RateTheRef

I can’t blame Kirk for missing that act of thuggery from Asante. AR Scholes probably had the better viewpoint and I think should have seen that, but things get missed. Clear red card and a stiff ban should be in place for Asante.

Great match to watch. Thought it was really well officiated.

This was a very fair synopsis. I was at the game and was perplexed by his lack of signalling - quite odd tbh. The lack of advantage was poor, but everyone makes that error from time to time. I was surprised by the 3 mins - I thought 6, and in those three minutes there was normal timewasting.  (I am a Norwich supporter so it benefitted my team, but wrong). I also felt he did not deal with persistent infringement. Not very good I am afraid.

Umpire Gregory Braithwaite has retired from international duties according to West Indian newspapers wef 30 September 2025.

He spoke really eloquently and just seemed a really decent person. Well done to Anthony Taylor.

Majority of the workforce in the North and the VAR office in the south!! Madness

I grew up in the next village along from Darren. I never met Darren, but did meet his Dad. He was a lovely warm  man and organised the ball boys for Norwich City. My Dad knew him as he ran a youth football team which my brother played in and  Mr Cann senior often called my Dad when Norwich got through to the next round of a cup, as he would rally the troops at short notice. More often than not, it was in the Zenith Data Systems Cup, whereby a degree of knowledge was required to retrieve copious balls hit in to the vacant River End terrace.

I was a junior referee (gave up at 21 when I got a job in London). I would referee friendlies for the  club in the village that Darren lived in. This meant that on one occasion I refereed the friendly after Darren did. I think it was known in local circles that Darren was destined for higher echelons and was ambitious (and rightly so). I still cling onto the fact that a local said that I had refereed better than Darren!! For someone to reach the absolute pinnacle of football, from relatively rural Norfolk, is a huge achievement and what an amazing success.

It does sadden me that Norfolk is poorly represented with officials now - in the eighties and nineties you had Bigger, Borrett (he moved along the Norfolk/Suffolk border), Gray and linesmen in John Elwin, Colin Reeve and more recent times Messrs Artis and Cann. There does seem to be a dearth of representation now.

In relation to Michael Gough, his drunk driving ban (and failure to stop) in August of last year would not have endeared him to his employers.