end up playing against his former club in a later round if transferred in the January window, but not if on loan. A sensible change in my view.
11
« on: Tue 13 Jan 2026 08:53 »
Not sure whether Seb Stockbridge has been back to Crewe Alex since the key game v Wrexham a couple of years ago, but anyway, I'm hoping to see a good performance from him (and a different result) on Saturday.
12
« on: Tue 13 Jan 2026 08:49 »
Surprised with David Rock, only had him last month. Thought he was okay. His first ever trip to Valley Parade I believe and a massive game for both clubs
Stephen Parkinson might be one to watch. Fourth to Lewis Smith at Cov on Saturday and a good game at Stevenage for him in the week
I'm sure Stephen must have improved since the time he came to Crewe Alex in one of his first games on the EFL, or at least I hope he's improved.
13
« on: Sun 11 Jan 2026 11:39 »
I strongly believe that Darren deserves some kind of national recognition for his services to football. I did look up maybe nominating him as part of the new years honours list, but to do so would need his full personal details (home address etc.)
I can’t think of anyone more worthy, but I can’t push it any further. Is anyone close enough to him to start a campaign on this?
I agree. However, having completed a successful application for someone, I can confirm that you need a lot of 'inside information' to get an application through successfully. Personal details are just part of the process and you need some supporting references from different people to back up the application. Rightly or wrongly, it is all very 'hush-hush', and campaigns don't tend to get anywhere on their own. And, having completed and sent off the application, you have to sit and wait for up to three years before an honour may be announced (but no guarantees). By all means contact the football employing authorities, they may already have something in mind but, as you say, you probably won't be able to do anything further. Edit - just noticed the post about contacting Norfolk FA. A good idea in my view.
14
« on: Sat 10 Jan 2026 22:05 »
4622 to be precise, which included me having hotfooted it from home after watching the disaster which was Crystal Palace relinquishing the FA Cup at the first hurdle and at little ol' Macclesfield as well. It's going to take a long time for the fans of the Palace to live that one down.
Like Tim Robinson at Macclesfield, I thought Charles Breakspear at Crewe performed well. He showed all his experience, only produced yellow cards when he had to (2 or 3 I believe) and was receptive to possible head injuries, which was good. Quite a bit of whistle in both halves, but this I believe reflected the game which was uninspired at best. And as the Palace found out earlier, if you don't stick goals away against so-called lesser opponents (Harrogate are next to bottom in L2), then you can hardly be surprised if the outcome is not as you expected. Not a good day for me!
15
« on: Sat 10 Jan 2026 21:51 »
Agreed, definitely not the officials who should be hanging their heads in shame, nor the home side who thoroughly deserved their win. And to think, the last time I saw the Palace on TV in the FA Cup, they were only winning the b***dy trophy at Wembley. How the mighty have fallen.
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